What A Difference A Day Makes

Let's look back shall we? Because today hubs and I celebrate 32 years of married life and a lot happens in a day year. 

This time last year we were mid-move. 

Papers were signed and we were packed and loaded, nearly everything we owned headed to storage. We lived with my mom for six weeks between here and there. There and here?   

We house sat for my sister and brother-in-law and took advantage of our weekend in the city of brotherly love. It was hot. 

We fed our sweet pup her favorite ice cream not knowing then she'd only be with us for one more short month. 

Oh yeah, and hubs was retired.

To recap, since our anniversary last year we have changed cities (twice), moved from a house to my mom's to an apartment while managing a home build in still another city, we said goodbye to the dog we'd loved for thirteen years, the sweetest dog we've ever known, hubs un-retired and went to work in another city, and we're still married. Did I mention we're building a house? 

Happy anniversary hubs! You make me strong, you make me brave, you make me laugh and only sometimes make me a little bit crazy. You're still the mischevious, fun-loving, hard-working, hilarious, big-hearted boy I married. 

32 years ago today I peeked around the door at the back of a warm sanctuary to catch a glimpse of you at the altar. 

You still make my heart go pitter-patter. xo

Throwback Thursday-The Return Trip

Can you call it a throwback if it happened only twenty days ago?

I like to make my own rules here in blogland so the answer is yes. The thing is, I was looking through my draft file and found some pics from our trip back to NJ from Canada via Maine before we moved to South Carolina, and who doesn't want to hear about that?

When last we spoke (on this topic) hubs and I were in Prince Edward Island for a friend's daughter's wedding. We didn't get to stay on PEI nearly long enough, because we needed to move south, but we did manage an overnight in St. John, N.B, and then two nights at our friend's house in Maine.

I was never interested in Maine as a kid, or even as an adult until more recently. I've known people who vacation there every summer, but in my mind Maine was too far north and far too chilly and the beaches were rocky and the water frigid, and none of that sounded like summertime fun to me.

I was so wrong.

I mean I was correct in that it is far, far north and it's chilly compared to say Florida, and yes the beaches are rocky and the water cool by southern standards, but somehow those factors combine to make for a super relaxed, outdoorsy, creation-is-so-unbelievably-amazing, kind of place that speaks right to my soul.

Oh and there's a lighthouse. Don't you just love a beautiful lighthouse? We spent a few hours one day, walking the coastal trail around the Portland Head Light and the scenery is absolutely stunning. 

Hubs and our friend climbed down onto the beach and skipped rocks, because the sea was calling.

There's a technique to skipping stones and hubs has it mastered.

Pretty sure it's all in the wrist. 

We had dinner one night at the local lobster pound, and fresh lobster never ever disappoints. Hubs had a whole lobster, they called it a newbie, which meant the shell could be cracked by hand-no tools required. 

                                       

Normally eating lobster is a fairly messy proposition (at least if you're me it is), with bits of shell flying, and butter dripping and splashing, but this was so much better. You didn't need a shower when you finished. 

I'm not the only one am I? 

Maine is full of some of the most beautiful views on planet Earth. I see why authors like Maine. It's mysterious. Nature looms large here, a character in the play of life. The sea crashes with great drama along the rocky, rugged shoreline, but the cool night air is soft and whispers in your ear...slow down.....breathe deeply...sit for a while.  

Maine, as it turns out, understands summer very well.

Yards Not Miles

Some people are lucky enough to have their grown children living nearby. Their whole family in fact pretty much sticks close to the town or at least the state where they were born. They have lunch together on Sunday afternoons and send the leftovers home with whoever wants them. They borrow coats and books and angel food cake pans, and they say hey, let's see a movie next week. They go to ballgames and the farmers market and that new restaurant a neighbor said was good.

And some people live in England while their babies attend university in America.

Or they live on the East Coast while their little girl and the boy she married live on the West Coast.

Or they teach school like a grown up in South Carolina, miles and miles and miles from you.

If your grown children live nearby you may not relate to the cycle of feelings one experiences when children live a day or flight or ocean away. How you start counting down the days on the calendar until 'next time' before 'this time' even gets here. How the anticipation and excitement of seeing your child in the flesh bubbles up in the weeks before a visit, and you know you need to squash that down a little, because they will come and go in what feels like the blink of an eye. You want to throw your heart wide open, but a part of you understands the need for a little self-preservation too.

You know from years of practice that after every hello there will be a goodbye, and that goodbye will hover over your time together if you let it. You understand all too well the supreme effort required to push the end of a visit to the actual end so you don't spend all day Saturday thinking about that airport run on Sunday. You learn something important.

You learn to be present.

We are those people. Those parents whose children have lived away from home since graduating from high school. Whose every trip back to us, to home, has required massive logistics, airports, delays, dollars, lost luggage, traffic jams, toll booths, connections, and hour upon hour in a car-train-plane. We've made peace with this because you cannot show your children the world, tell them it's theirs for the taking, and then demand they live next door.

Can you?
No I don't think you can.

Do  I want to?
Only sometimes.

Mostly I'm so thankful to see my daughters flourish in a world that is hard and often harsh. To see them chase their dreams and live out goals they set for themselves before they could even articulate them as such. To watch as they seek out and follow God's call on their lives.

I absolutely love having young adult children. I love their wit and their style and their compassion and their brains. My once upon a time baby girls have grown into the women I always imagined they would be, only better. They're interesting, independent, funny, and smart. I'm completely amazed at the way genes combine to give us children who are uniquely themselves, yet so much like us we recognize a turn of the wrist or a tilt of the head...their smallest hint of displeasure unexpressed and the drive behind that furrowed brow. A smile that springs from somewhere deep.

If you're in the throws of toddlerhood or living out the drama of the middle years, know the young adult years are worth every ounce of sweat and love and prayer you're pouring in today.

Keep loving well.

We moved into an apartment in South Carolina last Saturday. The same apartment complex my Daughter2 calls home. I can't explain how much I love our new living situation. Yesterday hubs and I were pulling out of a shopping center and noticed someone waving to us from the red light across the street. It was my girl! I guess that sounds a little silly, but y'all we're neighbors and just knowing she's nearby, within walking distance actually, makes my heart sing.

We had breakfast with her last Sunday, I helped set up her classroom on Monday, she walked over for dinner on Tuesday, and on Wednesday she and I enjoyed an hour of mindless but awesome TV aka Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team.  Then I walked the few yards home and she did some work to prepare for the new school year.

When your family lives hundreds or thousands of miles away, every trip back, every single visit, requires moving in with them, operating out of suitcases, interrupting routines, settling for makeshift-it's only for a few days-kind of living. We're used to this, and since our extended families are spread out still we'll continue doing so because it's family and we love them.

But I feel like I've been given a little gift here. A bright spot in the midst of what has been literally nine years of schlepping bags and boxes, of longing for just one more day, one more hour, one more minute of in person time with my girls.

Sometime in the next year we'll move again, still nearby but not within walking distance. Daughter2 will also re-locate one day, and Daughter1 will definitely move from the west coast to ???, maybe closer maybe further and I celebrate that, I really do. I celebrate their willingness to meet life head on, to set down roots, but also to pick them up and re-plant somewhere new when change comes calling.

And it will come calling, again and again and again, which is why I'm going to settle in. I'm going to breathe deeply and embrace with my whole heart this season of geographic nearness. Years of hello and goodbye have taught me a great appreciation for the now.

My feet are so ready for the now, for walking yards instead of miles....

... and loving every single step. 

The Hodgepodge Highway

It's that time again! Thanks for playing along here on Wednesdays, and know that newcomers are always welcome to join the fun. Answer the questions on your own blog, then add your link at the end of my post. Here we go-

1. When was the last time you relocated? Did you move yourself or leave it to the professionals? Are you happy staying put or is there a move in your future? Best thing about moving to a new city or town? Least favorite and/or hardest thing about moving house?

I moved on Saturday. Prior to Saturday's relo I moved June 11th. Yes twice in one summer, and we're only in Phase 3. Also, relo is the term those of us in the business use when discussing relocation. I'm not actually in the relo business, but quite often it feels as if I am. 

We won't be staying put. This is a four phase plan and we're only in phase three. There's definitely another move in my future, but not this calendar year. And I'm a firm believer in leaving it to the professionals whenever possible. 

Best thing about moving to a new city or town? I love having somewhere new to explore, and I enjoy meeting new people wherever we roam. Worst thing? Hmmm...definitely a first world problem, but finding a new person to cut my hair ranks high on my list. Then there's all the bureaucratic rigmarole. We were at the DMV yesterday, twice!!, and still don't have a license or our cars tagged so there's that. 

Moving is a process and I know it takes a good year for a new place to feel like it's truly my own. 

2. When were you last 'moved to tears'? Explain.

We attended a wedding recently, and I am always moved to tears at that first glance of a bride on her father's arm at the back of the church. Pass the tissues please. 

3. Do you have rules about eating in the car...any forbidden foods? What's the last thing you consumed in your car? Your go-to car snack when traveling long distance?

I don't have a lot of rules about eating in my car, but there are a few. No fast food because I can't handle the lingering smell, and nothing greasy or drippy. My feelings are crumbs can be vacuumed up, but hubs has a strict 'non-particulate' snacks only rule. I think he likes to say that word, but we all know the ones he means.  

Daughter1 rode to TN one time with her aunt (hubs sister) and she phoned hubs to tell him they stopped for snacks and the nephews chose sunflower seeds and pork rinds. Hubs could hardly stand to think about it. My go-to car snack is Twizzlers, and that is also my most recently consumed. 

4. Share a favorite song relating to cars and/or driving.

Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane. I like the Rascal Flatts version too, but the original always makes me think of Daughter2. I actually wrote a post about it when she graduated from college (here if you're curious), but in short...Daughter2 latched onto this song as a happy, chatty toddler, and to this day whenever I hear it I flash back to the sweetness of her at age two and a half, strapped into the car seat, singing to her heart's content. 

5. What's your most frequently visited drive-thru...Starbucks? the bank? the pharmacy? some other window?

There wasn't a Starbucks in tinytown, and Dunkin Donuts didn't have a drive thru. I never use the pharmacy window, so I'm going to say the ATM because I do seem to be there a lot.

6. "He who hesitates is lost"...would you agree? When it comes to making decisions do you generally act quickly or do you more often than not fall into the 'lost' category?

Would I agree? Not always. Sometimes it's wise to hesitate and mull things over before diving in. Of course there is such a thing as too much hesitation, which is probably where I land too much of the time, but I'm a thinker and sometimes 'he who hesitates keeps from making a big blunder'.  

7. When was the last time you got lost? Was it stressful or an unexpected happy adventure?

I rely on my GPS and am thankful for technology that keeps me mostly on track.  I have absolutely no sense of direction, and at least once a week we'll drive somewhere and hubs will say, 'You have no idea where we are, do you?' Guilty. 

We've taken some wrong turns and side routes that were unplanned, but I'm not sure that's the same as being truly lost. Here's how we roll-

We're driving along and realize we missed a turn, are on the wrong road, or the GPS can't 'find' us. Some lively discussion ensues as to which one of us is responsible for this new turn of events before we regroup and carry on, trying our best to make it a happy adventure.  

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have so many random thoughts percolating right now my head is in a constant state of spin. I'm stockpiling random thoughts for future blogging, so am kind of reluctant to throw one out there now, which I know makes it sound like you should brace yourselves for some really deep and interesting bit of writing down the road, but don't. It's more like I have so many stray thoughts I don't know which to keep and which to discard. Which ones I want to blog about and which ones I want to forget. How about this-we have a small road trip this weekend. I know! We are officially insane.

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 231

The Hodgepodge is back after a brief summer holiday. We moved over the weekend, so I do hope technology smiles on my poor neglected little corner of the Internet today. I have at least three posts written in my head, but as the saying goes-business before pleasure. Today's business is the DMV so whoohoo!

Thanks for hanging in there with me...don't forget to hop back here tomorrow (Wednesday) to share answers with the rest of the movers and shakers.

1. When was the last time you relocated? Did you move yourself or leave it to the professionals? Are you happy staying put or is there a move in your future? Best thing about moving to a new city or town? Least favorite and/or hardest thing about moving house?

2. When were you last 'moved to tears'? Explain.

3. Do you have rules about eating in the car...any forbidden foods? What's the last thing you consumed in your car? Your go-to car snack when traveling long distance?

4. Share a favorite song relating to cars and/or driving.

5. What's your most frequently visited drive-thru...Starbucks? the bank? the pharmacy? some other window?

6. "He who hesitates is lost"...would you agree? When it comes to making decisions do you generally act quickly or do you more often than not fall into the 'lost' category?

7. When was the last time you got lost? Was it stressful or an unexpected happy adventure?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Drive On

We've been on the road, which might be the understatement of the century, and I have a lot to say. Really I just need somewhere to put my pictures and I'm still on my mom's computer so the editing is tricky. 

When I say we've been on the road, what I mean is we've driven roughly 3,000 miles in the past two weeks. Also, we're moving to South Carolina this weekend which is another 650, but pshht...we laugh at 650. 

And yes, we're finally moving into our apartment which I'm sure I'll blob about later, but for now let's head north to the land of Anne with an 'e' and moose as big as your car.

For the record, we did not see a single moose. Boo. With the number of signs posted we fully expected one to tear across the highway, but not a single creature crossed our path. 

I think this recap will need to be
fivetwo posts because we jammed a lot into those 2000+ miles up and back. Except I'm moving this weekend and blogging and moving do not play well together, so we'll see. 

We were invited to a wedding on Prince Edward Island, and I never miss a chance to see the land of Anne. Crossing the bridge onto PEI feels like driving into a storybook. Very special friends live on the island, and catching up with them in person is always a treat. Their daughter and our daughter1 navigated teenage life together in the UK, and we wanted to be there to share in her big day.

It's about 1000 miles up and another thousand back, but we made some stops along the way and turned it into a holiday. Maine is stunning. Seriously, one of the prettiest states in the whole of America. I love the coastline and the woodlands and the charming seaside towns. 

Oh, and also the lobster.   

Maineacs know how to make a proper lobster roll. 

We spent the first night in Freeport Maine, home to LL Bean who've got to be ranked number one in customer service around the world. Hubs dropped off his duck boots for resoling, duck boots he purchased 27 years ago and which still look fantastic. They'll resole the shoes and mail them to us in a few weeks, so easy peasy. Their flagship store is open 24/7, 365 days a year because I guess there are some crazy folks who absolutely must buy a kayak on Christmas Day. 

We had a wonderful dinner at the Jameson Tavern situated just behind Bean, and enjoyed our seafood al fresco with live music and a cool breeze.  I don't know that I'd want to winter in Maine, but summers here are absolute perfection. 

On Thursday we drove just under three hours from Freeport to one of my happy places-Bar Harbor. I am in love with this town and all it's natural beauty, charming shops, and wonderful seafood. 

We stayed in the Bar Harbor Inn which sits perched beside the rocky shoreline, and spent the day walking along the coast and in and out of shops.

We might also have eaten more lobster. ahem.

Bar Harbor was fogged in for a good part of the day, but still so so pretty. In case you're wondering, the moose atop that building is not real.

We got an early start on Friday, and while we hated to leave, we had another seven hours of driving ahead (plus you lose an hour when you cross the Canadian border) so it was back into the car and on to Prince Edward Island. Also one of my happy places. 

If you're a fan of the Anne books and have never been to PEI, rest assured this lovely island is all your childhood imagination ever dreamed it would be. 

The bride's parents were hosting a little event after their rehearsal and dinner, so hubs and I had a leisurely meal ourselves before heading over. 

                                         

Champagne and oysters at the Claddagh House on Sydney Street. Hubs makes friends wherever he goes, so naturally was invited behind the bar to shuck an oyster. After dinner we moved next door to meet up with our friends and their friends and of course the bride and groom.  

Daughter1 tried so hard to work out her schedule to be there, but just couldn't make it happen. I'm standing in with her high school besties. They're all grown up now, all three married and living about as far from one another as geography allows, but still close in heart. That's the bride on the right. The lighting was a little dim for a picture, but we were missing you Daughter1! 

Saturday morning hubs and I wandered around Charlottetown, in and out of shops, down by the waterfront, and up and down the tree-lined avenues near our hotel, The Great George.  

The wedding was held at one of the oldest churches on PEI, in a part of the island known as South Rustico. The weather was absolutely glorious, and the bride and groom adorable. 

Fathers of brides are pretty cute too. 

Just sayin'. 

Hors d'oeuvres were served here, with a gorgeous view and fresh oysters shucked on the patio by a very skilled oyster shucker. Dinner was served in a beautifully decorated room indoors, and was four courses of deliciousness. The mother of the bride has some serious foodie connections, and the chefs were top notch. Thankfully there was dancing after all that dining. 

I need to get moved y'all, and step out of vacation mode. 

For reals. 

I also need to wrap this up because we've been at my mom's for 56 days and it's now time to remember where I've stashed all those bags, bins, and boxes we arrived with way back in early June. I'd much rather talk about our holiday, but these suitcases won't pack themselves so it looks like there will be a part two after all. 

I'm a little overwhelmed by all there is to do in the next few days, but in the words of my favorite Anne...'It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.'

Even moving. 

Tripping Over the Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Just a reminder there will not be any Hodgepodge next week (August 4/5). We'll be wrapping up some travel here and then making our way south, aka moving, so I'll need a break.

Is moving a break?

The HP will be back the week after (August 11/12) so check back then for a new set of questions. We're here today though, so let's get started.

1.  I recently read here about four secrets to happiness from around the world. They were-

Overcome your fears by facing them head on, allow yourself to relax and reset, work to live versus living to work, and find the good in life. Not sure if these are the actual secret to happiness, but which of the four do you struggle with most? Which one comes most easily to you?

Biggest struggle would probably be facing my fears head on. Does that come naturally to anyone? I will say I'm definitely better at it than I used to be. 

Finding the good in life comes most easily to me. 
I can always find the good. 

2. How would you spend a found $20 bill today?

I had a manicure this morning (Tuesday), so might have used the $20 towards that. 

3. Ego trip, power trip, guilt trip, round trip, trip the light fantastic, or trip over your own two feet...which 'trip' have you experienced or dealt with most recently? Explain.

We're traveling to Canada via Maine and back again in the next week, so round trip works. We'll be attending a wedding in Prince Edward Island so trip the light fantastic also works. 

4. If you could master any physical skill in the world what would it be, and how would you use that skill?

This is hard. In thinking about all the possibilities I realize I'm quite mediocre at a whole bunch of stuff-ha! I'd love to be a great dancer, and as long as we're going to master the skill, sign me up for DWTS or the NYC Ballet. 

5. As July draws to a close, let's take inventory of our summer fun. Since the official first day of (North American) summer (June 20th) have you...been swimming? enjoyed an ice cream cone? seen a summer blockbuster? camped? eaten corn on the cob? gardened? deliberately unplugged? watched a ballgame? picked fruit off the vine? taken a road trip? read a book?  Are any of these activities on your must-do-before-summer-ends list?

I have not been swimming at all this summer which is so sad. I love to swim. There's a pool in the apartment complex where we'll be living in less than two weeks, so ask me again in August. And since I've enjoyed more than one ice cream cone a few laps in the pool are feeling necessary. 

Hubs and I saw Jurassic World which I think qualifies as a blockbuster, have not camped, but have eaten corn on the cob because it's not summer without corn on the cob. 

I haven't gardened because we're currently without a garden, haven't picked fruit off the vine, and I only accidentally unplugged thanks to a tornado wreaking havoc with the power for a long, hot, three days. I've been to a couple of minor league ballgames, and have read several books. 

Have we taken a road trip? Um, yeah. We've been on the road more than we've been home. 

6. The Republican Presidential candidates will debate on August 6th. What's your question?

Here are a few things I'd like to hear every candidate address, both sides of the fence or no side of the fence- 

• What are the two biggest issues facing America today?
• Tell me why I should believe you're going to do what you say you're going to do. 
• Do you support a pathway to citizenship for illegals currently living in the US? 
• What about illegals brought here as minors? Do you support in-state college tuition for illegals brought here as minors?
• In a few short sentences tell me what America means to you. 

7. What's your most listened to song so far this summer?

I Do by Holly Maher and Always Been You by Marie Hines. 

True confession...those two songs are on my daughter's wedding video and it's possible I watch it once a week. Or twice. Maybe three times. Whatever. Here's the link if you somehow missed it when I linked to it twice before- Best Day Ever Link

Like I said...ob.sessed. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My girls are together in Washington this week. Makes my heart so happy.

"A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."~Marion C. Garretty

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 230

Hello Hodgepodgers! One item of business to note: There will not be any Hodgepodge next week (August 4/5) as we'll be wrapping up some travel, and then moving into our apartment down south.

Or as I like to call it-Phase 3.

The Hodgepodge will return the following week (August 11/12), so thanks for understanding! Now back to this week...answer the questions on your own blog, then hop back here tomorrow to share answers with your peeps.

1.  I recently read here about four secrets to happiness from around the world. They were-

Overcome your fears by facing them head on, allow yourself to relax and reset, work to live versus living to work, and find the good in life. Not sure if these are the actual secret to happiness, but which of the four do you struggle with most? Which one comes most easily to you?

2. How would you spend a found $20 bill today?

3. Ego trip, power trip, guilt trip, round trip, trip the light fantastic, or trip over your own two feet...which 'trip' have you experienced or dealt with most recently? Explain.

4. If you could master any physical skill in the world what would it be, and how would you use that skill?

5. As July draws to a close, let's take inventory of our summer fun. Since the official first day of (North American) summer (June 20th) have you...been swimming? enjoyed an ice cream cone? seen a summer blockbuster? camped? eaten corn on the cob? gardened? deliberately unplugged? watched a ballgame? picked fruit off the vine? taken a road trip? read a book?  Are any of these activities on your must-do-before-summer-ends list?

6. The Republican Presidential candidates will debate on August 6th. What's your question?

7. What's your most listened to song so far this summer?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

On the Road Again. Or Still?

It's Monday which means time to check in here. I'm so ready to get settled into our apartment and then hopefully into some sort of routine with my writing. We shall see.

Hubs and I have been on the road all week which I know surprises no one, and guess what? We'll be on the road all this week too. As I've been saying for several months now... 'tis a season.

Except I think 'on the road' is a way of life here as opposed to just a season, but I like to pretend one day we'll be settled down with our feet up and no place to go.

Also we really do enjoy all the going, we just need a little staying now and then for balance. ahem.

We left NJ last Tuesday and took our time getting to SC. We arrived on Wednesday morning, and headed straight for the lake to dump a carful of belongings. Not in the lake, but in the storage unit we're renting near the lake. We've got the little red car in storage there too, and she started right up on the first try. That doesn't always happen with the little red car, but apparently heat and humidity agree with her, so whoohoo!

Next stop was back to town to my sister and brother-in-law's home to dump the rest of our luggage, shower, change and then head back over to the other side of town to collect Daughter2 for dinner with the in-laws. Not her in-laws or our in-laws, but Daughter1's in-laws.

Course Daughter1 and her hubs were way over on the west coast where they currently reside, but their families had a lot of fun catching up over dinner. Both sisters were there too, just no newlyweds. Pretty sure we're going to see the kid's in-laws more than they do, but that's okay because it gives us a chance to talk about them. Hi kids!

Thursday I broke down and got a haircut, my first since we moved. I went to my daughter2's stylist so it wasn't too traumatic. Y'all finding a new girl to cut my hair ranks high on the list of move stressors. We had a nice lunch afterwards with Daughter2 (I'm not even living there yet, but already loving how easy it is to see her) and then we drove back out to the lake to meet up with our builder.

He had our actual large blueprints and also the gazillion pages that go behind the floorpans. All the lines and squiggles and footnotes referring to insulation and electricity and foundations and muckity muck muck. Oh I know it's all important, but I want hubs to worry about the part that's not fun. Just skip straight to the pretty drawings of my house please.

It feels very official to have blueprints, although there are still one or two little bits and pieces that need correcting, and we have to tag trees on the lot as to what stays and what goes, and then somebody has to come say it's okay because you can't just knock down all the trees when you're beside the water, nor would we want to, and then there's all the choosing and the paying of course, but still... it's nice to have blueprints.

On Friday we met Daughter2 for breakfast, then hubs drove me to meet up with some college friends so we could transfer my luggage to their car for the ride to North Carolina. We're moving to South Carolina which I know is confusing, but I was going to a sorority reunion in North Carolina. And hubs was going on to Tennessee to catch up with his folks, because we were in the neighborhood.

More or less.

I had a fabulous weekend in the mountains with college girlfriends. The kind of weekend where we talk too much and laugh too much and relax to the nth degree. In other words-perfection. 

The view's not bad either.

The weekend went by way too fast, and on Sunday hubs picked me up and we headed back to NJ. It was slow going because have mercy, the traffic! Yikes! What should have taken ten hours took fourteen so we didn't roll into my mom's driveway until 1:30 in the morning. I know! 

We have a glorious forty eight hours with no where to be, then it's back in the car and over the border. Legally of course-ha! We're going to a wedding in Canada, and since Prince Edward Island is basically the end of the earth, we're making some stops along the way. It's a beautiful part of the world, and we are so looking forward to catching up with friends as we travel north.

Life is a highway, and we're riding it that's for sure!

Inspire

It's Friday I think, which means it's time to blog. Yes I've become a Wednesday/Friday blogger. Hubs loves to read here, but says lately he's giving it just two stars. Sadly I cannot argue.

We're still at my mom's, still in limbo, still anxious to move on to the next thing, but trying to make the best of our current thing. One way we're doing that is we're walking for miles. Miles and miles and miles. Guess what? I'm enjoying it a lot.

Yes, even nature's stair master.

Two years ago I would not have said such a thing was possible, that I could truly enjoy and look forward to a good power walk, but turns out it is very possible. I've always liked to hike, but this is different. This is exercise for all the right reasons, and I owe my change of heart and mindset to a little big thing called boot camp.

Which I miss a lot. Go figure.

Dragging myself out of bed in the cold (oftentimes ridiculously cold) dark of night to make a 6 AM workout every Monday-Wednesday-Friday changed me, and I like the new me better. I still get my daily email from the trainer and love opening the message knowing it's going to be something positive, encouraging, and helpful. Somedays it's a motivational quote or story, somedays a reminder to stay on track or drink more water or maybe it's a healthy recipe to try. Some days it's a good old fashioned pep talk.

I first heard about boot camp from two people I knew through two completely different avenues (my hairdresser and my dental hygienist), but they both raved about it at almost the same time. Coincidence? They both looked great, really fit and healthy, and they both also shared with me about their very noticeable change in energy level since they started making time for boot camp every week.

That definitely peaked my interest because do you know what you miss a lot when you hit middle age? A whole lot of things actually, but near the top of my list is the energy I had before my hormones ran amok.

True confession here-I have never been an athlete. Boot camp sounded like something for athletes or exercise hounds or people who live on rice cakes, the plain unsalted kind. Both women assured me this was different. That it wasn't a room full of athletes, although some certainly are. For the record I am not one of the some, but still it was a very mixed group. Men and women. Young and not so young. Some weighing more than they'd like and some just looking to feel better about their health and nutrition and daily habits.

I told hubs I was going to try it for three months, and he always encourages me to find something I love, but he might have also rolled his eyes a little knowing my level of co-ordination. ahem. I thought I'd sign up for three months because I know myself, and when it comes to exercise regimens the three month mark is about where I lose interest. Not this time. At three months I discovered I  really liked it.

You're never too old people!

I was feeling stronger, had more energy and less jiggle (if you're over 50 you know what I'm talkin' about), and the biggest and maybe most unexpected benefit, I felt more clear headed than I had in a long time, definitely since hitting the M word.  

The trainers who run the program are a perfect team. A little good cop/bad cop, but most of us need a little of both so it works. Plus the bad cop wasn't bad, just honest-ha! When it comes to addressing habits that need changing a little honesty is both good and necessary. And here the honesty always came with a huge smile, a word of encouragement, a reminder that you're not defined by a number on the scale. Most importantly, always a practical plan for how to get back on track and plenty of support in your efforts to do so.

Last week hubs and I were on one of our five-milers in the stinkin' heat and the high humidity, and as we powered on I thought to myself, 'I feel good. I'm glad I'm out here walking.' Now maybe you're one of those people who've always loved to exercise, someone who needs to run like they need oxygen, but that's never been me so these kinds of thoughts still surprise me.

I've learned a lot about myself this last year and a half, and I can't say enough about the trainers who run boot camp and the other programs they've put in place to help us replace poor habits with healthy ones.

I'm physically stronger than I ever imagined I could be. I'm not going to challenge anyone to an arm wrestle or anything, but I am strong and I have never in my life been physically strong. It feels great.

I know what I need to eat and how much, in order to feel good in my clothes. Not saying I always manage this, but I'm definitely on the 80/20 track as opposed to the 40/60. I don't beat myself up over the 20 either. Our health is more about our daily habits and the choices we make regularly over time as opposed to a single day.

You cannot out train poor nutrition. Truth. This is the boot camp mantra and while we'd like to think we can eat whatever we want as long as we work out, we can't. Habits are formed in our youth, so it's best to develop some good ones that don't need breaking when your metabolism slows to a crawl. Ask me how I know.

You can't out train poor nutrition. I think they'd want me to say that twice-ha!

One thing I also adopted thanks to boot camp, was more realistic goal setting. The trainers suggest you try something called 3 in 30, which basically means setting three goals to accomplish in the next thirty days. They usually checked in around day 15 which was a reminder to re-visit those goals and take stock or make adjustments. This was so do-able. Much more so than five big huge ginormous impossible things you say you want to master in a year the way so many of us do come January 1.

I like to look back at this short journey and take note of the timing. It was perfect. Perfect in that I had enough time to develop some brand new skills, make changes to my menu planning, gain confidence and actual enjoyment out of exercise all while in a truly supportive environment.

I try to imagine how this season of in-between we're currently living would play out without the benefit of new habits established last year. Instead of feeling capable I'd feel overwhelmed. Instead of feeling disciplined I'd feel guilty for not doing what I know I need to do, which is eating right and exercising more.

So I'm grateful. Grateful that we're never too old or too clumsy to do something positive for our health. I'm especially grateful for people who live up to their business name-Inspire. Grateful for people who use their gifts to encourage, uplift, and 'inspire' others to do the same.

The Birthday Splash Bash

The 4th has come and gone, a very different sort of holiday for us and made me feel a little homesick for tiny town. We had some fun holiday traditions there, plus the weather was just eh here, and I think you know I'm all about the weather. We did barbecue chicken indoors, but we missed the lakeside festivities and our small town parade and spending the day with friends on our very own patio.

Still we managed to squeeze in some birthday fun of another kind. My mom has a birthday this week, and per our usual way of doing things we like to make the celebrating last longer than a day. My brother and sister-in-law had us all come to their house yesterday for an afternoon by the pool, followed by a really lovely dinner early evening. We were missing my oldest sis and her family, and of course my girls who I'm always missing, but the rest of my mom's 'kids' were there, and the weather finally cooperated so a nice day all around.

Here's my nephew trying to escape what we call the depth charge. I've been where he is and there's no escaping-ha! Hubs and my brother entertained my nephew in the pool, or maybe it was the other way around?  Regardless, they did not have to be talked into it because boys will be boys. Also, you should know nine year old boys never get tired.

There was some diving for dinosaurs, cannonballing from an uncle's shoulders, and more than a little splashing.

Oh, and two cakes! My sister and brother-in-law bought these beauties from a bakery in Philadelphia called Bredenbecks. The writing looks funny on the strawberry shortcake, but that is due to my stellar photography, not the baker.

Bredenbecks has been in business since 1889 so obviously they're doing something right. Both confections were scrumptious, and I thought the chocolate was one of the prettiest cakes I've ever seen.

My mom was spoiled with hand made art work, flowers, and gifts, and I hope she felt loved on the day.

 I mean, how could she not?