I follow directions well.

In a comment on my previous post, I was asked to describe my perfect day, and to be as descriptive as possible.

I find that I follow directions well, and am especially up for a challenge, nearly always. You know, I wanted to blog yesterday, but couldn't think of anything meaningful to write about. So, now....NOW, I have something meaningful to write about. Thank you, Wecker.

As I was walking to the cafeteria this morning to get my breakfast, I began thinking of just exactly what my perfect day might look like.

Would it be me and my favorite guy on a sandy beach in the middle of nowhere with the only people around being scattered travelers minding their own business and a cabana boy named, Raoul (thanks, Brian!), bringing drinks, and whatever else we wanted, with a snap of the finger?

Or, would it be a day with my girlfriends, if money were no object, where we would shop endlessly, eat heartily, and make time for a chick flick, all via limousine, of course?

However, then came the guilt...I'm feeling selfish. The things I've thought of so far don't include my daughter at all. Or, any of my other friends or immediate family.

Maybe a day at Disneyland with my daughter, some of my most favorite friends & family, AND my most favorite guy....and, hell, we'll bring Raoul with us! But, of course, my daughter, and the rest of them would be on best behavior, no doubt.

To sum it all up here, my perfect day would include all those things....sandy beaches, drinks, great food, shopping, my daughter, family, friends, movies, and fun. Not necessarily in that order. And, money would be in abundance. But then, that day would be over. And, reality would set in. Money is an object. I can't do all those things in one day. But, I can, if I choose, do those things over a period of my lifetime.

And, I will. Eventually.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaack....

Okay, I'm back from vacation. I had an awesome time. My friend, Kim, is the best hostess in he world, and I got to relax and do nothing for four straight days. That's what a "real" vacation is all about, in my book. :-)

Time to get back to work, back to fitness, and back to eating healthy. Wish me luck!

Neener-Neener-Neener Part Deux

I get to go on vacation. Woo-to-the-Hoo! It's a mini-vacation, but still. A few days at a friend's house, relaxing, is my idea of some serious vacation-a-ria!

Sunny Beaches

I'm so grateful the weatherman was incorrect for our day-trip to Seaside on Sunday. It was beautiful.

Government Workers Unite!

Woo-hoo! I kicked ASS today at work! Who says government workers don't work?

Happy Anniversary to Me!

It's been a year today since I've been watching my weight. This time last year, I started paying attention. Soon after, I began using the best FREE online diet program ever and exercising 3-5 times a week, or more. I'm still going. I've lost 45.7 lbs., and just figured out that I hadn't compensated for the weight lost, and have been eating too many calories. I promptly addressed that problem, and hopefully will begin seeing results again fairly quickly. Yay me!

Pur-dy Pictures

Click on the pretty picture if you'd like to see the rest.

What's the hype about?

So, I found out a little about what the "hype" is all about this weekend. I went camping. This was the first time I'd been camping since I was about 22 years old. That was a LONG time ago.

I went to visit a friend, Dwayne, who is the camp host for Trout Lake Creek Campgrounds. The grounds were lovely, and the people were friendly.

Friday night was fun just hanging out with Dwayne, and the recent friends he'd made at the site. Good friend, Dave. A guy we both found that we could seriously "hang" with. He was extremely smart - seemed to know everything about everything. Our company for the evening included Dave's wife and kids (teens or older). Good friend Dave had tons of stories, most of which were extremely exciting or funny...or both. Dwayne has some great stories himself. He's a bit on the wild side, so exciting would be one way to put it. But, he's extremely funny to me, as well, so you can imagine the entertainment I had for the evening.

Saturday, after breakfast, we headed up to Sleeping Beauty for a hike. Dwayne had warned me that it was going to be hard, but that I could do it. I was so very nervous, as I haven't hiked much in my life. When we were nearing it, and he pointed it out, I about had a heart attack. It was SO HIGH. To make a long and grueling story short, I made it almost to the top. There were some large rocks at the very top that there was no way I was climbing. It was bad enough that I had a panic attack when I finally reached the end of the actual trail - very near the tip top. I started in on the rocks so I could say I did it, but, my fear of heights got the best of me. I simply couldn't do it. More panic, and then tears. Dwayne was nice about it, and didn't tease me too much. But, instead headed to the tip top to carve his "signature" once again. This was his sixth trip up there. I sat down where I'd been and relaxed. I was able to enjoy the view at this point (as best I could with the whole fear thing). Eventually, the panic subsided and I enjoyed the true beauty. When I stood up, I could see all four mountains surrounding us - Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams. Just as I was finally relaxing, Dwayne bound toward the edge of this mountain (over 4,000 ft. elevation, by the way) with uber-speed and freaked me out. Several times. He literally climbed down on the rocks on the sides of this humongous mountain. He had informed me over and over, all weekend, how he was a ninja. I'd swear I believe him, too. At any rate, I was definitely proud of myself for the accomplishment of climbing that sucker.

Saturday night, after dark, we headed up to Flattop Sno*Park to watch a meteor shower with Good friend Dave and his family. It was a great time of laughter, learning, and watching a slow-to-go show of shooting stars. (Note to self: Star gazing in a huge lot at 2600 ft. with wide open sky and funny people is a great experience.)

Sunday morning, sitting around the campfire, I did some reflecting of the past two days, and wrote down my memories. I had so many, in such a short time. Memories I'll hopefully never forget. Funny stories, and hilarious side comments about those very stories. Interesting music that opened my mind and allowed me to see a culture I'm unfamiliar with. Things I enjoy about Dwayne, his stories and his company (even though he's a tad bit crazy - but adventurous and fun, no doubt). It was definitely an adventure for me. A whole different life than I'm used to. It was awesome to get away....from the phone, the computer, the television, etc., and live the life of campers who figure out how to survive, and then some, with no electricity.

In the afternoon, we headed up to Langfield Falls for a very easy hike - I wouldn't even call it a hike, to be honest. The falls were beautiful, though. Mother Nature is a true wonder. There was a crazy guy jumping in and out of the falls. The reason he was crazy is because it was FREEZING water, and not that warm outside either. After that we went for a long drive, which included heading to the top of Flattop Mountain...another memory I'll never forget. Scared the beegeezes out of me!

All-in-all, another great weekend.

Blue on a Tuesday

Turmoil inside.
Feels like a whirling wind, taking over.

Tears stream.
Feels like a slow leak of heartache.

Aching.
Every beat feels like swelling.

Release.
Words come to me, but don't feel adequate.

Everyone hurts. Sometimes.

Pictures from a Lovely Sunday

Ahhhh....lovely weekend.

I had an awesome weekend.

Friday night I went with a friend to see I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. I liked it. It was a typical Adam Sandler movie (which I love, by the way) where you're laughing hysterically one minute and crying the next. Literally. My favorite kinds of movies, above all.

As my previous post said, we went to Barton Park for a Birthday party on Saturday - that was very nice. Even though I was in a very crabby mood most of the day. After we got home, I went for a long walk/jog - 4 miles - 2 jogging and 2 walking. It was lovely. I hadn't jogged in over two weeks, so that felt good to get back to it.

Sunday was a nice day. Started out gloomy and rainy, but ended up very lovely. After church, I took my darling daughter for a nice lunch at Tebo's, which was delicious, as always. And, then headed up north and east for a date. We met at the Bridge of the Gods, headed to Beacon Rock for a hike (which kicked my butt!), and then went for a long drive. On our way back, we stopped near Bonneville Dam to sit near the water and enjoy the outdoors. He was a perfect gentleman, and made me feel safe. That was appreciated. The drive there was beautiful, and the drive home, at dusk was even better. Made for a great day!

Beautiful Day

Today is turning out to be a beautiful day. The morning was overcast and chilly. We headed to Barton Park for a Birthday party around 10:30 a.m. I wore shorts, just knowing it would warm up sooner. However, it seemed like it took forever to warm up...and I was freezing most the morning. I even had a big jacket on most of the day. Funny. It's much warmer now, in my apartment...especially with the dryer going.

I'm actually feeling a bit under the weather today. Not sure if it's hormones or if I really am coming down with some sort of bug. At any rate, I'm hoping to get some extra rest tonight.

Happy Saturday, everyone!