Four Days In

So here it is, Wednesday afternoon.  I survived .... no, I thrived! ... on this new Pink Drink!

Having my #pinkdrink first thing in the morning, I definitely feel the effects in the form of not being as hungry as I usually am.  I work retail and am on my feet 9+ hours a day.  There is no "sit down" portion of my job, and I didn't tire out, at least not today. 

Monday was a very hard day, as it was Day 2 without my usual Diet Coke intake, and I had that gnawing headache one gets when you try to cut out your caffeine.  But I powered through the day, drinking lots of water.  No real hunger pangs at all, it was a shock to realize that when lunchtime rolled around, I wasn't constantly staring at the clock, wishing it was time to eat.  By the time I got home, I fixed broccoli and cauliflower for dinner, then walked Sadie for 35 minutes. 

Tuesday was easier, but there was a lag in my step that I noticed around 2pm.  I grabbed a cool bottle of water, took a 10 minute breather to "regroup" and get through the rest of the day.  Every day after dinner - from now until it begins to heat up for summer - I walk Sadie.  Some days, I just don't want to do it, but it was a pleasant diversion to end the evening.  We watched that gorgeous full moon rise up over the horizon!

Wednesday and the day went so much easier!  No more nagging headache, there was a spring back in my step and my day just seemed to breeze on by!  I usually measure my days by my productivity at work, and today was one very good day!   Dinner and then our walk again, I've topped out at 15k steps, and I feel good.  Really, really good!

And we'll see what the rest of the week brings ... I can't wait until Sunday when I can step on the scale .....  I know, I know, I shouldn't measure success by those numbers, but it's ingrained!

Try Something New

Today is a new beginning!  Frankly, every day is a new beginning, a new start, a chance to make a change, and today it's mine!  I'm starting the new Plexus Slim, and am having my first #pinkdrink as I jot down these notes.

Why?  My health.  I have issues with gut health, am currently taking meds to combat the effects of Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM from here on out)  My liver produces bile acid, and my gall bladder has been removed, so said BA goes right into my system, and irritates my colon with the usual typically bad reaction.  Thank goodness the cholystyramine that I take once a day does the trick-- most days.   With a bit of research, it's safe to assume that while I don't want to reduce the bile my liver produces, I could improve the quality of the bile.  Which sounds like a very weird thing!

Personally, I've found that eating sugary or fatty foods makes things worse.  I also recently introduced oranges into my diet, and those?  are a no-no!  I'm guessing too much acid.  I've also recently discovered that drinking water with higher alkalinity seems to improve things as well. Because of this new PinkDrink, I'm supposed to drink half my body weight in water each day.  That might be just a stretch; however, when I was exercising, I was hitting 100+ oz per day.  So it's doable!

Eating too much also amps up the BA, so "eat small and often" .... but let's face reality.  Changing our eating habits is one of the hardest things a person can do.  Sticking with it is even harder!  Small changes that you stick to over a long period of time seem to be the best way for making a long term change.  We all think we're strong enough to do it! But statistically, it's a very hard road.  And we slip up.  For me, it was the hardest thing giving up "donut Friday" at work.  But I did it.  For about 6 weeks.  Last Friday, I slipped up, and couldn't resist a quick afternoon sugar high.  The end result wasn't fun.

The other thing I know that I need to do is to kick my Diet Coke habit.  Again.  Three years ago when I was on a big exercise kick, I was able to do it.  Nine years ago when I moved from Ohio to Arizona, the money struggle was real and I kicked it then, too.  But I keep going back to it.  Why?  I'm not sure ... caffeine, because it tastes good, or my personal favorite:  I'm hooked on the bubbles! (lol)

My trip to the grocery store each week is usually filled with good intentions, I even make it out the door with healthy choices, but the stresses of the week become too much and my will power loses its oomph.  When I get home and am making the dinner choice -- broccoli and cauliflower just don't make the top of the list when I'm stressed! 

So today, with a weekly plan, and a shopping list in hand ....... off I go to the grocery store!
Wish me luck!

Papago Park

Each day just before sunset, this place called Hole in the Rock

(at Papago Park) fills up with people ready to view 

the sunset.  It's a hippy vibe as everyone is there for

the same reason.  As the sun sinks lower in the sky,

once it's dropped to the horizon, everyone claps,

appreciating Mother Nature and all her splendor!

It's joyous!

Just a quick stroll in Papago Park,

I was in the mood to catch the sunset.

Black and White

 

I have an affinity

for black and white photography

There's something elegant about it.

Or maybe it's that taking the color out of a photo

makes the person seeing the photo

have to do more than just glance at it.

then again, maybe I'm just ... weird that way.

Even the rain drops show up in this black and white version

and the reflection of the bird in each photo .... 

Pretty neat, but that's just me!

Rainy Day Photos

After the recent warming trend, we have a surprising dreary day on our hands.  Dreary I can take, but I got everything ready to head out the door with Sadie for a walk in the park and discovered it started raining!   Ahh well..... we waited 30 minutes until it let up and then headed over to the park. 

I've become fascinated with trying to capture photos of people around Arizona, along with a black and white format.   As I look at them, I wonder "What's their story?"  and try to discover details captured in the photo for clues. 

In an odd way, it reminds me of my childhood.  We ate dinner at the table together as a family each day at 5pm.  Our dining room has a window that looks out, and our view is an entire neighborhood street with about 20 houses on it.  Which gave us lots to talk about .... we'd see someone loading something in a car and begin a little story about what's going on.  Another neighbor would get a visitor -- is that a relative?  Oh look, same color hair, maybe that's so-and-so....  lol  Yes, we were quite odd in that way.  And so the fascination with stories continues.....

Here, a couple strolls in the rain, heading home perhaps.

He's wearing shorts, and she is barefoot.  

Did the rain catch them unexpected?

These four intrigued me.  Part of a wedding party?

The two boys in front are wearing matching outfits right down to the shoes!

Blast from the Past

There isn't much to watch on TV in the month of January.  So I purchased a movie while the Holiday promos were on sale -- $2 for "The Longest Ride".  It's based on a Nicholas Sparks book, and the male star is Scott Eastwood, Clint's son.  Of course, I had to watch just based on those two facts alone!  It's a good little story ..... typical chick flick in most ways ....

When boy asks the girl on a first date, she expects dinner in town.  Instead, he drives out to a lake, pulls a blanket from the truck, spreads it out over a picnic table and pulls out food for supper.  Aww ... how romantic, right?  But what struck me in a flash of memory was my first date with the man who would turn out to be my second husband.  And I felt the need to write it all down .....

We both worked for the same company, but in different branches.  After a monthly management meeting, it was normal for all of us to head over to a local restaurant for eats and to unwind.  Charles grabbed my elbow on the way out and whispered "Let's skip this, I'll take you for dinner."  I agreed and we hopped into his car and headed out.  To my surprise, we headed up into the Santa Cruz Mountains; we've known each other for years, so it wasn't uncomfortable; we passed the time chatting about work issues and such.  In spite of the darkness, we arrived at Big Basin State Park and he pulled into a campsite.  Hopping out of the car, he said "Wait here..."  I waited; he opened the trunk and started pulling things out.  When I saw the flash of a match, I watched him light two candles and set them on the table.  He walked over, opened my door, handed me a single red rose, and we walked to the table where a blanket was tossed over the picnic table, and goodies for dinner were there to be enjoyed.  He opened a bottle of wine and poured me a glass.  We smiled, talked some more, and enjoyed dinner under the stars and candlelight.  

It was the first time someone had gone to that much effort for a "date" with me.  

As I get older, I find odd flashes of memories jump out at me.

And I consider it important to write these things down.

So I can enjoy them again when I've lost my mind!  hah!

Expectations

Every summer, I try to have some kind of project to keep myself busy and out of the heat.  This past summer, I decided to post old photos of me and my siblings growing up, telling a little about our past, where we came from, what we were doing, funny stories, etc.  I created a closed family group on Facebook, since that's what everyone seems to use to keep up with family.  I had hopes that it would start a dialog among us, helping keep the family stories alive.

But nope.  My family disappoints yet again.

What's it take, a moment or two to jot down a line from your phone? 

I keep thinking I should quit posting.  I don't want the family photos to just sit buried somewhere.  I don't want the stories to end.  But they will.  They are.  Millenials don't care about ancient history, or even the past year.  They're all about the 'now'. 

It's pretty sad, I have thousands of photos ....
and who will care once I'm gone?  The albums will be cast aside.  That's how I ended up with my grandmother's photos:  no one else wanted them.  It's why there are blogs containing old photos (The one I follow is Forgotten Old Photos) and sometimes they find their way back to the original family.  It helps if there are people who write names and dates on photos.  We all think "we'll remember this!"  and we don't.



I recently posted this photo of a town parade.  My mom is wearing shorts and white go-go boots.  I'm sure the parade was in East Grand Forks.  I think the other woman sitting with her is her sister-in-law.  So how did they become float-sitters for Lone Star Boats? 

I guess the bottom line is not many people are as fascinated by the past, by old photos, as I am.  Or they don't want to take the time ....  Some day, when my mother isn't around to ask, someone's going to say WTH?  and want to know. 

I guess it's just about expectations.
Mine have always been too high when it comes to family.

New Year, Old Me

Here it is, a brand new year!  And yet, it's the same old me.
I guess if I wanted it to be a brand new me,
I would need to do things different.
And sometimes that seems impossible;
if not that, then it seems like too much work.

Working in retail means that the holiday months are NOT time to make personal changes - there are scheduling issues and often long  working hours.  After 17 Holiday seasons in retail, I know what to expect and how my mind and body will react, and I take appropriate measures to do what needs doing so that I can make it through each and every day.  Like prepping enough meals for the entire week, that way I come home and there's something to heat up without having to think about actually preparing anything.  Yes, sometimes it's the same thing I ate yesterday, but that's ok.  For now.

This should be the final week of the holiday push and people returning things.  All the leftover holiday items that didn't sell will be pulled from the sale floor and dealt with.  Thank goodness.  And ~that~ is when my own personal new year starts!  Eating better and exercising more -- two very typical resolutions that I used to make religiously over the years -- but now that I'm older and wiser, I know that I don't keep them long enough for them to matter.  So any kind of resolution needs to be something that is more a lifestyle change, a new habit. 

I did make a change on my Fitbit.  It now activates if I don't get at least 250 steps per hour from 6am to 7pm.  When it's 10 til the hour, it will buzz and jiggle to tell me how many steps I need to make .... Yes, it's a little silly in some ways, but if you've ever sat on a couch doing a Netflix binge, having that reminder to get up and move a little can be a wondrous thing!  Maybe it's these little steps that will help me get to a better me this year!

I know that losing weight is probably the single most important thing I could do for my health, but I'll be honest, it's very difficult when you reach a certain stage in life.  I changed my diet for a month, eating veggies and rice for dinner instead of pasta or burgers.  I changed my steps goal from 7,000 per day to 10,000 per day, to now 12,000 a day.  In the month of December, I averaged 14k steps per day on a working day .....  and no movement of the scale.  Which is both good and bad.  It's bad because I didn't lose weight, but also good, because I didn't gain any either!   So I'll be searching for something else that might tip the scale (pun intended!) in my favor ... I know there isn't a magical formula, but there must be a trick or two out there. 

Here's hoping 2018 is a positive year for all of us,
and that all our wishes come true --
because we worked hard to achieve them!