Day 91 in my waltz toward the land of Walt and my favorite mouse Mickey My plan for today is to take a walk. We are going to the local high school for a 4:00 pm event put on as a fundraiser for the local historical society. The event will feature a Q & A with Bill Curtis and his lovely wife Donna La Pietra. Now those of you who have lived in Chicagoland for long enough will remember that Bill was the anchor of the channel 2 news for a while. My personal favorite anchor ever. And Donna was the producer of their broadcast. They have worked together ever since and have produced some amazing in-depth programming. I kind of hope to redeem myself by remaining cool, calm and collected. When Mike (my main man) had some of his pieces featured in an art show at Navy Pier, Mike’s boss threw a lovely dinner event in his honor. Bill Curtis was one of the attendees. He came over to our table to chat with Mike. He said, “Hello, I’m Bill Curtis.” I could have been so cool and acted above this situation. But being me, I blurted out, “Yeah, you are!” Then I promptly turned 50 shades of…red! So today I will remain a safe distance away from Bill and Donna. And I will reign in my “groupie” tendencies. 🙂 Then when we get back to the farm, I will walk home…in the dark…in the cold…just because I can. Meet you at the Kingdom! BTW: I’ve decided to walk outside until it gets too icy to manage. Then Lake Bluff Health and Fitness, here I come.
Tag Archives: walking
Errand Girl…Errant Girl?
Day 84 in my mission to mingle with Mickey
Errant Girl: My Pumpkin Spice Latte and my Pina Colada cupcake yesterday were yummy! So tasty. BUT I definitely experienced the inevitable post sugar-ingesting crash. The sugar from the latte contributed to an early afternoon sugar coma/nap. The sugar, from the cupcake at dinner, helped keep me up until 1:00 am. I felt sluggish and and listless this morning.
So today’s plan was to get a bunch of errands done…Errand Girl. And I did! Here’s the list:
- shower and wash my hair
- clip my nails
- pluck my chin hairs (I hate this part of aging!)
- do some laundry
- pick up a few groceries
- input the music for a new Lamb of God on “Sybelius” for the congregation and for Damascus Road to use during Advent through Lent
- write bills for this pay period
- go to the post office, buy stamps and mail said bills
- figure out our tithe for 2015 and prepare our pledge card for Commitment Sunday (November 9)
- plan our menu for the week
- write a store list for grocery shopping tomorrow
- help prepare dinner
- do the dishes.
Whew! Sure beats sitting in my chair all day, eating junk food and slipping in and out of simple-carb comas/naps. Winning!!
So, gentle readers, there is progress being made. And by the grace of God, I have left sugar behind me again until Thanksgiving Day. I will most likely have another sugary latte and a piece of pumpkin pie. But I will follow it with a 5K walk on the following Saturday. (Well, as far as I can make it anyway…) 🙂
Meet you at the Kingdom!
Ode to the Pumpkin Spice Latte on Halloween
Day 83 in my destiny to dance with Mickey
“O Pumpkin Spice Latte, I love you. I do. When October winds blow, my mind turns to you. When I’m freezing my patootie off, you warm me right through. O Pumpkin Spice Latte, I love you. I do.
O Pumpkin Spice Latte, I love you. I do. You’re a cinnamony, gingery pumpkin delight, with just enough sugar to give me a fright. Today I savor you without any fear, then leave you behind until Thanksgiving is here.
O Pumpkin Spice Latte, I love you I do. And to your sweet taste I will always be true. I can’t drink too many, my blood sugar is the cue, but Pumpkin Spice Latte, I love you. I do.”
Ahhh…I am enjoying my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year. (I ordered a venti decaf skim Pumpkin Spice Latte with no whip. Yum! Starbucks could make a fortune if they would just create a “Skinny Pumpkin Spice Latte.” Their “Skinny” drinks are made with skim milk and sugar-free syrups. I have tried Skinny Vanilla Lattes, Skinny Hazelnut Lattes, Skinny Caramel Lattes and my personal favorite Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Lattes. They are delicious! Come on, geniuses, invent!!! How hard can it be to take the sugar out???
Anyway my plan for today is to savor my drink and pick up a cupcake for Mike and I for our Halloween treat tonight. And I really do want to get out there and take that walk on the wild side. It is freezing here in Lake Bluff with gale force winds, but no snow accumulation yet. PTL! Pray I don’t blow away, or become the victim of a “Widow Maker.”
Happy Halloween, dear readers! Meet you at the Kingdom!
BTW: Mike worked at a sawmill for a bit when he was working his way through college. They called very windy days Widow Makers, because in the woods limbs could snap off at any time and come crashing down on the workers, thus making their wives widows. How’s that for a macabre Halloweeny thought? 🙂
Salad and Conversation
Day 82 in my attempt to accomplish something everyday to be as healthy as I possibly can be when I go to the Magic Kingdom to meet Mickey next October
This evening, after a full day of work and before a contemporary band rehearsal tonight, I get to meet up with some dear friends at the Silo, our local watering hole. Some of these friends I blessedly get to see often, and some of these friends I seldom get to see. What a treat!! What a joy!!
So here’s my 2-part plan for today:
- Rather than ordering pizza (the best deep-dish pizza in Chicagoland in my very prejudiced opinion), I will order a salad. Now before you feel too sorry for me, this salad has spinach, romaine lettuce, steak, roasted garlic, red onions and bleu cheese crumbles. Huh? And it comes with warm bread. I will either split this with my honey, or take half of it home (if Mike wants pizza or a something else). Ahhh…YUM!
- I will focus on the conversation and the company, rather than my usual pattern of zoning in on the food (and making the company second best).
So today’s plan is very do-able, and I need that today. Tomorrow we are predicted to have gale-force winds, rain, and snow flurries. Instead of cowering inside, I want to take a walk on the wild side and get out there in the elements. It may be one of the shortest walks in history, but it will be a walk. Stay tuned to see details on how that turns out. 🙂 And due to the weather, I may put my celebratory Halloween cupcake off for a day. I hate driving far in nasty weather!
Thank you for taking the time to read this, dear friends, and thank you for your support. Meet you at the Kingdom!
Harsh Realities and Happy Planning
Day 81 in my migration toward meeting Mickey
Well, I danced like no one was watching last night. It was fun…and tiring, but it was good to do it.
I don’t know how hard is too hard to push myself physically. As soon as I push through the pain to walk further, my hip starts aching something fierce, my knees start snapping at me, my back throws in the towel and my upset stomach rears up. I end up so sore and feeling so lousy that I am absolutely discouraged, so I end up taking several days to recover enough to be able to do it again. I haven’t “listened” to my body for years. Now I am hearing it loud clear. And it is saying, “Slow and easy wins the race. Rome (nor this gargantuan body) wasn’t built in a day. Patience is a virtue.” I know, right? My body speaks in clichés…who knew? But it is very clear to me that I need to take it slowly.
So today’s plan is to spend some time putting together our dates for the trip to Walt Disney World.
- What date can I call and book our rooms at Old Key West (11 months prior to check-in)?
- What date do I make our dinner/lunch reservations? (180 days prior to check-in)?
- What date do I book Mickey’s-Not-So-Scary Halloween tickets?
- What date do I reserve our Magical Express ride from the airport to Old Key West and back?
- When do I purchase my Tables in Wonderland discount card? (A discount dining perk that saves 20% on most meals)
- When do I register for my Fastpass+ choices? (60 days prior to check-in?)
- When shall I book our flights?
Much to do, but it’ll be fun research while I wait for my spine to quick clicking when I walk. This getting older is not for the faint of heart. 🙂
Meet you at the Kingdom!
Luxuriating in Lake Bluff
Day 75 in my amble to the Magic Kingdom and my friend Mickey
My plan for today is to take a walk. I hope to take a twenty minute walk after work today. It is a beautiful day here in Lake Bluff, about 60 degrees and sunny. There is a gentle breeze and plenty of fall color left to enjoy.
The merchants in town had an event yesterday from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. They stayed open late , had free samples, and most things were 10% off.
- So I stopped after work at “Spice Merchants,” a new shop in town. I picked up some powdered cumin, and they even had powdered white vanilla that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else. Whoop! They also had some pre-packaged soup mixes, so I picked up a couple of those too. This shop is a wonderful addition to our community.
- Then I wandered over to “Wisma” to shop for dinner. What a great shop! Gourmet foods made with organic ingredients, and oh by the way, the food is delicious! Mike and I had butternut squash soup with pretzel rolls and chicken with polenta for dinner. Plus I added plenty of fresh veg with Ranch dip. What a feast!
So today I am going to stop and smell the fall in Lake Bluff. Meet you at the Kingdom!
Mini-Victories!
Day 69 in my journey to join Mickey at The Magic Kingdom (Why do I find myself thinking about using the “Shake Weight” today? 🙂 I know…I’m nasty!)
Dear readers, I’m so excited today! I stepped on the scale to see how much ground I had lost (as in how much weight I had gained) on our trip to the UP. You know, eating out a lot, lots of salty food with higher fat content than what I eat in my controlled environment. I just wanted to see what the damage was, so I could have a realistic idea of where I am. Surprise of surprises, I’ve lost another 3.4 pounds! So now I’m down 22.2 pounds from the start! Woot! Woot! (Cue Disco music)
So today my plan was to do a half hour of “Lean Body Workout.” But instead I went grocery shopping. I did the BIG shop all by myself. I was on my feet walking around the store for an hour. My knees locked up, because they are not used to me standing for that long anymore. I was sweaty and smelly and gross. But still, dear readers, I did it!! Our cupboards are no longer bare. And tonight I will make “Surprise Package Casserole.” It’s one of my favorites from “Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat.”
I feel absolutely exhilarated! Good food, a good physical challenge and I’m on my second cup of coffee today from my new Keurig. Life is good, my friends!
Meet you at the Kingdom!
Taking Steps to Change
Day 68 in trucking toward Mickey
Yesterday’s plan was a success! The VHS tape that I was looking for is titled, “The Lean Body Workout” with Cynthia Kereluk. It was put out by Sybervision Systems. It’s a lean body aerobics workout. It has plenty of cardio with gentle movements for someone of my girth. (I can properly use the word girth because the distance around my circumference is rather significant.) 🙂
It wasn’t where I thought I had last seen it, but Mike went into the maze that is our basement and came upstairs with it. He’s just the best! So…tomorrow you can pretty much guess what my plan will be…
Today, however, my plan is this: I want to go for a twenty minute walk after work today. Maybe I’ll stop in town on the way home and walk there. The fall colors are really blooming in Lake Bluff this week, so I will revel in their beauty as I stroll through town. I may wax poetic here, but the truth is I will be sweating and huffing and puffing my way up and down the blocks. But maybe, just maybe, I’ll be whistling a happy tune in my head, too. 🙂
Meet you at the Kingdom!
Efforts to Unearth the Past
Day 67 in my amble toward a meeting with my favorite mouse
Yesterday was interesting. I did remain sugar-free. Yippee! And I looked for a dance tape that I have from years back. Yup, straight up VHS. It’s from a program called “The Neuropsychology of Weight Control” by SyberVision Systems. The program was really good, and talked about the “glycemic index” long before I had heard it anywhere else. It suggested a cookbook called “Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat” by LaRene Gaunt which I have used often in the last 20 years. And it came with an exercise VHS with a really pleasant woman, who talked you through several levels: beginner, intermediate and hard core. I CANNOT remember the name of the tape. ARGH! But she even counted down one time in Finnish, the language of half my peeps. So cool…and motivational!
So today’s plan is to continue the search for my awesome VHS cardio workout. And to remain sugar-free. And to make the best choices I can today.
Meet you at the Kingdom!
BTW: My goals for yesterday were accomplished. And I did a 15 minute McDonald’s cardio workout DVD for the dance portion of my workout, followed by a five minute cool down walk. I still miss Emi, but it’s good to get back to the routine of work and daily life.
Eradicating Emotional Eating
Day 66 in my expedition to maneuver to Mickey
Confession time: I am an emotional eater. The problem is that it doesn’t matter the emotion. If I am happy or celebrating, then what better way to celebrate than with my “favorite” foods? Cupcakes or donuts or cheesecake and Cheetos and Bridge Mix, etc, etc, etc… Or then if I’m bummed out (depressed) or just plain sad or tired and nostalgic, what better way to comfort myself than with my “favorite” foods? Yup, you guessed it: cupcakes or donuts or cheesecake and Cheetos and Bridge Mix, etc, etc, etc…
I have just lived through a two week incredible high which was filled with family, fabulous friends and a lot of food. Praise God, and thank you, dear readers, for keeping me accountable. I made really good choices most of the time. I remained sugar-free, and (tun-ta-da-da!) I ate NO wedding cake. That is the first time in my life that I went to a wedding and didn’t eat SEVERAL pieces of wedding cake. Instead I danced with my family, and boy oh boy, was it ever fun!!
Now Emi (my sweet daughter) has gone home. The house is very quiet, and I am craving sugar like mad! So today’s plan is to fight the urge. I won’t make any promises about tomorrow, but for today I refuse to eat my emotions. Instead, I’m going to allow myself to feel my emotions…to live through my emotions. And I am going to eat in a balanced, nutritious and sensible manner.
And just for fun, I’m going to put on a music dvd and dance for twenty minutes reliving some of the fun of Nathan and Jordan’s wedding reception. (BTW: They are the cutest ever! And their love is so precious to see!)
Meet you at the Kingdom!
BTW2: “favorite” is in quotes above because my new favorite foods are those that actually give nourishment to my body. I am SUCH a work in progress. 🙂
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