Tag Archives: walking

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Overdue Payday

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Day 341 in my triumphs on the way to Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

Today’s plan was to take stock of things.  Now that I am beyond my cancer surgery by two and a half months, now that our Walt Disney World vacation is only two months and twenty-eight days away, now that I am only five and a half months from retirement, it’s gut-check time.  How am I doing?  Am I on track?  Am I off the rails?

So, with no small amount of fear and trepidation, I stepped on the scale this morning for the first time in a long time.  I have been eating very healthy meals (many more vegetables in my life) and avoiding sugar and extra salt.  But I have not been as mobile as I want to be.  I hope to change that as my breathing gets regulated, and I have a bit more energy.

The scale was my friend today.  I am down 49.4 pounds from my beginning last August.  Come on 50!

I know I have lost approximately 1000 pounds in my lifetime.  I don’t recommend it…yoyo dieting.  It really messes with your metabolism.  When I was younger, I would pick a diet, stick with it and drop 50 pounds, then be sick of it and give up.  Then when I hit my middle-40’s, I would pick a diet, stick with it and drop 30 pounds, (in the same amount of time that I used to drop 50 pounds) then be sick of it and give up. So this 50 pounds has a lot of meaning for me.  I’m nowhere near my goal, but I’ve given up on dieting, and here I am eleven months later still eating healthier than ever before.

Thank you, dear readers, for your support and encouragement.  It means so much to me.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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Inhaling and Exhaling

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Day 336 in inhaling my way to Mickey in October (3 months and 3 days to go)

Today I feel like a new woman.  This morning before I left for work, I used my rescue inhaler for the first time.  After completing the two suggested puffs, I sat back and breathed.  Oh, the luxury of oxygen really entering your lungs.  I started giggling like a school girl.  What a delightful feeling.  I worked with more energy than I’ve had, since before my surgery.  And I do believe I had more vim than I’ve had in perhaps years.  I am so grateful for modern medicine and for my doctor, Sandra Yoo.

I was starting to dial things back in my head in my plans for visiting Walt Disney World.  I have been so often exhausted of late.  So often shaky and wheezing whenever I tried to do any little thing.  Now I have a renewed outlook.  I will take some time now; time to adjust to this new energy,  And I will plan my Disney days very carefully.  Maybe only half a day in a park and then time for R&R each day at Old Key West.  Sounds pretty good.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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When It Started for Me

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Day 319 in showing my Disney-side as I wait to meet up with Mickey (3months and 20 days to go)

This year Disney has been asking the question, “When did it start for you?” “When did what start?” you might ask.  They want to know when your love of all things Disney began.  I’ve been thinking about this, looking back to see when the connection was made.  Disneyland was opened the year I was born, 1955.  They are having a huge Diamond Celebration this year as the park turns 60 years old.  I remember being very young and faithfully watching The Mickey Mouse Club on TV.  It turns out that it first aired in 1955.  Before I began school, I remember begging my mom to enroll me in The Mickey Mouse Club. For a nominal fee, you could sign up by mail and receive a certificate and Mouse Ears, that proved you were a member.  I waited and watched for the postman every day, and day after day my mom would say, “Not today, Honey.  Maybe tomorrow.”  Finally a few weeks later the package arrived.  I tore it open with such excitement, because at last I was a member and could watch The Mickey Mouse Club with my ears on.  But when I looked at the certificate and the ears, I was disappointed.  In my youth I read that I was an “Artificial Member of the Mickey Mouse Club.”  I went to my mom in tears saying, “Why am I only an Artificial Member?  We paid the money.”  Mom wiped my tears, and read the certificate out loud, “Donna Taskila is an Official Member of The Mickey Mouse Club.  It says you are Official, not Artificial.”  I grinned from ear to ear, and I wore those Mickey Mouse Ears until they disintegrated.

That’s it.  That’s the moment when I became a Disney diehard.  I liked it before, but from that moment I was all in: hook, line and sinker.

I am so excited for October!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Top Priorities

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Day 312 In my path to meeting up with Mickey in October (3 months and 27 days to go)

Today my plan was to work through a couple of the sessions in Module One of Better Beyond 50.  I joined this program, and as soon as I did, we lost our internet at home.  We have been without internet for two weeks now at home.  Argh!  Luckily my iPhone can be used as a Personal Hotspot.

One of the things that I had to do today is write down my five top values, which I think sounds like my priorities.  Just a few years ago, I would have said my top five priorities were:

  1. God
  2. Mike (my husband)
  3. Jake and Emi (my kids)
  4. My job
  5. Hmmm…I don’t know

Today my focus has shifted.  Now my top five priorities are:

  1. God (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  This branch can do nothing if separated from the vine that is God.)
  2. Me (my health and working on it, because I need to really learn to love myself)  I still think that sounds selfish, but I need to get over it.  Scripture makes it perfectly clear that we have to love ourselves before we can love others.
  3. Mike (He makes me happy.)
  4. My new career focus (When I retire as Church Secretary in December, I want to get serious about my writing.)
  5. My kids (They are on such strong paths; they don’t need me as much as they once did.  Hallelujah!  It’s time to focus in other things now.)

It was a great exercise to do.  I had to spend some time really thinking about what I want my future to be.  It’s so strange to think about turning sixty.  How do I want to finish this life?   I want to finish as the best child of God that I can be.  I am excited to see what the next twenty plus years can bring.  No matter what comes, good or bad, God will be there, so I can face it with peace in my heart.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Delicious Day

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Day 308 in my journey to join up with Mickey at Magic Kingdom in October (4 months and 1 day to go)

Today’s plan was R & R…rest and relaxation.  It has been everything I hoped it would be.  I slept late and have taken two naps since I got up this morning.  I can feel the stress melting away, and I can exhale…  Ahh…

So since my plan for the day is so event-free, I will share my dinner recipe for this evening.  It is from my current favorite cookbook: Betty Crocker’s 30 Minute Meals for Diabetes.  The recipe is called Quick Taco Skillet Casserole.  It makes 6 servings, each 3 carb choices.

  • Ingredients:
  • 1 lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 1&1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
  • 1 cup chunky-style salsa
  • 1&1/2 cups water
  • 1 can (14.5 to 16 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
  • 1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained
  • a can (6 oz) tomato paste
  1. Directions:
  2. In a 12-inch skillet or a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked.  Drain well.  Return beef mixture to skillet.
  3. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-high, and cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until water is absorbed and rice is tender.  Stir before serving.
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Weary Week

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Day 307 in my trek toward meeting Mickey

Today’s plan was to finish the work week strong.  I have been exhausted all week.  Having my daughter Emi home for a week was a blitz of activity.  It was so fun and so tiring.  So I have been aiming for Friday like a bullet.  I am off tomorrow (Friday).  Halle-J-Lu-jah!  I did it.  I got through the week and accomplished much on the job.  Whew!  Now I can crash for a day, and get my feet under to again.  (I refuse to answer my phone or any knocks on my door tomorrow!)

I am still healing from my surgery.  I had only one scab left from my seven incisions, so I cut it off today with fingernail clippers.  🙂  Probably not the best idea ever, but I was so done looking at it there.  I promise to tell my doc when I see her on June 29.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: Shout out to Daniel Carlson for bagging an internship at Walt Disney World!  That is so-o-o-o-o exciting!  Congratulations!

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Is It Possible to Be Better Beyond 50?

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Day 306 in making healthier food choices and moving more to meet up with Mickey as a more fit me

My plan for today was to investigate an online program called Better Beyond 50.  It looks to be a lifestyle program to be healthier from age 50 and beyond.  It’s a very gentle way to eat, move, sleep better and live.  One of the special benefits  is Wednesday evening webinars with Melissa Koerner, the founder of the program.  Plus, I will get two private sessions with Melissa.  She is a very down to earth, likable person.  So today I did the research and downloaded a bunch of materials.  It’s plenty to get me started.

Thanks for reading.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Pancakes, Pampering and Purging

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Day 301 in my preparing to party with Mickey

My plan today was to try out a new recipe while Emi (my daughter) is here.  (Yay!  Emi is here!)  For breakfast this morning we had Coconut Pancakes.  I got the recipe off of the internet a few months back, and I have been procrastinating preparing it.  Emi being here was just the impetus I needed.  I wish I had written down the source of the recipe, because I can’t find it now.  So with my apologies to the original creator (if you know, please tell me so I can give credit where credit is due) here is my new favorite recipe:

Coconut Pancakes:

  1. Ingredients:
  2. 2 eggs, whisked
  3. 1 3/4 c. coconut milk
  4. 2 T. coconut oil (or butter) melted, plus extra for frying
  5. 1/2 c. coconut flour
  6. 3/4 c. buckwheat flour
  7. 3 t. baking powder
  8. 1/2 t. salt
  9. 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
  1. Directions:
  2. Combine, eggs, coconut milk and 2 T. melted coconut oil (or butter)
  3. Stir in remaining ingredients.
  4. Melt a generous dollop of coconut oil or butter in a pan over medium-low heat.
  5. Pour in some batter.
  6. Fry, when surface starts to bubble, flip
  7. Makes 4-6 large pancakes or 8-12 small
  8. Serve with melted coconut oil or butter and/or sweetener, if desired.  (We didn’t add a thing and they were delicious!)

We stuck to the recipe, except I only had unbleached flour, so that is what we used–1/2 c. +3/4 c.  I will try the coconut flour and the buckwheat flour next time.  Enjoy!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: We treated ourselves to mani-pedis today; then we had lunch with my dear friend Joan.  It was pure pampering.  Then I came home and cleaned out my cookbooks and shoes.  A very cathartic day!  PTL!

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Another Payday

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Day 300 in my quest to be healthier when I meet up with Mickey

Today’s plan was to weigh myself for the first time in a couple weeks.  Before my cancer surgery I had lost a total of 43 pounds since last August.  It was bouncing around between 43 and 42.5 and 42, etc…  After my surgery, even though I kept eating well right through, I put on an unexpected 10+ pounds.  I just chalked it up to my body being in fight mode.  I had had seven stab wounds (incisions really) to my abdomen, and my body was angry.  Plus in the first three+ weeks after the surgery, I wasn’t moving around very much.  My body was holding on to everything, water, air, fat, everything.  Now five+ weeks later, my body is making the adjustment at last.  So to my pleasant surprise when I got on the scale this morning, I was two pounds lighter than my pre-surgical weight.  Woo hoo!  I finally have post 45 pounds now.  I have been rounding to that number for a bit, so it feels great to finally really be there.

Whew!  Now to keep making healthy food choices and to move more…meet you at the Kingdom!

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TIMBER!

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Day 299 in my humiliation on the way to a healthier me when I meet up with Mickey in October (4 months and 10 days to go)

Today’s plan was to get through the day with as little pain as possible.  Let me explain.  This morning as I was stepping into the bathtub to take my shower, I held onto a suction grab bar.  I put too much weight on it, and it gave way.  The next thing I knew I was lying in a twisted position in the bottom of the tub.  I hit my head, and in the process wrenched my neck and shoulder.  I hit my sore arthritic hip, my knee, my arm.  So everything is aching.

Praise God that Emi (my daughter) is visiting.  She heard the thunderous noise of me falling (as I play it back in slow motion I keep hearing, “Timber!” shouted in my head), and she came running up the stairs to help me.

Dear readers, I have to tell you that getting this massive body up is no easy task.  Emi called Mike (my honey) and he came racing home.  In the meantime, Emi had rigged up a heavy duty strap for me to pull on.  Once Mike got there, they put a blanket around me and each of them pulled on a side, while I pulled on the strap.  Thank you, Jesus, we were able to get me up onto the side of the tub.

Emi and I have been exhausted all day from the trauma of it.  Thank you, Lord, I still have some prescription Motrin from my surgery for pain.  I just ache all over, but here’s the bright side.  I am more determined that ever, to keep eating healthy and to keep moving more, and to keep going on this healthier path.

Here’s one miracle story to prove my determination.  Today I got a bit peckish (hungry) at 2:30 pm.  I knew there was cake in the freezer at work…really good cake with buttercream frosting.  This is one of my favorite goodies (baddies?).  There is also strawberry shortcake in the freezer.  Either would have been delicious and satisfying.  Which did I choose?  The Pink Lady apple that I had brought along from home.  🙂  Just a few short months ago I would have never made that choice.  But you know what?  That apple was delicious and very satisfying.  Praise God!

Meet you at the Kingdom!