Weekend Wrap Up - Recovery Mode Version

Weekend Wrap Up - Recovery Mode Version

I had an outpatient procedure on Friday, which necessitated fasting the entire day, as my procedure wasn't until 4 PM. I had no problem foregoing food, but foregoing my morning coffee created a significant case of caffeine withdrawal that I'm still pondering. I mean, I've given up so many things in order to achieve better energy and continued weight maintenance that the idea of giving up my only remaining treat, coffee, is not something I'm prepared to do! 

And, because I'm a nutball, when I weighed myself the morning after my procedure, I had gained two pounds. Online research indicated it was almost certainly due to post-procedure fluid retention, and as of this morning it's pretty much gone, but it still sent me temporarily spinning.

So, Saturday was pretty quiet as I slept off the effects of the anesthesia, but we did go out to a concert event previously scheduled. The concert was at my mom's 55+ community, so very close by and very easy to park and attend. We all enjoyed, particularly the female singer who covered several songs by Stevie Nicks better than I have ever heard. 

Coincidentally, we are going to a Fleetwood Mac tribute concert this coming weekend, and it will be interesting to compare vocals.

My mother was a professional singer in her younger years, and while I don't have her voice, I do share her passion for music, and we have similar opinions on vocalists and musicians, which makes for fun and interesting post-concert discussions.

Otherwise, on Sunday my husband and I enjoyed a really beautiful six mile coastal walk in that the humidity that descended here in late July finally broke. It was fabulous to enjoy a cool, not humid, coastal breeze again. When we returned home we turned off the A/C after having had it on at 76 for three straight weeks, and opened all the windows. I've missed fresh air in the house!

This morning is going to be decidedly un-fun in that I have an early AM dental cleaning, followed by a visit with my brain cancer-stricken girlfriend. I've committed to several Mondays keeping her company in order to provide her husband with a caregiving break. I believe he's going to go on a bike ride while I'm there, and I hope it gives him a little time to reboot. Such a hard road they are both on currently. 

I plan to go on a long walk after returning home and having lunch. I suspect I'll need the time walking in order to clear my head. I am already grieving my girlfriend's absence in my life in that the brain cancer spread significantly altered her ability to communicate.  Last time we spoke, I told her that she had taught me how to be a better friend, and that I was so very thankful that she had entered my life. That is as close to tiptoeing toward the ending of her story as we've come so far. I take my lead from her, and will continue to do so.

I hope things are well with you and yours, wherever you are.

I'll be more chipper in my Wednesday post, promise!

Wednesday Wellness -- August #2

 Wednesday Wellness - August #2

It was a good week, so yeah for the accountability this blog provides for me.

Fitness:

- Do cardiovascular movement five days out of seven. 

• Week #2 results: 
• Did cardio 6 out of 7 days, which included 21 miles of walking, 7 miles of kayaking, and one 60 minute Spin cycling classes.

- Do strength training at the gym three days each week. (I struggle to make myself workout indoors vs outside)

• Week #2 results
• Did strength training at the gym 0 times. 😕

Weight:

- Continue to remain within my self-set maintenance range of 108 - 110 pounds. 

• Week #2 weigh in:  110.2

Two of the outfits I put together this week. Have I mentioned before how much I enjoy dressing up just a bit for our away-from-the-house events? 🙂

Water:

- Consistently consume four glasses a day.

• Week #2 results: Averaged between 2 - 3 glasses a day, with nothing but positive results. Water is the anecdote to the occasional fatigue I experience as I move thru my day.

Long Range Goal:

- Find a long distance event to sign up and train for. 

• Found my race - A 10k (6.2 miles) Thanksgiving Day run. This should work well in that I'll be back from our upcoming trip to Scotland & Ireland in time to complete this 8 week Runners World training schedule:  10k Eight Week Training Schedule

Friday Five - Bring On The Weekend!

 

Friday Five - Bring On The Weekend!

Even in retirement, I still look forward to and love Fridays. I always plan something to differentiate Friday from the remainder of the week, so as to ensure we always have things to look forward to. 

Tonight we are going to our social club to enjoy dinner outside on the ocean-viewing patio. Tomorrow, Saturday, we are going on a long coastal walk to get to and enjoy an ocean festival without having to stress over parking. On Sunday, we plan to enjoy a picnic lunch at our harbor after first walking it. Afterward we'll be meeting up with our quarterly book club for dinner and discussion - this quarter's read was Before The Coffee Get's Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and it was just wonderful - so sweet, so smart, so very, very charming.

1.  I bought my girlfriend a fanny-saver. I always pack a small cold-cell pad for sitting whenever I go hiking or kayaking. The one I have is from REI and weighs just two ounces, so it's a breeze to pack and carry along. My kayaking gal pal has long envied it when we pull out onto a sandy beach for our sack lunch break. So, as a 'thank you' for all the amazing fruit and vegetables she's brought me over the years from her garden, I recently bought one for her to enjoy, and will be giving it to her this weekend.

2. I love my Skorts. I spend so much time in workout gear, that it's nice to put away my ubiquitous yoga pants for the summer in favor of Skorts. I feel like they are one of those fashion items that were made just for senior women, even if not intentionally, and I am here for them.

I am completely au natural here, in that I snapped this just prior to heading out for an eight mile walk. And it shows! LOL

(This is my home office, BTW, which while I don't necessarily utilize as much as my husband uses his, I still very much appreciate. We have joked over the years that his 'n her offices are one of the keys to a happy marriage!)

3.  I love the detail work of travel planning. I'm deep in the weeds, currently, planning out the eight on-our-own days that will proceed our upcoming 18 day organized tour around the British Isles, and other than researching and booking the flights and hotels (which I do not enjoy!), I much enjoy the process. Currently on the planning agenda is dinner at a vegan haggis spot in Scotland, which should be very interesting (😄), a Highlands dinner show, and a tour of the Guinness factory in Dublin.

4. I took a Spin Cycle class and loved it. It's been some years since I took my last class, but I felt compelled to return in that I am working to up my endurance game in a manner that long walks and hikes do not address. The class I took didn't begin until 9:00 AM, which works perfect for me - I do not enjoy leaving the house prior to my preferred two hours of morning coffee and blog reading time!

5.  Girlfriend dates make me sooo happy. I had three this week, including this morning when I'm leaving shortly to meet one of my girlfriends for an eight mile beach walk and coffee date. I love and treasure my spouse, but I really cannot imagine life without my girlfriends, some newer, some whom I've known for decades. ❤

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I hope you all make it a great Friday wherever you are!

Wednesday Wellness - August #1

  

Wednesday Wellness - August #1

I feel like I would benefit from some accountability, so I'm going to set some Wellness goals here, and then track my progress.

Fitness:

- Do cardiovascular movement five days out of seven. (The humidity here currently has knocked me slightly off my game)

- Do strength training at the gym three days each week. (I struggle to make myself workout indoors vs outside)

Weight:

- Continue to remain within my self-set maintenance range of 108 - 110 pounds. I'm currently 111 as of this morning, after four days in a row of events involving meals. I expect to be back within my goal range by tomorrow,*  given that I'll be out on the water kayaking all day today.

* Done!

Water:

- Consistently consume four glasses a day.

Long Range Goal:

- Find a long distance event to sign up and train for. I enjoy both the training for, and the sense of accomplishment achieved at completion.

Friday Five - Short & Sweet!

 

Friday Five - Short & Sweet!

I'm feeling a bit on the run this morning as we head into a jam packed weekend, so I'm literally whipping these Friday Five out ahead of my housecleaning team's 7:00 AM arrival. That is not a complaint, BTW!

1. I love my housecleaning husband and wife team. Our 7:00 AM cleaning slot is always a bit stressful (vs a more leisurely 9:00 AM slot 😊) but we are so very thankful to have such a reliable team show up every four weeks to spiff up our home from top to bottom.

On our side, the things we do to get ready are make up the bed a bit earlier than normal, pick up our various throw rugs, and clear off the top of our respective bathroom counters. And really, that's about it.

2. I reminded my husband, the happy introvert, that having lots, sometimes too many, things on our calendar is a blessing at this point in our lives. I may have to mention this more than once over the upcoming weekend, as we have visiting friends, an organized hike with breakfast, and several evening events. The resting will come on Monday!

3. Farmers Markets are crazy expensive . . . when did that happen??? I walked through a Farmers Market this week and just kept shaking my head at the price per pound being charged for fruit and vegetables - between $4 and $6 a pound, depending. Meanwhile, I currently have $1.89 a pound sale priced supermarket peaches and nectarines ripening on my counter, smelling like little bundles of heaven. And $1.29 a pound crisp green grapes from Aldi in my fridge.

Is there really that big of a difference between $6 vs $1.29 per pound grapes?

4. Conversely, I'll happily pay $10 - $15 for a loaf of good quality bread. The difference for me is in the longevity I think. As opposed to fruit, which has a very limited life, I carefully separate each slice of bread before freezing, and we can then slowly enjoy this super high quality item for many weeks if not months. I reserve usage of high quality bakery breads for picnic sandwiches, evening grilled sandwiches, or for garlic toast. 

5. We threw in the towel, and the A/C is now set to 'On'. I blame the humidity. Once that moves in and we end up closing windows, A/C is then our only option. Prior summers here indicate we'll run it for about six weeks before the humidity lifts and we can return to our norm of simply leaving our windows open to keep the house comfortable.

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I hope you make it a great weekend wherever you are!

Monday Musings - A Vibrant Week

Monday Musings - A Vibrant Week

Before I launch into all the goings on over this past week, you should know that yes, I am definitely tired this morning. However, it's that kind of deeply good tired that means my choices were well made.

My week started with a walking date at the beach with a girlfriend. Originally we were scheduled to go kayaking, but I apparently got off our cruise with a bit of a bug, and I woke up the morning of our event feeling way less than 100%, plus deeply fatigued. I gave her a quick call accordingly, and we defaulted to a beach walk instead. Upon arrival, I started off definitely exhausted, but I actually felt a bit better with each mile, and finished feeling somewhat normal. So yeah that.

We enjoyed six miles of beautiful coastal walking, a sack lunch stop midway, and good, strong iced coffees at the finish, before saying a no-physical-contact goodbye, lol.

I had a girlfriend from high school come for an overnight visit toward the end of the week, and I had so much fun showing her our coastal sights. I tried hard not to over-walk her (hard because we walk so much here!), as she's still working and doesn't have the extensive downtime to get outdoors and to the gym that I do, but she swore she loved it all, and hinted strongly that she'd like to return an do it again, and sooner rather than later. 😊

So I was already slightly tired even before we entered into the weekend, but that is not a complaint! Being tired because of to much fun is never going to be a problem, you can be sure.

Friday night found us out on the patio at our Club with some good friends. 

Saturday morning we enjoyed a long coastal walk that included several spontaneous occurrences - watching a Coast Guard vessel sail in, then encountering this adorable little USCG self-propelling Coastie.

We also much enjoyed watching our County Sheriff boat spray the heck out of beach going kids, which, based on the shrills of excitement we could hear, they loved. 

Saturday evening we attended a Marvin Gaye tribute concert with my mom and sister-in-law that was so fun and upbeat I laid in bed afterward for four hours before falling asleep. Live music always has that effect on me if the band is great, which this tribute band was. I mean, people (me!) were literally dancing in the aisles.

Sunday found us in Laguna Beach attending a Festival of Arts Member event that I thought we'd be at for just a bit. Five hours later, ha, we finally left after enjoying a Pageant of the Arts backstage tour, lunch, concert music, included glasses of wine, photo booth, and lots of fun conversation with other attendees.

We'll be back in a few weeks to attend the actual show.

Upon returning home I/we pretty much collapsed. My husband disappeared into his office (we have his 'n hers) for some recovery time, while I hung out in our family room and alternated between a needlepoint project and reading.

Today, Monday, my only hard plans are a five mile walk at the harbor and strength training at our gym, followed by reading and needlework time back here at home. Looking forward to it all.

Friday Five - Homeward Bound

Friday Five - Homeward Bound

Our four-generation Alaskan cruise has come to an end, and was everything I hoped it would be. My heart is full as we head for home later today.

1. Our pre-cruise time in Seattle was wonderful. We enjoy this vibrant city so much. This visit we enjoyed a first-time walk around Lake Union, about seven miles in all, including two fun bridge crossings. We visited Fremont Brewing for a shared sandwich and beer flight at the halfway point, and finished with iced coffees at the finish. That pretty much is my perfect way to spend a day- lots of miles in motion, good eats, good coffee.

2. Enjoying a week with my 90 year old dad, including a day of kayaking, was a privilege and a joy. He really is amazing, and I clearly recognize each additional year at this point is a gift.

A photo of my dad and me kayaking within view of Mendenhall Glacier during our Juneau, Alaska port visit:

3. I’d rather stay home than cruise without having a balcony cabin. 

We enjoyed this amazing view of the city from our balcony as our ship left Seattle and headed for Alaska, just one of the many amazing vistas we enjoyed over our seven day cruise.

And this balcony view as we pulled into Skagway, Alaska:

And this from our sail up Endicott Arm fjord to view Dawes glacier-

4. Watching our granddaughters enjoy the ship’s rock climbing wall, various pools, and ice skating rink, plus their new ability to sit thru/with the family for each night’s formal dining sitting, was priceless. So many funny moments were caught and exchanged, and will now become part of our family lore.

5. Heading for home is a bittersweet this time around. Normally, we look forward to going home because we have so many pleasant activities to step back into. But having to say good bye to our extended family after seven days of completely uninterrupted time made departure distinctly more bittersweet. Being able to be all together is an absolute treasure of time that we do not take for granted at this point in our lives.