Greetings! Today, and each month going forward, I'm documenting how I spent my month in just one sentence per day.
Turns out that the theme for January was Fun In The Sun! You guys, this month was so full of outdoor activities you'd have thought it was the middle of summer! We started the month hiking under sunny skies, and ended it doing same. It was almost a picture perfect month, save a couple of chilly days when temps stayed in the 50's all day. And with whale migration season in full swing, I finally saw my first whale spouting as a local, while walking along the ridge trail one afternoon. Seriously, this was a fantastic month almost from start to finish, and a wonderful re-affirmation that all of the hard work we went through to get here was well worth it.
January In A Sentence A Month
1. Took hubby on the Colinas Ridge Trail for his first time, seven miles roundtrip, Starbucks for coffee afterward, home to enjoy a well-earned Trader Joe's mushroom and truffle flatbread pizza, then read by the fire for the remainder of the day.
2. Attended training to become Citizen Marine Scientists, then assisted one of our volunteer organization's full time staff person on an amazing tide pool walk during a super low tide.
3. Fabulous 11 mile club hike in our local hills overlooking the coastline, grocery shopping on the way home, then showers and a well earned nap.
4. Woke at 1:00 AM in pretty significant pain, that then got worse and worse and worse, until a trip to Urgent Care, and subsequent X-rays, showed I had a condition called calcific tendinitus that necessitated pain pills to get me through the day.
5. Weaned myself off of the pain pills by white knuckling it for a bit, then an evening get together with our backpacking group to plot out possible trips for 2018.
6. Feeling massively better, ran eight miles with my running club, then breakfast with my daughter and her sweetie, a drop by from my niece, and hubby and I started on preparations for hooking up our travel trailer and heading out to Palm Springs in the morning.
7. Off the the Palm Springs Film Festival for the week in our travel trailer.
8. Hiked up nearby Lykken Trail in the AM, attended two foreign films, Foxtrot from Israel, and The Insult from Lebanon, plus dined at the always-delicious Trio in the PM with the friends we are here with for the week.
9. Attended two foreign films on a rare, rainy Palm Springs day, Germany's well-deserved recent Golden Globe winning In the Fade, and Russia's compelling Loveless about two self-absorbed parents, then pizza and Chianti at the always-excellent Bill's Pizza - bonus points for having the most entertaining waitstaff around!
10. Four mile racewalk in the AM, attended two foreign films, Thailand's entertaining Pop Aye about a man and his elephant, and the Czech Republic's charming Barefoot about a young boy coming of age during World War II.
11. Two wonderful foreign films today, Turkey's beautiful true-to-life Ayla: The Daughter of War set during the Korean War, and Switzerland's hysterical, also true-to-life The Divine Order about the surprisingly late 1971 legislation that finally gave women there the right to vote - this movie is a must see if it comes to Netflix or elsewhere at some point - then to Las Casuelas for Mexican Food, followed by attending the Palm Springs Street Fair afterward.
12. Hiked Lykken Trail again in the AM, then saw Italy's A Ciambra chronicling the real life of Europe's migratory Roma people, and Spain's quirky Lots Of Kids, A Monkey And A Castle documentary, followed by dinner and a show at The Purple Room Supper Club, featuring Broadway at The Keys with Tony award winning Levi Kreis - absolutely fantastic night!!!
13. Five mile race walk in the AM, then just one movie, the US documentary Jane, featuring recently recovered video on wildlife extraordinaire Jane Goodall (so good!), followed by checking out and driving home in the PM.
14. Morning spiritual services, followed by lots of shopping - Old Navy, Big 5, Sprouts and Trader Joes.
15. Physical therapy appointment for my newly diagnosed calcific tendinitis, then cleared out the knick knacks and smaller furniture in our downstairs in preparation for flooring removal and re-installation.
16. Demolition of remaining downstairs flooring began, plus race walked three miles and attended my first Art History class, courtesy of a new Emeritus Lifelong Learning program for retirees in S. Orange County.
17. Hiked 5 miles in Ladera Ranch with my hiking club, returning home to just in time to paint out hundreds of feet of baseboard and 1/4 round trim for the few remaining hours before the sun went down . . . exhausted by day's end!
18. Flooring re-installation begins, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and why all the painting above on the 17th above occurred.
19. An exhilarating 30 mile bike ride with my new bicycling club up and around Irvine and the Newport Back Bay, along an amazing array of biking trails I'd long heard about but never been on, taking a well deserved lunch break midway at the terrific new-to-Orange County eatery Grater Grilled Cheese, yum!
20. Attended the Women's March for the first time, compelled to do so in the wake of the tidal wave of sexual assaults against women ripping through our nation, not the least of which is the recent USA Gymnastics scandal - as one woman's poster proclaimed, I can't believe I'm still protesting this sh*t!
21. Morning spiritual services, then a matinee showing of The Post in nearby San Juan Capistrano . . . the movie was well done, but discovering how cute downtown San Juan Capistrano is was even better.
22. Final day of flooring installation, hooray, a walk along the Dana Point Headlands Trail with a girlfriend followed by breakfast at always delicious Pain du Monde, an Intermediate Spanish class (excellent class, excellent instructor), then a quick dinner at home followed by a couples meeting in the evening.
23. Long day cleaning, dusting, and moving everything back into place downstairs, while electricians simultaneously worked in our family room installing recessed lighting and in our kitchen hanging two pretty new pendants over our kitchen island . . . love!
24. Six mile hike with my club in the hills of Mission Viejo, then lots of errand running afterward.
25. Shutters installed over kitchen bay window, worked an information booth shift at the harbor, enjoyed sunset at the beach with hubby, then a fascinating lecture about the gray whale's annual migration from Alaska to Mexico and back in the evening.
26. Uber-fun 25 mile bike ride over to scenic Corona Del Mar with my biking group, then rushed home to clean up and welcome my dad to our new home for the first time.
27. Took my Dad on a hilly 10 mile hike - at 81 years of age he did great - then home to prepare homemade pizzas for dinner.
28. A gorgeous 85 degree day which we spent with my dad kayaking, tide pooling, and scenic beach walking.
29. This was my dad's last day here, so we took him to San Clemente for breakfast at Ellie's Table, followed by a beach walk to the San Clemente Pier where we spotted whale breaching - so exciting - plus I managed to make my Spanish class and a couples workshop in the evening after Dad departed, whew!
30. Worked a volunteer shift at the harbor, attended my Art History class, and made a delicious mushroom risotto for dinner.
31. Painters arrived to finish off our kitchen cabinets, so we escaped the house for the day by joining our hiking club for a gorgeous 7 mile hike along Crystal Cove Beach, after which we enjoyed burgers, fries and ice cream shakes at the iconic Shake Shack in Newport Beach.
And so went the month of January!
1. Took hubby on the Colinas Ridge Trail for his first time, seven miles roundtrip, Starbucks for coffee afterward, home to enjoy a well-earned Trader Joe's mushroom and truffle flatbread pizza, then read by the fire for the remainder of the day.
2. Attended training to become Citizen Marine Scientists, then assisted one of our volunteer organization's full time staff person on an amazing tide pool walk during a super low tide.
3. Fabulous 11 mile club hike in our local hills overlooking the coastline, grocery shopping on the way home, then showers and a well earned nap.
 |
| This sign cracked me up! Legend has it that once upon a time it read 'Environmentally Sensitive Trail' but someone with a sense of humor removed the first few letters, and the rangers liked it so much they left it as altered. |
5. Weaned myself off of the pain pills by white knuckling it for a bit, then an evening get together with our backpacking group to plot out possible trips for 2018.
6. Feeling massively better, ran eight miles with my running club, then breakfast with my daughter and her sweetie, a drop by from my niece, and hubby and I started on preparations for hooking up our travel trailer and heading out to Palm Springs in the morning.
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| That's me on the left! |
7. Off the the Palm Springs Film Festival for the week in our travel trailer.
 |
| Our itty-bitty Trail Manor; but look at those views! Plus, the RV park has a pool, spa, club room and pool table, and we are within walking distance to downtown Palm Springs, all for a paltry $45 a night. |
8. Hiked up nearby Lykken Trail in the AM, attended two foreign films, Foxtrot from Israel, and The Insult from Lebanon, plus dined at the always-delicious Trio in the PM with the friends we are here with for the week.
 |
| At the top of Lykken trail, our turnaround point. |
9. Attended two foreign films on a rare, rainy Palm Springs day, Germany's well-deserved recent Golden Globe winning In the Fade, and Russia's compelling Loveless about two self-absorbed parents, then pizza and Chianti at the always-excellent Bill's Pizza - bonus points for having the most entertaining waitstaff around!
10. Four mile racewalk in the AM, attended two foreign films, Thailand's entertaining Pop Aye about a man and his elephant, and the Czech Republic's charming Barefoot about a young boy coming of age during World War II.
11. Two wonderful foreign films today, Turkey's beautiful true-to-life Ayla: The Daughter of War set during the Korean War, and Switzerland's hysterical, also true-to-life The Divine Order about the surprisingly late 1971 legislation that finally gave women there the right to vote - this movie is a must see if it comes to Netflix or elsewhere at some point - then to Las Casuelas for Mexican Food, followed by attending the Palm Springs Street Fair afterward.
12. Hiked Lykken Trail again in the AM, then saw Italy's A Ciambra chronicling the real life of Europe's migratory Roma people, and Spain's quirky Lots Of Kids, A Monkey And A Castle documentary, followed by dinner and a show at The Purple Room Supper Club, featuring Broadway at The Keys with Tony award winning Levi Kreis - absolutely fantastic night!!!
13. Five mile race walk in the AM, then just one movie, the US documentary Jane, featuring recently recovered video on wildlife extraordinaire Jane Goodall (so good!), followed by checking out and driving home in the PM.
14. Morning spiritual services, followed by lots of shopping - Old Navy, Big 5, Sprouts and Trader Joes.
15. Physical therapy appointment for my newly diagnosed calcific tendinitis, then cleared out the knick knacks and smaller furniture in our downstairs in preparation for flooring removal and re-installation.
16. Demolition of remaining downstairs flooring began, plus race walked three miles and attended my first Art History class, courtesy of a new Emeritus Lifelong Learning program for retirees in S. Orange County.
17. Hiked 5 miles in Ladera Ranch with my hiking club, returning home to just in time to paint out hundreds of feet of baseboard and 1/4 round trim for the few remaining hours before the sun went down . . . exhausted by day's end!
18. Flooring re-installation begins, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and why all the painting above on the 17th above occurred.
19. An exhilarating 30 mile bike ride with my new bicycling club up and around Irvine and the Newport Back Bay, along an amazing array of biking trails I'd long heard about but never been on, taking a well deserved lunch break midway at the terrific new-to-Orange County eatery Grater Grilled Cheese, yum!
20. Attended the Women's March for the first time, compelled to do so in the wake of the tidal wave of sexual assaults against women ripping through our nation, not the least of which is the recent USA Gymnastics scandal - as one woman's poster proclaimed, I can't believe I'm still protesting this sh*t!
 |
22. Final day of flooring installation, hooray, a walk along the Dana Point Headlands Trail with a girlfriend followed by breakfast at always delicious Pain du Monde, an Intermediate Spanish class (excellent class, excellent instructor), then a quick dinner at home followed by a couples meeting in the evening.
23. Long day cleaning, dusting, and moving everything back into place downstairs, while electricians simultaneously worked in our family room installing recessed lighting and in our kitchen hanging two pretty new pendants over our kitchen island . . . love!
24. Six mile hike with my club in the hills of Mission Viejo, then lots of errand running afterward.
25. Shutters installed over kitchen bay window, worked an information booth shift at the harbor, enjoyed sunset at the beach with hubby, then a fascinating lecture about the gray whale's annual migration from Alaska to Mexico and back in the evening.
26. Uber-fun 25 mile bike ride over to scenic Corona Del Mar with my biking group, then rushed home to clean up and welcome my dad to our new home for the first time.
27. Took my Dad on a hilly 10 mile hike - at 81 years of age he did great - then home to prepare homemade pizzas for dinner.
 |
| It was a three generation hike, in that my older daughter joined us. |
28. A gorgeous 85 degree day which we spent with my dad kayaking, tide pooling, and scenic beach walking.
 |
| We kayaked. |
 |
| We tidepooled and beach walked. |
 |
| We ate! |
29. This was my dad's last day here, so we took him to San Clemente for breakfast at Ellie's Table, followed by a beach walk to the San Clemente Pier where we spotted whale breaching - so exciting - plus I managed to make my Spanish class and a couples workshop in the evening after Dad departed, whew!
30. Worked a volunteer shift at the harbor, attended my Art History class, and made a delicious mushroom risotto for dinner.
31. Painters arrived to finish off our kitchen cabinets, so we escaped the house for the day by joining our hiking club for a gorgeous 7 mile hike along Crystal Cove Beach, after which we enjoyed burgers, fries and ice cream shakes at the iconic Shake Shack in Newport Beach.
 |
| Hubby and I shared a strawberry banana shake, so good! |
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And so went the month of January!
We were under the same full moon twice this month, you in the warmth of southern CA & I in the cold of NE Alberta.
ReplyDeleteJanuary 2018
1. A time of reflection in more ways than one with a full moon.
2. A day to put away a month of Christmas celebrations.
3. Homemade pizza, good company & a glorious sunset before the monthly whist gathering.
4. Attended the funeral of a cousin's husband, along with ~1000 others. It was obvious that this man had made an impact in his life.
5. There's a need to give space to my aging mother's emotions.
6. Quiet time, my favorite radio program followed by a 2-mile walk.
7. A repeat performance of Saturday with Super Soul Sunday thrown in.
8. Menu Monday – finally the holiday leftovers are used up.
9. I overcame the angst of winter driving with my FWD car and went to scheduled appointments to discover the roads weren’t as bad as I anticipated.
10. The word for 2018 has been chosen – SPACE.
11. Highlight was the word for the day – my SIL was at the hairdresser’s at the same time so we visited as we got our hair done.
12. A new season of Hello/Goodbye, a Canadian reality show that interviews people about their stories as they come & go through Pearson Airport.
13. I reflected on the history of Ian & Sylvia, the counterculture of music, the cowboy culture contrasted with the commercialism of today, young & seasoned performers at a Corb Lund & Ian Tyson concert.
14. Home from the concert after a good weekend with a close friend.
15. To a friend's for lunch & scrabble.
16. Time to suck up some dust bunnies & clean my bedroom before bunco in town.
17. I needed the distraction of a game day with friends after learning that a long-time friend has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
18. A home day after 5 days out of the house – bake banana bread, walk, rest.
19. Received the news that a long-time community member has passed away @ 84yrs.
20. Prepare for dinner guests tomorrow – BBQ ribs, mashed potatoes, nylysnyki, bean/mushroom salad, apple crisp.
21. Fun evening with friends – dinner followed by Wizard game.
22. Arrived at the massage therapist to find the long lost scarf hanging on the coat rack.
23. Whist at friends was way more fun than the community association meeting last night.
24. I’m babysitting a sore lower back with alternating cold/heat packs.
25.To the dentist’s office for a temporary filling after the permanent filling came out when I chomped down on the frozen confetti marshmallow bar; that’ll teach me.
26. Big snowfall that may interfere with my plan to celebrate my granddaughter's10th BD party tomorrow (2 hr drive away)
27. Gratitude to a neighbor for his 4x4 and a ride to the memorial service throught 10” of snow.
28. I managed to clear the yard using the tractor tho’ I’m reminded that I can operate a snow shovel better than the tractor.
29. Space for my sadness today reflecting on 3 deaths this past month & my friend’s cancer diagnosis.
30. Attended an educational session: The Most Powerful Parents: Strengthening Relationships with Our Babes, Our Partner and Ourselves.
31. I was gifted a cord of fire wood on this day of a blue moon.
I can appreciate you being at a point in your life where loved ones begin to slip away. I was really struck this past weekend by the beginning of frailty in my normally robust father. I am not looking forward to what lies ahead at some point.
DeleteOn a brighter note, your meal for friends sounded just wonderful - homey and delicious at the same time - and while I have no particular yearning to live in snow, I imagine it's incredibly beautiful right now where you live, which I can much appreciate.
How amazing is your father??? My mom just turned 80, but I doubt she'd go hiking with me although she's in great shape!!
ReplyDeleteAnd how fabulous to get some of the home restoration projects done!! That always feels so good!!
XOXO
Jodie
www.jtouchofstyle.com
My Dad has been a powerful motivator in my life to never stop moving forward in some fashion. It was so lovely to have my daughter with us, and to be able to share time together in the outdoor wild we all three love so much.
DeleteHome restorations . . . as of today, the inside is done, and may it stay the way for a good long time to come, because I'm exhausted! ;-)
Holy cow lady, has anyone ever told you how amazing you are! Looks like you had a fantastic month! Your dad = awesome! In such great shape. I feel like you've been working on your wood floors, forever! :) Glad you're almost done? Or are you? Happy February!
ReplyDeleteRe: Working on wood floors forever . . . you and me both Sarah! :-O
DeleteLiving here is so fun, we should have done it a lot sooner! I'm feeling stronger than I have in a few years. Today, in fact, I kept up with the 'big boys' on a speedy fitness hike in Laguna Wilderness Park. I surprised both them and myself, to be honest!
Wow, I found myself holding my breath through your post. Almost like I was doing all of that hiking, running, run-walking myself. I am exhausted. Was your calcific tendinitis in your rotator cuff? Glad you recovered so quickly and completely.
ReplyDeleteYour dad looks fabulous. You come from good stock! What a good time you showed him.
Always appreciate your photos from the tide pool lectures or walks.
So glad you are on the last of the house renovating. The floors are gorgeous. What a warm wood.
Going to take a nap now after reading your post. Ha!
I love being physically active so much, Leslie, which I know I've shared before. Once I get home, however, and shower, I promise you I transition to slow speed for the remainder of the day. It's the reward for the morning's rapid motion!
DeleteMy perfect day, perfect life, is a few hours of being outdoors and active, than lots of lovely down time for the remainder of the day. Right now, in fact, I've showered, slipped into my comfy clothes, and am headed to the sofa with a good book, where I plan to remain for the rest of the day. :-)
What a fabulous January you've had, Tamara. Like I've said before, you have beautiful wood floor and home overall. You worked way too hard with that baseboard painting job, must be hard on the body yet you were determined to get it done. All your outings and photos looked great, with the 3-generation outing extra-special. I love film fests, too. We have the Toronto International film fest in September. Bravos for all the outdoor fitness activities that you've done in and around your new home location. I'm like you in that I like to get my fitness fix first, shower, then I relax the rest of the day. The energy and warmth generated from the physical activity is an amazing sensation. Have a fabulous February! I look forward to reading your updates.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, honestly couldn't believe I was sitting there painting out all the trim work for a second, bloody time in just a few months. Nowhere near as satisfying, but just as necessary. Sigh. However, as of last night, the house is completely done for now, and clean, hooray!
DeleteWe are having an amazing winter here along the S. California coastline, and I'm working hard to take full advantage of it. In fact, I'm off shortly on a bike ride with my group that will take us into coastal San Diego County. :-)
What a great start to the year, Tamara and so interesting becoming a Citizen Marine Scientist. I loved all of your photos and unfortunately, I did not have time to do my SaD this month. Life is hectic. What an inspiration your Dad is and I hope I'm still fit and active like him at 81! Have a great February and enjoy! xx
ReplyDeleteSue, I scrambled myself getting this month's sentences done, however, I really like looking back and seeing the choices each day brings, so I keep soldiering on. But, yes, life is definitely feeling increasingly hectic. Good, but hectic . . . why is striking the right balance so darn hard?!?
Delete