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 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 cpould 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 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.

 

Friday Five - Bon Voyage Edition

 

Friday Five - Bon Voyage Edition

We head out soon for our Alaska cruise, where we'll have four generations of family sailing together, so my Friday Five will be travel-prep focused accordingly.

1.  Once the suitcases are zipped, I finally get excited. My rule is to pack two days ahead so that I have time to mentally go through our itinerary, the expected weather, and any out-of-the-ordinary activities I may need to bring items for. I then continue to mentally go thru my list over the remaining days, removing or adding items as 'Oh, I need!' or 'Oh, I don't need!' thoughts occur to me.

I also gather my toiletries together, so that I have time to do a complete dry run at least once, ideally twice, before we depart, in order to ensure I have set aside everything I need to take care of my teeth and eyes (contacts) and do my hair and makeup. 

2. This will be my first cruise bringing just a carry-on bag. Even with the many layers we need to pack for Alaska's wild weather, I managed to get everything into one carry-on suitcase. Why bother, in the event you're wondering. Simply to ensure both me and my luggage arrive together!

I file it under 'ways to reduce travel stress', a list which is getting longer as I age.

To be fair, I did place two pair of shoes into my husband's check-in size luggage, but everything else fit into my carry-on bag.

In my bag I packed one pair of basic black pants for dinner, along with six lightweight, blouses, one for each night other than sail-away. On sail-away day, the first dinner dress code tends to be very casual as many guests will not yet have had their luggage delivered to their cabin. So on the first night I'll simply wear what I plan to wear onto the ship - lightweight black summer trousers with an apple green silky tank. 

Otherwise, I packed a couple of casual pants with a variety of lightweight shirts, several layers of outerwear, including a lightweight rain coat, plus workout clothes, pj's and a swimsuit. 

3.  I located 10+ miles of scenic walking in Seattle, where we'll be for two nights pre-cruise. The weather is looking to be gorgeous - cool and sunny - so perfect for walking. And walking a city is one of my absolutely favorite things to do while traveling. There are also lots of coffee stores scattered along our routes, so, I'm sure some stops for iced coffee will happen as well.

4.  I signed up for tennis lessons. I have played tennis off and on over the years, but it's been almost a dozen since I last picked up a racquet. I've been waiting for our health club to run a series for Beginners, and they finally did. I signed up the moment the email arrived, and start my 'refresh' lessons immediately after we return.

5.  I saw this at the beach during a walk earlier in the week, and it made me laugh:

I hope you all had a great, satisfying week, wherever you are!

It Was A Fabulous Fourth Of July - One Of Our Best Yet

It Was A Fabulous Fourth Of July - 

One Of Our Best Yet

I went to bed, and woke up still under the spell of an absolutely marvelous 4th of July holiday. We did a string of 'ordinary' 4th of July things, but cumulatively they added up to a magical and wonderful day.

Here's how we rolled:

We woke up naturally at 5:30 AM, and immediately jumped into our cars in order to drop one of our cars off in our beach town's downtown area before the crowds descended. And so happy we made the effort to do so, because by 8:00 AM, people were sharing photos of packed parking on our local community Facebook page.

Once back home, we enjoyed our morning cups of coffee leisurely until a little after 9 AM. I then packed a simple sack lunch and we headed out the door on foot. We walked first to the beach we live closest to, enjoying the heightened holiday crowds and energy, saying for the first of about a dozen times over our walk - how happy we were to be out and about on foot instead of being stressed by the crowds and lack of parking from inside a car.

And not to gloat, truly - I'm simply thankful! - but it was a gloriously cool 70-73 degrees during our entire walk.

From the beach we walked next to our harbor, primarily to enjoy Water Wars, a long standing July 4th tradition. People enter the water on anything and everything, and a war between watercraft and the folks watching from land ensues and goes on for hours.

Short video of Water Wars below. You can click Full Screen icon in order to maximize video size.

We watched and laughed at the ongoing antics for about half an hour, then walked to a quieter spot for our sack lunch. We chatted with an older couple we were seated alongside, something that happens all the time here, as people are quite relaxed and open for the most part. A result, I think, of the natural beauty we all live alongside creating a desire to share our joy with others.

From there, we enjoyed an easy walk back up to our already-parked car. Yes, 'up' and why we elected to leave a car for the return trip, lol.

We stopped at the brewery near our home on the return for a shared cup of iced cold brew coffee amidst yet another crowd of happy holiday energy.

I love so much where we live - happy energy spills over almost everywhere we go. It's addictive.

At home we showered and then loaded the car for dinner and fireworks at my mom's, our first time doing so.

We enjoyed a BYOM (Meat) event outside of her building, with neighbors joining in. One neighbor brought our his grill, the others all brought a food item to share. It was just all very relaxed and enjoyable.

As it got dark, we moved our chairs out onto the sidewalk for 'the show.' And a show it was! Literally right in front of us, not having to walk or drive anywhere, the city sent off a fantastic fireworks show. It was fabulous, eliciting several spontaneous rounds of applause from the people that had gathered by this point all up and down her street.

We jumped in our car the moment the show was over, following a route home a friend had said would be uncrowded and . . . it was! It was so easy, and we were able to avoid all post-fireworks traffic.

We arrived home just as the fireworks display nearest to where we live started up, and finished out the night watching them from our balcony.

Honestly, it's probably the best and most relaxing 4th of July we've ever experienced, and we're going to simply put it on repeat going forward.

I hope you had a fabulous 4th wherever you are, and a Sunday that is just as busy or relaxed as you wish it to be!

 

Friday Five - Spending Other People's Money Is Fun!

 

Friday Five - Spending Other Peoples Money Is Fun!

1. I am looking forward to spending someone else's money today. In this case, my sister-in-law's. She is in need of some new clothes, and I have offered to take and help her in picking out some outfits. She has some physical challenges that necessitate simple clothing without zippers, snaps, or buttons, and in doing a bit of online research, Kohl's appears to carry affordable clothing that meets her needs.

Kohl's is not a place where I shop myself, in that their clothes seem to run 'boxy', but that would actually work well for my SIL, in that items need to be very easy to pull on and pull off. 

I'm a very good steward of other people's money, and I will thus be very diligent in finding items that work, are attractive, and are on sale. Plus, it's fun to not be the one pulling out a credit card at the register!

The type of easy slip on and off clothing we are searching for.

Afterward, we'll celebrate our expected success with a shared lunch - she and I both recently lost weight, so we are of like mind there, nicely.  The fast casual place we're going to has a crispy chicken katsu sandwich with plum sauce that we both much enjoy, and a nice big outside and shaded patio for eating. We are currently in the low to mid-70's here, unlike what I know is happening elsewhere, so outdoors is still enjoyable. And appreciated!

2. We are eating faux on the Fourth. Specifically, Smart Dog hot dogs from Trader Joe's, about as faux as you can get in that they are made from soy. I find them to be delicious, however, and actually prefer them over a 'regular' hotdog at this point. And I appreciate that they are lower in saturated fat and calories than a regular hotdog.

I bought Brioche hot dog buns from Aldi's - so good - and we'll top our July 4th dogs with mustard, red onion, and relish. That should bring each one as served to just over 200 calories, an easy treat to slide into my daily plan. Watermelon will round out my plate, others will likely enjoy baked beans and Barefoot Contessa Old Fashioned Potato Salad along with their hot dogs. I think my mom is planning to serve ice cream for those interested to end the evening as we enjoy the fireworks from her front yard.

3. I'm looking for a new physical challenge. My primary activity this year has been walking, a result of my husband falling and straining his back late last year. He's been slowly and steadily recovering since, and is now back to almost 100%, so I've begun pestering him a bit to pick back up where we left off with road cycling and golf. 

We'll start off the road cycling with a flat and easy 15 mile roundtrip ride, then advance from there. We find that we can increase in increments of about five miles a ride, more to slowly train our saddle muscles than our leg muscles. (IYKYK!)

And once we return from our upcoming Alaska Cruise, we'll start back up with golf lessons, likely much needed after so many months away from the sport. I have to say that even while I have no aspirations that I'll ever be a fabulous golfer, I do get much enjoyment from simply going to the driving range with my spouse, and then enjoying glasses of iced tea together afterward on the golf course's scenic patio.

4. I reached backward in time and picked a date for my once-upon-a-time running club group of pals to meet up at a brewery. I also reached backward in time and made a date with a girlfriend I haven't seen since high school, to come out for an overnight visit.

The running club reunion event will be easy- I'm just texting the where and when, and our collective joy at all being together again should take care of the rest. The high school girlfriend overnight visit should also be easy - we'll spend a long and leisurely evening enjoying dinner and sunset viewing at our west-facing social club, talking non-stop I'm sure. In the AM we'll walk down to the beach for breakfast before returning to the house for good-byes.

5. I'm returning to Bridge, a game I both enjoy and do not enjoy in equal parts. I much enjoy the strategy and the playing. I much do not enjoy how intense and at times downright unpleasant some of the other players are. It seems to be the basic nature of some of the folk that are drawn to this game, an energy I don't bump into at any of the other activities I/we participate in. However, I've decided to give it another try after my spouse sincerely asked. Oh, the things we do for love! 🙂

Weekend Wrap-up & Why I Blog

Weekend Wrap-up & Why I Blog

It was another vibrant, active, and fulfilling weekend here, but not by accident. I have spent much time and energy creating a framework in our retired lives that provides a plethora of options. Assuming we have the energy to do them all that is, sometimes a dubious assumption depending on how early our body clocks go off. 

This weekend as an example. I woke up at 3:30 AM on Friday, 4:30 AM on Saturday, and then finally ‘slept in’ until 5:30 AM on Sunday. At this point in my aging life, I accept that it simply is what it is. I do try to catch catnaps in the afternoon as I can/need, but otherwise just try to keep on keeping on.

In a nutshell, our weekend was comprised of a lovely and romantic evening at a coastal steak house enjoying Happy Hour and time along the beach afterward, a social gathering at a drop-dead coastal home in Laguna Beach, a beach festival, a harbor picnic, and miles and miles of coastal walking.

Which is a large reason why I'm choosing to blog again. Blogging places me in the position of wanting to be more intentional on how I move through my days. I want to post about things that make my days better, more vibrant, more fulfilling, more positive, not about the things that drag me down or don't move me along. So, I'm increasingly more deliberate about the choices I make in my day, and I appreciate that tremendously!

From our social event in breathtaking Laguna Beach.
I don't think I'd ever want to leave home if this was my view.
To be fair, the homeowner has had to accept some definite tradeoffs.
Tradeoffs like limited spacing between homes, significant traffic
 noise from nearby Pacific Coast Highway, and extremely limited parking.
However, I'd still take the tradeoffs in a heartbeat in order to get those views!

It's much the same reason why I blogged here about my weight loss journey - it helped me to be more intentional in the choices I made along the way. So thank you for allowing me to do that.

Even in spite of some non-supportive comments I received. But even those helped to move the needle along. We humans seem to be good at providing support to those we deem as 'like us', but not necessarily as good at supporting the final success. Perhaps because we perceive it as some sort of critique on ourselves, even though of course it is not that at all.

What I wore to the event in Laguna Beach over the weekend. 
Posting the occasional after-weight loss photo here helps incentivize me to keep on keeping on with maintenance.
Because while maintenance is now a greatly diminished effort, 
is not wholly without some effort.

I hope you all make it a great and intentional day wherever you are!

Friday Five - Thin On The Inside

 Friday Five - Thin On The Inside

1. I am now, finally, as 'thin' on the inside as I am on the outside. After some 14 months of working to not just lose 25 pounds, but also to re-train my brain, I'm feeling like the job is pretty much done. I'm fully settled into my new way of eating and tracking, the food noise is drastically diminished, and I am not feeling deprived whatsoever. But, yeah, it took more than a year to work through the mental process.

It's why the current crop of weight loss injections makes me feel a bit sad - I am thrilled that they are available to help people lose weight, but I suspect (and studies seem to support) that without going through the long slog to rework the wiring in our brains, the 'old ways' will likely return once the drug injections cease. Regardless, I still wish anyone on them the very best of outcomes!!!

2.  We are celebrating the advent of the weekend, and a celebration, with a long walk at the harbor, followed by lining up early for Happy Hour at a wonderful steak house at the coast. The food at the steak house is fabulous, but I want only small bites to accompany my welcome-to-the-weekend cocktail, and Happy Hour is the easiest way to accomplish this without annoying either the restaurant or our servers.

The bar area where Happy Hour occurs is gorgeous, however there are relatively few tables for two, so we'll be getting there about a half hour ahead of opening to secure our place in the front of the line.  But I'm sure we'll end up chatting with other early arrivals, so I'm looking forward to the entire event, even the get-there-early portion.

After we eat, we'll be walking down to the beach to take in the sunset.

3.  The first plums and peaches of the season went on sale this week at one of the supermarkets I sales-shop, and they have been delicious!  It just kills me to pay between $6 and $8 a pound at our local Farmers Markets for produce, so I generally just don't. And this early in the season, the $1.49-$1.99 a pound sales the supermarkets typically run on plums, peaches, and nectarines almost always result in fabulous fruit. Later in the season it's a bit more of a gamble, but not yet at this point.

4. I spent a lot of energy reconnecting with friends via text yesterday, and my calendar is now full of lunch togethers. I love each of my girlfriends a bit more each year, as we all move through this odd phase called 'aging', and I don't take any one of them for granted. Illness has already come calling for several of my girlfriends, and I am therefore committed to gathering and keeping as many of them close to me as possible. Plus I love a good lunch date!

5.  I am re-appreciating all over again how low maintenance we made the outside of our new home. At this time of year I just want to be outside and enjoy all the good-summer vibes. And our no-maintenance, faux grass and hardscaped yards allow me to do just that. I spend about 30 minutes a month blowing and sweeping, and really, that's it. I call it our 'townhome without shared walls'. The house is big, but the yard is not, and that was one of the goals we achieved during this most recent move.

The landscaping to the right belongs to and is maintained by the HOA, not by us. We just get to enjoy it, nicely.

It's Good To Be Back To Our Coastal Life

 It's Good To Be Back To Our Coastal Life

Warning: This post is full of feel-good emotions. Please skip if you are not feeling up to a big dose of joyfulness!

And also, trust me, I have cr#p in my life just like everyone else, but I generally prefer to deal with it quietly, so as to resolve or move it along as quickly as possible.

We had a truly wonderful time on our recent visit to Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, followed by a visit with our Tennessee-based daughter and her family. We enjoyed delicious food, saw wonderful things, and had interesting and lively conversations all along the way. Plus a lovely visit with Laura of, first, The Occasional Nomads, and now Make The Lemonade, and her charming husband, Brett.

But, it is also so very, very, very wonderful to be back in the midst of our coastal life here in California. We returned to absolutely beautiful weather, and have already walked close to 15 miles since returning home on Friday evening. We met up with friends for a Father's Day dinner at our harbor, and had a random encounter with one of the stars of Netflix's limited series, Selling The OC, at our favorite local brewery. Tyler Stanaland, in case you are wondering. I noticed him initially, because he is THAT HANDSOME! 😄

I did feel like I was living in a dream this past weekend, because I was hit anew with how much I love living near the ocean now that we are retired and no longer needing to commute. I'm increasingly loathe to leave what we and others refer to as our 'bubble', because we find people here to be significantly more relaxed and carefree then when we travel inland more than 5 or so miles. 

I am beyond thankful each and every day to live within walking distance of these views.

I spent my entire adult life wanting to live closer to the ocean, but commutes made it untenable until we retired. Now that we're here, I don't see us ever leaving. If we move again, it will be to get even closer than we are now (we're just a smidge over a mile away currently). We have absolutely no need to move, but as Laura and I discussed this past weekend while visiting together in Tennessee, we are restless spirits that enjoy change.

We are here for about two weeks, than we'll be off to an Alaskan cruise with our family. Once we return, we should be here for the remainder of the summer. Which will not be a hardship!

And I maintained my weight during our recent trip in spite of enjoying wonderful bites every place we stayed. The offset to the food were the miles and miles we walked, close to 40 altogether.

One of the recent outfits for summer I purchased for both our recent trip, and here at home.

I can highly recommend this summer's lightweight, looser fitting pants - so pretty and comfortable!

I have a long list of chores to get done today, though my husband and I will be making time to enjoy a short coastal bluff stroll this afternoon once the running around and chores are done.

I wish you all a wonderful day wherever you are!

Friday Five - No One Is Driving That Car!

 Friday Five - No One Is Driving That Car!

We left temps in the low 70's, and landed smack in the middle of the humid high-80's over here in Georgia. But we're having a great time!

1.  We have walked and walked in Atlanta, and life is good. We've been averaging six miles a day, which is enough miles to feel great, offset our once a day meal splurge, and ensure we sleep like logs. 

2.  We're enjoying all the wonderful food things.  So far we've sampled fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, turnip greens, cornbread, biscuits, and peach cobbler (my spouse). We've shared most meals, my preferred way to dine when traveling in that we can't take leftovers home. And while I want to enjoy delicious food for my main meal, I don't want an overwhelming amount. It's worked out well, and our servers have generally been suggesting it in advance of our asking, or been quickly supportive when we inquire. Which has been lovely.

3. We've enjoyed chatting with our servers. We so enjoy viewing snippets of what life where we are visiting is like, and our restaurant servers often provide a terrific mirror with which to do so. Because we tend to eat quite early, restaurants are usually quiet when we arrive, and our servers have had time to briefly chat. I love to hear what brought them to an area, and how they are enjoying it. We experience delightful, quick little conversations so often as a result.

And we get in-return thoughts, often stereotypical, about our home state of California as well, which I actually appreciate. Yesterday, as an example, we were chatting with our server about the rise in popularity of mock-tails among young people, and the affect that was having on the bar and restaurant business. She said that something called 'Cali-sober' was increasingly a thing among her peer group. When we looked at her quizically, she said, 'You know, no alcohol, just that other 'thing' instead". It took a moment, and then we all broke into laughter.  

That is what I love most about travel - the little slice of life moments we get to experience.

4. We're seeing all the tourist stuff, and I'm 100% OK with that.  Because that's exactly what we are! Self-mocking aside, our preference to walk everywhere does tend to put us along side local residents, and that is when we are prone to get a glimpse of what life for locals is like in whatever area we're visiting. But I'm equally OK with being a tourist, because the big stuff is what generally brings us to an area in the first place.

The city of Atlanta as reflected in the lake at Piedmont Park.

Our visit to The World Of Coca Cola was a whole lot of fun.

Our spontaneous visit to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Museum, located just across the street from our hotel, was not only free to enter, but so, so interesting.  

And where we picked up the best souvenirs of our trip - small packets of shredded currency, also free! We picked up one packet for each of our granddaughters.

The home of Martin Luther King, Jr, was unfortunately closed for repairs during our trip. We did, however get to visit the MLK National Historic Park, where Dr King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, are laid to rest.

5. We have enjoyed seeing all the Waymo self driving vehicles and the self propelling delivery rolling carts that are all over this city. Because we live in the 'burbs, these techno self-driving cars and carts haven't made it our way yet. So, it was lots of fun to see so many of them out and about every day as we walked around the city.

There is no driver in that car if you look closely!

Some of the self propelling delivery carts even have names. So cute!

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So much already seen and visited, and we still have Savannah and Nashville to go!

Friday Five - Summer Is Here!

 Friday Five - Summer Is Here!

1. I took my mom clothes shopping and we ended up 'twin-ing' each other. I think about 50% of our purchases were identical, primarily the multiple pair of flowing, lightweight summer pants we both purchased. I don't really mind, as long as we don't wear the same outfit to the same event - that would definitely be a bridge to far! 😄

I bought this entire outfit, but there is no waist gap in mine!
My stomach may be flat, but it is no longer a 20 or even a 30 year old stomach, and absolutely no one needs to see it!

This ensemble is so pretty and comfortable.
And it will be perfect for our upcoming trip to already-hot-and-humid Georgia.

2. I spent several days in a row in one of our local beach towns, noshing, sipping, people watching and enjoying glorious weather. I had a slew of activities over the course of the week in one of our adjacent beach towns, that included several lunch and coffee dates. And our currently spectacular weather made each one especially enjoyable. We have not yet been socked-in with our seasonal grey - the grey has been clearing each day before lunch. So, clear blue skies combined with temps in the low to mid 70's has made for some days that seem designed for enjoying life while sitting outside in the sunshine.

3. I love that live events are such a big part of our lifestyle now. We attended four live events this past week - a jazz concert, a Broadway musicals tribute, a play, and a summer outdoor concert. Not only do we enjoy the shows, the energy, and our fellow attendees, my spouse and I also enjoy great follow-up discussions, generally over a post-event dinner. 

We prefer matinee performances whenever possible for just this reason. It’s so nice to move on to a leisurely meal without the pressure to be sure and finish up and pay before our event begins.

4.  I made an improvised pasta dinner one night, and it turned out fabulous. I cubed and sauteed one large chicken breast half in some olive oil, after first seasoning with some kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorns. I set the finished chicken aside and next sauteed a basket of sliced mushrooms and half a diced red onion. I re-added the chicken, plus some artichoke hearts, and tossed with some pesto from my freezer and a bit of heavy cream that was leftover from a recent party. I served it over some penne pasta and topped with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. My husband took one bite and said he loved it, and would I please tell him there was more? 

A list of items always in my fridge or pantry for these type of impromptu dinners:

• Artichoke hearts
• Sundried tomatoes
• Kalamata olives
• Capers
• Fresh Parmesan cheese
• Pasta (all sorts)
• Good quality olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black peppercorns

Any combination of the above, tossed with whatever vegetables need to be used up, plus a bit of protein from the freezer - generally a few shrimp or one Italian sausage or a couple of strips of bacon, or, if I think sufficiently ahead, a defrosted chicken breast half - and dinner for my spouse is pretty much guaranteed to be a hit.

5.  I spent a glorious day kayaking with my girlfriend. The harbor where we kayak is hugh- at least 16 miles around in it's entirety. We generally alternate which 6-8 mile section we are going to kayak, pulling out midway for lunch. Sometimes we bring packed lunches from home, but this time we walked up a short block to order and take a to-go lunch back to our kayaks to eat. So much fun. And such a gift to be able to enjoy so much beauty on a regular basis.

Friday Five - We Bought The Business Class Seats!

Friday Five - We Bought The Business Class Seats!

Now that my sister-in-law is fully settled and comfortable with her new lifestyle and routine in my mom's 55+ community, I returned to travel planning with a vengeance the past week. So much got accomplished!

1. I crossed all the 't's and dotted all the 'i's for our upcoming trip to Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, which we are visiting before heading to see our daughter and her family in Tennessee. I booked all of our organized excursions, plotted out our timelines and walking routes, and made all our restaurant reservations. It does take hours to do all this, however, the benefit is that once we take off we can simply enjoy and follow the travel plan, no additional planning or thinking required.

I've done this often enough over the years that I have a very good sense of our interests and available energy. And I do build in downtime each day to simply sit and enjoy some liquid refreshments in between our activities. Which is also when some of our most pleasant and spontaneous conversations with locals occur.

2. I added on a week in Philadelphia as a start to our fall tour of the UK in order avoid having to book connecting flights. There are no direct flights from LAX to Edinburgh, Scotland, where our tour begins. In researching direct flights in and out of Edinburgh on the terrific and informative website, Flights From, I noted that Philadelphia was one of the airports listed. In that we've never been there, we decided to fly there first  before flying onward to Edinburgh. So, we'll fly direct to Philadelphia, spend a week visiting, then fly direct from there to Edinburgh. So much less stress this way!

3. I booked a gorgeous boutique hotel in Philadelphia, because location and luxury are increasingly priorities in our lives. In the grand scheme of things, it's a small upgrade that really enhances our city touring experience. As I've mentioned previously, while I don't necessarily want to travel more than we already do, I'm now at an age where I do want to travel nicer.

4. I booked Business Class seats for our long haul direct flight home from Dublin. I gulped, I admit, before hitting the BUY button, but only because it's a bigger number than I'm used to, not because we can't afford it. I don't expect to book Business Class for every flight going forward, but if the experience turns out to be as pleasant as I think it's going to be, I do see us selectively flying Business Class as we continue to age.

5. I started working on booking excursions for the Greenland leg of our Summer 2027 cruise, because people on the cruise forum I'm on said they were already starting to fill up. I want to learn about the area, and to walk and sight-see as much as possible while there, but I also want some unique experiences. So on one of our stops we'll be combining a town walking tour with some unique (and tiny!) samplings of the local proteins. As in reindeer, caribou, seal and whale. Click here for more Greenland traditional cuisine information.

Friday Five - Pad Thai Anyone?

Friday Five - Pad Thai Anyone?

1.  I made Pad Thai at home for the first time, and it was delicious! I thought it looked fun when I first spotted the recipe in the cookbook below, but when it came time to actually make it, I was a bit nervous. Nervous because it was a new-to-me cuisine, and I didn't know if the recipe would actually evoke the taste of the Pad Thai that I've enjoyed in restaurants over the years, including in the country of Thailand itself.

Plot spoiler: It did! And it turned out that it was quite easy to make. Sourcing the ingredients, on the other hand, primarily the rice noodles and the bamboo shoots, necessitated a trip to a specialty market, which then involved some hunting around. However, I now know where to find both items, so the next time I make it should be a snap.

We enjoyed it warm from the pan the first night, topped with fresh bamboo shoots, cilantro, fresh lime, and peanuts, and cold from the fridge the second night, topped with same. Both ways were delicious, and I'm not actually sure which I prefer!

2.  We are helping my sister-in-law (SIL) re-settle into my mother's 55+ community, and it has been a process. My SIL doesn't drive, nor use a smart phone, so we've had to sort of train her to get to the places she'll need, which has involved a lot of sitting in our car and watching this week to make sure all goes well on her walking routes. She did have a few missed turns in the beginning, but she now seems to have her routes down, and this should be the last weekend we'll need to stick to her so closely. We know she is doing the 100% absolute best she can, and this transition has been a tremendous one for her, but my spouse and I do miss our daily walks together (generally we've been taking turns), and will be happy to get back to them.

3.  Senior Centers are worth their weight in gold. My SIL now attends the senior center near her new home each day, Monday thru Friday, and it has made me realize the value these centers provide. She not only has lunch there, but also attends a variety of classes ranging from exercise to art to bingo to singing and dancing, and she is socializing and making new friends daily. It is providing the daily structure in her life, and she is increasingly excited each day to get there and visit with her steadily increasing group of friends. 

4.  I am thankful we were able to retire so young, and have 15 completely self-centered years. It's been a big change having both my mother and my husband's sister now so reliant on our help and guidance. I am deeply moved that we are able to do so at this phase of life, and that they are now both so close by, however I am also thankful that we had 15 years of Go-Go-Go when nobody needed us, not children nor parents, and we could live and be as hedonistic as we desired. We will absolutely continue to travel - we still have five upcoming trips just this year - but we'll no longer go away for months at a time. We'll contain our trips to 30 days or less, generally two or so weeks depending, and likely even shorter as time goes on and my mother and SIL continue thru the aging process.

5.  Summer energy is building here for sure! Our walks at the beach and at the harbor are increasingly filled with buzz - kids, families, parents, couples - and it makes me both happy and appreciative to live somewhere people make big efforts to come visit. Yesterday at the harbor, I laughed watching one of our Coast Guard boats shoot water at a group of excited children playing in the water. The positive energy that one action created was wonderful, and stayed with me throughout my walk. 

The Food Noise Is Finally Abating

The Food Noise Is Finally Abating

I had begun to think that the Food Noise would never abate. I was actually in the process of working to accept that my brain would likely never stop chattering at me about food. Not about hunger, about food. There is a difference.

I know what genuine hunger feels like - it's a real and physical sensation. The incessant chatter in my brain was not about hunger. Rather, it was about something else. It was, as I think I've finally figured out, about using food to distract myself from a myriad of emotions I apparently was not comfortable feeling. 

Because I recently read something that resonated - when my brain chatters at me about food, and I know I am not genuinely hungry, I can simply sit quietly for a few minutes and allow the emotions that I'm apparently using food to distract from to instead come thru.

And that has been life changing. If I can simply sit quietly and allow myself to feel whatever emotions are there in my brain, not only do the emotions themselves abate, so does the food noise.

Here is an article I read recently in Psychology Today that seems to explain this much more succinctly than I am able to:

Quieting The Food Noise 

I am so very relieved. To be able to simply read a book in peace, without a constant brain chatter occurring to get something, anything, to nibble, is a brand new and wonderful experience.

Difficult change can eventually happen it would appear. I find that so positive and reassuring - even at my current stage of life, it's never to late.

, 

An Ordinary Day In My Retirement Life

An Ordinary Day In My Retirement Life 

I decided to monitor my activities yesterday, because I was recently reminded that how we spend our days is how we spend our lives, and I wanted to see how I was doing, and how I felt about it in hindsight.

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Woke up at 5:40 AM, thrilled to have 'slept in' after a run of difficult sleep nights.

Downstairs to greet and hug spouse, enjoy coffee, read blogs and do NYT Strands puzzle until about 7:45 AM.

Ate breakfast (one breakfast date bar and half a cup of cottage cheese) while doing absolutely nothing, a practice I'm working on in order to be more fully present while eating, versus 'mindlessly' eating. 

Much enjoyed the truly delicious and healthy no-bake date bar, made from just four quality ingredients - raw oats, pecans, Medjool dates and coconut oil, plus a tad of salt. (Recipe below)

I buy fresh-in-season Medjool dates every January while we're in Palm Springs attending the International Film Festival, and then freeze them upon our return home for leisurely usage in these absolutely delicious breakfast or anytime-snack date bars:

Dare To Date Bars

5 Ingredient, No Bake, Vegan Date Squares

Crust:

• 1.5 cups pecans
• 1.5 cups regular oats (for Gluten-free, use GF oats)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 10 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

 

Date filling:

• 25 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped (~2.5 cups)
• 1/2 cup water (Less or slightly more as needed)

• 
  

Directions:

1. In a food processor, process the pecans and oats until a fine crumble forms. Now add in the dates and process until crumbly again. Add the coconut oil and to the mixture and process until sticky. You can add a tiny bit of water if the dough is too dry. Remove from processor, set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture for later, and press the rest of the mixture very firmly and evenly into a 10" x 6" or equivalent ungreased pan.

2. Grab your pitted and roughly chopped dates and water and process in the food processor until a paste forms. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl often. You can add a tiny bit more water if needed, but you want the paste quite thick. Scoop out the date mixture onto the crust and gently spread with the back of a wet spatula until even.

3. Sprinkle on the 3/4 cup of mixture you set aside and gently press down with fingers. Refrigerate in the fridge until firm for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. Cut into 16 bars (approx 200 calories for each bar) and serve. Store in the fridge or freezer.

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Into my office until 8:30 AM in order to purchase season tickets to one of the local venues we enjoy attending. Much back and forth between my calendar and the various performance date options before I hit the BUY button.

Dressed for a five mile walk around the harbor, preceded by a quick trip to Trader Joes upon it's 9:00 AM opening in order to beat the weekend crowd. A brief return trip home to place food items in fridge, then back out for the short drive to harbor for my walk.

Back home by noon, whereupon I ate lunch  (while reading - I haven't applied my breakfast practice of doing nothing while eating to lunch just yet . . . baby steps 🙂 ) and then returned back to my office in order to finalize activity plans for our upcoming trip to both Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. So far, it looks like we'll be enjoying multiple museum visits, a trolley car tour, a steamboat ride, a horse and carriage ride, and a golf cart tour through a historic cemetery, lol. Much looking forward to it all. 

Read for two hours (The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa), then joined my spouse in the living room for Happy Hour, where we chatted about his day with his sister, helping her to get acclimated to her new surroundings in my mother's 55+ community. (She loves it and is doing great!)

Dinner here at home after two nights in a row of dining away - a BLT for spouse, plus spinach salad for us both.

Watched 60 Minutes on TV after dinner & cleanup, followed by one streaming episode of Murder She Wrote. Sundays are for comfy, not edgy, TV, around here!

In bed by 9:00 PM, where I played on my e-Puzzle app until falling asleep sometime before 10:00 PM.

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In hindsight, it was a day well spent, even if what I consider a rather ordinary day. I ate well, I exercised, I was productive, I enjoyed time reading, and I enjoyed time with my spouse.

Today, by contrast, I have to wait around at my mom's all afternoon in order for internet to be installed. I'm planning to get in a quick walk to the beach and back before departing, then finish off my Georgia trip planning on my phone at my mom's while I await the installer. Upon arrival back home, I'm making Pad Thai, my first time, for dinner. It sounded like fun when I first saw the recipe, but we'll see, now that I actually have to make it!