Archive for July, 2011
Sunshiney Sunday
1After my 10 mile walk yesterday, which is approx. 6 1/2 miles more than I would do on an average day, I thought that I might not walk today. I would leave that decision until this morning, but I know when I was thinking about it last night, the idea of laying on the sofa all day sounded pretty nice.
Hubby went to play paintball this morning and I found myself craving the sunshine and I decided I would go out and walk. No running today, all walking. Not wanting to necessarily go to the park, I took the opportunity to go to downtown Clearwater to walk the causeway over to the beach. Plenty of sunshine there.
I filled my Camelbak with ice cold water and off I went. There is parking at the base of the causeway bridge (shaded no less!). I walked all the way over the causeway, south on the main strip and then back up again to the pier before heading back over the causeway. It was H-O-T and I was definitely getting my share of sunshine on my shoulders. This girl loves to be tan and I am loving the sunkissed look of my shoulders now.
I contemplated going over the bridge once more when I got back to my starting point but by the time I got there, I had walked 5.30 miles in 1 hr. 31 min. and I was tired, soaked with sweat, and hot as hell. I decided best not to be stupid about it and quit while I was ahead. As it is, my hubby wanted me to text him when I was done just so he wouldn’t worry about me in the heat. Even at 10 am this morning the heat index was in the upper 90′s and the UV index was VERY high at 10. Hence, my super sunkissed shoulders today. =)
I’ve walked a total of 15.30 miles in the past 2 days. That is more than I do in most weeks. I could not walk the rest of the week and be ahead of the game. Or I could walk as much as I can this week and see if I can hit 30 miles for the week. I wonder which one I’ll do….
So now that the walk is behind me, I’ve had a fantastic cool shower, and put aloe lotion on, I am ready to take over my spot again on the sofa, guilt free.
Enjoy your Sunday!
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| Beautiful white sand of Clearwater Beach – such pretty scenery to walk past |
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| View of Sand Key from the Memorial Causeway |
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| My route to the beach and back - 5.30 miles |
10 miles!
3This morning, my SIL Jenna and I walked a 10 mile training walk for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day For The Cure walk she is doing in October. Given that I haven’t walked in over a week, this was a GREAT way to jumpstart this new week. I am determined to give it my best this week and see how the scale responds on Friday.
But back to our walk…. We started out doing 6 miles. The view is so pretty, overlooking Tampa Bay and beautiful homes along Bayshore Blvd. in Safety Harbor. How is this for a view?
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| Overlooking Tampa Bay in Safety Harbor |
At the 6 mile mark, we had a pit stop. We were welcomed with cold water, fresh fruit, salty snack, and the best part – ice cold towels. I immediately wrapped the towel around my neck, it was heavenly. They had chairs set up in the shade, so we sat for a few minutes to rest our feet. It was a nice break. Here we are enjoying the break.
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| The ice cold towels were AWESOME! |
Soon we were on our way to do the last 4 miles. It went by pretty quickly and we felt very empowered when we hit the 10 mile mark. Our time was 3 hrs. 5 minutes, not bad at all. My foot was bothering me but nothing that held me back. As always, I enjoy Jenna’s company when we’re walking and I am happy to support her in her training. It’s a win-win situation. =)
We had breakfast at a local grill afterwards – boy was I hungry!! It was nice to sit down, in air conditioning, and enjoy a nice meal. One of the ladies we walked with, Debbie, joined us. Great conversation and a feeling of accomplishment made for such a nice morning.
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| Hot and sweaty and ready for breakfast! |
I look forward to the next training walk with Jenna!
Time for a little BYOC!!!
11 year ago
It’s FRIDAY!!! TGIF!!! In blog land, this means it’s BYOC (Bring Your Own Crazy), some random question answering that helps you to get to know me a little better and have some insight into the silliness that is me.
Everyone knows I follow Joanna’s blog over at Diary of a Mad, Fat Woman and she does BYOC. We both follow Draz’s blog over at It’s Just Me, Drazil, & Sheniqua, and she does BYOC. Hence BYOC here on my blog. I had to join in the fun.
1. Sun or rain? Roses or tulips? Romantic movie or comedy?
Given the fact that I live in Florida, the sunshine state, there is a lot of sun. But we also have a lot of rain, depending on the time of year. I prefer sun, does much better for my mood than rain, especially during the day. However, if I am home for the night, I do love a good rain when I’m all cozy in my bed.
I’m not much of a flower person, but I would pick roses for sure.
I love both romantic movies and comedies. My hubby is a fan of both also and will watch the same movies over and over with me. (shhhh, I didn’t tell anyone that, especially the part about how he likes romantic movies). J
2. Draz has been sick lately and hasn’t eaten in two days – except for ice cream…which leads her to ask – what’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Tricky question… It all depends on where I get the ice cream. If it’s from Cold Stone, I love the Cake N Shake (yummy cake batter flavored ice cream, which I may as well apply directly to my hips). If it’s from DQ, I like their vanilla with cheery sundae topping – very simple and super yummy. If it’s from Toppers, a local ice cream shop close to my house, I like their birthday cake twist (evil) OR their sugar-free non-fat chocolate with bananas. And then there are the options of store-bought ice cream. Ben N Jerry’s Smores or Cake Batter flavors are yummy and evil all at once. I also like Weight Watchers Dark Chocolate Raspberry bars. And lastly, if I buy the Publix store brand, my favorite and most evil of all is Cappuccino Fudge Blitz – OMG, I could drown myself in the container.
You probably think I eat a lot fo ice cream given my lengthy answer, but I really don’t. J
3. Are you a door locker – in your house and car?
Oh yea, OCD door locker here… I will check the door at least 3 times when I am the last one to leave the house. My car locks itself when I start driving, but if it did not, I would do it.
Funny thing is, I am not OCD about locking the door when I am home. I mean, I lock the door, but I do it and it’s done. No double-checking and triple checking. Also, if I leave the house with my hubby and he locks the door, I have no question about him locking it. It takes the pressure off me to do it.
I know, I’M WEIRD.
4. In the spirit of Draz being sick and wanting to die – tell me your “go to remedies” for when you are sick?
Thankfully, I *rarely* get sick. I know, I am lucky. If I do or if I’m feeling under the weather, I have a few tricks up my sleeves that usually work. Take a hot bath (works for aches and pains), take Nyquil (usually knocking myself out will help me sleep and wake up feeling better), a humidifier works for a stuffy nose, and ice pack on the back of my neck will help with a headache.
5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.
My week in blog land was almost non-existent, being so busy in real life. In real life, we have family in town which meant for a lot of fun, laughing, game-playing, and (sigh) weight gain. I am up 2.6 lbs. this week as of my WW weigh-in this morning. I knew it was going to be up and I don’t regret any of the fun we had that kept me busy and away from my much-needed routine of walking and eating well. But, I’m kind of getting tired of hearing myself say that I had a weight gain and oh yeah, I expected it. Blah, blah, blah. Tomorrow is day 1 of a what I will strive to make a week of healthy eating choices and activity, starting with a 10-mile walk with my sister-in-law.
I hope you all have a great weekend!! If you happen to do your own BYOC, please let me know so I can visit your blog and read your answers!
Back to life, back to reality…
11 year ago
by Nanci
in aunts, beach, Diary Of A Mad Fat Woman, Healthy Hooters, laughter, photos, scale, togetherness, walk
Sorry to have been MIA in blogland much of this last week. As you saw in my last post, two of my aunts were visiting from California. We had a fun filled week, that is for sure. It’s not often I get to play tourist myself, but I did and was reminded of the great places we have here that I do not frequent enough. A few places we went that I should go to more often…
Honeymoon Island Beach
Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs
Johns Pass in Madeira Beach
And here are a few of my favorite photos from our fun-filled week…
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| Nick, Jenna, and Autumn being silly at Ozona Pig |
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| Girl time! Darlene, Mommy, Jenni, me, and BJ at Crystal Beach |
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| BJ, Darlene, and Mommy at Honeymoon Island |
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| Mike, our niece Autumn, and I at John Chesnut Park. |
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| Family at John Chesnut Park |
Besides having fun in the sun, there was also a lot of Scrabble and card playing. I played when I could – nothing like a good Scrabble game. I know my mom and aunts were up to the wee hours of the morning playing each night.
The best part oftheir visit is the laughter and togetherness they bring with them. Their visit was a wonderful distraction from the daily grind we are used to. Work, work, work is the norm for us. My mom and I did the bare minimum for work while they were here and enjoyed free time with them.
They went home Tuesday afternoon. Talk about being bummed out… 
It was certainly sad to see them leave, we came crashing back down into the work, work, work routine we are used to. I can’t wait until we see them again.
So now it’s back to life, back to reality…Most importanly for me this means back to eating right. Of course it’s Thursday and they left Tuesday and I still have yet to get back there. I had the chance yesterday but didn’t. Pizza and beer for dinner is not the best choice. Tomorrow’s weigh-in will be interesting to say the least. We ate out ALOT and enjoyed Starbucks more than I normally do. The scale has every reason to be up tomorrow, so I am prepared. I won’t like it, but I am prepared. I worked my butt off and walked 20+ miles before they arrived, knowing I would not have time to walk while they were here. It’s been 8 days since my last walk. Thankfully, I’ll be walking a 10-mile training walk with my sister-in-law on Saturday morning. I know that is going to give me a good jump start for the next week. I have got to get back in the right mindset and focus on getting to my 10% goal. I HAVE TO.
I also hope to be back in blogland daily now. I missed it. Oh, and today in the mail I received my Skinny Cow Chocolate Candy coupons that I won from Joanna over at Diary of a Mad, Fat Woman. Can’t wait to get my free goodies and try them. Thanks again Joanna!
Small favor to ask of you today… Could you take a moment to visit my sister-in-law’s blog and consider making a donation? You can find her over at Healthy Hooters and she is raising money for the Susan G, Komen 3 Day For The Cure walk coming up in October.
Until next time!
A must-read for dog lovers…
01 year ago
I recently read A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life by Jon Katz. Like most books about a dog, it touched my heart and had me snuggling with my two Aussies as I read it. But this one was different. Jon Katz had a very strong desire to help Orson who had touched his life deeply. He brought Orson into his home, a troubled dog who needed a lot of attention and guidance. The love between man and dog in this book is immense and will pull at your heartstrings when you read about the choice he must make for Orson. all the while teaching him lessons of his own.
If you have dogs, have ever had a “challenging” dog, or are just a dog lover, I highly recommend you read this book. This is the first of Jon Katz books that I have read and I already have a stack of others to read. Stay tuned for more reviews!
