family
Catching up on the weekend…
12 weeks ago
One day, I would love to have longer weekends. A 5-day weekend and 2-day work week would be fabulous. <sigh> A girl can dream, right? I guess the second best thing is to have a great weekend and enjoy every minute. This past was weekend was just that…
After a mile run Saturday morning, hubby and I went to Fit2Run so he could have a gait analysis done for new running shoes. He is now the proud owner of a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus. I love that he wants to run with me, it’s another way we can spend quality time together. After shoe shopping, we headed to Hooters for lunch with our friend Ashley. It was such a nice day, we sat outside. What is it about a good meal, ice cold beer, and nice weather that makes the perfect lunch?
We also ran into this adorable face at lunch… My most adorable niece! Her mom and dad apparently had the same idea for lunch after purchasing tickets for Autumns upcoming dance recital.
After lunch, we went into Wal-Mart as quick as possible, and then headed home for a a couple of lazy hours. Later, hubby went to a graduation party and I met my mom at Ozona Pig for dinner. Seriously, my favorite pulled pork ever. And deviled eggs. And green beans. Yea, it’s THAT good….
After BBQ heaven, we headed up to Crystal Beach for sunset, it was the 4th after all. We love to get up there about an hour before sunset and enjoy the breeze and the view. There are always dogs up there, since it’s right in the midst of a small community. We see many of the same people up there every month. It never gets old. This particular evening, the sky was a gorgeous blue when we arrived and then as the sun set, the clouds rolled in. Every sunset is always unique.
On Sunday morning, hubby and I headed to Memorial Causeway for an early run. There is something so calming about a run as the sun is rising. It’s not something I can do during the week, so it’s a treat to do on Sunday. I ran a a full 3.20 miles without music.
A late breakfast at home, some blogging, reading, and a nice nap, and then it was time to head out to family dinner to celebrate my mom’s birthday was which Friday. She wanted to go to Longhorn Steakhouse which made everyone happy. Another food my family loves is steak! I also tried the Skinny Blackberry Sangria which was VERY good. I would definitely have it again.
And how do you follow up a nice birthday dinner? A trip to Cold Stone of course! Conveniently, there is one right behind Longhorn so we walked. I had Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yogurt…. Oh yummy chocolate gooey Oreo goodness in a cup. I should have taken a picture of it. But, I did take a picture of cutie-pie Autumn with her cotton candy ice cream and being silly with her Uncle Mike. Fun times!
Hubby and I ended the evening at home and watched The Blind Side. Obviously we are way behind on seeing it since it came out in 2009, but it was such a good movie! Perfect end to a great weekend.
What is your favorite way to spend a weekend?
Another birthday in heaven…
5
Today, my dad would be 80 years old. This is almost hard to fathom. He was 77 when he passed, and his last year was probably the slowest and worn down I had ever seen him in my whole life. Growing up, I never thought my dad looked his age. He had a youthful appearance that I attribute to being so active and always on the go, despite that wheelchair he sat in for 55 years.
My dad was fiercely loyal and faithful. He had a silly side. He was very set in his ways and felt strongly in the things he believed in. He was the epitome of a family man and wanted nothing more than to be with his family. He was always determined to take care of us and would do everything in his power to do just that. He was strong, had an amazingly big heart, and would cry at sad movies. He was my hero.
This is the third birthday of his that we have celebrated without him. And like every other day, I will think about him, and miss him, and wish that he were still here.
He is still very much a part of our lives. We talk about him often and I am convinced that I have turned into him with his little quirks, such as constant note-taking and list-making at work. I used to tease for making notes to read his notes and when he would re-write all his notes. I do the same thing now and it makes me smile every time.
We go to Crystal Beach every single month on the 4th, and will be there tonight (please don’t rain!). It’s slightly ironic that he passed away on the 4th of December and his birthday is on the 4th. Every single month my mom and I go up there for sunset. We’ve only been rained out once. It gets more and more beautiful every month and it’s very comforting to be there, knowing how much he enjoyed it.
So today, on your 80th birthday, Daddy, I hope you have one heck of get-together up in heaven with our other loved ones. You are in good company up there. We will be thinking about you. I hope you know how much we all still miss you.
Happy birthday, Daddy…. I love you very much.
It’s impossible to pick just one photo of my dad to share today, so I picked a handful…
WW Weigh-In #13
41 month ago
by Nanci
in aunt, breakfast, dessert, dinner, eating out, family, lunch, meal planning, points, tracking, weekend, weigh-in, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360
Confession: I did not track my meals the whole time my aunt was here. After tracking religiously since the day I went back to WW, this seemed really wrong to me. We ate out A LOT, kept really busy, kept Starbucks in business, had sinful dessert in Tarpon Springs, enjoyed wine, played cards, and ate amazing home cooked meals. I do not regret one single minute of my indulgence and I certainly wouldn’t change it. Last week, I was up a pound which I absolutely expected but I was ecstatic with as I thought it would be more.
So this week, I figured I was really in trouble. The week before, I had run the Sarasota Half Marathon and we walked around Universal Studios one day. I knew that was my saving grace. This last week, I ran two days, which helped, in addition to keeping busy. My hands got a work out playing cards. That’s about it – not stellar.
When my aunt went home on Wednesday, I knew I had to immediately get back to tracking and preparing my meals. And honestly, I was ready for it. I function much better with routine. Spontaneity is not for me. I need a plan, and then a back-up plan in case the first plan doesn’t work.
The day after she left, I was back to bringing my lunch and snacks, skipped the Starbucks and used my Keurig in the morning, and made it back to hot yoga. I did the same on Friday, including the hot yoga class. Jumping back into the routine that has been successful for me the last 3 months is exactly what I needed.
When I went to my WW meeting this morning and walked up to the scale, I believe my exact words were “I’m afraid”. I still wasn’t regretting my indulgence, but I was very curious to see what kind of damage it did.
Drumroll, please….
What?! I lost 1.6 pounds! How does that happen? Talk about a mood-lifter! However, my favorite meeting receptionist Marilyn quickly told me to be careful this week, and she’s right. Here’s hoping all that indulgence doesn’t show up this coming week!
Things I did right this week are:
- Regardless of all the things I did wrong, I made sure to drink plenty of water.
- Thursday and Friday, I jumped right back into tracking, making breakfast and lunch, keeping snacks on hand, and having a healthy dinner.
- Went back to hot yoga. It’s amazing how quickly your body becomes accustomed to an activity, and then when you don’t go for awhile, it forgets. It was definitely great to get back to my yoga practice.
What I will focus on this week:
- Getting back to meal planning. Always having foods on hand for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is a huge help.
- Back to splurging or eating out only once or twice a week. Tonight we are going to a wedding where there is sure to be amazing food and drinks, and then tomorrow we are going out to dinner for my sister’s birthday. I know I can indulge every so often and I will be fine.
- Back to the beach early tomorrow morning for bridge repeats – the Iron Girl Half Marathon is in just 2 weeks!
- I would love to make it to hot yoga three times this week. My unlimited month ends on Friday and I want to make the most of it. I really love it, even when I am a hot mess. (note to self: wash off the eye makeup before class…)
Not too bad on the ActiveLink this week…. 24 points for the week – 2 runs, 2 walks (yes, I count walking the dogs!), and 2 days at hot yoga.
So that’s that! As always, I’m excited about the weekend and NOT working for two days. I am also looking forward to getting back to my routine and then running tomorrow. It works for me!
Have you taken time off from your healthy eating? Regardless of the results, how did it make you feel?
Let’s all go to The Pig!
31 month ago
by Nanci
in aunt, Autumn, Crystal Beach, delicious, dinner, eating out, family, hubby, niece, Ozona Pig, sunset, sweet Autumn, thankful, togetherness, weekend
We had more fun yesterday, with dinner at a family favorite, The Ozona Pig, which my niece calls The Pig. It was great evening, we sat outside at dinner and enjoyed the breeze, the food, and ice cold beer. I love family dinners, and this week has been extra special with my Aunt Darlene here.
After our delicious meal, we headed north a few minutes to our beloved Crystal Beach. It was cloudy and overcast when we arrived but the sun kept peeking out of the clouds during sunset. Autumn and I had a fun time playing in the water (chilly!), finding shells and rocks, and running along the sand. Autumn always makes me laugh… She fell in the water at one point and then took off running towards the steps yelling “Um, I have a problem!!!”. That kid cracks me up.
Our evening ended perfectly with a trip to Cold Stone for ice cream. I haven’t had Cold Stone in quite awhile and it was GOOD!! Hubby and I shared a Cake n’ Shake milkshake. Oh heavenly sweetness in a cup. Cutie pie Autumn had a cotton candy milkshake that was almost as big as she was!
Do you have a family favorite restaurant that you go to? What do you do for fun when you have family in town?
I highly recommend playing hooky…
142 months ago
by Nanci
in 3 Day, aunt, Darlene, dinner, eating out, family, Hooters, hubby, Islands of Adventure, Mommy, Orlando, playing hooky, Universal Studios, work
With my Aunt Darlene in town this week, I am trying to work as little as possible. I don’t address it too much on here because I do my best to keep it separate, but being a small business owner is hard work and STRESSFUL. It is 24 / 7 no matter what, and my brain is constantly “on”. So if the opportunity comes along to skip work for the day (despite how incredibly hard that is), I’ll take it. Hubby surprised us with tickets to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure and we headed to Orlando on Tuesday along with my mom and aunt. It was a PERFECT day and very much needed. I went as far as not taking calls OR checking work email all day long. It was so nice.
After a quick stop at Starbucks, the four of us hit the road towards Orlando. Considering it was in the heart of rush hour, we made great time. We were also anticipating rain, and even with the cloud cover we saw heading towards Tampa, we never saw a drop of rain all day.
We arrived around 10 and made our way thru City Walk. It has been WAY too long since hubby and I have been there. We used to have annual passes and went often. We really need to do that again….
My Aunt Darlene lives in California and has been to Universal Studios there. And just to make you laugh, I’ve been to Universal Studios out there too, in the 80’s when Miami Vice and Conan The Barbarian were big. If only I could find those pictures…. Anyhow, they do not have Island of Adventure out there, so Darlene was beyond excited to go. It’s even on her bucket list. She was most excited about the whole Harry Potter thing. I guess I should also mention that I have never read one single Harry Potter book nor have I seen one single Harry Potter movie. I couldn’t tell you why, I just never have. When we arrived, we headed to Islands first and made a beeline for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, along with every one else on spring break. Of course, we had to walk through Seuss Landing to get there, which is my favorite part of the park.
Clearly, this is still the most popular part of the park. It was packed, The ride lines were really long, as were the lines for Butter Beer, and the stores were packed. When we were done here, we headed out to the rest of the park.
After we walked through Islands of Adventure and had lunch, we headed over to Universal Studios. This is my favorite park. I love ET and Twister, and walking through all the different area of the park like Beverly Hills and New York. The weather was perfect and I was having such a great time with my hubby, mom, and aunt. I was also happy to be getting some mileage in, and even more happy that I could walk just two days after the Sarasota Half Marathon. It’s the little things in life…
On our way out of the park, we stopped in the Universal Gift Shop and my mom bought these key chains for my sister-in-law Jenna and I. Remember how we were Boob 1 and Boob 2 for the 3 Day last year? They were perfect!
We had such a great time being big kids at Universal for the day. It’s always a great time when you get to spend that day with loved ones.
On our way home, we stopped for dinner at the original Hooters in Clearwater. Hubby and I are no strangers to Hooters and Darlene was excited to go too. We sat out on the patio and enjoyed the nice breeze, wonderful company, great food, and ice cold beer.
Thank you so much to my hubby for the tickets and a great day. It was the perfect escape and a fun time!
What is your favorite escape? Do you have a favorite theme park?
