Walking with Walker Lady (and Abby)

No, not quite. It was cold but the sky was clear. It was almost a full moon. My husband and son joined me in our second annual "Big Dam Bridge Full Moon Walk" last night. When we arrived, it was almost dark. Aren't those lights pretty? They changed with the music that was playing over the loudspeakers. There I am, about halfway back to the North Little Rock side, where we started at: I love how the lights are checking me. Here I am, posing for a photo. I was on the Little Rock side of the bridge at this point. I wish I could share with you just how exhilarated I was! As I strode along, this feeling of power and strength and pure enjoyment flooded over me. When I did this same walk last year, I didn't weigh THAT much more than I do now...I was about 25 pounds more a year ago. It was a bit of a struggle to do that walk, but this time.. .this time I felt SO STRONG! That feeling carried me all through today. I was proud of myself. It is a strange feeling

Happy Thanksgiving Day!  I am thankful to all my readers who see my messages and are inspired to keep on, keeping on, with improving their lives, losing weight, and just living healthier! YOU keep ME going! Yes, you do!!! I am totally not stressed out about today. I plan to eat well and sensibly. I will have pumpkin pie. It won't be the whole pie though, and I plan to enjoy every bite of what I do have. I also will go for a little walk later today as it is super lovely outside today! I am grateful, that after all these years, I seem to have finally figured things out! I am successful, for the first time EVER, all on my own with no surgery, pills, gimmicks, or major life stresses used to lose weight for a short time, only to then gain it all back again. I love my diamonds ! I did have help though. Without the support of my husband and the folks in my support group, I really believe I would not have been this successful. So again, thank you!

I didn't go to the gym today. I didn't go for a swim. I didn't walk on the trail today. I didn't pick up my weights. I didn't sit on the bouncy ball. I didn't stretch out the bands. I didn't do yoga or a DVD. however ..... I did cover our 21,000 square foot lawn with fertilizer. I did feed and mulch the roses. I did sweep the sidewalk clear. I did clip off the dead heads of flowers. I did trim down some shrubs. I did rake out my neighbor's huge flower bed. I did sweep off her sidewalk. I did a load of laundry and a little housework too. I guess I did a little bit. How about you? Did I mention we have NINE mature oak trees in our large yard? AND that we take care of our neighbor's yard too? I think almost three hours of yard work will count as exercising today. Happy Fall! Oh, and walk-on dear readers, walk-on.

In no particular order, here are a bunch of random thoughts going through my head today: 1. No news about my friend who was injured. I hope to hear something on Monday at yoga class. 2. I finally took some photos off my phone and have them in my computer now. I have done this before, but here is a reminder of why I don't like the trail so much in the summertime in the south: That is 77 inside and 110 outside. I bet I could have fried eggs without grease this summer if I'd put them out on the driveway!!! 3. About a month ago these flowers started blooming again. My cell phone camera doesn't begin to do them justice! They are bigger than a baseball! 4. I have not stopped smoking, but have set Monday as the day to wake up and be smoke free once more! (damn cigarettes) 5. Mark Sisson of paleo eating fame was on a podcast I listened to today. He talks a good talk. He suggests trying his methods for four weeks and judge for yourself. I hate when things sound good

I am sad today. At our yoga class we learned that a well liked member had been in an accident on Saturday. She is 65 and was riding her bicycle when she collided with a vehicle. She's been in a coma ever since. We don't know the prognosis. She was one of the first ones in class that I talked to on a regular basis. An avid bicyclist and gardener, she always seemed full of energy and had a smile. I hope she will be ok. 

I admit it...I am a streaker! When I started changing my life around, I was adamant that FAT was very bad and was making me fat. I cut back everywhere on fatty foods. The less fat the better...in EVERYTHING! I was on a zero tolerance, no fat streak. I then went on a tangent of having oatmeal every morning. Without fail, I HAD to have oatmeal. I had a streak of Greek yogurt eating. I often had four or five servings a day! There was the chicken salad for lunch streak that turned in to baked chicken with spinach salad for every lunch streak. Right now I am eating eggs a lot. I love them poached on an English muffin with a piece of Canadian bacon. I have two eggs, one each on a half muffin, for breakfast. Yum! There was the walking over ten miles a week streak, and the swim in the pool five days a week streak. That was followed by shopping every day at the thrift store streak. Shopping became my exercise of choice for a while. I seem to go in streaks all over the place!  

As I write this, this morning, I am beating myself up over two stupid things. The first is that I am still struggling with cigarettes. I am not smoking much, but I am smoking some. I know I will quit again. I hope I get myself kicked in the butt hard enough to make that happen REAL soon. Right now I am having a royal pity party though, and it ain't happening. The other thing that I am beating myself up for, is over shampoo. Shampoo??? WHAT? Yes, shampoo. I am cheap frugal. It is a holdover from 20 years with my first husband who was a penny pincher extraordinaire. Sometimes this IS a good thing, but not always. When I go grocery shopping I go down isle 20 in my local Kroger's, to see what is in the markdown section. I have had great luck with trying new things there, that I would never have bought at full price. The latest was Pantene shampoo and conditioner that was 50% off! Wow, a quality shampoo instead of the cheapo watered down stuff that is .99 cents a bottle! What a

Weigh-in later today. Struggling with those blasted cigarettes this week. Kinda floating along right now with a maintenence mode of good eating most of the time and exercising too. Keep watching. Knowing me, things will change again soon! (in a good way) Keep positive! Walk-on and see you around the bend!