Gains And Losses: Life Through Sharon's Eyes

Pride Had Nothing To Do With This Fall!

2012-01-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

Goshen Prong Trail - GSMNP

January 24, 2012

Oh boy, did I ever take a tumble. But before you panic and begin sending encouraging words my way, I am happy to report that my "fall" had nothing to do with eating or was in any way related to the current success I am experiencing with losing weight. In fact, I have yet another week of healthy eating behind me alternating between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 of the 17-Day Diet. It has become second nature to me and I'm truly enjoying the way I am eating, the wide variety of food I am eating and most importantly, the way I am feeling both physically and emotionally.

Nope, this "fall" was of the very real variety when one loses their footing, dances around for a few seconds trying to regain their balance and then realizes just before hitting the ground that this really is going to happen. Every serious hiker falls occasionally. There are just too many hazards along the trail to avoid. I'm naturally pretty clumsy, but this was only the third time I've taken what could've been a serious tumble. And that's in over 20 years of hiking.

I haven't written a whole lot about the fact that I was diagnosed at age 28 with Acute Rheumatoid Disease. My original diagnosis and years of pain while finding the proper treatment plan is fodder for several posts, but the miracle is that with the advances in treatment options for the disease, mine has pretty much been in remission for several years although I have been experiencing some pain that started early last year. HOWEVER, for someone like me, falling can have major consequences that don't show up immediately. A jolt to the body can easily trigger a major flare which often leads to full blown disease progression.

All that to say, for obvious reasons, I try to be extra vigilant while on the trail in order to avoid falling. I am so grateful just for the fact that I can hike since for about five years in the late 80's, I could barely walk, much less do any form of physical activity other than work. Some have told me I shouldn't take the risk, but to me, the risk is in NOT pursuing the things which benefit me physically and mentally.

Looking back, I have no idea what caused me to fall and that's the way it often is. The trail was relatively flat, smooth, not rutted or rocky. In hindsight, it is likely that I looked up or around at something that caught my eye and just stumbled. And I hit the ground!! First my knees, then my elbows, then my nose and lastly, forehead. And I saw stars!! Scared my hiking bud to death. But there was no blood, the stars cleared pretty quickly and although I knew my right elbow was injured, it wasn't bad enough to turn around. Nothing broken, all teeth still in place and no knot on forehead. I was lucky. Very lucky!

This happened on Tuesday. By Friday, the swelling in my elbow had returned to normal and I had all mobility back. Both elbows, knees and chin are bruised, but not badly. The only thing still sore is my upper arms which probably caught the brunt of the fall as I tried to catch myself. Mr. B and I actually returned to the hiking trail yesterday and enjoyed hiking together. He did, however, have to help me lift my pack onto my shoulders because my upper arms are still so sore.

Why am I telling you all this? Because it was a vivid reminder to me that life is all about falling. We will all fall. We live in a fallen world and our lives will always be impacted by the ways in which we personally fall as well as the "falls" taken by people we love. They will also be impacted by the "falls" of people we've never even met.

So what do we do? We get up. We check for injury. We sit still for a moment to allow the stars to clear. We hold out our hands for help getting up. We move on. We live with the consequences. We handle the pain. We wonder if we could have or should have done anything differently. Sometimes we cry. And one day, the pain from that particular circumstance is gone and we put it behind us. Until the next time. Because there WILL be a next time.

It had been almost two years since the last time I fell, but mostly likely, I will fall again.

Whether we are talking about a faceplant 5.5 miles in the backcountry of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, an epic fail in the kitchen, a conversation we'd love to retract, angry words that should've been left unsaid, or an eating binge of monumental proportions, we are fallen human beings and we will continue to fall as long as we live on this earth.

BUT WE DON'T QUIT!

I DON'T!

AND I HOPE YOU WON'T EITHER!

Tagalongs

2012-01-23T06:49:00.001-05:00

River Bluff Trail - Norris Dam State Park

January 18, 2012

When I hear the sweet voice of my seven year old next door neighbor on the other end of the telephone, I knew exactly why she was calling. We have a great friendship with them and their two young daughters. Our garage is very visible from their backyard play area and the two girls always run over to say hello if they see one of us outside. But only twice a year does Miss Isabel TELEPHONE in her most business-like manner. And in January, that always means, "would you like to buy some Girl Scout Cookies from me this year?" As always, I said, "of course, we would." But this year's difference came in my handing the phone to Mr. B with a look that said it all. A) Buy anything EXCEPT Tagalongs or Samoas and B) take em to school with you or keep em out of my sight. I left the room so have no idea what he actually bought. I also know that I am in full control right now and that's a good feeling. The cookies or the idea of the cookies present no problem, but I also know that one bite can derail what is now eight weeks of success. I refuse to place myself in a position of temptation any more than is necessary. Tagalongs or Samoas are a temptation that simply doesn't need to be laying around. I suspect that everyone reading this post will have to deal with the Girl Scout Cookie issue. Perhaps if you think about it NOW and decide what stance will be yours this year, when the time comes, it will be easier to either walk away, eat one, or adhere to whatever decision you had previously made regarding the cookies. Come on folks and admit it. Yes, it's for a good cause and I would never disappoint my young professional saleswoman from next door, but the cookies are expensive and aren't all they great in the long run considering some of the yummy cookie recipes easily available in BlogLand. As my friend, Joy would say, "STAY STRONG."

Continuing on in the sprit of Tagalongs, I was totally thrilled last week when Blogger FINALLY got with the program and added the "reply" feature to the comment section of our blogs. This means that those of use who use the Blogger platform now have the same benefit as those using Wordpress and others. I've had no complaints or problems with Blogger (knock on wood!!), but this has been my one frustration. I've just never known quite what to do for adequate responses when commenters ask questions or need some sort of reply. And I've always felt somewhat as though I were ignoring things that needed to be addressed. Here will be my stance on this. I'd love to say that I will reply to every comment and I will certainly try, so please comment away and more importantly, remember to check back for a reply. For now, I'm just excited to have the option!

And as usual, I am the last to respond to the most recent flurry of "tagging" that began running rampant in BlogLand around the start of the New Year. So you can call me the world's laziest, but conscientious TagALong!   LOL!   Problem is, I was tagged by so many people, I can't even remember who all of them were. I lost count at five and now can't remember who the fifth one was, so all I can say is thanks to all of you. It may not seem that way, but I really do appreciate that you like my blog well enough to "tag" it and I love, love reading the 11 random things about everyone. But I do remember that the first to tag me was my friend Karen, from Waisting Time, so I'll go with answering her eleven questions.

But first, eleven random things about me:

1) I am left handed. My only sister is left handed. We can find no trace of anyone else on either side of my family who was left handed.

2) I drive a 2000 Toyota Corolla with 183,000 miles on it.

3) My dream since childhood has been to drive an RV around the perimeter of the United States.

4) My hair is its natural color and has never had anything put on it. Not even that awful Sun-In!!

5) Every morning, I read the chapter in Proverbs from the Bible that corresponds with that day on the calendar. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs and 30/31 days in each month. I've been doing this for years and every day I find a new proverb to guide me through the day.

6) My "trigger" foods are Potato Chips, Triscuits and Kettle Popcorn

7) The only vegetable I don't like are green peas.

8) At the end of my 8th grade typing class, I tested faster than anyone ever had before.

9) When my Toyota Corolla mentioned above dies, I secretly want a Pacific Blue Toyota RAV4. Mr. B says it's my mid-life crises car.

10) Mr. B never actually proposed to me. As we were sitting at a red light, he just looked at me and said, "I reckon we ought to get married one day, don't you think?" I just looked at him and said, "duh" and we drove on to wherever it was we were headed. We will celebrate out 35th anniversary in June. Guess we knew what we were doing after all!!!

11) I am terrified of two things and two things only.   Thunderstorms and snakes.   (This came to me as number 11 because we are currently in the midst of a horrid and most unusual January severe thunderstorm.)

So because of random thing about me #11 plus the fact that this post is already quite long enough, I'm going to defer answering Karen's 11 questions to my next post.   Excuse me, while I go hide under the bed until this storm lets up. Nope, make that the basement.................headed that way now.

What does your week look like? Hope your Monday is starting slightly less NOISY than mine!!

Progressing Quite Nicely

2012-01-16T07:35:00.001-05:00

This very well-preserved railroad bridged "surprised" me quite nicely as it was more than five miles into the backcountry along the Cabin Flats Trail. Isn't it beautiful?

January 9, 2012

Good Morning! I am still basking in the glow of what Mr. B called, "the perfect day!" Tomorrow (Tuesday) is his birthday and we celebrated with friends yesterday by attending our sixth performance of Les Miserables followed by a delicious dinner at Chesapeake's, our favorite local restaurant. I make no apologies for having seen this Broadway production six times. But I do admit that this isn't even MY favorite, although it is his. My favorite is Phantom of the Opera which we have only seen five times, so guess what's next. My birthday, maybe??? No matter - either production is well worth repeat visits and last nights did not disappoint. Our recently renovated venue for these events, The Tennessee Theatre is now more than worthy to host stellar productions such as these and I am thrilled to no longer HAVE to travel other places to see great shows! Today (MLK Day) is a holiday for Mr. B so we'll continue to celebrate. My suggestion of a hike did not meet with much enthusiasm as this is NOT his idea of a birthday celebration, so guess I'll have to go with whatever he suggests.

I am into my seventh week following the 17 Day Diet which I first wrote about here and here. I could not be more thrilled with this plan or with my results. I still cringe talking about it because I so dislike the word "diet," and am searching for the appropriate way to mix words so that I don't have to call it that, yet still give honor to the fact that it is the copyrighted name of the plan. I have settled into the different cycles, moving in and out of them as my schedule dictates while still losing steadily. The weight loss has slowed (as of this morning, I have lost 15 pounds), but I have the complete confidence that if I were to move back into Cycle 1 - Accelerate and follow it to the letter for 17 consecutive days, I would lose quickly as I did before. Currently, I am moving among Cycles 1, 2 and 3 and losing between 3/4 and 1 full pound each week. All three of the cycles have become second nature to me and each morning I spend about thirty seconds reviewing my schedule for the day and deciding which "cycle" I will live in that day. I've learned that I instinctively strive for Cycle 2 as it is my favorite, but my overall goal is to spend consecutive days in Cycle 1 as that is where the quickest weight loss will be found, yet it is still a well-balanced meal plan that doesn't leave me feeling deprived or hungry. Rare are the days when I choose to live in Cycle 3. I no longer need the cushion of knowing I could choose a pasta or bread product as I no longer crave, nor want them. Yet that option is there for the days when I might be faced with less choices and knowing I've chosen that option for that day completely eliminates any feeling of guilt or doing something "bad." I find that more often than not, I choose to NOT exercise that option reverting to something back on Cycle 2 or 1.

Sugar, the bread basket on the table in the restaurant, white flour products and processed foods have completely lost their appeal to me and are no longer a temptation. This is the factor for which I am most grateful and still in the stage of disbelief. There are restaurants I have refused to go to for years because of the bread basket. I'm still not heading there tomorrow (Macaroni Grill comes to mind), but believe that if given one of those "no choice" situations which have derailed me so many times in the past, I could accept it, find something suitable on the menu and ignore the bread basket.

Here are the two things which I want everyone reading this post to understand with complete clarity!!!

1) I am not CURED! This is not a MIRACLE! In a weak moment, one bite of any of those things could send me in the downward spiral I've encountered so many times. I have gone as long as three YEARS without sugar and one bite was all it took. You can argue whether or not carbs are "addictive" until pigs fly, but those of us who know it is just know. And we also know that, FOR US, "one bite" does NOT satisfy and moderation will NOT work.

2) But on the other hand, I want to encourage you that if I can do this, so can you. I read a lot of blogs and spend a lot of time thinking about my journey and my writing. For many of you, the new year began with such hopes, new plans, new enthusiasm and renewed motivation. Some are succeeding, some are already discouraged, some set goals that are already needing to be modified and yes, some have already just quit! I have been there, I have done all of those things. I have arrived at January 16 more times than I can count in a state of despair that this year was just like all the others where I'd end the year at a higher weight than I began it. The 17-Day Diet may not be for you - in fact, it probably isn't although it is a healthy, sustainable "plan" that can work for a lifetime. But if you don't possess certain personality traits that "fit" with this way of doing things, it isn't for you. But there is something out there that is! And no matter what it's called, it will be a balance of healthy calories in vs. calories burned out!!

I have said before that I don't know what happened or what clicked on that day just before Thanksgiving when I walked into Barnes & Noble and first laid eyes on the 17-Day Diet book. It's a bestseller, for heaven's sake and I'd never even HEARD of it. And that's the miracle I want to stress. Don't give up - don't quit. I was flirting with that idea myself although the thought was always met with self-disgust because deep down I knew I wasn't at the weight I wanted to live with and in the end, I wouldn't stay there, I'd just keep gaining.

And maybe that was exactly when my 2012 resolution of finding a "surprise" in every day was born! You have to look for it and you have to be willing to see it when you least expect it. What an absolute joy 2012 has been because I've found multiple surprises in every day, not the least of which is my "surprise" that I made it through another day full of energy and feeling healthy. Not the least of which is the total feeling of success when I watched the other three at my table last night chowing down on a chocolate waffle covered with ice cream and various other toppings knowing two things, 1) I didn't want it, and 2) I'd be the one who'd later lay down my head on my pillow feeling strong and healthy while those three would lay down in a sugar-induced haze feeling like crap and fervently wishing they hadn't eaten that dessert. Sure enough, Mr. B's last words before we went to sleep last night were, "I'm miserable." I don't say that to be judgmental or critical as that would be so wrong. I've done it to many times myself. I just repeat it to emphasize once more that yes, it can be done. And yes, it becomes easier.

How Can I Help You This Week?

Challenges and Choices

2012-01-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Looking back across the broken footlog at the junction of Bradley Fork Trail and Smokemont Loop Trail - GSMNP

December 30, 2011

This was posted at the start of the Bradley Fork trail, but NOT posted (still scratching my head on that one) at the lower trailhead of the Smokemont Loop Trail.

Broken bridge was at top of map where Smokemont Loop comes into Bradley Fork Trail just to the left of the .5 mile marker.

I was incredibly excited about this particular trail because every step of it marked new trail for me. I'd never done any of the trails in the Smokemont section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. So imagine my dismay when I (quite by coincidence) mentioned to a ranger at the Sugarlands Visitor Center (restroom stop!!) that this was our intended destination.   She immediately asked if we were aware the bridge was out. And she had the pictures to prove it! Fortunately, her definition of "out" and ours were two different interpretations. But my hiking bud that day and I are, above everything else, safety conscious and armed with a Plan B, we soldiered on in the hopes that water levels were down enough and the broken (as opposed to "out") bridge was stable enough to cross. Normally this hike is done counter-clock wise starting up Bradley Fork Trail crossing the bridge and coming back down Smokemont Loop Trail. There is a reason for this. Smokemont Loop Trail (much more about the trail along with an elevation profile can be found here) has a sharp climb made worse if the trail is hiked clock-wise. Our Plan B was to do just that and if we got to the junction and found the bridge impassible, we would simply turn around and retrace our steps. Total mileage would've been a tad more, but difficulty would've been considerably more. And at our first break a couple of miles into the hike, we both looked at each other and no words needed to be spoken. I could tell neither wanted to backtrack. We WOULD find a way to cross that bridge UNLESS there truly was a stupidity factor involved. As you can see, I'm here to write about it, so there was no loss of life and I can promise that neither were there any dramatic rescues. And in retrospect, here are some things of which I was reminded.

1) Don't focus on something in the future and miss the experience of the present.   Smokemont Loop Trail is a beautiful trail that I could've enjoyed more if I hadn't been so concerned about whether or not we'd be able to cross the bridge at the end. This is a trail with no other connections so it isn't likely I'll be doing it again. I wish I had savored the quiet forested beauty of it more.

2) Rather than immediately giving up on an anticipated action, try finding a plan B as a backup. My sometimes impulsive nature was to simply hike another trail, but my very levelheaded hiking partner that day came up with the plan B I mentioned earlier.   Plan B could've been a whole different destination, but I'm so glad it wasn't.   That was Plan C!!!

3) Work as a team and depend on each other. There are basically three people I hike with most of the time. On this day, I was with a male hiking friend from our church and I'm glad. With the blessings of both our spouses, we are compatible and enjoy hiking together. He is the more experienced hiker, but yet the total professional in bending to my weaknesses. Plan B was his suggestion, but the thing that sold me was his remark that, "when we get to the bridge, the decision whether or not to cross will be 100% yours. If you are uncomfortable in any way, we will retrace our steps, no questions asked." But I also knew that he would never put himself or me at risk and if HE said we could cross, I'd trust him. He is strong and would help me.

Here's how the story ends. Our first sight of the bridge was encouraging. Water appeared to be down only covering the bridge at the "V" where the break had occurred. We knew temps were well above freezing, so ice was not an issue. Truthfully, the first section looked easier to me than if the bridge had been in place. I think I've written before that I DON'T like these footlogs. They mess with my equilibrium and this one is known to be "long and bouncy." My hiking bud suggested he cross then come back for my backpack and offer any help I might need.   He crossed easily, took his pack off, walked back down and met me halfway. The picture doesn't reflect the steep pitch of the second half, nor does it show that the stability posts were totally useless. That last 20 feet was no picnic, but I did it.

Taken shortly after the bridge crossing. Can't you just see the relief and total JOY in my face?

We've all written about choices and we've all written about challenges. There is no new material here. But real-life applications are always more dramatic to me than just reading about the fact that I always have a choice and this journey will always be a challenge. Even though this experience happened just before 2012 kicked in, I wanted to share it with you and in compliance with my 2012 New Year's Mantra seen here..............................

Look for a SURPRISE in every day.

EXPECT steady results from a healthy eating plan and efforts to have a normal relationship with food.

RECEIVE love, friendship, gifts and kindness without question from those who choose to give it to me.

Embrace JOY with every thread of my being.

CELEBRATE my own successes as jubilantly as I celebrate those of others.

SHARE my life, my time, my money and my possessions in creative ways that are new and extravagant.

........................I realized that almost all of those elements came into play as I faced challenges and made choices about whether or not to cross a bridge.

What "bridge" will you be crossing today or this week? What are its choices and challenges? Is there any specific way I can encourage or help you?

Expecting A Surprise!

2012-01-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

Bradley Fork Trail - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

December 30, 2011

So much about which to write! So many possibilities in a brand new year! So much to do that I can't settle my mind enough to think about what I want to write! And I mean the part about "so much to do" in a GOOD way! All of those are things I want to do RIGHT NOW! But in spite of all that, I've agonized over a title for this post. From me, you were probably expecting January is for Joy and that would be o.k. - it would fit. But I didn't like it! You might also have been expecting a post about New Year's Resolutions, but if you've read Gains and Losses for any length of time, you'd know that although I'm a huge fan of goal-setting, I'd never in a million years, do it on a day when everyone else is or when it's "expected."

But the one thing I can't ignore is how often the word "surprise" has popped up in my vocabulary and life since yesterday morning. You know that my day always begins with a period of Bible reading and devotion. A book which means the world to me with its ever appropriate words and application is Bread For The Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith written by Henri Nouwen. The daily meditations are short, but powerful and applicable to ANY life no matter what your belief system. Every year, I try to convince myself to utilize something new as a companion to my morning Bible reading, but every year, I revert back to this. And EVERY day, there is something new.

So imagine my SURPRISE, when early yesterday morning, I open my book to January 1 and read these words:

"Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity."

Read it friends! Read it again and again. Because within those words lies the only "resolution" I need to make. By fully embracing every word of that mantra and living it to the very core, I truly believe that all other "issues" will slowly "resolve" themselves.

In 2012, I will:

Look for a SURPRISE in every day.

EXPECT steady results from a healthy eating plan and efforts to have a normal relationship with food.

RECEIVE love, friendship, gifts and kindness without question from those who choose to give it to me.

Embrace JOY with every thread of my being.

CELEBRATE my own successes as jubilantly as I celebrate those of others.

SHARE my life, my time, my money and my possessions in creative ways that are new and extravagant.

We had a quiet New Year's weekend and in my usual fashion, I was in bed fast asleep by 10:15 on New Year's Eve. Mr. B and I spend New Year's Day taking down the Christmas decorations, finding a home for all the gifts and talking about plans for 2012. Last evening, we met friends for dinner at Fleming's Steakhouse and enjoyed that immensely. Mr. B will return to school on Wednesday and things will return to normal, whatever that is!!

On Saturday afternoon, December 31st, at approximately 1:30 p.m., I reached my second hiking goal of 350 miles. I am still incredibly amazed and grateful for the ability to do this and the fact that I persevered last week to get it done. For once, everything worked in my favor and I enjoyed beautiful weather, amazing views and the availability of friends who wanted to hike with me in order to get the miles hiked. I would've done it solo, but already in keeping with what I wrote earlier, the joy was compounded by celebrating and sharing that feat with others. Have I set hiking goals for 2012? Not yet - I'm working on it and will share when I do.

The 17-Day Diet plan is (unbelievably) still working for me in a big way. I do not understand it, I do not know what clicked in my brain, I cannot BELIEVE I am following this plan. But I know that it is healthy and there must be something there that works with my psyche. For now, that's all I'm going to say about that because it is the subject of my next post.

I ended the year down 4 pounds from the start of last year. As is often the case, that number doesn't even remotely tell the story. I've been UP as much as 9 pounds from 1/1/11, so the 4 pounds really reflects a 13 pound loss. I'm very proud of that!

In 2011, I walked a total of 609,783 steps as recorded by my pedometer (which is on my person every second I'm not in bed) and my average weekly steps was 11,751 as calculated by the spreadsheet on which I record steps daily and then average at end of week for "weekly average total." That represents a goal achieved as I truly wanted to average no less than 10,000 steps per week.

As I remembered from re-reading last year's posts, I began 2011 with such a sense of joy, motivation and anticipation, but that went downhill quickly as I ended up spending the first three months of the year sick, sick sick with a variety of ailments no one could identify and therefore, difficult to treat. It was mid-March before I was able to truthfully say I felt good again. No one has any control over things like that, but I do pray with every fiber of my being, for good health this winter and will fight for all I'm worth to stay well!

I'm looking forward to getting to know each of you better and finding new friends in BlogLand from whom I can learn and with whom I can share. I plan to search around looking for a couple of "newbies" and a couple of "strugglers." If you are either of those reading this, let me know and we will "share" the joy of friendship.

It Was The Best of Christmases

2011-12-29T07:29:00.001-05:00

Distant view of snow-capped Mt. LeConte from Chestnut Top Trail

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - December 28, 2011

It has been a wonderful Christmas season in every sense of the word. Our past three Christmases have been difficult at best and we decided on Thanksgiving evening that this one would be different. We have embraced the season and its message of love, peace and joy with everything we have. We chose to focus on giving, loving, serving, enjoying nature and finding new ways to celebrate what Christmas is all about without giving in to the lure of commercialism, overspending, overindulgence and any other thing that tries to overtake our minds leading us AWAY from the true meaning of Christmas and into sadness, depression and LOTS OF DEBT!!

We took a short trip to Nashville to celebrate the end of Mr. B's very successful semester.....................

Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN

December 19, 2011

We entertained MANY times including hosting Christmas dinner for my family. Each table setting was different, but this was the two themes..................................

We enjoyed time with family......................................

That's my sister on the left and niece on the right!

A really good picture of everyone EXCEPT me! My excuse is I didn't have long to get from behind the camera into the photo!!

Link, my niece's dog, enjoyed Christmas from his "throne" where he ISN'T supposed to be!!

I have hiked, and hiked, and HIKED!

Abrams Falls Trail - GSMNP - December 2, 2011

Lumber Ridge Trail - GSMNP - December 12, 2011

Laurel Falls Trail - GSMNP - December 17, 2011

Gatlinburg and Twin Creek Trails - GSMNP - December 23, 2011

Turkeypen Ridge, SchoolhouseGap, Chestnut Top Trails - GSMNP

December 28, 2011

Yes, I WILL reach my secondary hiking goal of 350 miles in 2011!

I have no pictures to document it, but I am happy to say that I have navigated this holiday season without straying from the 17-day Diet which I began following on the day after Thanksgiving. I completed Cycle 2 - Activate yesterday and enter Cycle 3 - Achieve today. Much more about this in upcoming January posts, but this one has clicked, does not feel like a diet, IS something that can be sustained for a lifetime and just feels right for me. Obviously, the weight loss slowed during Cycle 2, but I would have been concerned if it hadn't. The important thing is that I did continue to lose slowly and I remained true to the plan.

I am looking forward to the new year with great anticipation and excitement. I'll be back on Monday with more.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MR. B and ME!!

On The Sixth Day Before Christmas..............................

2011-12-19T05:48:00.000-05:00

Laurel Falls - GSMNP

December 17, 2011

My True Love Gave to Me...................

Six hours of an absolutely gorgeous hike. Actually, my true love wasn't technically with me, but he didn't mind my going on a Saturday. Our trek to Laurel Falls, one of the most popular trails in the Smokies, was spectacular following two days of rain and the fact that we were there early enough to NOT share it with anyone else was a gift. Few people venture beyond the falls, but the trail continues another 1.9 miles and promises complete solitude, beautiful views and a serenity beyond compare.

Laurel Falls Trail above the falls

Five more days of hiking between now and midnight on December 31st. Because that will easily allow me to reach my secondary goal of 350 hiking miles in 2011! When I reached the original 300 mile goal by the end of November, I knew that 350 was doable, but adopted an "if it happens, great - if not, that's o.k. too. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, it'll be a done deal! Am I proud?? You better believe it!

Midway point of a recent solo hike on Lumber Ridge Trail

Four days in Nashville. We traditionally plan a trip to celebrate Mr. B's completion of another semester and this year, that celebration will take place in Nashville in order for us to attend a concert in which my sister is singing in a locally secured back-up group for a contemporary Christian group. She is so excited and I'm quite proud of her. We'll also be having dinner with some friends and doing some shopping. We're staying in our favorite cabin, Uncle Pete's at Rockhaven Cabins and I CAN'T WAIT!!

Three weeks of 24/7 "me" time with Mr. B. This could be a gift or a curse depending on how you look at it. Seriously, he turned in his grades Friday at 3:42 and drove away at 5:50 not to return until the end of the first week in January! He finished his last concert performance (he had 15 concerts between October 27th and yesterday) at 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon, I picked him up and we headed to Nashville. For the first time in 9 years, we are NOT going to Florida this year. No particular reason - we just both felt o.k. staying close to home. I see some serious "nesting" in the upcoming days! But then who wouldn't enjoy "nesting" when you've got this to look at?

Our Den - this is the "informal" tree. All decorations were either given to us as gifts or were acquired during our travels.

Two nights of entertaining guests in our home which we LOVE to do especially during the holidays. But the gift my true love gave to me was allowing me to supervise and even make changes to the menu so that I could easily stick to my commitment to Cycle 2 of the 17-day Diet! As you may recall, HE is the gourmet cook who loves to cook for company, but by working together, he selected foods to prepare all of which I could enjoy on that particular evening. And then (bless his heart!) of his own choosing, he made a dessert that he KNOWS I don't like. There was no temptation there and I was able to fully enjoy BOTH evenings without dread or fear of messing up and I can assure you that our guests never knew the difference because the meal was superb!!

And ONE very large trunk of a Kia Spectra where Mr. B has stored every single morsel of the unbelievable amounts of "goodies" he receives from his students and other faculty members at Christmas. He is well-loved by all (including the parents of his students) and you simply would not BELIEVE what he comes home with. It usually begins the night of the Holiday Spectacular which was on December 8th, so a couple of days ago, I finally asked him if students were bringing him stuff and he got this silly grin on his face. And then he said, "well, I cannot tell a lie. Seems there's twice as much this year as usual and it's all either in my office or in the trunk of my car."

And that is precisely why MY TRUE LOVE is a keeper!

Me and Mr. B the day I reached 300 miles! As the song said, "we've got a thing goin' on!"

This will probably be my new "fat" picture and I'm happy to say I've lost 10 pounds since it was taken on November 26. Thank You, 17-Day Diet!!

The Verdict Is In - I'm Sold!

2011-12-12T05:45:00.001-05:00

Alum Cave Trail - GSMNP

November 25, 2011

Forgive me for the infrequent posting, but between now and the first of the new year, I've come to terms with the fact that weekly is about all I'm going to be able to manage. Last year was unique in that it was my first year of blogging and our holiday season looked totally different because we were still adjusting to life without my sweet FIL who had died in late August. We were trying to balance a hectic holiday schedule with caring for MIL compassionately and we did very little entertaining, shopping or socializing. Such an about face for us as we love having friends into our home at all times of the year, but particularly through the holidays. I kept wondering why I was finding zero time to write when the ideas were flowing. And suddenly remembered how this year's schedule is "normal," last year's was not! We all admit that often less frequent posts are a sign that things are not going well with the journey, but let me assure you that, in this case, nothing could be further from the truth.

Last Monday's post let you in on the fact that I had quite uncharacteristically chosen to follow a DIET! Something to which I am strongly opposed as my philosophy is healthy calorie intake vs. calorie burn by physical activity equals sustainable weight loss. Rather than repeat, read that post to learn what I've been up to for the past 17 days. This morning, I will complete day 16 of the first 17-day cycle and am thrilled to report that I have lost 9.2 pounds during that time. The book states that a 10-12 pound weight loss during cycle 1 is not out of the question. I guess it's possible I could lose another .8 in the morning, but I am more than happy with what I've accomplished. I suspect that has more to do with the fact that I didn't find the plan extremely difficult to follow as much as the actual pounds lost.

Tuesday morning, I begin the second 17-day cycle also known as the Accelerate Cycle. (FYI - Cycle 1 was called the Activate Cycle) Those of you who wondered if the plan included carb cycling, you are very astute. Cycle 2 still allows unlimited protein and veggies from Cycle 1's list with alternating days of choices from a much expanded list of protein items. Cycle 2 also adds two healthy starch selections on alternating days. The cycle 2 lists are quite inclusive and I strongly feel that no one could feel deprived during either cycle 1 or 2 if creative with their meal planning.

After the first 17 days and a 9.2 pound loss, here are some observations about why this is working for ME!

First and foremost, this plan allows fruit! Fruit is my candy. I could never stick with a program that banned fruit completely for even a short length of time. From day 1, two fruits are permitted each day and that component is a major reason I knew it would work.
My personality type (quirky??) works best if I have a beginning and an ending. I can do anything for a specified period of time. The 17-day cycles attracted me because it was long enough to expect results, but short enough not to become bored.
It is easy in that the lists include normal everyday foods and no special cooking, shopping or prep skills are needed. I can't say that preparing dinners for myself and Mr. B have been all that different. And to my surprise, he has even remarked that his pants feel looser.
I am looking forward to the additional options available during cycle 2 and then even more in cycle 3. If not at goal by end of cycle 3, recommendation is to follow the sequence again before moving to cycle 4 which is basically maintenance. I just love the structure of it.

I can't say that there is anything I don't like about this plan. If one goes hungry, it is no one's fault but their own. My body is so carb-sensitive and I am well aware that if I stop gorging on highly processed carbs, success is more highly pronounced by the quick change in my body SHAPE than in the pounds lost. I am already down one pants/jean size and energy level is soaring. Sugar cravings are totally gone and other carb cravings are greatly diminished.

Am I cured? What a joke!! Have I found something that is working for me right now? Yes, and I am profoundly grateful because I was desperate for a shot in the arm from somewhere. And as is often the case, it came out of the blue from a source I'd never have expected. A DIET of all things! But humility is and always will be the word of the day. One bite, lick or taste and every last one of those taste sensations would come roaring back quicker than I can say, "sugar cookie." This has given me a much needed shot in the arm, but I have a long, long way to go and a lot left to learn. And you, my friends have and will continue to help me more than words could possibly express.

When you read this (unless you are, like me, a disgustingly early riser), I will be headed towards a hiking trail challenging myself in a different way. I am hiking solo and although, I have done some solo hiking, this will be my longest. I am properly prepared and it is a trail I know well, but there are still some inherent dangers in solo hiking. So, if you are the praying sort, keep me in your prayers today. This trail has a ready-made meditation spot about 3 1/2 miles in which is where I'm headed to do some thinking and planning for 2012.

What's the last challenge you faced that was exciting, but uncomfortable?

Call Me Crazy, But Call Me Determined

2011-12-05T06:06:00.006-05:00

Abrams Falls - GSMNP

December 2, 2011

It is December and I am DETERMINED to begin 2012 at a lower weight than last January 1. My hiking bud (who probably doesn't weigh 110 fully layered for a sub-zero hike!!) pronounced me "crazy" when I told her I had started a diet. But I'm not crazy and if I've learned one thing over the years, it's that when the inspiration hits even if it comes in the strangest way, don't stop to think about what time of year it is. Don't THINK at all! JUST DO IT! And I did! And here's the story - crazy as it seems!

As you well know, I don't do "diets" so I'm starting out going against the grain of my own philosophy. I strongly believe that (for me) the proper way to lose weight and keep it off is a balanced eating plan using the simple formula of calories in vs. calories burned = pounds lost. I have also learned that I am somewhat carb sensitive and heavy carb ingestion even if total calorie intake is correct will still result in slow or no loss plus every one of those carbs attaches itself directly to my thighs and posterior.

But on a rainy, cold morning, I was perusing the shelves at Barnes and Nobel when a book entitled, "The 17-Day Diet" caught my attention. Why?? I have NO idea. It was amongst 10,000 other titles each hoping theirs would catch some ~~ignorant~~ gullible sucker and rob them of $25. Maybe it was the pink and blue cover. Maybe it was the "rapid results" part although normally that turns me off pretty quickly. That's why the whole thing was so weird. Usually, this is something I wouldn't have given a second glance. At any rate, I picked it up, grabbed a cup of coffee, found my favorite window seat and began reading. And there I sat until I had finished the book. I wasn't sold, but I was intrigued.

Did I buy the book? Of course not - I'm far too cheap! But I went straight to my public library, checked it out, then headed home where I ordered it from amazon.com at half the price it was in Barnes and Noble. I won't go into detail explaining the plan - that's not the point here and you can read plenty for youself online. Basically, it follows three 17-day cycles with a fourth cycle that is "maintenance" if one stint through the first three cycles gets you there. It's high protein and very low carb. But you do have a variety of choices from the protein list and probably a primary reason the plan attracted me is that you are allowed two fruits (from the list) each day plus two servings from a list of probiotic items i.e. yogurt, kefir, Breakstone LivAction Cottage Cheese (which I was not familiar with and LOVE), and a few other selections. In Cycles 2 and 3, your choices become much wider. In fact, I could probably LIVE on Cycle 3.

Let me repeat that I have no idea why this drew me in when I've struggled so for the entire past year just to find ANY momentum to lose this weight I've regained. Why now? Why one more book when I've probably got 50 diet books stored away? Whatever it was, the intuitive sensation that said, "try this" was very, very strong.

I am happy to report that all this happened on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I began the first 17-day cycle on the Friday following Thanksgiving (coincidentally, the same day I reached my 300 mile hiking goal) which means I have successfully completed the 10th day. Other than a slight slip-up when Mr. B put a tiny bit of butter in some asparagus, I believe I have toed the line all ten days. As of this morning, I have lost 7.4 pounds. The two daily fruit and probiotic servings are wonderful as those are both items I consider "treats" at any time. The Cycle 1 list of fruit servings includes most of my favorites, so doesn't feel restrictive at all. In retrospect, perhaps that's the reason I was drawn to this plan.

With the exception of a total "bonk" on the third evening, it has not been difficult. There is plenty to eat and one need not go hungry. I suspect the "bonk" was when the carb/sugar withdrawal kicked in. I spent a couple of miserable hours biting Mr. B's head off alternating with sobbing on his shoulder. Doesn't sound pretty, does it?? Believe me, it wasn't. But he handled it well as I'd tried to prepare him that SOMETHING would happen. I just wasn't sure exactly what! Once I was past that, my energy level has soared and I feel great. Cravings are pretty much gone.

And as Forrest Gump would say, until one week from today when I reach the end of the first 17-day cycle, "that's all I'm going to say about that!"

I'm happy to report that I did reach my 300 mile 2011 hiking goal and am now up to 309 miles. In my head, I'm kind of playing with trying to get to 350 before December 31st, but that all depends on our weather and the availability of hiking partners. I'm becoming increasingly comfortable with solo hiking and am certain the snake phobia factor is no longer present, but there are still those big black things known as bears and as you recall, I've had more than my share of encounters with them this year!! In another couple of weeks, they'll be warmly hibernated doing whatever it is bears do in their dens that cause MORE bears next spring. LOL!!

SHE DID IT! - 300 mile 2011 hiking goal REACHED!

At Arch Rock on the Alum Cave Trail - GSMNP

November 25th, 2011

Have you heard of the 17 Day Diet? How difficult would it be for you to follow it? Is it something you would ever consider?

A Goal Achieved

2011-11-25T07:38:00.000-05:00

Albright Grove Trail - GSMNP

November 18, 2011

It is just after 5 a.m. and as you can see, I am sitting comfortably in my nice warm den not anywhere close to a retail establishment of any sort! As one who intensely dislikes shopping and even more intensely dislikes large crowds, Black Friday isn't, not has it ever been, something about which I get excited.

But I will tell you that today, I am VERY excited because it is a red letter day and is going to be a stunningly beautiful one here in East Tennessee. Somewhere around noon, I will meet my goal of hiking 300 miles during 2011. And I will do it with Mr. B as my hiking partner of the day which makes it even more special. It will not be a lengthy hike since he is not the avid hiker that I am, but will be along one of my favorite trails in the Smokies, the Alum Cave Trail. We will only hike the first half of the trail, but IMHO, this is one of the most beautiful trail sections in the park and with clear skies predicted, it will be perfect. I only lack 2.8 miles so will technically reach my goal just after we start the return trip from the cave!

I set this particular goal last December while we were in Florida, but if you remember, I spent much of January and February in doctor's offices trying to figure out why I was so sick. In fact, I did not hike one single time until the end of February. At that time, not only was I skeptical that I would meet the goal at all, I certainly would've never predicted meeting it before the end of November.

So as I sit here pondering all this, I am reminded once again that we never, ever give up! When the task before us seems so daunting, we don't quit, we simply take the first step. The first hike I took towards my 300 mile goal was only 3.1 miles, but today, I realize how important that 3.1 miles really was. I remember that day well. I did not feel good and it was cold. But I wanted to be in my mountains and I wanted to be on a trail. At that point, 300 miles wasn't even on my radar. I just wanted to enjoy the beauty of THAT day and those 3.1 miles. But TODAY, I see how those miles fit perfectly into the whole 300 mile picture and those 3.1 miles breathed life back into a tired, sick, frustrated me who wasn't certain I'd do much hiking at all in 2011, much less reach an ambitious goal.

I can also tell you that on that same day last December, I set the goal to be at goal weight by the end of 2011. A goal which was probably more doable than the hiking goal. But on this one, I never took that first "3.1" miles. The end seemed so daunting, I never started. And so here I sit pondering that as well knowing that I'm exactly where I was this time last year and knowing that the next five weeks is a minefield of opportunities to make matters worse.

The difference between a goal achieved and a goal with which I've done a lot of blathering about, but not taken that first 3.1 miles to reach??? Hiking is a passion. I cannot describe that euphoric feeling that starts when I pull my backpack out of the closet and doesn't end until I pull off the boots and stick 'em back in the trunk at the end of the day. I'll do ANYTHING to get to hike! I'll hike in the rain or snow and I'll hike when I feel like crap.

When my passion to reach goal weight matches my passion to hike, I guarantee it'll happen. And that's what I'm going to think about as I start those remaining 2.8 miles in a couple of hours. Because today, it seems as if the passion is there! What encourages me is that the passion flared yesterday about noon when I looked at the ~~feast~~ spread of gloppy (not sure that's a word!), gooey, sugary choices on the Thanksgiving buffet at MIL's house and the light bulb came on. Because in that moment, I realized that the only thing on that table that truly looked good to me was the pure, unaltered beautiful breast meat of that turkey! And I did o.k. throughout the day because that feeling stayed. I simply did not want all of that other stuff.

Could it be that this last 2.8 miles to reach a goal in 2011 will also be the FIRST miles toward reaching another goal that would simply enhance my chances of reaching even more ambitious hiking goals in 2012. It's that circle of life thing and for me, I want to participate in ALL of it at my very best level with a passion that burns red hot and spreads to everyone around me.

I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving day surrounded by those you love and with little stress and/or drama! I count each of you as friends and took time to give thanks for the gift of friendship and the miracle that it can occur in different forms. I am thankful for the gift of writing and the many moments of pleasure you have brought to me!

Come on friends, these next five weeks are NOT a time to play with our weight! Much, much damage can be done! Find the passion and reach higher!

My Kitchen

2011-11-17T08:35:00.001-05:00

This little "cutie" greets me when I walk into my dining room to open the draperies!

She brings me flowers every morning and always makes me smile?

I had planned to be headed towards a new hiking trail this morning, but a 6 a.m. conversation with my hiking bud got it postponed until tomorrow. Our choices were leftover rainshowers, muddy trail, cloudy and windy (today) or drier, sunny, but VERY cold (tomorrow). She chose tomorrow.

As a result of having a bit of extra time this morning, I'm going to introduce you to my kitchen! Doesn't that sound like fun? First, a tiny bit of history. We purchased our home in May, 1999 and it was a dream come true for me. The house is next door to Mr. B's first cousin and we'd had our eye on it for years. It was a gorgeous Cape Cod still occupied by its ORIGINAL owner. The lady was already old and we certainly didn't want her to die, but we sure wanted her house!! As it turned out, she made the decision to move into an assisted living facility and with one look inside the house, we said YES! The home in which we were living sold pretty quickly giving us just the right amount of time to do some minor updating before moving in.

The house was built in 1940 and even beyond the fact that it was a Cape Cod design which I'd always wanted, what totally sold me was that the builders had filled this house all the way around with HUGE windows. There are windows EVERYWHERE!! The moment I first walked into the den, I was hooked. There were so many windows, it felt like you were outside. But here's the interesting thing about my house and specifically, my kitchen. Yes, my home was built in 1940, but many of the characteristics found in typical homes of that era are not present in mine. You see, Mrs. Guinn was a Home Ec teacher. Her home and specifically, her kitchen, were HER domain. Her pride and joy! She thought out of the box and way beyond her time!

So although my kitchen isn't huge by most standards, it is considerably larger than most found in homes built in the 40's! I have lots of LARGE cabinets, plenty of counter space, two HUGE windows over the sink and (prepare to be envious) not one, but TWO giant pantry's. It is wide, long and easily accessed by both the den and the formal living/dining room. We can entertain large groups of people by using the kitchen as a "buffet" line as it flows beautifully into the larger rooms. She was a genius in her designing, but then what do you expect from a Home Ec teacher? Such a shame they don't even call it that anymore. Mrs. Guinn would be SHOCKED! BTW, Mrs. Guinn has since died, but not before we were able to have her back into her old home for "tea," and to show her the updating we had done. We received her hearty approval!

Nothing can replace a picture, so without further words, allow me to show you my kitchen:

Coming into our house from the garage, you walk through the den and the breakfast nook into this picture. Remember, I'm no photographer!! It isn't as WHITE as it looks. The countertops (original) are tan and the walls are a seafoam green. She had layer upon layer of wallpaper which took us forever to remove. Note the 36" stove which at the time of her purchase was a top of the line model. And yes, those are double ovens, BOTH of which work. I've had no problems with the stove in the 12 years we've lived here, but am well aware that when it goes, it'll be a major expense as these are no longer made and have to be special ordered!!

Standing in the dining room door looking back in the direction from which the first picture was taken. Note my pink water pitcher beside the sink (have to drink all of that and more EVERY day) and my brand new, but very old and outdated dedicated kitchen computer back by the coffee pot. Becca was afraid I'd spill something in my computer so that's to put her mind at ease. I'd thought of that, so it's way back in a corner out of harm's way, but still very easy to view and follow recipes.

A wider shot from the same vantage point back through the breakfast nook and den.

From the breakfast nook. One of my large pantry's is behind the door you see on the left. The other is just out of sight to the left of the fridge. That is also the hallway leading to the remainder of the house. Not sure what was cooking in the crockpot. I think it was black beans for soup I was going to prepare.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I love my kitchen, it is not immune to an epic fail and I had my first one this week. It looked like this:

It was my first adventure into using almond flour and was a Pumpkin Bread recipe from ComfyBelly.com. I added a few fresh cranberries I had on hand, but otherwise made the recipe as directed. I had trouble getting it done despite having read all I could about almond flour and then it totally stuck to the bottom of the baking dish coming out in chunks. It is edible, but not all that good. I'm eating it in chunks topped with yogurt or applesauce.

Not to be outdone, I also had an epic keeper this week.

This is Whole Wheat Oat Banana Bread and is delicious!!

Mr. B left early this morning for an event he was asked to participate in well over a year ago. It was quite an honor to be asked and needless to say, I am extremely proud of him and what he has accomplished in his work. He is one of those fortunate few who still loves his work and can't wait to get to school every day. But what is most important to me (and to him) is that he is loved and respected by his students and peers. And what opportunities he has every day to impact the life of others. If interested, here's a link to what he's doing. Should be pretty easy to pick which one is Mr. B.

So I'm single until Saturday evening. What should I do??? What should I do??

SHOW US YOUR KITCHEN!

I realized when drafting this post that I'd love to see YOUR kitchen almost as much as I enjoyed showing you mine! If interested, please do a post showing us your kitchen. And for sure, let me now in a comment that you've done so or are planning to do so along with a link back to that post so we can ALL see your kitchens. Ooohhhh, what fun! Please, show us your kitchen!

No Scarlett, Let's Think About It TODAY!!

2011-11-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

Biltmore Estate - Asheville, North Carolina

November 5, 2011

(In case you are very, very young or have lived your life under a rock and don't get today's post title, it is a reference to one of the most quoted lines in the 1939 movie, "Gone With The Wind," when Scarlett O'Hara says, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.)

Autumn here in East Tennessee just keeps on keeping on! Much of the foliage is gone from the trees in the mountains and I actually watched some peaks become snow capped one day last week while hiking in one of the remote areas of the park. But here in the lower elevations, there are still pockets of reds, yellow and oranges that are stunning. And I am enjoying every moment of it!

Thanks so much for your fun comments on my last post. I loved reading your personal stories about who taught you to cook. I could feel that some were full of precious memories and warm, fuzzy feelings. Those are things to treasure for sure. I am still in the process of working out my own method for keeping track of the recipes I find. I'd love to do the copy and put in a binder thing, but being the tree-hugger that I am, can't justify the paper when I have the same thing at my fingertips via a laptop. And fortunately, we have an old (VERY OLD) laptop that is only used when we travel and now has found a new home in a corner of my kitchen. It has been stripped of everything except stuff needed to bookmark and store recipes. Mr. B says we now look like a technology based gourmet kitchen. That's stretching it a bit since it's hard to make a 1940's kitchen look "modern."

My kitchen and I have always had a love/hate relationship, but right now we are enjoying true love. This past week was busy in other ways plus I am making every effort to spend as much time outside as possible since I know those days of being able to do that without bundling up are numbered! But I did manage to get a few "experiments" accomplished and more are planned for this week as we are anticipating a few not so nice weather days.

Yesterday, I was reminded of something in two separate ways both of which affected me profoundly. Although I would not have told you that I take tomorrow for granted or am particularly guilty of putting things off until tomorrow, since the reminder came to me twice within two hours of each other, it seemed as if it was a double whammy and I should take notice. During our church worship service yesterday morning, our drama team presented a slightly humorous, but totally serious skit on waiting until "tomorrow" to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves TODAY. Later, I read Michele's post seen here where she talks about exactly the same thing. I loved the way Michele summed up the point both she and the drama team were emphasizing which was, "let's make tomorrow TODAY!" I am grateful that right now is yesterday's tomorrow and looking back, I can truthfully say that I put nothing off that came to my mind as a good thing to do. But that isn't always the case and every single one of us can recount multiple instances in our lives when we let an opportunity to love ourselves or someone else slip by and then "tomorrow" never came!

Whether it be loving, serving and ministering to others as was the point our drama team was making or taking control of our health as Michele was emphasizing, please join me in DOING IT NOW!! Not tomorrow, not January 1, not this afternoon, but NOW!

I am still overwhelmed, but having such fun finding new blogs and websites that are teaching me new things about cooking. I am so thankful for those of you who focus on the cooking aspect of this journey and post your recipes via separate tab that I can search.

I'd love your help again..........................

I know this will be REALLY difficult for some of you, but please choose ONE cooking BLOG and ONE cooking website (they may be one and the same) which are your current favorites! I'd love to end up with some new ones to read and play with this week as Mr. B's hectic concert schedule has kicked in and he is gone most of the time, we are expecting some days of ugly weather and I'm going to have lots of time to experiment without any distractions!! If your personal favorite has already been listed, give me your SECOND favorite. I just want new stuff!!

Have a FUN Monday and don't put anything off until tomorrow!

Who Are You and Where Is My Wife?

2011-11-10T08:12:00.000-05:00

Lunch Break On Flat Creek Trail - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

November 6, 2011

It happened almost one month ago and I'm still afraid that other woman is going to disappear, but decided to write about it anyway. Perhaps it was the wonderful influence from so many of you. Perhaps it was the first serious bout of winter like weather. Perhaps it was the final straw in my desire to know where most, if not all, of my food is REALLY coming from. Perhaps it was just time!!

Whatever the reason, it happened suddenly and Mr. B has now realized that the other woman is my kitchen who looks a lot like me really IS me. On Thursday, October 13, I stepped into the kitchen, started cooking and haven't looked back. The biggest surprise of all is that I'm having fun and that is a first.

A bit of background might be in order. My mother was/is many things, but a domestic individual was NOT one of them. She worked hard at the same job until she retired and was actively involved in many activities away from our home. Her mother died when she was two and although always loved, her life until she left for college was unstable at best. There was no one to teach her any type of domestic skills and believe me, to this day, she STILL possesses NO domestic skills. It is from her that I inherited my independence and innate love for travel. I am eternally grateful for that, but the downside is that she never taught either my sister or me how to boil an egg mainly because she didn't know how to do that herself.

It is no surprise that I am not, not have I ever been, comfortable in or even interested in spending much time in the kitchen. No surprise (or was it a miracle!! LOL!) that both my sister and I gravitated towards men who LOVE to cook and like having that responsibility!

Through the years, I've gone through spurts where I would make an effort to learn basic cooking skills, but I was an upwardly mobile career woman myself and simply didn't have time for anything else in my life, much less something in which I had no interest to start with.

So I was not offended when Mr. B was skeptical the first night he came in and a lovely dinner was waiting for him. Nor did I flinch when he laughed the second night he came in and dinner was waiting for him. But on the third night, when he walked in and smelled nice things from the direction of the dining room, he looked at me and said, "who in the heck are you and where is my wife?" We laughed so hard over that one and are STILL laughing three weeks later.

I should have kept a log of the things I've made ~~so you could be properly impressed~~ just for fun, but I didn't and now, my aged memory is failing me! I also have tried to remember what triggered the whole thing. I THINK it was the first true cold snap we had and I decided early that morning I wanted soup for dinner. I wanted to use my crockpot and I didn't want to go to the store, so I had to have all the ingredients.

Enter allrecipes.com and its"ingredient" search. I put in my list and up popped 38 choices. I remember thinking, "ooh, what fun!" And several hours later, served what must've been good because Mr. B is still raving about it. We both love soup and he enjoys taking it for lunch, so with that first success behind me, I decided to try a new soup recipe each week this fall/winter. So far, I've made a Pasta Fagioli (which really did taste just like Olive Garden's), Bean Soup and Chicken Mushroom Soup. I've also made three different kinds of muffins/breads using fresh cranberries, blueberries and pumpkin I had in the freezer. I have made applesauce and restocked my freezer with fresh pumpkin. I truly wish I'd kept that log - you really would be impressed.

But here is the thing of which I'm most proud. I'm picky about what I eat and it's getting worse! I think the continuing list of wide-spread food borne illnesses across the US along with the ever increasing list of problems with food items that have been improperly stored and/or transported hundreds/thousands of miles has really made a final impression on me that I cannot overcome. I want to a) know where my food has come from, 2) eat it in the purest form that I possibly can without added ingredients I can't pronounce or identify, and 3) support local farms/farmers. I don't want to eat apples I buy at Sam's that have travelled from Washington state when I can eat apples fresh from the tree that I buy at an orchard 45 minutes from my house.

So, if you'll excuse me..............that orchard is exactly where I'm headed today. The season is running short and from that orchard, I need enough apples to make more applesauce, more pumpkin and my winter supply of a variety of squash all of which I will purchase in full view of where it was actually grown!

And then, I've got a delicious dinner to prepare later this afternoon. Perhaps, we'll continue this subject in the next post. Mostly because I'm not done talking about it, but the sun has come up and my feet are itching to get to that orchard.

You guys, to whom I give partial credit for this, are going to have to help me. I am totally overwhelmed by all the resources available on the internet. How in the world do you choose recipes to try and then store or save them in a way that allows you to find them later? Right now, there are eight tabs open on my computer, six of which are recipes I'm afraid I'll not be able to find again if I close the tabs. My computer is about to explode!

Who taught you how to cook and do you enjoy it?

November Is For Gratitude

2011-11-03T08:37:00.000-04:00

Cooper Road Trail - GSMNP

October 29, 2011

I will have to confess that I am suffering from a serious lack of inspiration with respect to writing the ~~ingenious and creative~~ somewhat interesting posts that come from these fingers. Well, at least you tell me they are somewhat interesting and I think once, a long time ago, Mr. B used the words "ingenious and creative," but that's kind of like your mother telling you that. Anyway, it isn't that my life is not interesting. As a matter of fact, it's incredibly full and busy right now with a variety of activities and relationships that make life fun. But you and this blog added a whole new dimension to the concept of a full life, so when creativity wanes, I'll just tell you what I've been doing. Maybe subtitled, "the good, the bad and the ugly."

First, the good.................

We have had and are still in the midst of an unbelievably beautiful autumn. We've had enough of all the right weather conditions to prolong leaf season and unless something strange happens (like the October snowstom in the northeast), we should have a few more weeks of gorgeous fall scenery. I have hiked, hiked and hiked some more. When I'm not hiking, I'm out walking. I'm within 20 miles of my 2011 300 mile hiking goal and expect to reach that within a couple of weeks. Reaching it this early means I should exceed it by quite a bit. Considering the difficult late winter and spring I had with illness and the horribly hot summer we had, I am quite proud to have reached that goal for the second year in a row.

A separate post is in the early stages about this, but it is something fun that has surfaced from out of nowhere and is taking a good bit of my time. Time that once was spent reading and writing blogs, therefore, deserves a mention since it partially explains an absence of more frequent posting. From somewhere came the inspiration to get in the kitchen and start becoming a better cook. And the even more surprising part of this was the intense desire to ENJOY it. Much more later, but a mention had to be made with the "good" because I'm having a blast and according Mr. B, my MIL and several others, I'm turning out some ~~incredibly delicious~~ at least edible items.

The bad.

I have two friends, who in two very different ways, have left or are leaving. A close male friend whom I've known for many years and rarely saw, but talked with frequently accepted a new job which took away our "freedom" to talk. What you need to know about this friend is that this was the person whom I didn't just talk with - we debated, argued, disagreed, agreed, but talked about anything and everything. The more controversial, the better. The more obscure the question, the better. I am the rare female sports fanatic. I can discuss any sport intelligently. Mr. B, not so much, so this friend was my outlet for any and all sports issues. I don't have a brother, but this must be what it would be like and I miss the communcation. The other is the wife of one of our church staff members. She and I became close friends and they have taken a position in another state far, far away. They will be leaving in two weeks and I'm already feeling her absence. I have lots of friends for whom I am very, very grateful, but these two leave unique "holes" that not just anyone can replace.

My 2001 Toyota Corolla with 180,000 miles on it has decided it no longer feels good and really would like to be driven less. This car takes me all over town and to remote trailheads on horrid gravel roads. Until three years ago, it was our primary vehicle and has taken us all over the country. It has served me perfectly for ten years, but with an ever increasing array of Christmas lights on the dashboard, it's time to start thinking about a replacement. Enough said - I get the shivers even thinking about it. As you can see, we buy good cars, drive them until they have to go to the graveyard and I HATE making decisions about new cars.

The ugly.

My weight, my weight, my weight. Don't get me wrong - I'm maintaining in a way I've NEVER been able to maintain when at goal. But this is not where I want to be. Enough said.

Today's picture is not one I would've normally chosen because it isn't the most beautiful picture that was taken on the hike Mr. B and I did last Saturday. But when scrolling through the options, it caught my eye for this reason. I had done this trail previously, but Mr. B had not. We had significant rain the previous day and I knew these water crossings would be wide. As we came around the bend, Mr. B stopped short and said, "we CAN'T get across THAT." I said, "sure we can and kept walking." To his credit, he knew I had been there before and trusted that I knew what I was talking about. What I knew that he didn't, was that just before you reached the water, there was a side path to the right that goes to a tiny feeder stream easily stepped over.

November is the month we focus on gratitude. I am grateful for the good, the bad and even the ugly because all are teaching me new things about life, about gratitude, about giving, about developing NEW relationships and mostly about focusing on something other than myself.

When things seem too wide to cross or too deep to wade through, please just keep walking. Trust that someone knows the way and can lead you or better still, have faith that if you keep walking, the path will reveal itself and you'll be better for not having turned around.

Please join me in my goal of "giving" something to someone in some way (small as it may be) every day during the month of November. Maybe it will become a habit!

Seasons Come, Seasons Go

2011-10-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

My Back Porch - April 2011

My Back Porch - October, 2011

I haven't written much lately about my ongoing quest to reach, stabilize and maintain my weight where my body functions best. So many periods of renewed enthusiasm followed by times when it simply doesn't seem worth it. In some ways, I might allow myself to think I'm doing well if you can define "well" as maintaining over a period of time. There have been lengthy periods of time when that would not have been the case. I was either losing or gaining - there was no middle ground. And I am grateful for that lesson which seems to have stuck with me. I have maintained a stable weight for well over a year now. But it is not the weight at which I want to stay.

And that most vividly manifests itself when I am on the hiking trail. Yesterday, my best hiking bud and I enjoyed a beautiful 9.6 mile hike on a trail that is rated easy. Believe me, those are few and far between in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You are either on a breath stealing ascent or a knee killing descent. Three years ago, a 10-mile hike was a piece of cake. Yesterday, the last mile was a killer and today, I've been worthless! If you know me at all, you know that to mess with my ability to hike will get my attention quickly! I began noticing this last spring when longer hikes took a greater toll than I remembered. I blamed it on all the health problems I was having then and that probably had some merit, but I now believe I was also using it as a method of denying the role that extra pounds play in energy and stamina.

But spring hiking season came and went. I don't hike much in the summer, so didn't pay much attention until yesterday. Autumn hiking season is here. I have huge goals for covering new trails and completing my 2011 mileage. I don't like admitting that my lackluster attitude toward achieving my weight and fitness milestones are going to interfere with my hiking season, but they are.

As I often find here in BlogLand, one of my much-loved blog friends came through with a most timely post this morning. Cammy at Tippy Toe Diet wrote about not looking back, but pressing ahead. I read this just as I was on the couch bemoaning how difficult yesterday's hike was and what a mess I'd made of the fitness level I had achieved three years ago. But that's looking back and accomplishes nothing. That was then - this is now. Seasons come - seasons go! The flowers that were on my back porch in the spring are gone. If I continue looking back at them, I'll fail to see the full beauty of the mums on my back porch RIGHT NOW. As you can see from today's pictures, my back porch didn't change. What was on it did!

It may be that I'll not be able to hike 12-15 mile hikes this season. But you better believe, I'll not fail to enjoy the hikes that I CAN do and be filled with gratitude every day that I can hike at all. And I'll look forward to next season when those longer trails will be waiting for me.

Change is good. I've always been one that enjoyed change rather than fighting it. I'm learning lots from you and from writing this blog. Just when I need it most, someone always comes through with the words I need on that particular day. It's time to quit looking back. It's time to remind myself that yesterday's goals might not be practical today. Yesterday's weight might have been achievable for someone five years younger who had not yet been through the deaded "change" or been diagnosed with thyroid disease. Tomorrow's goals will better serve who I am today and maybe it's time to rethink those. Maybe it's time to develop new ways of reaching them. Maybe it's just time to relax, enjoy the present and let the future take care of itself.

Seasons come, seasons go. The flowers on my back porch in the fall are equally as beautiful as those on my back porch in the spring. But they are different and they are cared for differently. Just like me. And just like you.

Is there anything you need to rethink?

Dancing....Of the Not So Dirty Kind

2011-10-24T06:00:00.010-04:00

Along the Virginia Creeper Trail

Abingdon, Virginia - October 15,2011

Mr. B and I danced our way through his fall break last week and had "the time of our lives" doing it. If you haven't detected a theme here, just wait! We began celebrating his fall break somewhere in Virginia several years ago because it is just enough north of us that the fall color is generally spectacular. As you can see from today's picture, this year did not disappoint.

In the absence of any great inspiration for today's post, thought I'd just share some pictures from our week. Our path went from the peaceful to the silly, but we went places we'd never been, saw things that were stunningly beautiful and by george, I checked one more thing off that silly bucket list! My Outrageous October just keeps on keeping on and my record of doing something new every day is still very much intact!!

We spent the first part of the week in Abingdon, VA about two hours northeast of us and one of our favorite go-to places. It is the ending point of the 34-mile Virginia Creeper bike trail and home of the Barter Theatre, one of the most famous Community Theatre Venues in the US. It is a typical Virginia town with many reminders of it's colonial roots. There is more beauty around every street corner.

We stayed here in the Mary Connelly Penn House, took long walks on the Creeper trail, visited Abingdon's very busy farmer's market, enjoyed a couple of treats from the Wild Flour Bakery, drove to Damascus, Va (mid-point of the Virginia Creeper trail and famous Appalachian Trail town) and spent LOTS of time rocking in these front porch rocking chairs......................

looking across the street at this..........................

and this..................................

This is what we saw while in Damascus..........................

Ah, but it was time to move on and boy, was I ever excited. Okay, bear with the silly little teenage girl still very much a part of me who at the ripe old age of 32 (in 1987) along with the rest of the female population fell in love with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray as they Dirty Danced their way through the summer of 1963 at Kellerman's Resort (supposedly in the Catskill's). Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the dancing (which I absolutely CANNOT do, am way too uncoordinated), maybe it was the forbidden love story.......who knows, but for some reason, I totally fell in love with the movie, have seen it more times than I care to admit and can sing every single word of every single song.

A few years ago, in my travel research, I stumbled upon the fact that most of Dirty Dancing was filmed at Mountain Lake Resort in Pembroke, VA and Lake Lure, North Carolina. I made my pilgrimage to Lake Lure a few years ago, but now it was time to visit Mountain Lake Resort. Less than 150 miles from Abingdon, we headed that way for a few days pretending we were Johnny and Baby.

But my anticipation at seeing Kellerman's (aka Mountain Lake) for the first time did not mean I didn't enjoy the drive there because oh my, just take a look at what we saw on the way.....................

This is one of five original covered bridges in the state of Virginia currently being maintained by VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation). This one was in Giles County, VA just a few miles out of our way and well worth the time we took to find it.

Sinking Creek Covered Bridge - Giles County, Virginia

And finally we were there....................

And my word, with very few changes, it looks just like it did in the movie.

Mountain Lake does a great job (IMHO) maintaining its identity as a resort all on its own while continuing to capitalize on the Dirty Dancing theme. Most people who arrive there in 2011 come to see where the movie was filmed and the subtle reminders are all around beginning with the Dirty Dancing Walking Tour brochure you are handed at registration.

The place was virtually deserted when we arrived on Sunday afternoon, but the previous weekend had been one of their Octoberfest weekends and the staff was still breathing a sigh of relief to have that behind them. We noticed that other groups arrived during our stay and the best that we could tell they were there to do some birdwatching and hiking. We stayed in the Lake Cottage.......................

....................which was just beautiful. Unfortunately, Mountain Lake has not received some of the best reviews on Trip Advisor, so our expectations were not very high. We weren't there for a stay in a 5-star hotel and were very aware that the hotel is old. However, we were pleasantly surprised. The Lake Cottage was absolutely wonderful - we have no complaints whatsoever and would gladly stay there time and time again. We experienced no poor service from any staff at any point. I simply don't know where those complaints originated or what it is that people expect. We will concede, however, that the food is mediocre at best. Both dinner and breakfast are provided with your room and it is very much in the older vein of cooking and serving. But hey, we made do and loved every minute of it. I mean how can you NOT, when you are sitting at the very table looking out the very window where the Houseman's ate their meals in the movie?????

The one disappointment is a unique geological phenomenon that is very interesting, but does distract from the mystique of being where the movie was filmed. Thankfully, we were not caught off guard as I had read about the fact that the beautiful mountain lake featured so prominently in so many scenes is GONE! Read about it here. Here is what it looks like now...............

This is looking back at the resort across the non-existant lake. We hiked all the way around the lake while we were there. Not a very long hike, but a beautiful one. Mountain Lake Resort is well worth a visit with or without a love for the movie. When the lake was full, I can't imagine there being a more spectacular setting anywhere! It would have been stunning.

I cannot end this post without a tribute to Patrick Swayze and a reminder to all of us that cancer takes away those we love and it takes away those we admire, but never knew personally. Patrick Swayze was a talented actor, singer, dancer who fought a very brave and public battle against pancreatic cancer. Mountain Lake Resort remembers Patrick's life with this beautiful memorial stone just outside the gazebo that played a prominent role in several scenes from the movie...................

We enjoyed out drive home traveling 263 miles through the mountains of western Virginia and eastern Tennessee without ever getting on an interstate. We stopped for a lunch break in Tazewell,, VA and a visit to the Historic Crab Orchard Museum which we enjoyed very much.

Did we have a good time??

Yeah, I'd say we look pretty happy!

In front of the Martha Washington Inn - Abingdon, VA

October 15, 2011

You would not BELIEVE what I've been up to since we got home! Stay tuned!

Have you ever visited the place where a movie or TV show was filmed? What and where? I'd love to know.

More Observations From the Rock

2011-10-12T06:00:00.004-04:00

Michele, Cammy, Sharon and Karen at the "Little Rock"

October 8, 2011

I'm still basking in the aftermath of the wonderful weekend with Cammy, Karen and Michele. If you missed my last post, you can read all about it here. You might also enjoy reading what Cammy, Karen, and Michele wrote about our blogger meet-up in Little Rock. Before I start planning the next one (LOL!!), I wanted to share just a few observations and lessons I learned from these fabulous women and maybe even a few I learned from myself!!

1) The ability to share deeply personal things with another person isn't always directly proportionate to how long you've known that person. There are friends I've had for years that know less about me than the three women with whom I spent last weekend.

2) We four are as different as night and day (I mean, really....just look at the picture!), but that makes no difference when there is an established mutual respect for the thoughts and feeling of others. The flip side of that is the immediate discovery of how much alike we really were.

3) Those of us who had shared with others back home what we were doing all were met with disbelief or shock that we would actually travel to another city or (horror or horrors) spend the night in a hotel with people met through the internet. Now don't misunderstand me - there is a time and a place and a circumstance where that might not be appropriate, but this was not it and those of us who blog in this community or many of the other tight-knit blog communities understand that.

4) I learned that there is safety in opening up at the right time. For me, there were some major breakthroughs in thought processes, emotions needing to be expressed and internal anger needing to be explored. It becomes easier with six eyes full of understanding and compassion looking at you as if you could talk for hours and it would be o.k.

5) I am still totally amazed that we moved almost as one amoeba from Friday evening at 6 p.m. until Sunday morning at 10 a.m. effortlessly and seamlessly. My heart still fills up when I think about it. I believe these are friends for a long, long time.

I cannot let this reflective post end without a huge thanks to my sweet friend, Tish, because it was exactly one year ago right now, that she became the first blog friend I met in person. She is delightful, she is genuine and is the consummate hostess. We talked, hiked, talked, rode bikes (for 33 miles, I might add), talked, shopped, talked, ate, talked, introduced our spouses to each other and then we ALL talked. It was a perfect first meet-up experience and set the stage for my comfort level in initiating future blog friend meet-ups! So thanks, Tish. Sure hope we can work something out soon cause I can't wait to see you again and cannot BELIEVE it's been a whole year!

There's some stuff going on with my weight loss ~~trauma~~ journey that is frightening, yet exhilarating. I'm up a few pounds and that is upsetting, but the inside stuff is taking priority right now. I sense a shift of some sort coming. Right now, I'm seeing nothing clearly, but I've always felt that the night is darkest just before dawn. Those six eyes stayed right with me while I talked - I hope you'll stay with me as I continue to talk through my fingers. There just simply has to be an "ah-ha" moment when things suddenly make sense and one begins to use food correctly not because one has to in order to lose and/or maintain weight, but because one wants to.

Standing Together at the "Rock"

2011-10-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

Cammy, Karen, Sharon and Michele standing together at the "Rock"

Little Rock, Arkansas - October 8, 2011

You will be reading this early on Monday morning, but I am writing it early on Sunday morning. I have a long travel day ahead of me with houseguests waiting when I arrive at home. There will be no time to write a post and in the quiet of this morning sitting on my bed at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Little Rock, Arkansas, I knew I couldn't wait to get some initial thoughts written down.

How could I have missed the significance of Little Rock being the place these four bloggers met for a weekend of sharing, laughing and creating the "rock" of friendship and support that jumped off the pages of BlogWorld becoming a part of our RealWorld. Geographically, Little Rock made sense. Symbolically, Little Rock became much more.

As you can see from the picture, there really is a "rock" and it isn't little at all. "Little Rock was named for a stone outcropping on the bank of the Arkansas River used by early travelers as a landmark. La Petite Roche (French for "the Little Rock"), named in 1721 by French explorer and trader Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe, marked the transition from the flat Mississippi Delta region to the Ouachita Mountain foothills. Travelers referred to the area as "the Little Rock", and the landmark name stuck."

We are each bringing a piece of the "rock" back to our respective homes both figuratively and literally (kitschy souvenirs from Visitor Center's are wonderful things!!), and I suspect the memories will last a long time in our hearts. I know they will in mine.

More thoughts later on what I learned and how the weekend impacted my thoughts on blogging, friendship and this journey to healthy living on which we are traveling, but for today, just enjoy a few pictures of four girls who didn't just WANT to have fun, we really HAD some fun!!

In front of the Curran Hall Visitor Center - Little Rock, Arkansas

Early Saturday morning, October 8 - Just getting started!!

The newly opened Clinton Pedestrian Bridge beside the Clinton Presidential Library.

Group shot on the Clinton Pedestrian Bridge. Left to right - Sharon, Cammy, Michele, Karen

Touring downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock from the street car.

Cammy enjoying the ride on the authentic Little Rock streetcar.

We were all smiling - LUNCH was next!!!

Check out their blogs for their thoughts and more pictures. Cammy blogs at Tippy Toe Diet, Karen blogs at Waisting Time Blog. Michele formerly blogged with her brother, Josh at Healthy Cultivations. Because of a very hectic schedule and preparing to take the bar exam, she is not currently blogging, but I expect we'll see her return in the near future and I look forward to that.

I've said it before - I'll say it again! If you have the opportunity to meet one or more of the friends you've made in BlogWorld, do not pass up the chance. It adds depth and it adds strength!

These Outrageous October days had so many new things, I don't know where to start:

October 5 - Met travel blog friends, Gene and Judi, for the first time and we hiked a new trail.

October 6 - Visited the Trenton Teapot Museum in Trenton, Tennessee.

October 7 - Took Little Rock by storm with friends Karen, Cammy and Michele!!

I hope your October is proving to be Outrageous!

Anticipation

2011-10-06T06:00:00.002-04:00

Fall is teasing us in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Road Prong Trail - October 3, 2011

Anticipation - an emotion involving pleasure, excitement and sometimes anxiety in considering some expected or longed-for good event.

Long before Carly Simon sang about it in the early 70's, I lived with a very strong since of anticipation. I loved that surge of energy that came with knowing something exciting was about to happen. If there wasn't something getting ready to happen in my life, then by george, I felt it was up to me to create something to "anticipate." Looking forward to the next thing has just always been a large part of keeping me in balance with the present. It's never felt as if I wanted to escape from the present, I've just always enjoyed the planning and execution and then the anticipation of something new and different.

This week, I am getting my wish and it's coming in waves. Yesterday was wave number one!! I left home this morning while the sun was still rising somewhere in Europe in order to arrive in Mt. Juliet, TN by 9. It's only a 2 1/2 hour drive, but I would move from eastern time zone to central time zone gaining an hour that feels an awful lot like losing an hour. LOL! But I was so excited to be on time to meet my new friends Gene and Judi. Judi writes a wonderful travel blog that I began following a long time ago. Maybe it was shared interest in travel and hiking or maybe it was the Tennessee connection - who knows? Whatever the reason, I felt as if I knew them already and yesterday was the day we would meet for real. They have just returned to Tennessee from an extended trip through Alaska and although we didn't talk much about that today, I'm hoping to hear much more about it as time goes on. We just wanted to hike, so after meeting, we drove to Long Hunter State Park where we thoroughly enjoy hiking the Bryant Grove Trail. It was a lovely easy trail allowing us lots of time to get acquainted as we hiked. This trail was also FLAT which we laughed about as I am certainly not used to hiking on flat trails. Was a very nice change of pace. Gene and Judi are just as I'd pictured them and the conversation flowed effortlessly. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them and am once again, so thankful for the opportunities blogging has afforded me in making new friends with common bonds.

And the anticipation just keeps on happening........................

Today, I will solo road trip 370 miles further west to Little Rock, Arkansas where, on Friday afternoon, three more blog friends will meet for the first time. Well, actually two of them have already met. This idea was hatched several months ago and the four of us can't believe the day is finally here and we are actually on our way.

But in the spirit of allowing YOU the joy of true anticipation, the participants in the BlogWorld Meetup shall remain anonymous for the time being. Perhaps we'll post a picture and let YOU identify us. We'll see, but rest assured, there's some fun to be had and some learning to be experienced over the next few days. And we promise to share it with you.

I've got a full day and a half of solo roadtripping before the Friday start of our get together and today holds the anticipation of checking another item off my proverbial bucket list. The road less traveled calls me and in the interest of safety and a female traveling solo, I will simply let you anticipate where I might be headed today, but I'll tell you that it involves a little town in west Tennessee and a time-honored English tradition. And if anyone guesses where I'm headed based on that vague description, you are either one fine detective or you know west Tennessee pretty well!

Outrageous October just keeps getting better and better.........................

October 3 - Hiked Road Prong Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

October 4 - Attended a evening gala event coordinated by my very own Mr. B honoring the life and work of Mary Costa, who was born in Knoxville and returned here to live following her retirement. At 81 years of age, Mary remains one of the most beautiful people I know both inside and out. I am proud to call her my friend.

You don't have to answer this publicly if you don't want to, but if you could meet a blogger, who would it be? On the other hand, do answer it!! I might find some new bloggers I don't know.

Outrageous October

2011-10-03T06:00:00.001-04:00

Roaring Fork Motor Trail - GSMNP

October 1, 2011

Please make a note to remind me (scold me??) next August when Mr. B returns to school and I enter the summer doldrums (depression??) that October is just around the corner. I felt the subtle change in attitude a couple of weeks ago when our temperatures broke for the first time and hints of fall began showing up. But late last week, fall truly arrived in East TN and the happy girl Mr. B lives with IS BACK!! I am not a summer person. I cannot stand high heat and humidity is even worse. Unfortunately, the older I get, the less tolerant I become. And come on people, you can put on more clothes when you are cold, but there are only so many you can take off when you are burning up. LOL!

As September came to a close, I began anticipating what October might bring and since it rolled in on a Saturday, I told Mr. B we needed to celebrate with an adventure. It was while in the midst of that adventure that October's theme was born. From the safety of our car and the advantage of being on a secluded one-way motor trail just outside of Gatlinburg, TN very early in the morning, we watched the adorable black bear family in today's picture play for over half an hour. It was only us and one other vehicle who respected their space in the same way that we did. At one point, the mama and one of the cubs danced by our car so close to my window, I could've easily reached out and petted them. We're talking inches. I said to Mr. B, "this is OUTRAGEOUS, I've never been this close to a black bear." And there it was - OUTRAGEOUS OCTOBER! Almost immediately, I had the idea of challenging myself this month to do something each day that I've NEVER done before. Now I'm not talking about anything totally outrageous (you should've seen the look in Mr. B's eyes when I told him of my idea), it could be something very simple. The whole idea is to force myself to move slowly and deliberately enough through each day to recognize an opportunity to do something unique and different. I will be accountable to you by telling you what I've done each time I post. Now doesn't that sound like fun? You could do it too!!!!

I cannot resist sharing these next four pictures with you. I apologize for the darkness - it was very early in the morning. This mama bear was having the time of her life giving herself a back massage on this National Park Service sign. I wish you could've heard the moans of pleasure..................

(Click on the pictures to enlarge them)

Look at that left paw up over her shoulder holding on to the sign and that left hind leg stuck straight out....................

Oh my, that feels soooooooooooo good!

Let's make sure the lower back and butt get properly massaged!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.....show's over, folks!

I so hope the pictures are clear enough for you to at least get an idea. We laughed until tears were running down both our faces. But on the other hand, we were in total awe at the utter vulnerability of such a magnificent creature. Her "massage" probably last five or six minutes - her two cubs played about eight feet away in total contentment. Oh, that we could all live with such a spirit of freedom without the need to change our behavior based on whether or not anyone is watching!

Thirteen weeks from yesterday, we move right out of 2011 into 2012. Let's make every moment, every day, every encounter, every relationship COUNT because friends, we'll never have these days back again, nor will we able to get back glorious opportunities we might have missed because we failed to open our eyes, look around and find something DIFFERENT to experience. It doesn't have to take much time - just a bit of thinking outside the box.

SHARON'S OUTRAGEOUS OCTOBER!

October 1 - Ate a Corrol apple that I bought at Carver's Apple Orchard. I had never tasted this variety before and have been unable to find out much about them. They were grown at Carver's and are a late September/early October variety. Crunchy and sweet! Yummy!

October 2 - Stepped out of my comfort zone at church this morning and introduced myself to four different people whom I'd never met. Singing in the choir, it is easy to hide away in the choir room and interact only with other choir members. After the service, I decided rather than running directly back to the choir room, I'd walk out into the sanctuary and roam around until I found at least two people I'd never met. I got lucky pretty quickly and found four. Actually, five if you count the 10-week old baby one of the couples was toting around!

Just wait till you see what's in store this week AND next week!

FYI - If you are reading this early on Monday morning, I will already be hiking in the woods with my usual hiking bud. I seem to be a bear magnet right now, so I'd appreciate any thoughts sent our way that today, we do NOT encounter any wildlife of ANY kind unless it's of the chipmunk, deer or bird variety! We want to see beautiful red, yellow and golden leaves. Enough already with the bears!!

Facing Our Fears

2011-09-30T14:31:00.000-04:00

Old Sugarlands Trail - GSMNP

September 29, 2011

According to the National Park Service, there are approximately 1500 black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This past Tuesday morning, I met one of them up close and personal. Unlike the dreaded grizzly bears of the west, black bears really don't want to eat you. In fact, they are more intent on getting away from you than you are from them. Unless of course, you mange to a) get between a mother and her cubs, b) startle or scare one, or c) happen to encounter one that has been habituated to humans because of being fed (thank you so much for that, silly tourists!!). Most hikers crave the experience of seeing a bear deep in the backcountry. I can assure you that I am NOT one of them, but nonetheless. there we were about 2 1/2 miles down the Old Sugarlands Trail when I saw him. He had already seen us and had stopped eating. In our circumstance, we did exactly what we were supposed to do and he was courteous enough to do exactly what HE was supposed to do (turn around and amble away).

But I will tell you that it scared the living daylights out of both my hiking bud and me. Because it was one of those moments when you knew your life and your safety at that point in time was out of your hands and dependent upon the actions of a giant 300-400 pound ball of black fur. And for me, it was a brief moment of true fear.

After staring at us for what seemed like an eternity, he moved far enough away for us to pass and began eating again, so we headed on up the trail. Did we consider going back the way we'd come? Absolutely, but had we done that, it would've only served to make us more apprehensive about the next time. And there will be a next time. It might be next Monday when we hike again or it might be 25 years from now. But turning back from fear was not the right thing to do. And I am so thankful that we didn't although I'll have to say, we were extra vigilant for the remainder of the hike especially on our return trip past the same spot.

That fear will always remain and I consider it a healthy fear. But on the other hand, having been part of a "real" encounter and seen that the bear truly does exhibit the behavior exactly as it should, I am much more comfortable heading back into the woods and while never letting down my guard, will no longer take each step wondering "oh my gosh, what if we see a bear." Knowledge and experience is power.

On October 1, 2006, with little preparation and not much hope, I began a journey to lose weight which resulted in a 65 pound weight loss over the next 15 months. I don't know why it clicked that time when I'd tried so many times before. Neither can I really pinpoint when the hope actually began to return that I was going to be successful. But I do know this. There was never a point in that entire 15 months when fear was not my constant companion. Fear of failure. Fear of no one noticing. Fear of criticism of my eating choices. Fear of regaining (yes, I was worried about that before I ever lost the first pound - it had happened so many times before). Fear of not being able to handle myself when food settings were out of my control. You name it - I feared it!!

But one by one, I slayed those dragons. Just like that bear, when I did the things I was supposed to do, my body did exactly what IT what supposed to do and as a result, I lost weight steadily and dare I say it, easily!

I wish that I could say I had maintained that entire 65 pound loss as I approach this five-year anniversary, but you know that isn't the case. And I've got some new fears to face and some old dragons that need to be slayed again. My body is five years older now and those were significant years with many changes. The dragon I cannot seem to slay is the one that keeps telling me I can't lose it again. And that fear is every bit as real as the adrenalin that shot through my body when I saw that bear just off to my left.

So on the eve of that important anniversary, I'm sitting here in my den thinking about that gorgeous trail that I meandered along seeing things like this:

and this..................

.......while reminding myself that fear is a very real part of life. Without it, we can quickly get ourselves in tough situations. But fear is best used when it serves as a catalyst for learning, for education and for preparation to face the unknown.

I've hiked in these mountains my entire life. I've read the books, I've attended seminars led by rangers and I've witness demonstrations of what to do when you encounter a black bear. I KNEW what to do and I did it.

I've battled my weight my entire life. I've read the books, I've attended seminars led by everyone from doctors to celebrities to total quacks and I've witnessed the power that comes to me when I've faced the fears and been successful. I KNOW what to do and I CAN do it again!

Are you willing to share what you are most afraid of right now? It doesn't have to be related to you weight or eating. Sharing might help someone else (like me!!).

A Very Special Follower

2011-09-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

Mr. B picking apples at Justus Orchard in Hendersonville, NC

September 17, 2011

He's A Special Guy!

Like all of you, I love it when a new follower pops up on my sidebar! I'll never forget the thrill I felt when the very first follower signed on to read my blog regularly. Actually, it scared me to death!! I just wanted to write - I didn't even know what a follower was. And I certainly didn't know how that person found my blog or why they cared to read it. But a second one soon popped up and I quickly learned the joy of reciprocating.

My sweet husband, whom you all know as Mr. B, does in fact, read this blog and I had often kidded him about remaining anonymous even going so far as to call him a lurker (lovingly, of course)! About the time I had 50 or 60 followers, he one day said in jest, "I want to be your 100th follower." I'd more or less forgotten about that as I've never done anything to solicit followers and had no clue if it would be months or years before I reached 100. Believe it or not, he noticed almost immediately when it became 99 and asked what he had to do to become 100! So my friends, I want you to know that ALL of you are special, but number 100 makes me happiest of all. I hope all of you will give a very warm BlogLand welcome to my sweet husband of 34 years, Mr. B! He is truly a saint to have lived with and loved me for 34 years. We're hoping for at least 34 more.

I've just kept feeling the love this week and truth be told, I've sorely needed it. No need to go into a whinefest, but let's just say I'm glad this one is in the books and a new one has started. I received this award.........................

...................from two very special bloggers within days of each other. Thank you so much, Joy and Michele for thinking of me when passing along an award that translates "favorite" or "love." The rules are very simple. You are only required to pass it along to other blogs you love which currently have 200 followers or less. Those who immediately came to my mind have already received this award, so I'll put on my thinking cap and find a few others.

My determination to Live Expansively has encountered a few setbacks, but I will not be deterred. The intent behind that heartfelt post was genuine and although I refuse to live my life in a small way any longer, sometimes small things truly rise up in a big way! But I'm not going there today except to tell you I'm fighting. And I will wage war against every small irritation with double excitement over the joys.

Here are just a few of those joys from last week.....................

1) Monday, I was back on the hiking trail with my best hiking bud and we are eagerly anticipating making many miles (and memories) during the next several months. This week's trek was only six miles, but took us up Jake's Creek Trail along this........................

past this...................

to our ultimate destination which was this......................

Backcountry Campsite #27 - Jakes Creek Trail

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - September, 2011

You see, we are decades old friends as well as hiking buds and we had not spent any time together since May, so our destination was this rock where we perched for 1 1/2 hours getting caught up on what's happening in each other's lives. As we left, we both turned back to the rock and reminded it that what's said on the rock, STAYS on the rock!! It was truly a great day. We've got another one just like it planned for Tuesday of this week.

2) Wednesday, I was so excited to meet blog friend, Kimberlynn, for the second time. The conversation flowed as easily this time over lunch as it did the first time on a hiking trail in the mountains. When we left, I realized we had been there for 2 1/2 hours. I had NO idea! We're making plans for more time together and that excites me. She's a kindred spirit, a kind soul, a wonderful writer and now, I'm happy to call her my friend.

3) Thursday morning, I had a wonderful walk along one of our beautiful greenways with my niece. I only have two nieces and I don't take the privilege of being an aunt lightly. Can't share her life story, but a big decision about her future that is somewhat out of her hands will be made in the next few months. If you are of the praying sort, please remember her. This concerns admittance into a very specialized grad program that only accepts a certain number of persons each year. It is highly competitive and being the non-partial aunt that I am, I can't imagine her NOT being selected, but she knows there are others with higher GPA's and other criteria stronger than hers. She is very busy and we don't get to spend as much time together as I'd like, but she'll be gone before I know it and I take advantage of every opportunity I can. Oh, I can't forget to mention that for the second week in a row, I managed to get completely drenched while walking. Yep, we got as far away from the car as we could get and it came a downpour. All we could do was laugh!

There were other valuable life experiences for me this week and when you look at the big picture, the frustration and irritations, although painful, do tend to fade away. I've got so many fun and exciting things coming up in the next few weeks, I can't wait to start sharing them. A meeting of new friends who don't "feel" new at all and a fall break adventure that is totally hilarious, but let's me mark another one off the bucket list. Betcha can't wait for that one to be revealed! Now who wouldn't want to come back and read about that?

What's coming up in your life you can tease us about???

How 'Bout Them Apples

2011-09-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

Cameo Apples - Justus Orchards

Hendersonville, NC - September 17, 2011

For a city girl, who religiously eats an apple a day, I hate to admit the fact that I've never picked apples before. Considering I have distant relatives who actually OWN an apple orchard and the fact that I make FREQUENT visits to one of our local orchards further compounds the unusual fact that I've never been to a u-pick orchard and picked them myself. That is, until yesterday. Check another one off the bucket list.

Mr. B and I set out Friday afternoon for a much needed weekend roadtrip to our "go-to" spot of choice, Boyd Mountain Cabins in Waynesville, NC. This trip was a last minute decision and I was thrilled to find the Little Cosby cabin available due to a cancellation. It is late enough in September that the leaf peepers are starting to travel and I wouldn't have been surprised to find no availability anywhere. To get something exactly where we wanted to be was a gift!

Temps Friday evening in Waynesville were in the low 50's and we enjoyed our first fire of the season in the wood-burning fireplace. On Saturday, we meandered across a short section of the Blue Ridge Parkway looking for fall. And we found it. Or maybe I should say, we found evidence it was on its way!

Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina

September 17, 2011

But we had a destination in mind and after a quick stop at Looking Glass Falls.....................

...............we found ourselves in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

North Carolina is the seventh largest apple producing state in the US. 85% of those are grown in western North Carolina with 150 apple orchards in Henderson County alone. I had done my research using the Farm Fresh, North Carolina book that I've mentioned previously and chose Justus Orchards as the place I wanted to visit. Their picking schedule indicated they had Cameo apples which are my favorite and not easy to find in Tennessee. They also had a variety called Candy Crisp, with which I was not familiar, but sounded yummy and I was intrigued.

So we arrived and we picked! I LOVED the philosophy of the folks handing out your baskets and answering questions. Here's what they said, "pick one off the tree, eat it, if you like it, put some in your basket." Always with a smile and sending you off into the orchard with a hearty, "have fun!" All I wanted was apples to eat, so we only picked 1/2 peck, but the Cameos are to die for and the Candy Crisp are delicous beyond description. Turns out, the Candy Crisp variety was first grown in the Hudson Valley area of New York State, so maybe my friend, Lori (Finding Radiance) might know something more about them. Normally, I'm not a fan of yellow apples, but these are EXCELLENT! Crisp and sweet. So yummy! Can't resist sharing a couple of pictures of our adventure in the apple orchard...............

Yep, that's me! Farmer Sharon sits atop her tractor!

You get the impression there weren't many people here. Wrong! The place was very crowded and obviously extremely popular. The red covered area to the right were several picnic tables. The orchards were off to the left.

And yes, they had the best fried pies I've ever tasted and fresh apple cidar doughnuts that literally melted in your mouth. I would like too say I didn't indulge, but that wouldn't be honest. However, I did make the conscious choice to only eat doughnuts while sitting at the picnic tables. We brought none home with us which was a switch from year's past when at least an extra dozen would've left the orchard with us, but probably never made it home!

After leaving the orchard, we took a quick trip through our summer home, you know the one I've mentioned before. Some people call it Biltmore Estate - we call it our second home. We've had season passes for many years and although we rarely visit the house during tourist season, we take full advantage of the hiking/walking path, gardens, winery grounds, etc. There is so much more to Biltmore than a big house!! We knew it was a tiny bit early for the mums to be blooming, but hoped we might see the last of the roses. As it turns out, the mums weren't even planted yet, but look what we found...................

Aren't they just exquisite??

It had been a long day, we'd traveled a lot of miles, so quite content with our day's activities, we headed back to our oasis at Boyd Mountain and spent a very quiet evening in front of another fire reading, talking and just enjoying relaxing.

This morning, we headed back home the long way. Who needs interstates??? Back up on the Blue Ridge Parkway going in the opposite direction of yesterday with our first stop at the brand new Oconoluftee Visitor's Center at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is a 1.5 mile riverwalk starting at the visitor center and meandering along the river that is just beautiful. We enjoyed walking it and got some exercise at the same time.

Oconoluftee River Trail - Cherokee, NC

After that, it was another hour and a half across the mountain and we were home. It was a short trip not too far from home, but both of us feel refreshed and ready to start a new week!

And by george, I got to pick apples.

Have you ever been to a U-Pick operation? What did you pick? Is there anything you'd like to pick, but never have?

Living Expansively

2011-09-15T15:32:00.000-04:00

Trail Ridge Road - Rocky Mountain National Park

June, 2011

I don't write my posts in advance and although I do have a lengthy list of things about which I want to write, there are some days none of those appeal and I just have to trust that something will inspire me. As you know I'm a very early riser and my morning quiet time is a non-negotiable. Not all of you look to the Bible as your guidebook for living like I do (and that's o.k!!), but I don't think anyone can deny that there is a lot of wisdom to be found in its pages. If you've ever quoted the "Golden Rule," you've quoted wisdom taken directly from the Book of Matthew. ("Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get." Matthew 7:12)

This morning I came upon the following "wisdom" while reading in the book of 2 Corinthians. The apostle/teacher Paul was speaking to his friends who lived in the city of Corinth. He said, "I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!" (2 Corinthians 6:11-13 Message Translation)

I was particularly struck by the words, "your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way," and then a few words later, "live openly and expansively." As I pondered those words, I began asking myself some questions. I know that my life isn't small! It is of great value in many ways. But am I ever guilty of living it in a small way? Does my daily routine along with specific actions indicate a desire to live expansively? What would that mean? And what changes could I make that might reflect a genuine desire to live openly and expansively in a very BIG way?

Of course, I don't have answers for all of those questions, but as the day has unfolded, I've reflected on each of my actions and wondered if they show that I'm serious about living expansively or will simply be content to live in a small way.   Here are some observations I've made today:

1) It is my sincere desire to be an person of encouragement to the people with whom I come in contact with as I go about my day. It often bothers me that since I retired my world is so small and there are days I interact with very few people. I decided that today my world would be expansive in that I would make an extra effort to interact positively with each person who crossed my path. My eyes would make contact more frequently. I would smile and find extra ways to show courtesy. I would initiate conversation in situations where it wasn't required, but wasn't intrusive either. THAT sort of action plan, I believe, is part of living expansively. Going out of your way, doing MORE than necessary not because you HAVE to, but because you WANT to.

2) At an eye doctor appointment this morning, I received irritating news once again. (Many of you remember my eye travails earlier this year.) It's back to glasses for at least two weeks. My first reaction was not a happy one, but I decided that was living in a small way, so I chose to live expansively instead. I have two very functional pairs of eyeglasses that are less than a year old, but for $78 dollars, I can buy two more pair. I have decided to go get two of most colorful, funkiest sets of eyeglasses that I can find and wear both proudly! One pair at a time, of course! LOL!

3) I left the eye doctor to go walk at my favorite spot along our riverfront. It was cloudy and had rained while I was at the doctor, but seemed to have stopped. I called Mr. B and asked him to check the radar. He said, "oh yeah, the rain's all gone." Of course, I got as far from my car as I possibly could and it began pouring. I got SOAKED. But this time, I didn't even have to think about it. I just started laughing and enjoying the moment. I was properly dressed. It was neither hot nor cold and I was so thankful that my city which has been dry and parched all summer was getting some lovely gentle rain.

Those are the things that come to mind. But wow, what fun to take a concept I read very early this morning and make it my goal to practice it for the rest of the day just to see what happens.

What about you? NONE of your lives are small. Everyone of you is unique and special. But are you living in a small way? Will you join me in living expansively? I promise - fun things will happen. You might even get soaked......................

Looking Forward, Looking Back

2011-09-12T05:53:00.000-04:00

Bald River Falls, Cherokee National Forest

Tellico Plains, TN - September 8, 2011

I will tell you that this is not the post I had planned for this morning. But sometimes, there are so many emotions in a span of 24 hours that point one in a different direction, it finally becomes impossible to ignore. My thoughts are all in a jumble, but I have been able to reach a few conclusions and in sharing them with Mr. B, have reached a calm sense of peace about the challenge set before me. Now I share them with you.

Like everyone else in this country, I have spent many moments remembering September 11, 2001. What I was doing, what I was feeling, the disbelief at what I was seeing and the horror of comprehension. But in my own unique way of looking at things, I chose to spend more time looking forward than in looking back. And I have been searching for the way that I can personally and privately honor all those who lives were lost by making changes in my own life that reflect my level of care and compassion for those around me, the country in which I live and the world at large.

I believe that has to start right in the very core of who I am and radiate outwardly from deep within. For the most part, I am content with who I am, the values I hold dear, the goals I have achieved and the ones toward which I am working. But the one with which I continue to struggle is the inability to find my way back to goal weight. I am not obese and I am still very proud of the fact that I have NOT regained even half the weight I lost in 2006.2007. But I have gained enough to tell it in my energy level and stamina, not to mention my clothes. I have stopped and started way too many times. And that is what frustrates me. I make up my mind to do it. Convince myself of all the facts and truly grasp that a few months of concentrated effort is all it would take. But I continue to make poor choices.

About a year ago, I began following a blog that has nothing to do with weight loss or healthy eating. It is a hiking blog that I happened upon when I "googled" the name of a specific hike that I was planning to do and looking for accounts written by folks who had actually done it. Royce's blog popped up, his trail narrative was very helpful and I began following his quest to hike all the trails in the Smokies and his journey with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Royce lives just over the mountain from me in North Carolina, so most of the places he talks about in his blog are places with which I am familiar. I'd noticed that it had been awhile since he had posted, so was excited yesterday afternoon when a new post popped up in my reader. Here is a link to that post, but it was this sentence about midway through the post that gave me pause and then shook me to the very core, "I am however finally disappointed to announce that I can no longer hike. I have the energy to do so and the will power, I just lack the ability to walk down hill without pain." Not very long ago, Royce was an athlete whose efforts put my meager hiking accomplishments to shame. And here he is announcing to his readers that a horrid disease has forced him to end his quest for a goal that had become very important to him. My heart breaks for he and his wife, Natalie.

How can I, just a normal everyday Tennessee hillbilly, honor Royce's efforts and the life of each soul who died ten years ago yesterday? How can I pay my respects to their families? How can I tell them I care?

Royce Cowen does not have a choice. The people who died on 9/11 did not choose to die. Their families did not choose to have their lives forever changed.

But I do have a choice and I choose to honor all of those people, their families and Royce Cowan by exercising a level of care and compassion that starts with ME. I cannot be fully content with who I am until my weight is where I want it to be. I have been there - I know what it feels like. And I want it back. I have a choice and it grieves me more than I can express in words to think that my choices are right in front of me to do with as I please. When others have NO choice, I willfully continue making such poor ones. But starting now, my choice is to work toward the goal until I can say, "it is finished."

Mr. B has pledged his support as he always does. It is 16 weeks from yesterday to New Year's Day. That's plenty of time to accomplish great things. I know - I've done it before. And I've done it in that timeframe at this exact time of year.

I had to do something. This is what I can do.

Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Costco, OH MY!

2011-09-08T06:00:00.002-04:00

That's raspberries on the right, blackberries on the left and Mr. B in the middle!

August, 2011

On a gorgeous, but terribly hot, Sunday afternoon, Mr. B and I took off towards the mountains of western North Carolina. It was a bit of a ramble further into this particular section of the mountains than we'd ever been. Although we were never really lost, it often felt as if we were, but once we reached our end destination, what a sweet gem of a place we'd found!

In my journey towards healthy eating, arriving at, and maintaining an appropriate weight, I've set some higher standards for myself (and wishfully for Mr. B!) with respect to WHAT I eat and WHERE it comes from. Earlier this summer, I stumbled upon the most wonderful book entitled, Farm Fresh North Carolina and I'm having such fun combining delicious food finds with really cool roadtrips! Zimmerman's Berry Farm was one such discovery.

It was the raspberries that drew me!! I've picked blackberries all my life and have a wonderful source at our local farmer's market, but raspberries were new and I wasn't even sure our area was conducive to their growth. These were plump, bright red and totally luscious. It is such a joy to visit these local farms, meet the growers and experience some of their enthusiasm along with the obvious pride in what they've produced. The grower happened to be in his little shed when we finished, but we had already discovered upon our arrival that the system was totally based on honor. Inside the little shed was a scale for weighing what you'd picked and a place to leave your money. In the spirit of total honesty, we left more money than what was weighed because it's my guess we ate half a pound as we picked!

I wished I had taken more pictures. The only negative of the day was that it was incredibly hot, so we didn't linger long. But you can bet we'll be back!

Honor Shed for weighing your "gold."

An incredibly beautiful place in the mountains of western North Carolina!

I am a native East Tennessean and most of the time, am proud to call it home! The one time I cringe is when any sort of health statistics, obesity/weight comparison or fitness oriented surveys are released. I know we will always be near or on the bottom. Not everyone in Tennessee is lazy or obese as we are often portrayed in movies, but many are and the news doesn't often seem encouraging!

For me, the way this plays out is in our lack of convenient access to many things most of you take for granted. It has only been in the last few years that we've gained access to a good farmer's market. Most of our chain grocery stores are sadly lacking in locally grown produce, health foods or anything out of the ordinary. Memphis and Nashville, the two largest metropolitan areas are bright spots with better options and both have a Trader Joes and a Whole Foods. Without appearing to be totally negative, I am happy to say that here in Knoxville, we do have Fresh Market and Earth Fare, both of which provide better alternatives than our major grocery store chains. We also have Three Rivers Market, a co-op where I have not shopped, but has just moved into much larger facilities and I plan to check it out.

So imagine my surprise and utter delight, when within a span of three months, Costco, Whole Foods AND Trader Joes ALL announced definitive plans to locate in Knoxville. Rumors had been running rampant for years about Costco and more recently, Whole Foods, but Trader Joes came out of the blue and all three are a done deal. I am so excited. All three are to be completed and open for business sometime in 2012.

Mr. B and I do not live on the newer side of town and this is quite by choice. The Costco and Whole Foods will be a good distance away, but the Trader Joe's will be fairly close by and conveniently located next door to my favorite Barnes and Noble, a place I visit frequently! I've patiently read your reviews, gazed longingly at product pictures and silently hoped the day would come I, too could shop at these places. I know it's still a year away, but can you tell I'm pretty pleased.

Maybe there's hope for my beloved Tennessee to get with the program and catch up................

P.S. I am so excited to tell you that when this posts Thursday morning, I will already be on my way to hike here. With the record rainfall we had from Tropical Storm Lee, these falls will be gushing. Me and my hiking boots are simply giddy with anticipation. It's been far too long - can't wait!

Do you shop at either of these stores? Are they close by? Do you shop exclusively at this type of grocery or do you also use other sources for groceries?

Simple Girl, Simple Life, Simple September

2011-09-05T06:55:00.000-04:00

Early September Morning Sunrise - Townsend, TN

September 5, 2010

September is one of my favorite months. It is no secret that I really dislike summer and am never sorry to see it end. September brings such promise. Promise of cooler evenings and gradually cooler days. Teachers, children and college students have returned to school. In my town, that makes a huge difference in the amount of traffic, people in stores and the level of quiet that can be found in the parks and on the greenways. September brings the promise of October and if you are familiar at all with East Tennessee, I don't need to say another word. There are some stunning places in this country we call home, but none can beat the sheer beauty of East Tennessee in autumn. September brings football, the start of prime hiking season, mums and APPLES!!

For me, September signals a return to a simpler life. I was an advocate of the simple living lifestyle long before it was COOL and I've worked very hard to make our life less complicated. When I started this post, I kept thinking something seemed familiar. Sure enough, last September 16, I wrote a post titled, Simple Girl....Simple Life. It spoke of my frustration level at how complicated life seemed to be at that particular time. I will have to say I'm pleased that some of those changes about which I spoke are still working for me a year later. I grocery shop weekly and 4-6 p.m. is still my time for BlogWorld although I confess to sneaking peaks at my favorites early in the morning. 4-6 p.m. is still the time during which I most struggle with eating. Reading/writing blogs during that time was a brilliant idea that has worked.

But here we are in September of 2011 and since this is my New Year, I thought it time to revisit whether this simple girl can find even more ways to achieve a simpler life. And I thought Simple September would be a great time to ask you to join me. Being busy and being productive do NOT always go hand in hand. Some of the most productive people I've ever known would appear to be the LEAST busy. That doesn't just happen. Those people have worked very hard to simplify their lives in ways which accomplish the important things, consolidate the things that can be merged and eliminate the time-wasters.

When I retired and Mr. B decided he wanted to continue working for awhile longer, I took on the responsibility for all things related to our household and maintenance, finances, shopping, future planning, travel planning, caring for our parents, etc. With the exception of travel planning and finances, none of those things was I particularly excited about! So my first order of business was to make everything as simple as it could possibly be. Since that time, here are a few of the things that have been accomplished. I share them with you in the hopes that it might inspire you to search for ways to make your own life less complicated allowing a greater sense of freedom even though your days may be full.

Also, PLEASE bear in mind that I fully understand many of you have children at home and/or full-time jobs which I do not. But neither do I believe that can be used as an excuse for a overly complicated life. Everyone, I believe, can find ways to simplify if they'll only make the effort to try.

Household/Maintenance/Shopping:

1) We clean house once weekly usually on Sunday evenings. Upon mutual agreement, this is a joint effort. We each do things during the week that make the weekly cleaning quick and easy.

2) I do laundry ONCE a week and I do not consider the job finished until everything is washed, dried and put away.

3) I grocery shop once a week. I shop from a list posted on our fridge. If it's not on the list, it doesn't get bought. Because I do not enjoy cooking, our meals are incredibly simple and can usually be made from ingredients on hand or in the freezer. Those items are stocked as I find things on sale or in bulk.

4) I dislike any kind of shopping, so that is something I try to do during the weekly grocery run. Anything we need goes on the fridge list and I pick it up while I'm out.

Finances:

1) We have one checking account, one savings account and one credit card. We operate primarily with the credit card and its balance is paid in full each month. I cannot remember the last time I wrote a check and I make one visit to the bank/ATM each month for what little cash we use.

2) Mr. B is paid through automatic deposit and all of our bills are paid through automatic debit. That was a huge step for me when I was able to get that accomplished.

3) Speaking of bills, we have very few. Within the past year, I was able to consolidate our Cable TV, Internet and Phone with one carrier meaning one bill. One bill for all utilities as the same company provides our electric, gas, water and sewer service. Both of those plus our mortgage, tithe to our church and monthly credit card payment are all accomplished via automatic debit. I no longer subscribe to the newspaper and we are debt free otherwise, so other than a miscellaneous annual expense (i.e. AAA, car insurance, etc.) that about covers it.

4) I've done everything possible to eliminate excess mail and am thankful to say I'm reaping the benefits. We live on a very busy street so changing all business documents/bills to be delivered electronically was not only a convenience measure, but a safety one as well. Despite all my efforts, the vast majority of mail we receive is JUNK and I hate that.

Simplifying things in this way did not happen overnight. It took a long time to get everything streamlined. But I can tell you without a doubt, that it is worth every moment I spent setting things up to work this way. I am reaping those rewards every day. And I had to start somewhere. One simple step at a time.

One word of extreme caution especially to all you younger singles, those with young families and newlyweds I know are reading. Just because all of these things work automatically does NOT mean I don't monitor them very closely. I spend an hour or so each month quickly checking statements, matching credit card receipts against the bill and making sure everything adds up. Just last month, I challenged a charge on our credit card statement that resulted in a credit. A few months ago, I challenged an incorrect charge from a restaurant. The restaurant tried to dispute my argument until I was able to provide tangible proof because I still had the receipt. It was plain that some altering had been done because the actual charge did not match the signed receipt and I suspect, a server found himself in deep trouble. Getting someone in trouble was not my intent - I actually had no idea the tip was at issue, but between those two instances, I caught $45 in erroneous charges in a span of two months. Simple does not mean oblivious or careless!

Simple girl, simple life, SIMPLE SEPTEMBER! What steps have you taken recently to make your life less complicated? Will you join me in making this September a simple one by making one change? What will it be?