Revitalized!

Laurel Falls Trail - GSMNP

December 17, 2011

Except for a lingering cough and a very frustrating lack of energy, I seem to be back to normal after losing a full two weeks of productivity at a time I least wanted to do so.  As if anyone EVER wants to be sick enough to lose two weeks!  It was, however, a good lesson for me to experience.  A reminder that giving in and letting others "do" for you plus simply accepting that things which you thought HAD to be done really aren't all that important.  Thanks again for all your concern and well wishes.   Illness is ugly and it seems I've had more than my share over the past six months, but I'm thankful to be feeling good again and excited about the holidays and the new year. 

Bill finished a very successful school term this past Friday and completed his responsibilties as Assistant Choral Conductor for the Knoxville Choral Society on Sunday afternoon.   Did you hear the shout??  December is an extremely trying month for any musician and as much as he loves the performance aspect, he is always glad when that last concert ends.  We've had some low-key fun this week with a combination of activity, rest, spending time with friends/family, evening movie watching, etc. as we gear up for the frenzy that will start on Friday. 

So here are the three things on my mind this morning that I wanted to share with you........

1)  Hiking - I have hiked only once since my last post and it was a short one.  I have missed it terribly and likely will not be hiking again in MY mountains until the first of February. (Read on for the reason why that is).  Thanks to the two weeks lost due to illness, I will not reach my secondary goal of 400 miles hiked in 2012, but that's o.k.  I did reach the original goal of 350 miles and that, in itself, was an increase over mileage hiked in 2011.   One hiking friendship ended in 2012, one enjoyed extended hiking time due to the unexpected availability of this person (translate: became unemployed), and new relationships were established and solidified.  I am thankful for this blog as through it, I first found Gene and Judi (who no longer blog) and then Becca.  Now that I am at goal weight, I am a stronger and more confident hiker and my plans in 2013 include becoming an active part of some area hiking clubs which will always provide opportunities to hike most any time.  The friend who became unemployed is actively working on completing all 900+ trails in the Smokies and we've had such a good time helping each other out planning routes and getting new trail mileage accomplished.  After a well deserved break, his job prospects look good and I expect, he'll be employed once again by the time I return from Florida.  I hike for the peace and solitude, so my preference will always be to hike solo or with a friend, but those aren't always options and becoming a part of the groups will increase those options considerably plus give me opportunities to hike in new places. 

2) Weight -  I don't mind confessing that I am just a tad above my scream weight.  I unexpectedly gained a few pounds (I still find this unbelievable) while I was sick.  Your thoughts about that helped me relax.  The weight, however, did NOT fall off once I was able to return to normal eating.  I am not worried.   In fact, I am very relaxed about it.  With Bill home, we traditionally enjoy some of our favorite restaurants* and he COOKS, so I'm placing my focus on sticking with the habits I've learned over the past year, maintaining portion control and avoiding white sugar/flour.  The pounds are actually coming back off - it's just slower than it would be if I would revert to Cycle 1 of the 17DD.  That's what will happen in January!! (*When Bill is out of school, we love having breakfast or lunch at some of our favorite NICE restaurants in town which we avoid during dinner hours for two reasons, expense and portions)

3) Our Plans - Here's the holiday schedule.  I am so excited because it includes some things that are very different from years past and that always energizes the radical part of my personality.  Although I love tradition, I'm not one who stays enthusiastic about doing things exactly the same way they've been done for the past thirty years.  I love change and I love being creative in the way traditions are done.  We will be traveling to my sister's home for our family Christmas this year.  That will happen on Christmas Eve morning, but Bill and I are headed to Nashville on Friday morning for a few days in our favorite cabin and the chance to check out some of the places we love in Nashville.  We'll be back home in time for our church's Christmas Eve service and then dinner with Bill's mom that includes family friends.  We will enjoy a very quiet Christmas Day (this is new and I am SO excited about it) just the two of us.  We remain flexible about what we will actually do on that day.  As best we can remember, there has NEVER been a Christmas Day when we didn't have at least one place we HAD to be at a specific time.  Wednesday and Thursday following Christmas will be frantic as we prepare to leave for Florida.  Heading to Florida is a tradition that was put on hold three years ago when Bill's dad became ill.  It is a tradition which I am thrilled to be reviving as I thought we'd likely forever lost the chance to return to our favorite place when I gave it up in January of 2010.  I also realized that this part of our life was pre-Blog which means YOU know nothing about it.  Funny how this blog seems to have ALWAYS been a part of my life.  So next post (whenever I can get it written) will tell you more about where you might find me for New Year's and most of January.  Prepare to be envious - I am a lucky girl!  And like I said, so happy to be given the chance to return to a place that feels like home which I thought I'd lost forever!! 

Curiosity about you always gets the best of me.......

What are your plans for Christmas and New Year's???