Weekly WI: It's My Birthday!

Good Morning!  Today is my 44th Birthday.

I’m not sure what lies ahead today but I do plan to get in some activity.  Sadly, our weather will not be as grand as it was yesterday but thankful we will have sunshine the rest of the week.  The temps are starting to drop and I am not ready.  I love my 70 degree temps, sunshine, and Fall weather.

I skipped the scale this week.  BUT I am so ready to get back on track!  I have a few more birthday and social on my schedule and will start my work week on Friday.  I am looking forward to getting back on track, back to meal planning, and back to regular activity.  October has been a busy month and that is no excuse.  I was very reckless on our weekend away to Island Park and it has rolled into the last few days as well.  November looks to be a lot slower on the social engagements, although my Elks Membership is official and there will be plenty to do with the Elks the next few months.  Let’s rewind…

Last night was my initiation into the Elks.  I am officially a member of the Nampa Elks #1389 and I am looking forward to becoming more involved with all the social and volunteer commitments in the years to come.  I know I can’t do it all as that feels like yet another part-time job, but I am happy to help out where I can and continue to meet and mingle with all the wonderful people.

Since I have been out to the Elks twice recently, I also popped into Crescent Brewery for their delicious pumpkin beer.  The sugar/cinnamon rim is what makes this beer epic!  My mouth is watering as I type this!  One day I met my friend Jan and last night I met up with Mom and Dad.

Over the weekend, Kenyon I spent a few days in Island Park at a timeshare property near the Montana border.  

We planned a day drive into Yellowstone National Park to see Old Faithful.  

The park admission is good for 7-days but we did not take in more of the park during this trip so may on another.  It was shoulder season so the park attendance was slim compared to the height to summer yet there were still very crowded areas.

We also spent time in West Yellowstone where I drank local beer, we tried a few restaurants, and looked in the shops.  There was not a lot open this time of year which was a bummer as I had really wanted to try their local brewery.  Beartooth BBQ was delicious.  We also lost some money at the restaurant casinos.

I am meeting Kenyon for lunch to redeem more birthday goodies and I’ll take myself out for a beer as part of another freebie.  I can’t forget the coffee stops either!  Man, I love birthdays.  Can you see now why I skipped the scale this week?

Cruising Ireland: Pre & Post Cruise - London

Our vacation started about 9.5 hours before our flight check in when British Airways cancelled our flight from Seattle to London.  I should have guessed this would be an omen of what was to come (more on that later).  I called the representative who is able to get us on a flight that left Seattle earlier and arrived in London earlier, but it would be on Virgin Atlantic instead of British Airways. We were still able to get business class which meant we weren’t out the money weed already spent.  This turned out to be a really good thing because we enjoyed Virgin Atlantic, and we would look at flying them again in the future.

The food was really good and the service was spectacular. We did not feel the same when we flew British Airways on the way home.  Also, I may be in love with business class.  I know I can’t get my hopes up of being able to fly it in the future, but it was definitely nice.  I don’t feel like I got any better sleep than I would’ve but it was just nice to be able to lay flat and lounge with more room to get comfortable. 

We used our extra time making a practice run to the Victoria coach station so we were better prepared for cruise day.  After, we made our way on the underground to Bridgit’s Bakery.  I loved afternoon tea.  We were starving so we wolfed our afternoon tea down in a matter of moments. I think our server was surprised.  In hindsight, I wish we’d sat and enjoyed it longer, but perhaps on another trip.

We walked around the Covenant Gardens theater district before arriving at Arts Theater for Choir of Man.  I purchased my token to be able to go on stage and get my beer not knowing the cast actually came out and joined those on stage as I had already returned my seat.  The show is just as good as I remember it from our Alaska cruise. Although there was one song that I didn’t recognize.

We stayed our first night in London at the Hub Premier Inn by Kings Cross. It’s a budget hotel, but had nice accommodations. The seven dollar breakfast buffet was delicious. We would definitely stay there again.  On our return, we stayed at the Staybridge near the airport and also really enjoyed that location.

We used the National Express Bus as our transfer to/from Southampton. The bus was delayed on embarkation day due to a traffic nightmare in the city of Southampton. After making our way on foot to the cruise port to drop our bags, we decided to forgo the Solent Sky Museum. It was definitely a bummer but a relief to be able to be on board the ship and relax.

I’ll fill you in on the all the cruise details and NCL Star in future posts.

Disembarkation was a breeze compared to cursing in the US and we caught the bus back to London, no surprise, we encountered delays. The traffic going into London was a mess.  We checked our bags at a left luggage location near Kings Cross and made our way to the Royal Air Force Museum.  Kenyon was like a kid in a candy store seeing all these planes we don’t get to see in U.S. museums.

Our time in London felt too short and we wished we had a couple extra days.  We will have to continue to tackle it all on another trip.

More to come…

Weekly WI: Tackling The Vacation Gain

I had a nice size loss this week and it feels good to tackle the temporary vacation weight.  The rest of it will be a little harder to take off but I’ll keep working on it.

 

It feels good to be back on track.  We have out of town plans this week and there is still a lot of social events on my October calendar.  However, I am going to keep tracking, keep balancing, and keep focused!

 

I returned to the gym after several weeks off.  Between overtime and vacation, I was feeling it after my usually two weekly gym visits.  Oh, my muscles!  I am not sure I’ll be able to get the rest of my Apple Watch Activity Challenge for October finished up by month’s end, but I am working my way back to a daily exercise routine.  The darker mornings aren’t helping so I may end up on the treadmill.  I love our Fall weather and I want to soak up every ounce of it. 

Weekly WI: Close The Eyes And Hold Your Breath

We are home from our Ireland Cruise Adventures and I tell ya, I have been exhausted.  I’ll fill you in on all the ins and outs of our trip through several posts.  I came down with the sinus crud mid-vacation and am just now starting to feel normal again.  I expect the scale to be a doozie this week but on the other hand, I need a good shock to my system to kick start me back into gear.

 

It was back to work since Friday and boy am I glad it’s Monday (my actual Friday).  I need a few days to get my meal plan in place and some groceries into the house.  It has been busy at work playing catch up as I already felt behind before I left.

 

I know I’ve left you all hanging for a while but I’ll be back soon(ish).

The Countdown Is Complete

 

It was time to disconnect…

 

…and de-stress.

 

                                                                - Ahoy!