Travel Update

I thought I’d bring you up to speed on our 2026 and 2027 cruise vacation plans.

 

When we made the decision to buy the RV van, it took out a good-sized chuck of our travel budget.  On top of that, the department withheld overtime payouts for the first half of the year to try and balance the budget (fiscal year, not calendar year).  This means travel will look a little different in that we will need to cruise less.  On one hand, that is fine.  We have been to a lot of places of interest and those still on the bucket list are longer-length cruises with longer travel time.  It feels like those are best left for retirement years where we can be gone for long periods of time without making big impact on our jobs.

 

I now have a long list of places I want to take the RV!  The Hubs and I don’t have days off together so once that falls into place, we will be on the road quite a bit.  While the loss of income this year has been difficult on the heart, it has forced me to take more random days off to spend time with Kenyon and not work so hard at making/saving money. 

 

Travel is important and it is what helps feed my soul while working a job that takes so much out of me each shift.  I am my true and authentic self when I am traveling.

 

With all that said, we have three cruises booked in the upcoming years.  The first is the Baltic in August 2026.

 

When I was researching Iceland cruises I stumbled upon a cruise that really interested me and included so many new countries, 6 of them.  I liked that we could still see Europe but not have to sail out of Southampton or fly in/out of London.  This cruise was perfect in that you start in Helsinki, Finland and end in Copenhagen, Denmark with an over night in Copenhagen.  We might even fly to Dublin for a day before we travel home.

 

My Bestie Phoenix and her fiancé Stacey are getting married on Catalina Island via cruise ship in September 2026.  We have never cruised Royal Caribbean and I am excited for all it has to offer.

 

We’ve been to these ports before so I don’t think we will get off the ship in Ensenada, Mexico.  Instead, I’m looking at this cruise as more about the ship and the celebration!  I also want to spend a few extra days exploring Long Beach, CA.

 

Alaska in September 2027 was not on my radar.  We’ve cruised Alaska three times (you can read about them all here) and figured my next trip would be when Wanda and Michael booked an Alaska cruise.  Instead, the Elks coordinated a group cruise, and boy did she pick a great itinerary and ship.  I am so excited to visit Sikta and return to Skagway again.  I really want to sail on NCL Joy which was icing on the cake! 

 

As excited as I am…they are both so far away!  In the meantime, we have a trip to Oceanside, CA in December with a quick stopover in Oakland, CA to visit my 93-year-old great aunt.  This is our second time in Oceanside, and we are looking forward to visiting the San Diego sights this trip.

 

In January, we will visit Vegas to see Choir of Man and the Wizard of Oz at the Sphere.  I’m also super excited about this trip and it has been several years since we’ve been to Vegas.

 

As I type all of this, I remember that we are about to start evaluation season at work…send HELP!

Weekly WI: I'm A Bit Depressed

 Good Morning!!  Happy Thanksgiving Eve.

Our weather has taken a turn and cold temps are coming.  I suppose Winter is coming and there isn’t much we can do about it.  I think the older I get, the more I don’t enjoy cold weather.  If we could live where the temps were 70s and sunshine year round, I’d be a happy camper.  Or so I believe so.

Anybody else get depressed this time of year?  We are taking about gratitude in our WW Workshops this week.  One of the small thankful/gratitude items suggested is noticing the Christmas when driving.  Last night the freeway was shut down between my house and the Elks Lodge with major, major travel delays (an hour or more).  All back roads were bumper to bumper traffic at slow and go speeds.  I had no choice but to follow the lead hoping to make it to the lodge before the meeting started.  Thankfully, I did!  What I thought about a few minutes down the road…take in the sights of the season and find some gratitude as there is nothing I can do to make the traffic move faster.  So, I threw on some Christmas music and watched the lights as I drove.  

The Holiday Season is upon us!

With depression blues comes struggles.  Three weeks ago I had a great loss and worked really hard at my healthy living goals with a focus on no longer tracking ZPF.  The following week was more social and while I felt confident about how I balanced, I saw a one pound gain when I stepped on the scale.  I let it tank my helpful thoughts and was flooded with unhelpful thoughts.  Unhelpful thoughts when you don’t flip the script can lead to unhelpful actions.  I skipped the scale this week.  I just don’t want to face the number.

And truthfully, I don’t need to see the number to know my weight is out of control.  I have made a continual climb for the last three years and now my clothes don’t fit right, my body and joints hurt most days, and I feel…blah.  Which only fuels unhelpful actions!  

This month of December needs be different.  I spent November scheduling to many commitments as overtime was low and I had three days off most weeks.  Did I actually have three days off?  No.  Most “weekends” I rolled from my volunteer commitments to my work week to volunteer commitments again…sometimes both in the same day.  I am taking a step back from scheduling so much and ending the year with better self care.  

Thanks for sticking with me in this small space in the World Wide Web.  I have neglected this as I have my WW program.  I will do better in 2026.

Weekly WI: Official Monthly Check-In

Good Sunday Afternoon! 

 

I am quite late in jumping in with last week’s Weekly WI.  My days off just flew by and here it is Sunday about to start a new WW week.

 

I lost 2.8 pounds last week.  Taking a step back from tracking all my zero point foods has been nice.  I am doing that again this week. Since this week is also busier with more social outings, I have been focusing more on the quality of food vs. trying to eat ZPF so I don’t go over budget.  If I go over, I go over.  Instead, I want to fuel my body with healthy low point foods. 

 

Tuesday, I had a new crown put on my tooth after my old one broke eating a tortilla chip before Halloween.  It was over 10 years old and yet…I had to pay a fortune!  I now have a second purple-ish crown in my mouth.  Later that night I had my lodge meetings.  Thankfully they didn’t have to numb my mouth for the crown replacement.

 

Wednesday was a volunteer day at the Meridian Senior Center as part of the Beacon Grant.  We need to log 24+ service hours with meals on wheels.  We also served lunch.  I really enjoy visiting the senior center as they have live music during lunch.

 

Thursday, I attempted to visit my friend at the Idaho Veterans Home as part of the Adopt a Vet program.  He wasn’t feeling social so after a quick hello, I ran some errands before relaxing a bit at home.  I met some WW friends for lunch at Old Country Sausage than went with Stacey to the Caldwell Elks Lodge meeting.  Sadly, they changed the meeting date and we missed it!  We had some beers at the Caldwell Lodge then visited the Nampa Lodge before heading home for an earlier evening.

Friday was our annual Veterans Appreciation Dinner and program at our lodge with over 150 in attendance!  I helped in the dining room with the Columbia High School students who are part of the Nampa FFA.  What a fun group.  The guest speaker was incredible, and we had a 103-year-old female WWII veteran as one of our special guests.  She was a combat nurse.

 

Saturday, I took the day off work to help with Rake Up Nampa where we wrapped up early.  We had a beautiful day with sunshine and perfect temps for a day outdoors.  After I attended a celebration of life for my dear WW friend and college Donna Burch.  She lost her battle with pancreas cancer only 19 days after diagnosis.  She was one of many WW coaches that are a big part of my journey.

 

Whew…I’m tired recounting all that!  I am not sure what the scale will show this week as I am over my weekly points.  I have also only logged a few days of activity as I keep working towards eight walking workouts this month.

Weekly WI: Power Moves

 The technique this week in workshops is identifying your Power Moves - the behaviors that feel comfortable, you enjoy, and they are relatively easy for you to get back to.

 

I decided today when tracking food for my unexpected overtime coverage day at work that I would hone into my a relatively easy Power Move…not track my Zero Point Foods.  With the addition to macros in the WW app, I’ve been weighing and measuring my ZPF.  The thing is, I’ve lost my mojo.  I am just not feeling all the good WW feels and I need one small step to get me headed back in the right direction.  So, today I went back to basics and tracked all my food except for the ZPFs.

 

My November Apple Watch Activity Goal is to log a walking workout of at least 5 minutes eight times this month.  Day 1 was completed yesterday.  I’ll complete Day 2 tomorrow.

 

I’ve been away from the Internet space for a bit.  It was a busy couple of weeks as we ended my favorite month.  Here is a snippet of what I’ve been up to:

 

Where’s Waldo for Halloween at ISP. 

 

My pumpkin for the decorating contest.

 

Attended The Witches and The Black Afternoon Tea event at Chateau de Flores with Wanda.

 

The Elks Winter Convention was held in Mountain Home over my birthday weekend. 

 

We took the RV on the last trip of the season to Elko, NV where we lost a lot of money at several casinos.

Lots of birthday goodies were consumed!

Weekly WI: Quick Check-In

It has taken me more days than it should to check in for my last Weekly WI.  I knew it would be tough because last week was much more social than then first week of this month.  Despite my efforts to balance, I gained 1 pound.

 

This week has also shaped out to be busier than usual with several Elks Lodge commitments.  My tracking as not been on point this week either and I feel less confident than last week…which was a gain.  Regardless of the outcome, I need to do my employee weigh-in on Tuesday.

 

I am starting to have some days off again…yeah…and trying to relax instead of my typical runaround.  I have days off again next week (fingers crossed on staffing), plus the Elks Winter Convention.  We are also going to spend the night out of town for my birthday.  I just need to get through Monday!

 

I’m actually leaving work early today to meet my siblings to see the Music Theater of Idaho’s production of Newsies. 

Weekly WI: Self-Care October Is In Full Swing!

Good Morning and Happy Saturday!  

I have a Saturday off, change of plans last night but enjoying the day off today, and am looking forward to spending time with The Hubs.

I’d planned to check in mid-week and as usual, it was busy.  I worked unplanned overtime Tuesday and attended the Idaho 911 PSAP Conference on Wednesday.  That left Thursday, my first day off in weeks!  I lounged all morning, met up with a friend for lunch, and visited my parents.  Here we are now on Saturday.

Last week’s focus yielded a lower number at the scale.

My October Activity Challenged alerted me last Wednesday that I would need to close all three circles 8 times this month.  Since I’d been planing to jump back into activity, this was a perfect goal.  I spent the following 8 days closing all three Apple Watch activity circles.  

Wednesday I had 10 more minutes to complete and no plans for activity between the conference and meeting Wanda and Michael for Withes Night Out at the Village.  I decided to close my rings by starting my activity tracker on dance mode while Wanda and I danced to Casio Dreams.  Goal Achieved!

Tracking was on point, although not perfect.  I started my week thinking about the new Weight Watchers Menopause Program and its focus on protein while limiting starchy vegetables and oatmeal.  It was a struggle and after two days of not eating my morning breakfast potatoes, I went back to my old routine.  My body just really likes carbs and without them, I feel like I am starving all day long.

My Monday night WW guide gave me great advise…just get back to basics!  I don’t need to track alllll the things.  Yes, does tracking your zero point foods show you more accurate macros?  Yes!  But, it is okay to just track the foods that have points to make it easier and keep the momentum going.

Weekly WI: Time To Face The Music

 cue the music…

 

After FOUR weekends of fun…it was time to face the music.

 

My goal at the start of September was to maintain my weight.  I didn’t quite meet that goal.

 

I also dropped a little the first week of September so my gain for the month was a total of 4.8 pounds.  Ouch.

 

The worst part of my weight gain is that I feel it everywhere.  I don’t feel comfortable in my clothes.  My body aches.  I’m tired and sluggish. 

 

I tried to buy some new dresses for an event in a few weeks and despite picking size 16, nope…they all looked terrible.  Honestly, I don’t feel my best. 

 

My goal for October: Self Care.

I am going to give my body food that makes it feel good.

I am going to move my body in ways it feels good.

Will there be social events and freebie birthday meals…yes!

Do I need to be off-track for meals between those times…no!

 

Check out my September FUN:

Camping with the Elks at Three Island Crossing

A Wedding in Ketchum, Idaho

Oktoberfest at Payette Brewing and Sip Idaho

Nampa Elks Lodge Oktoberfest

Weekend #4 Of FUN: Nampa Elks Lodge Oktoberfest

My September wrapped up with one more Weekend of Fun, Oktoberfest at the Nampa Elks Lodge!

 

Sadly, our Oktoberfest wasn’t well attended.  I think this was due to the early time (2-5pm) as the Boise State game started at 5:30pm.  Since I had planned to be at the lodge, I signed up as bar tender during the game.  I always enjoy working at the bar and boy is it a workout!  My whole body was sore the next day.

 

In addition to Oktoberfest food and drink, we had a Harvest table with goodies for sale.

                             

The volunteers manned the food booths, including my Mom & Dad. 

 

We had a costume contest and a stein holding contest.  Both were so fun.

 

We had a silent auction and danced the Chicken Dance.

 

It was a great time, and I had so much fun.  I really wish we’d brought in more members for the fun.