Weekly WI: It's My Birthday!

 We’ve got allllll sorts of birthday fun going around!  Today I turn 45.

I’ve still been footloose and fancy free all month and the scale has been deadlocked on the same number for three weeks.  

I suspect this week will show a gain *gulp.  I keep assuring myself that November 1, I am BACK ON TRACK with NO EXCEPTIONS except the last of the few birthday meals.  Which, we can spread those out and manage it better.  Birthday Overload for sure this month but boy am I having fun.

When we went to Witches Night Out at the Village and redeemed my free dessert at Yard House, on a whim, I joined the Oktoberfest Mug Club.  I am now the proud owner of a new 1 liter beer mug and the chance to get one $5 fill a day through October 27.  Let me tell you, I didn’t need these extra calories but boy do I love drinking beer from my 1L mug.  I think I better take a break in November from drinking.

My dentist (also Kenyon’s cousin-in-law) gave me some birthday love.

As did Meltz Xtreme Grilled Cheese where we visited their new location in the Chow Public Market.

My very sweet Tuesday WW group gave me flowers and my brother made the cute witch gnome filled with peanuts and candy corn.  I don’t like candy corn but that combo is epic!  

I have LOTS on my birthday calendar this weekend including a massage, lunch, dinner at the Elks with a BSU tailgate party, pizza party with the family, and more birthday freebies on Sunday plus watching the Bears Game while I collect my last $5 beer!  

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?

Weekly WI: Birthday Edition

 Yesterday I turned 43.

It has been a fabulous time thus far and I look forward to more celebrating with friend this weekend.  Yesterday I had some unexpected overtime at work which started my birthday very early.  I also worked at my WW Workshop.  Before I left the house, I checked in with the home scale but opted to skip the “official” scale since I had been awake for many hours and had already eaten and drank my coffee.  I was very happy to be down 1.8 pounds.

This week will be a challenge as it is birthday two-for-one week and also social time with family and friends.  I am planning to skip the scale next week but I will work on balance this week and stick to my points where I can but enjoy the indulges when they arise.  

For my actual birthday, we meet my parents and my brother at Dos Caminos for Mexican food.  Just as we lit the candles on the cake, staff came to sing to me.  It was so sweet.  Afterwards, we met up with Phoenix and Stacey for a beer (okay, two beers) at Cresent Brewery.  I love their pumpkin beer!

We arrived to live music from The L+J Experience along with Lee Brice on the trumpet.  There was a small group of patrons and a lively group at that.  Coming in the door after the show started caused some of the rowdy to act up and make the night even more fun.  I even got my own trumpet birthday solo by Lee Rice.  Such a great guy.

My sister Jenny had flowers delivered to my front door from 1-800-flowers.  It was a beautiful fall bouquet that went well with the flowers Kenyon got me so I mixed and matched them. 

In the box with the flowers was also this sun catcher.  I love it!

More fun to come this weekend.

Weekly WI: Playing Catch-Up

Hello and Happy Tuesday.  I didn’t mean to leave my stagnant for so many days but y’all, it has been busy!!!  Let me start with my Weekly WI for the last three weeks and then rewind.

Three weeks ago, I skipped the scale.  I had made this decision before we left for our Alaska cruise.  I wanted to give myself time for some of the vacation weight to drop off.  Despite some struggles getting back on track, I managed to pull off earning six blue dots the following week.  I was managing a bad head cold (tested negative for COVID) and just wasn’t feeling 100% all week.  I stepped on the scale to see a 3.2 pound gain.

This week was a tough one as I had birthday festivities planned.  I had also taken part in several meals out the week prior since it was crunch time to get my freebie meals in.  I am nervous going into this week.  I was also still battling this darn cold that just could not go away.  Turns out it had developed into a sinus infection so I am taking antibiotics for that now.  On Sunday, getting ready for my pre-birthday meet up with friends, I was feeling pretty skinny and just overall good in my skin (minus a sinus infection).  I was actually starting to convince myself maybe I was back down but boy I was hoping I wasn’t up more.  My weigh-in this morning is down 0.2 pounds.  Not as much as I wanted but I’ll take it.

I’ve done some reflecting as to where I was last year and feeling okay-ish.  This is a pretty big hit for my end of month weigh-in.  I have reminded myself that even though I was really up after July, dedication and focus to my WW program brought the scale back down so I will get there again!  I have two more months to end this year strong.

I enjoyed some pre-birthday festivities, including several meals out.  Last Wednesday, I invited Phoenix and Stacey over for an at-home beer tasting.  We tasted one pumpkin beer she picked up, one Oktoberfest beer I found at Trader Joes, and one pumpkin cider I also found at TJs.  All three were different but good and it was a great way to try them all at once.  We ordered my birthday pizza from Old Chicago but sadly it was undercooked and still raw.  Booooo!  I love pizza so it was a letdown.

Sunday I met up my gal pals (Stacey joined us too) for brunch at Huck House Brunchette.  The wait is long so you know it must be a good place.  I had a mimosa flight because I don’t think I’ll be back so I might as well try as many as I can!  The food was good, very large portions, and the service a bit slow.  We had a nice time getting together as it has been a while.

Afterwards, Phoenix and Stacey joined me at Telaya Winery for 2 for 1 wine flights as part of a promo from my real estate team.  It was delicious although my very favorite wine was not in this particular flight.  We also shared a glass of that too.

I went to dinner at my parents house that night to celebrate my birthday with Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and my brother Brandon.  Brandon made caramel apples and Mom and Dad made corned beef.  Oh yum!  I enjoyed every bite guilt free.

We still have two more birthday dinner’s to collect on Wednesday and Thursday, Carino’s and Tucanos.  I am looking forward to the food and the company as I finally get to spend time with Kenyon.  It has been a madhouse at work with so much overtime and so little downtime.  I was exhausted on Sunday evening and slept over 12 hours!  I would love to say I feel rested.

On my birthday I competed a virtual 5K as part of the Idaho Health Matters platform.  I split it up into three segments plus I couldn’t remember if it was 3.1 or 3.2 so I did a smidge extra.  Yeah for birthday activity and earning FitPoints!

I am also addicted to Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.  OMG.  Good thing pumpkin season is almost over and I didn’t learn of this until later in the season.  It is just simply amazing.

This Is 41

I posted on WW Connect my #facetofacefriday photo - Birthday Edition.  

Today I turn 41.

Today I am 100.6 pounds lighter than I was when I stepped into my local WW Studio almost 14 years ago.

Today I am healthier.

Today I am happier.

I have always loved my birthday.  The photo above was my birthday before I joined WW, taken October 2006.  I was in my first year with my career at Idaho State Police and had not yet met my husband.  I was living life with no complaints except one, I always struggled with my weight.  At 41, I am older and wiser and have experienced a whole life journey like none other.  

WW has given me a better quality of life.

I won’t be celebrating today as I work this evening.  I did some celebrating on Thursday, where The Homestead Bar & Grill gave me a free shot for my birthday.

I’ll be meeting up with my gal pals for a socially distance visit at Danielle’s house, which means we can use her garage for shelter and warmth.  With the drop in temps, we will be bundled up, wearing coats, and having a great time seeing our friends.  2020 has really put a wrench in life.  Let’s hope 2021 has better things in store.

Prost To 40 Party & Dawny's Visit

It feels good to be 40!

I had a great weekend and great birthday celebration.  Dawny landed from Spokane on Thursday evening.  I picked her up, then Kenyon, and we headed to dinner at Tucanos.  Oh…yummm… Dawny’s birthday is October 11^th so we had a belated celebration for her.

As I had shared yesterday, turning my sleep around from my previous graveyard shift was rough.  I was up for several hours during the night and running on very few hours of sleep, none of which was real quality.  Since Dawny is an early bird, I powered through so we could make the most of her vacation.  Friday we had breakfast at LePeep followed by a trip to Zurchers to pick up some balloons for the party.  I was pretty much squared away for my evening gathering so we spent the day at Indian Creek Plaza in Caldwell. 

I’ve not been down to the plaza in a while.  We walked around popping into Flying M Coffee and Good Spoon for some frozen yogurt.  We finished off with some pizza buffet at Flying Pie Pizza in Nampa.

I grabbed a quick nap and then it was time for party mode.  The Prost To 40 Oktoberfest Party was a blast.  What amped it up to the next level was jello shots that Stacey brought and peach schnapps that Patty brought.  My Mom and my Aunt Gerri did shots with us.  It was awesome.  I didn’t take many photos during the party though, darn it.

Sunday we had breakfast at Jo Mamma’s, which had the biggest pancakes ever.  We really loved our omelets and home fries too.

We headed to The Village to meet up with Phoenix and the kids for a truck or treat event.  Sadly, the weather on Saturday was windy and cold.  We wrapped that up and popped into some of the shops at the Village. 

Dawny left her “Spokane painted rock” for somebody to find.  We checked back later and it had been claimed.  So neat.

I had purchased us tickets to see Hocus Pocus as part of the Boise Classic Movies event at The Egyptian.  It is always a fun event since they have costume contests before the show.  The cutest little boy dressed as Edwards Scizzorhands won one of the prizes.  Too cute.  We met back up with Kenyon for dinner at Golden Corral and then proceeded to roll into bed and pass out.  I was exhausted.

With Dawny’s last day of vacation being Sunday, it was low key as it was another cold and windy day.  We went to breakfast at Sunrise Café and then hung out on the couch and visited.  We decided on lunch at Red Robin and dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. 

It was an excellent time and I am so glad Dawny was able to come visit.