Norway Adventures: Port of Call - Stavanger

Our first Port of Call was Stavanger.

Our day in Stavanger was overcast but the rain held off most of the day with was great.  Our plans included the hop on hop off bus and walking around town.

 

My first stop was Starbucks.  I was missing a good cup of coffee and mostly, I was missing cream/half-and-half.  Europe doesn’t put half-and-half in their coffee, instead skim milk.  I was desperate for coffee, which the Stavanger Starbucks didn’t have cream other than what they use for whip cream.  Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do!  Since my luggage was already packed to the brim, my only souvenirs were a Starbucks mug and a cute set of earrings I found in town.

 

Our bus took us to the Swords in the Rock. Per Wikipedia, Sverd i fjell (English: Swords in Rock) is a commemorative monument. The three bronze swords stand 10 metres (33 ft) tall and are planted into the rock of a small hill next to the fjord. They commemorate the historic Battle of Hafsjord which took place there in the year 872, when King Harald Fairhair gathered all of Norway under one crown. The largest sword represents the victorious Harald, and the two smaller swords represent the defeated petty kings. The monument also represents peace, since the swords are planted into solid rock, so they may never be removed.

 

Our next top was a visit to the Petroleum Museum where we wondered around for several hours.

 

From the museum we walked back to town among the adorable cobblestone streets in search of a brewery which appeared to no longer be in business. 

 

We debated grabbing a bite to eat or a beer at a local pub but with the expensive prices and the start of rain, we decided to return to the ship instead. What a small quaint town for my first visit to Norway. 

You can read about our adventures in Southampton and aboard P&O Britannia here <=

Weekly WI: The Comeback

Good Morning!  Happy Saturday.  This has been a busy week so let’s rewind…

 

I’m on an 11-day tracking streak and tempted to keep it going until our December vacation.  We are anxiously awaiting news if the Regal Princess makes it off the dock in Galveston, TX tomorrow.  Princess has had to cancel the last three sailings due to a fire in the engine room.  We are still three sailings until we board for our cruise so all we can do is wait.

 

I was conjuring up all the positive vibes as I drank out of my NCL cruise mug.

 

Weekly WI was a success!  My goals last week were tracking, movement, and water.  Dawny and I are working together as accountability partners.  The plan this week is the same as last.

 

I had a social outing on Wednesday where I met my parents at the Warhawk Museum in Nampa for a talk by a DUSTOFF pilot.

 

My Uncle Jim was a DUSTOFF pilot, so we stopped by to see him.

 

We also said hello to Cousin Gene.

 

My parents joined me later for a meet-up with Stacey at Syringa Lounge in Nampa.  This is a coffee by day, cocktails by night venue.  We took part in Whiskey Wednesday along with trying a few other delicious cocktails.

 

Sadly, I was down with a stomach bug the following day.  Even though I don’t think the whiskey was to blame, my stomach still turns thinking about it!  Thankfully just a 24-hour bug as I do not enjoy being nauseous and uncomfortable all day.

 

I’m not sure if I will engage in some social eating and drinking this even with the Boise State game.  If we do, I have several weekly points left.  What helped last week we meal planning some crockpot meals a couple times a week, so I’ll follow through with that over the next few days.  It is a lot easier to focus on healthy habits when you plan.

Weekly WI: All Fun Things Must Come To An End...Temporarily

I’ve learned after the month of October that a diet consisting of beer and Halloween candy does not fit well with my Weight Watchers program.  I think that means it is time for the fun to come to and end…

 

…but only for a little while as I’ve got another cruise vacation on the horizon. 

 

I skipped the scale last week making it two months in a row of not really wanting to see my ending number on the scale.  My monthly calendar is quite sad as of late, especially when you see the trajectory of my October weigh-ins.  This is all on top of still hanging onto September vacation weight gain.  I am up 9 pounds since end of August.

 

I feel it in my pants and I see it when I get dressed in the morning.  Plus, I constantly feel like a failure to my WW members.  How I ask them to work on goals when I am not focused on mine??  My bestie gal Dawny and I are committed this week to tracking, movement, and water consumption. 

 

So far, the week is going well.

Tracking has been on point for two days, three if you count today but it has only begun.  It has been a tough week for getting back on track as I’ve been at the Elks Lodge for a good portion of it and the temptations are a ‘plenty.  Those ladies love to feed you!  I even tracked and managed my high point days and meals out the last couple of days.

Movement has been slower.  I went for a nice log walk on Wednesday before doing some bar training at the Elks.  My feet were killing me when I got home.  Yesterday, I did a full bar shift from opening to closing and my legs and feet were absolutely wrecked afterwards.  Bartending is hard on the body!  So, no formal activity on Thursday.  Today, I am headed back to the lodge to volunteer during the Veterans Dinner.  So, another day of no schedule movement but I’ll be getting in my steps!  I’ll focus on getting back to scheduled movement on Saturday and Sunday after work workday finishes.

 

Water isn’t a challenge for me as it is for Dawny but it is always nice to remember to hydrate this time of year.  (pauses typing to take a drink of water).

 

It feels good to be back on track and I am ready for more room to breathe as my jeans are tight.  I’ve only got a few weeks to our next vacation, but I can’t stress about that.  I just need to stay committed to tracking and movement while managing splurges in the middle.