Norway Adventures: Port of Call - Flam

Flam is exactly what you think Norway should look like, a small quant town surrounded by large cliffs. I learned from our tour guide what constitutes a fjord is a long narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs with was created by a glacier and filled with salt water. 

Our captain made an announcement the night before that we would enter into the UNESCO World Heritage Site at 5 a.m. and sunrise would be just after 7 a.m. I set my alarm and regretted it when I looked out the blinds into darkness. I re-set the alarm for 6 a.m., stepped on my balcony and could not believe the majestic views in front of me. 

It was amazing and the day only got better. 

We had two excursions, one on a bus to see waterfalls and one on the train. Both were enjoyable and highlighted the beauty of Norway. 

We also swung into a local brewpub before boarding the ship where we bumped into the Cruise Monkeys and some of our travel companions.  

Our scenic sailing that evening was delayed due to the need to rescue some passengers from an excursion which thankfully, no one was injured. The moon came up as we sail, but a change of plans the following day allow us to enjoy more of the beauty of Norway.

Catch up with our adventures in Stavanger here and aboard P&O Britannia here.

 It’s travel day!!

We woke up to a flight delay and have been re-booked at our connecting airport.  Sadly, we are now in the Southwest boarding group C for that second flight.  We are thinking we will use our upgrade as we need overhead bin for our carry-ons.  Travel days can be stressful but thankfully, we don’t have anything planned this evening and have plenty of time to catch our ship in a few days.

I am really excited to check out Dickens on the Strand and happy Wanda and Michael suggested this idea.  I am that type of friend that you can’t even suggest something because I am going to roll with it and have all the logistics set in a matter of hours. 

I am truly my BEST SELF when I am on vacation.  I was thinking about that recently when our Google home hub displayed one of my many travel memories.  I am genially so happy when we travel.  Okay, spoiler alert, sometimes I am cranky when we travel but…you get the idea.

More adventures to come…

Hello December: November Weigh-In Comes To An End

Good Afternoon and Happy Sunday.

Also, Welcome December.  Can you believe we are on the very last month of 2024?  This year has flown by and I am super stoked for our upcoming vacation, the Christmas holiday season, and then getting my act in gear for 2025! 

 

Let’s doooooo this!

 

OMG what a weekend of indulgences.  Since Thursday it has been non-stop extra food, alcohol, sweets, and going into the negative for my points.  Most nights I’ve also not slept well.  After being back on track for 26 days, my stomach felt all that extra high caloric food. 

 

With an unexpected gain at my end of November weigh-in, I am nervous to get on the scale this week.  I was hopeful that gain was temporary as I plan to do my December employee weigh-in on Tuesday.  With all my excess food, I’m not feeling very confident of a loss.  All this on the cusp of vacation….gah!!!  It has been a bit nervous.

 

As you can see, my month is not shaking out well.  This is the first time in a while I’ve ended the year higher than I began.  This is why I am planning to get my act in gear in 2025 for once and for all!

Weekly WI: Two Weeks Of Downward Progress

Good Morning!  Can you believe we are in our last week of November?  For a month that was less busy than October, it went fast.

 

I am on Day 19 of tracking for the month.  Consistency with tracking and meal planning directly correlates with a downward trend at the scale.  I had a nice size loss last week.

 

New in activity last week was following through with my goal of trying wall plates.  I completed 10 minutes of this YouTube video and plan to jump back in again this week. I also tried a new gym class at the YMCA.

 

On the social front last week, I drove to Jerome to pick up an item and planned my trip so I could stop into the Snake River Elks Lodge.  While in town, I also had plans to visit two breweries.  Sadly, I had to cut out one due to time but managed to have a delicious pumpkin ale at Milner’s Gate.

 

My visit to the Snake River Lodge was wonderful.  They were all so friendly.  I wished I had more time.  On the drive home, I had a little time to spare and visited the Mountain Home Elks Lodge.  They were a little more curmudgeon than other lodges I have visited.  That makes three Idaho lodges I have visited this year!  I plan to hit up three more and at least fill some of my Elks Roaming Passport.

 

On Thursday, my realtor team had their annual #Pie4Life meet-up where they gave us our Thanksgiving pie and a drink.  It was so nice to see them all and visit.  I just love Christina & Company.  The pies are from Crave Kitchen & Bar in Eagle.  This year they had an option of chocolate cream and pumpkin.  My chocolate cream is in the freezer waiting for our Thanksgiving dessert.

 

I’ll leave with you with a photo of my two new cute gnomes.  I got them for just $4 each!

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.