Life In General

How the heck is it almost June?

…and where have I been?

 

As usual, it has been a whirlwind of craziness these last few weeks.  I think I’ve been slightly depressed.  I chatted with my doctor about my new meds, and we will continue to give it time to see how things shake out.  I think overall I am less anxious with work stuff and getting along with my co-workers and team better so that is a WIN!

 

How has life been?  This image pretty much sums it up.

 

The reason I think I’ve been slightly depressed is that I just am not motivated to do anything.  I went out for a few days over the last few weeks for a walk but the energy for eating well and logging activity minutes is lacking.  BIG TIME!  I’ve also gained weight over the last few weeks.

 

With sad news to report, my father-in-law passed away.  He wasn’t well and we didn’t want him to linger.  We were able to celebrate his 90^th birthday in April.  We will travel to New Mexico soon for the funeral service.

The only other thing on my radar…vacations!

McCall - RV Life

It was four years ago we sailed on NCL Sun and in 95 days, we will sail her again.

 

Now, I’m not necessarily counting down but when I think about an exciting trip to Europe, new countries and small walkable port towns, I get excited.  Luckily, we have some other RV trips on the agenda to keep me entertained until August.

 

We took the RV to the McCall RV Resort, a G7 property which we had a two-night free stay as part of our RV van purchase.  It expired in June and since I’m keeping an eagle eye on my vacation balance, I convinced The Hubs to take a few days off mid-week.  It was so relaxing and I loved the downtime.

 

Our spot was on the river where we enjoyed lounging in our chairs watching the water, finish jumping, birds floating by, and lots of outdoor noises. 

 

We took a three-mile round-trip walk to town to visit two breweries, Salmon River Brewery and McCall Brewing Company.

 

After a rest and a nap, we visited Broken Horn Brewing Company since they weren’t open on Wednesday when we arrived.

 

The RV resort is near the airport which made plane spotting enjoyable.  On our walk we went right by a gate with a speaker for air traffic control.  We watched some planes land.

 

We stopped into Locking Horns Riverside Restaurant in Horseshoe Bend twice for their delicious burgers.  We brought a pie home from Volcanic Farms which was enjoyed on Mother’s Day.

 

In June, we will take the RV to Idaho Falls and in July to Hagerman where will kayak to Blue Springs. 

Coming Out The Other Side

 Holy Cow.  I was hit hard with a nasty virus/cold and after 12-days, I think I’m finally coming out the other side.  It has been rough y’all.  Real rough.

I was really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things after starting a low dose of generic Lexapro a couple of weeks ago.  Now, I’m not saying this is a magical pill but I was hoping it would make me start feeling “normal” again.  You know, maybe, get some energy back, be less tired, and just overall want to start working on my health and fitness again.  Then…WHAM!  This darn sickness came on like wildfire.  I had just been to a conference session on stress and burnout where the presenter talked about taking care of your body or your body will take care of itself.  I’ve been burning the candle at both ends and it finally caught up to me.

The good news is I’ve seen a loss on the scale for two weeks in a row.

 

This has lit a little fire under me to work harder at meals at home this week.  In addition to helping me focus on my points, we need to spend less money on eating out.  I had one planned social event and another after work today.  Other than that, I’ve been making meals at home and taking leftovers for lunch.  This chicken, green bean, and stuffing casserole was so easy and so good.

 

The hotel chain where we hold our Monday night Weight Watcher’s Workshop abruptly closed admit Chapter 7 bankruptcy.  I am now out of a gig on Monday nights and I feel so sad for my members.  My WW manager is working through logistics and will perhaps find another place. 

 

 

Where's Waldo

I feel like I’m in an episode of Where’s Waldo…

…Where’s Lindsay?

 

Oh boy, have I been neglecting this space for quite some time now.

 

I had my wellness visit with the general practitioner I established last year.  I found out I could cancel my visits with both the general practitioner at the OB office, I really liked her, and my endocrinologist, whom I hear may have moved to North Carolina.  I really liked him too but never really liked his staff.  In one doctor’s visit, I went from three doctors to one.  Not a bad set up!  Good thing I really like my new GP.

 

Last year we discussed some medication to manage anxiety.  I was struggling with some stress at work, and it started to manifest as panic attacks.  We agreed I’d give counseling a try and I really love my counselor.  I found a great fit and routinely check in with her bi-weekly.  I’m just still feeling “off” and I’ve been feeling that way for a while.  My doctor prescribed 10 mg of the generic for Lexapro. 

 

Bi-bolar runs deep in my family history and I don’t feel the lows as much as my siblings.  I do believe for a long time I have been functioning “high” a lot.  Manic phases got me manifest in the crazy impulsive stuff I do, probably because it is an escape from something I am avoiding.  I have always been a nail biter and for a while now I’ve been tearing apart my cuticles…. connected to anxiety. 

 

Lately, coming to work has felt daunting.  I’ve also been taking a lot of time off which makes coming back to work equally difficult.

 

It doesn’t help that I over-schedule myself and after a while, that “high” starts to feel too difficult to manage.  With limited commitments this week, and some cancelations (extra doctor’s visits) I spend time during my weekend (my days off are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) sleeping a lot and resting more.  I am also on day three of my new medication and feeling good.  I hope this is the turnaround point to getting my mojo back.

 

On a lighter note, we celebrated National Telecommunications Week!  Sunday was Hawaiian Day.

 

Today is pajama day.  It feels weird to be at work in lounge clothes and a robe.  I was watching a Hallmark movie and drinking my coffee before work.  I almost forgot I had to be responsible today!

Oh Boy...It's Been A Rollercoaster

Hello and Happy Easter Sunday!

 

We celebrated our Easter with a family brunch yesterday at Chuck A Rama.  I love that place and the breakfast offerings were good.  I had wished I didn’t eat as much so I could enjoy lunch when it came out.  Maybe another time.

 

Upon our return from New Mexico, I checked in on the scale to an unpleasant large gain of 2.4 pounds.  My heath score also took a BIG dive.

 

I have not been as on plan as I had originally planned.  My health score came back up…

 

…and back down.

 

I also celebrated 100 days of tracking!

 

My April Apple Watch Fitness goal is to walk at least 5 minutes three times this month.  I love this goal but it feels as if it is screaming at me…MOVE YOUR BODY! 

 

I had CPM class on Thursday and Friday where I wore my tennis shoes, packed my dress shoes, turned on the watch and walked every chance I had.  The goal has been met but I do plan to continue moving my body this month.

 

We are in a bit of limbo headed back to New Mexico this week for my father-in-law’s 90^th birthday.  We had planned this trip before we got ill.  Upon our return, it is time to really get back to the healthy habits that have made me successful.  Our next cruise vacation is in 130 days.  I had better get moving!

Family

I had to look back at the blog to determine when I was here last.  Oh my, how embarrassing!

Life has been…hectic.  We found out on St. Patty’s Day my father-in-law had gone to the hospital where he still remains today.  We decided on Sunday to hit the road in the RV and head east to New Mexico to support my in-laws.  We are hoping he will be moved to a skilled nursing home today.  

We celebrated St. Patty’s Day at the lodge followed by a busy week last week with lots of lodge events.

We split our dive up into three days, not originally planned but it is about a 16-ish hour drive from Idaho to New Mexico where we traveled through Utah and Colorado.  We stayed at the Provo, UT Elks Lodge, which was not open so sadly, I missed getting my Elks lodge pin.

My anniversary flowers made the 1,000 mile trek with us.  We celebrated 18 years on the 21st.

The next stop was Farmington, NM Elks Lodge.  We had three hours more to go and didn’t feel like pushing through.  The following morning we agreed this was a good decision.  The Lodge members were wonderful and I invited them on our Elks Group Cruise in September of 2027.

We drove into town for half priced burgers at an Irish Pub which also served sushi (odd choice).  When in NM, your burgers come with green chili.

The final trek brought us to Albuquerque.  We stopped for breakfast burritos in Cuba, NM and spent the night at a local RV park near my in-laws.

We were at the hospital all day yesterday and planned to be there again today.  We are hopeful the move will come soon and he can get some rehab.  It has been an interesting experience finding a place to park this RV around the hospital which is mostly parking garages.  Thankfully we didn’t get towed yesterday!

I’ll check back soon-ish!

I Think I’m A Bit Depressed

A few weeks ago, one of our troopers received an award.  Since he started his career as a dispatcher, the command staff were on the hunt for photos.  A prior co-worker found a photo taken at a work BBQ/picnic, many, many, moons ago.  I was lucky enough to be in the photo with Jeff.

 

I’ve been reflecting on this photo ever since and my thoughts are “why didn’t I work to protect my progress?”  I really took it for granted.

 

My Goal Anniversary is this month and in April is my Lifetime Anniversary. 

 

Prior to the last few weeks, I was feeling really energized and motived to finally kick some of these extra pounds.  I really want to get back into the 220s.  Sadly, while small, I’ve gained over the last three weeks.  This week will be a large gain as I’ve been very sociable.

 

I also think I’m a bit depressed this week.

 

I was chatting with a member via text.  While I’m not where I was when I reached goal, I have kept off 77 pounds and for that, I am proud of my accomplishments. 

 

I spend a lot of time feeling down about my weight loss journey and those types of thoughts are not self-serving.

Weekly WI: Lots Of Fun Stuff

Life has been rippin’ and roarin’ at a fast pace!  Thankfully I have been able to balance my social outings with healthy eating which has kept the weight gain on the low side.  Despite having a gain the last two weeks (0.6 two weeks ago and 1.0 pounds last week), I am feeling good and my body feels different.  Smaller maybe?  Hard to say, I did just buy bigger jeans…and some shapewear…

We signed paperwork on a second mortgage so we could get out from under US Bank on our RV loan.  In turn, we also got a lower interest rate with better terms and a smaller payment.  All this means with our extra payments, we hope to have the RV paid off in seven years…or sooner if we can just snag one jackpot hit at the casino!

Phoenix and I attended a silent disco at Good Apple Taphouse.  These events are always hit-miss depending on the crowd and the DJ.  We had a great time.

I successfully coordinated an Elks event called Warm Welcome to the Nampa Public Library.  It was a reading hour combined with passing out warm clothing which was purchased as part of our Spotlight Grant.  We supplied so many needed clothing items to our community members.  The event was a success and we are looking forward to growing our partnership with the local library.

I had a mini girls weekend staycation where Phe and I spent the night at Wanda’s house as her husband was out of town.  We visited two wineries and built terrariums at a local shop called Wood & Root.  We also tried a new brewery in town.

The only other excitement is booking travel and waiting or warmer temps to arrive, which we have had a mild winter.  I’ll recap all our upcoming travel soon.  When I don’t have much to do…I obsess about travel!