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!

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!

Weekend #3 Of FUN - Oktoberfest & Sip Idaho

I thought I had checked in earlier this week.  It has been a doozie…last week I worked a 63.8-hour work week and this week I am finishing a 48-hour work week.  It has been a lot and exhausting.  I am hanging in there and looking forward to Saturday off (for more fun…)

 

Pardon my absence.

 

Last weekend’s fun started on Thursday with an impromptu visit to Buffalo Wild Wings for their BOGO cheeseburgers for National Cheeseburger Day.  They had $10 Sam Adams Oktoberfest in their liter mugs, and you all know I am sucker for a big beer mug.  I was packed and we should have dined elsewhere the minute we walked in.  None-the-less, BWW is always delicious.

 

Friday night after work we attended the Sippin’ In The Sunset event at Huston Vineyards.  I had not been to their outdoor venue, and we had a great time.  The musician was good, but the wine selection was lacking.  They discouraged bringing your own food because they had a food truck, but I would have preferred to bring my own picnic. 

Saturday was packed with two events.  First up, Oktoberfest at Payette Brewing.  I got sucked into ordering two of their 20 oz beer mugs but only planned one beer token since I had the Sip Idaho Event a few hours later.  Their festive atmosphere was enjoyable as it always is and packed with large crowds.  They re-organized the event, which worked well.

 

That evening, I met Stacey for Sip Idaho.  This was our first year attending and while the $65 entry ticket is steep, it was fantastic!  We were at the Galaxy Event Center in one of the event rooms where you tasted unlimited samples of spirits, cocktail mixers, and canned cocktails.  There were appetizers, live music, and giveaways.  We had so much fun, and boy did those small bits of alcohol add up over the course of two and a half hours.  Thank goodness, for designated drivers!

 

I have one more weekend of fun to go…I promise I’ll also swing in with a weigh-in update as I did my scale check-in last Tuesday. 

Weekend #2 Of FUN - Wedding On Bald Mountain

I attended the most beautiful wedding on top of Bald Mountain in Ketchum to celebrate an amazing couple.

 

Sierra and I worked together at ISP dispatch.  Mike is one of our troopers.  After hearing each other’s voices over the radio for many years, the two met, fell in love, and have built a beautiful life together with the addition of their cutie pie daughter.  It was a pleasure to be able to share this special occasion with them, their family, and their close friends.

 

The welcome party was Thursday at Sawtooth Brewery in Ketchum.  This was a fabulous idea as it provided an extra opportunity to meet family and friends and connect with friends I already knew.  It made the wedding feel extra special to feel like you know many guests.

 

We had beer, food, and ice cream provided by one of the groomsmen who owns a Stella’s Ice Cream location in Boise.

 

We stayed at the Meadows RV Park and while this was only our third experience staying at an RV park, it was our first arriving to find our reserved spot was already taken.  Grrrr….I hope this isn’t the norm.  While I was prepared to go to battle with the person who took our spot, the camp host had us relocate to another open spot.  It was a good location, just very close neighbors and very small spots.  We appreciated the full hook-ups.

 

The wedding was at 5pm which meant we had the whole day Saturday to relax.  Since we had to unhook to go anywhere, we stayed at the RV park for most of the day except venturing into town to see if SCOTTeVEST, had a store front/showroom.  Since they didn’t, we continued on foot to Warfield Distillery & Brewery for a pretzel (amazing) and a pint.  I can’t wait to try their aged gin later this week at a liquor event.

 

We arrived at the wedding venue, River Run Day Lodge, greeted by a mariachi band. 

 

At the base of the mountain, we found a set and enjoyed a beverage while we waited to ride the gondola to the top of Bald Mountain.  I was so excited to learn the wedding ceremony would take place on the mountain and had hoped all day for decent weather.  As luck would have it…we made it to the top.

 

The ceremony was beautiful.  The vows…the scenery…the bride & groom.  Oh man I wish I could go back and do it all over again.  It was all amazing.

 

We had a cocktail party at the Roundhouse where the band continued to entertain us as we had passed appetizers and drinks.

 

The reception was held at the base of the mountain and after riding the gondola back down, we had a seated dinner, drinks, cake, dancing, and late-night pizza.  Every aspect was well thought out and had a personal touch from the bride & groom.  There were even a couple outfit changes!  Wow.  I am still in awe at this beautiful occasion and could pinch myself for being invited to attend.

Weekly WI: Down This Month. Yippie!

Hello and Happy Wednesday!  I am on my last swing overtime shift (4pm-2am shift) for the month of July and I’m super happy about that.  I signed up to help cover the abundance of overtime on the night shift team due to staffing issues.  Hopefully the month of August runs smoother.  I also didn’t sign up for any late overtime shifts next month.

 

Anyway…on to Weekly WI.  My commitment to my WW program paid off and I lost 2.2 pounds this week.  I am also lower than last month and down for the year.  Hallelujah!

 

With our overnight RV trip to Fort Hall and Idaho Falls, I would still like to keep the momentum going.  It will be a couple days of high point meals, and I am brainstorming ideas to help keep me somewhat in-check.  The biggest win will be balancing the high point days within the rest of my week.  Which is what I did last week.

 

My Friday, my planned high point day, I was in the negative for weekly points.  Not as high of a negative balance as the week prior.  I noticed that if I went over my daily points, since I didn’t have a weekly points budget to cover the overage, it showed me “out of budget” for the day.  While this did bother me a little since my goal was to be in budget more than out, when I look at my macros, I was happy with the daily results.

 

Here is Saturday’s points/macros.

 

Here is Sunday.

 

I was happy with where my total calories ended each day.  Sometimes you must look at different numbers to gain a different perspective.

 

On Tuesday evening, I met my friend Janet at Jaialdi in downtown Boise where she completed in the Pilota games.  It was fun to watch, and I wish the game had gone longer.  Since I am working overtime tonight, I will miss her game this evening.  The men’s team did amazing, and the game went so long.  

While I was on the Basque Block, I got a chorizo and an order of croquetas.  Mmmmm….

 

I am focused on the same goals as last week again this week:

·       Activity.

·       Water before coffee.

·       Meal planning/eat at home more.