Reading

George read the whole Harry Potter this past week, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We actually bought it together yesterday after church, and he finished it around midnight! I don't know how he does it! I hope to start it soon, but have three books in the works. I'd like to finish at least one of them soon. :)

Ankles in the Afternoon

Had a humorous conversation at breakfast at the Rice House this morning. We were talking about the effects of salt in the diet, and how the low-sodium aspect of our Rice Diet has helped us. A. exclaimed that she had ankles in the afternoon now! Of course, we all new what she meant. Between the sodium and diabetes, my ankles used to be swollen in no time, and now they're normal looking. Everyone at the table laughingly thought that "Ankles in the Afternoon" sounded like a snappy book title.

More unpacking

I unpacked another box at the apartment last night, a box marked "papers." I found some interesting things, including the discharge instructions from Duke Hospital last July 30, almost a year. The list of medications I left the hospital with, wow! George said I should frame it! :-P

Meanwhile, I've been reading the book Smart Couples Finish Rich by David Bach, inspired by George and me moving in together last month. Right now I'm just reading it for myself, seeing what works and what George and I might want to do in the future in terms of our finances. Last night I made a list of five financial goals for the next year, after reading the idea in the book. Seems like a no-brainer to have financial goals for the next year, right? Hadn't done it. So, now I've got a list and a game plan, which feels good!

Campus

Although summer school is still in session, I'm already looking forward to the fall semester. The biggest news is that my niece, L., is coming to school here, moving into her dorm in less than a month! I'm seeing the campus a little differently now, wondering what she'll think when she finally lands and starts walking around, taking classes, etc. I hope she likes it here.

Although the campus is peaceful during the summer sessions, I miss the hustle and bustle of activity on the quad that occurs during the school year. I also miss the student-run newspaper, which comes out 5 days a week furing the academic year, but only once a week for the first summer session only.

Meanwhile, I've been working on my own work area lately, dusting off problems and trying to deal with them. It feels good to be getting my ducks in a row.

By my bed....

Last night I started reading John Kerouac's On the Road. It seems like a perfect summer reading book, especially since I've stayed close to home this summer. I've checked out a stack of classics from the library to read over the next few weeks, and am looking forward to each one. Of course, I'll take a break from the stack at hand when I get my hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Speaking of time.....

I actually decided to stop reading a book this morning! I mean, I don't care to pick it back up again at all. I may change my mind later, but right now it's just not worth my time. I feel a little strange rejecting a book...ususally I try to plow through a book once I've started it, but I've decided time's too precious!

It's liberating to thing about what I'll pick up to read in its place! I've added the Books application to my Facebook profile to help me keep track of my "to read" list, and that's been fun.

Where Does Time Go?

I've been hyperaware of time lately, or, more specifically, how I use mine. There's so much to do, both at work and at home, plus time with George, family, etc. Plus there are all the things I'd like to take up new, like knitting, a new musical instrument, a new foreign language. I know that setting priorities is key. Right now I feel a little tired and drained, so I'm coasting a bit, making sure I get the key things done, but otherwise taking it a little easy. I've been reading more, which is definitely on my to-do list.

I hope I'll have a better sense of where my time should go in the weeks ahead. I think I need enough down time to rest, then think.

No television

George and I haven't plugged in either television since we moved two and a half weeks ago. The cable guy is coming this Saturday, but the TVs will be in each of our separate rooms, not in the living room, and not in the master bedroom. It's been nice not having the TV as a distraction. I've been able to take care of more "things," of which there have been plenty, and I'm reading more, which is GREAT.

On the flip side, I do miss watching the news as a quick way to stay informed. I've been thinking about subscribing to a local newspaper, or to something like Time or Newsweek, to stay on top of things a little better.

Explorations Over Vacation

I enjoyed having some time to explore my new apartment surroundings while on vacation last week. There are some convenient things nearby, but some of my "comfort zone" places are still a hike, which is something I'm still getting used to.

Although not exactly nearby, I drove to Cary to scope out the new Trader Joe's there. Although it's not where I'd be able to take care of all my shopping needs, it's got some unique goodies. I bought a couple of tubes of honey mango shaving cream that smells yummy!

I've rediscovered books on tape (ok, CD) with my added commute, and now I look forward to getting into the car. What a great invention!

Books Finished on Vacation

Rethinking Thin: the New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting, by Gina Kolata

I enjoyed reading this book, though it didn't mention the Rice Diet, and it was, overall, a bit discouraging about dieting, really. The book mentions a lot of obesity/diet studies over the decades, as well as a more recent study at Penn of Atkinds vs. low-calorie dieters over two years. According to the book, most people who lose any amount of weight gain it back. Yeesh! How can I beat the odds?

Leaving Church: a Memoir of Faith, by Barbara Brown Taylor

I just learned of Taylor recently, although apparently she's a popular read among some mainstream church-going circles. Having considered going into the ministry myself, I really enjoyed reading about her journey to and from the pulpit.

End of Vacation

I'm nearing the end of my vacation week, returning to work on Monday. I've savored the R & R, while maintaining a normal Rice Diet meal schedule (though I took some of my meals to go) as well as my usual exercise routine (though I really didn't get any extra exercise in as I'd hoped). I spent a fair amount of time learning my way around our new area a little better, and took care of some of the more responsible stuff, like getting a fresh driver's license with the new address, stuff like that. I also took my share of naps (a luxury) and actually finished reading a couple of books (a treat). :-D

I also decided to sign up to take some computer classes through Wake Tech Community College. I have to get my transcipts over there, but once that's all done, I hope to be able to sign up for an online class or two for the fall semester.

Getting settled in

George and I are getting settled into our new apartment, bit by bit. We're having some drama with our washer and dryer, or lack thereof, which has put a bit of a damper on things. But I'm enjoying the place, even with walking up and down thw two flights of stairs to our third floor apartment. (Could be worse, plus the extra exercise is good!)

The towhee family seems to have flown the coop, I mean nest. I miss being able to watch them.

I'm enjoying the time off from work, though it hasn't been much of a vacation. I've been taking care of business-y things, like changing addresses on my car registration and drivers license. Today I was able to get a new library card for our "new" county, and that was kinda fun. That library system seems very good, and I was able to check out several books on CD for my new commute.

One of our new neighbors

As we were unpacking yesterday, George looked out one of our windows and notice a mama bird in its nest! It was so sweet to watch! Some of our Covenant Group from ERUUF were over heloing us unpack, and one person recognized it as a tohwee.

All moved in

George and I moved this weekend, and it's soooo good to have that behind us! We still have his apartment to get cleaned up, but I think that will be fine. We really like our new place, though we're both still a bit sore. We had some great help both Saturday and Sunday, in addition to the professional movers on Saturday. It was a great day for moving. The morning was pretty pleasant, though it did warm up a bit.

I'll write more later....

New apartment

George and I signed the lease to our new apartment this morning! There have been a few glitches, such as having to change addresses (the people in our original apartment couldn't move out as their house fell through) and our washer and dryer not being delivered until late next week. We're glad to have the papers signed. Now we just have to finish packing and move.

Our washer and dryer won't be moved in until next Friday, the 29th, a bit of a pain! And now we're on the third floor instead of the second. But that means we'll just get more exercise, right?

Our new apartment is pretty and spacious. I can't wait to set up house there!! George and I still have some negotiating to do in terms of furniture placement and decorating, but I think it'll all work out.

"I Say, You Think" Meme

I've been exploring the idea of adding memes to my blog periodically, and decided to dive in this morning. This first one is a word association that looked like fun.

1. bug: big
2. red: flag
3. traffic: Interstate 40
4. apple: red
5. sexy: self-confident
6. book: work (which I like!)
7. roller coaster: Where?!
8. hippie: tie-dye
9. weekend: Yippee!
10. chocolate: Three Musketeers

Running Group

I'm planning to join a running group Saturday morning at Umstead State Park, and I'm excited about it. Of course, I'm a little worried about being able to keep up, but I keep telling myself to show up and do my best, and take it from there. The group will start with three miles on Saturday, which is almost my max distance right now, and build on that, which seems perfect for me. Since we'll be running on a trail I've never been on before, maybe I should leave a breadcrumb trail in case I do bring up the rear!

Quote of the Day

"The most successful people are those who are good at plan B." James Yorke

McLamb Reunion

I went to a McLamb Family Reunion over in Dunn today. I had fun seeing the people I know, and enjoyed meeting some new people. This particular branch of the family tree isn't my direct one, but it's fun to be invited to this gathering on an annual basis. It's made me want to get my own branch of McLambs organized and together for a reunion. I need to get another computer up and running to do that....a goal for the new apartment! I do miss doing genealogy.

What I'm Reading

Right now I'm working on Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies. It's an autobiography of Lamott's spiritual journey, and it's been a joy to read so far. She has an interesting way of putting words together, and I'm enjoying reading about another Christian's journey that's unconventional and more liberal. I've been thinking a lot about my own spiritual journey lately, and how it's changed over the years. Being at ERUUF has hightened my awareness that I'm a bit in flux these days, and I'm trying to find my way. Sometimes I feel adventurous about my spiritual journey, and sometimes I feel out of sorts and uncomfortable. It's better than being stagnant, though.

Memorial Day

George and I find ourselves in town this weekend, doing some packing, but mostly taking it easy. It's a nice change of pace, and the down time is much needed before the busy month ahead. I'll be glad to see July 1 come around.

I've signed up for another 5K, this one this coming Saturday. I'm looking forward to the change in exercise routine, and can't wait to see if I can improve my time. The last time I ran a 5K race, I finished in 46 minutes, 30 seconds. I think I can top 45 minutes, for sure. How close I get to 40 minutes probably depends, in part anyway, on how hilly the course is.

Packing

George came over and helped me with some packing last night. We made progress, though not as much as we'd hoped. (I'm realizing just how much stuff I actually have! Yikes!) Tonight we're going to work on his place some. We're hoping this weekend brings a big packing push for both of us.

What I'm Reading

At the moment, I'm enjoying the book, Courting Trouble, by Lisa Scottoline. It's a legal mystery, and is a pretty fast read, nice for almost-summer, especially with the stress in other areas of my life. It's a nice escape. I'll probably finish it this week and return it to the light reading paperback shelves here at the library. Time to start weeding through my own bookshelves at home and see what I need to return to the library, or pass along to others, or save. I love books, and in time I'd love to have a room dedicated to books in my home.

Vesak

My friend, Suttee, invited us to the Buddhist temple she attends in Knightdale, near Raleigh to see the Vesak festival today. It was held outdoors, which Buddhist monks, nuns, and dancers, plus lunch beforehand. All of it was really fascinating to me! There was a lot of traditional music (Suttee told us it was Thai music), and the flowers, flags, and other decorations were very colorful--yellows, blues, reds. I'm so glad Suttee invited us to join her.

Catching Up with Friends

Last evening I tried to call my former co-worker, Aura, who's moved to California. Yesterday was her birthday! I didn't get hold of her, but it was kinda nice to hear her voice on her cell phone voice mail message. I left her a message.

After that, I decided to call an old Toastmasters buddy, Alice. We met at the Bull City ToastMasters several years ago, and realized last night that it's probably been about three years since we've seen each other. She has since has a baby, and doesn't have time for Toastmasters right now. I don't either, but have been thinking about going back. Anyway, it was great to catch up with Alice (it has been about 9 months since we'd talked!), and we hope to get together after my move.

Cleaning

Last night I tackled the bathroom, cleaning out the linen/supply closet, as well as underneath the sink. That was a good job to get out of the way! It was good to consolidate supplies and toss old stuff. Lord knows WHEN I'd swept out the bottom of that closet. ANd how did I get so many hairbands?! At least they're all together now.

I need to keep chipping away at my apartment. Wonder room(s) what I'll work on tonight...fun, fun! It is nice to have the motivation of moving to get me going on this sort of thing. I'm sooo excited about our new place!

Half Marathon in Charlotte!

I've just discovered a half marathon (Thunder Road Marathon/Half Marathon) in Charlotte in early December that would be a neat thing to do! I've been thinking about doing one in October or November, but this would give me a little more time to train and lose weight, plus it would be a great birthday present for myself!

Beautiful Day!

I just had lunch outside, and it's a beautiful day here in Durham! It did my spirits good to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine from a table outside of the library, underneath a big umbrella.

This evening I'm having dinner with a friend I met back on New Year's Eve. We really hit it off when we met, but haven't been able to coordinate getting together until now.

Date Night

George and I went to see Spider Man 3 last night at the theater at Brier Creek Commons. It's a nice, fairly new theater. The movie was pretty good, but long, nearly 2.5 hours.

Tomorrow is, of course, Mother's Day. It's also Graduation Day at Duke. I often get pensive during this time, especially since I've been back at Duke. The other night, I caught up with my sister, Lisa, on the phone, and she asked me what I'd do differently in college if I had it to do over. It was an interesting question, one I've actually thought about already. I'd want to study more, have more fun, meet more people, sink my teeth into a cause.

End of an Era

George and I were just planning a date night tonight, and were thinking about the Starlite Drive-in in Durham, I checked the website when the movie listing didn't come up on Yahoo Movies, and it turnes out the drive-in is closed, maybe for good! The owner died unexpectedly! :-( George and I have had several fun dates there. I enjoyed this write-up about the Starlite on the "Big Blog."

Butterflies!

We had our final Junior League meeting of the "year" last night, and it was held at the Museum of Life and Science. One of the highlights for me was being able to go through the Butterfly House. I saw some beautiful butterflies, some flying around and others hanging from branches, appearing to be sleeping. It was neat! I hear it's also really pretty when it's sunny outside, that the butterflies tend to be more active during a sunny day.

I also enjoyed catching up with Hallie and some others at the meeting last night.

Airport

Last night George and I had an unexpected trip to the RDU Airport to pick up a friend and take her home to Raleigh. One of the nice things about it, though, was realizing how close we are to the airport. Close enough, but not too close. :)

I'm sleepy today due to the late night, could use a long, cozy nap!

More shredding

This weekend I did more bill shredding, and was able to get rid of several bags of trash. It's a relief to feel like I'm getting my financial house in order, especially since G. and I are moving in together. Moving to a new apartment has me thinking all the more about buying a home and other financial goals, both short- and long-term.

Weekend happenings

Yesterday George and I went by our new apartment complex to get some more info and see where, exactly, our apartment is going to be. It was fun to see. We also found the nature trail, walked along for a bit and enjoyed the bench swing and gazebo.

Last night we went to the minister's house for a night of grilling and games. It was something I bid on at the annual auction earlier this year. We got to meet some people we didn't know before, and it was a good time! Glad we went.

What's My Ideal Career?

I took a little quiz on BlogThings, and the results are below. Not surprising, considering I used to be a teacher, and now I'm a librarian.

Your Career Type: Social

You are helpful, friendly, and trustworthy. Your talents lie in teaching, nursing, giving information, and solving social problems. You would make an excellent: Counselor - Dental Hygienist - Librarian Nurse - Parole Officer - Personal Trainer Physical Therapist - Social Worker - Teacher The worst career options for your are realistic careers, like truck driver or farmer.

What's Your Ideal Career?

Pondering New Goal

I'm thinking about signing up for the Rex Healthcare Half-Marathon in Raleigh on November 4th. I would be a big stretch for me, but I think I'd make a lot of progress toward my fitness and weight loss goals with the extra push. Thinking about it gives me baby butterflies, but makes me enough excited to overcome the butterflies. It's 6 months from tomorrow! Race info says I'd need to be able to finish in 3.5 hours. Wow.

Balance

I'm hyper-aware of balance in my life these days, juggling many things at work, the Rice Diet, exercise, time with George, time to myself, and now the process of getting ready to move. Yikes! Feeling a little overwhelmed! I have started making lists to help me with all the tasks, and that's helping some. Other things that will help: continuing to exercise, making an extra effort to get enough sleep, and getting better organized.

A Benefit of Cleaning

Last night, as I was cleaning out a magazine rack in my bedroom, I found the phone number of an old friend of mine from High Point who has moved to Vermont. I decided to call and see if she was still at that number, and she is! It was so much fun to catch up with Ann! She sounded good, and content, and happily married.

It's a good feeling to throw away old clutter and catch up with an old friend, all in the same night.

The Secret

I finished reading Rhonda Byrne's The Secret over the weekend. The DVD has been played several times at the Rice House, but it always happens on a Monday night when I have another commitment, so I nabbed the book from the New & Noteworthy bookshelves at work. Well, It was a pretty interesting read! It's about the Law of Attraction, a lot of positive thinking, "what you think about, you bring about." Parts of the book made it seem pretty simplistic, leaving out some steps between the positive thinking and the new Jaguar or the million dollars. But I can definitely see that there's SOMETHING to it.

Insights on Apartment Hunting

George and I have had an interesting time apartment hunting. In addition to learning our way around this side of the Triangle a little better, I also learned more about myself, George, and our relationship as a couple. It's been interesting, too, to see the different levels of customer service at the different complexes. Part of what sold me on the place we've chosen was the attentiveness, patience, and attitude of the front office staff. We applied at two places that never called us back. One place just cashed my application check yesterday, and we applied a week and a half ago! At the other place, the woman kept acting put (with a breathy "uhh"), and kept talking about how they may have a possible eviction so that a place could open up for us. At yet another place, the lady directed everything at George, at least until we straightened her out, tactfully but with straightforwardness,

At our new place, they were helpful all along the way, and called us in less than 24 hours to let us know we were approved. It's really nice knowing!

By the way, there's a Lowe's Foods nearby our new apartment complex that sells Red Raspberry Diet Rite! Yippee!! The grocery store near me doesn't have that flavor anymore, and I've missed it.

Moving in June

George and I have been approved for our new apartment, and will be moving in June! We're so excited! It's a very nice apartment complex, and our apartment will be much bigger than we're used to. It's in a nice area as well, convenient to shopping and what not. It'll be a longer commute for both of us, but not by too much. Picture to the above, more later!

Apartment Hunting

George and I spent more time on apartment hunting. It's interesting to do this together, as a couple, planning to move in together. It's taken our relationship to a different level, as it should! Our favorite is actually on the Durham/Wake County line, very close to Brier Creek. More to come!

Finding Balance

I've had shorter gym workouts the past couple of mornings that have allowed me to get into work earlier. It's been nice getting to work earlier and getting my workday off to an earlier start, but I'm missing the accomplishment of a full hour's workout to start my day. I've been a little tired since an extra busy Monday, so I need to make sure I get enough rest as well. It's a big balancing act, and I'm still searching for the best way.

High School Reunion

I went to my 25th high school reunion at St. Mary's in Raleigh on Saturday. There were about a dozen from my class there, and it was fun to see them and walk around campus. I wish more had shown up, but it was great to see the ones who were there. Since then, it's had me reflecting on where I've been, where I'm heading, and where I want to go.

A New Spiritual Practice

I've been thinking about ways to cultivate my spirituality as I find my way at ERUUF and in life in general, and a new spiritual practice fell into my lap about a month ago. As I've menioned before, I got an iPod for my last birthday, and I few weeks back I discovered a number of sermons from Duke Chapel on Yahoo Podcasts. I've enjoyed listening to the sermons by a variety of preachers (one of the nice things about Duke Chapel), and several of them have really spoken to me, given me some things to thing about. Today I found some sermons from the First Unitarian Society of Madison, the largest Unitarian-Universalist congregation in the US, on iTunes, so I loaded them, but haven't had time to listen to them yet.

I've found that listening to the sermons during my exercise routine can be an interesting spiritual exercise (depending on the sermon, of course!). Whether I'm on the elliptical machine or out walking, listening to the words is better than television, and the length (about 20 minutes on average) is just about right for my attention span, then I'm ready for some music or another podcast. But for those 20 minutes, I often become a little more in tune with my inner self, all while working on my outer self. It's an interesting feeling, for sure! It's a way to get fed spiritually, though, as I'm changing my physical eating habits. This is already helping me on my spiritual path

Duke news

The remaining allegations against the former Duke lacrosse players were dropped yesterday...at least that's when the news broke. I'm relieved that the main issues have been resolved, but damage has already been done. The boys' lives have certainly been changed forever, that's for sure. Allegations aside, I do think they used poor judgement by having the party with the underage drinking and the stripper, and the repurcussions of their actions have had ripple effects across the university as well as the city. I hope some good things come from this in the long run.

The news trucks are back on campus, though not as many as this time last year, and just in time for Reunion Weekend (again). Speaking of which, I hope to see cousin Cynthia sometime over the course of the next week.

George and I

Last Sunday, Lee, an acquaintance at ERUUF (church), took my picture to put with the other pictures of new Pastoral Listeners. George was with me, so she took a picture of the two of us. This one was my favorite!

Weekend Adventures

Saturday, George and I went apartment-hunting all over Durham on Saturday. We haven't made a decision yet, still trying to hash it out. One of my projects for the week is to make a chart and fill in info about each apartment to help with the decision-making.

I'll be happier when we can do this about buying a home.

Yesterday we went to ERUUF for Easter. It wasn't quite like the Easter services I grew up with and miss, but I did join the choir for singing the "Hallelujah Chorus" as the choral postlude. That was an uplifting experience for me!

More cleaning

This weekend I did more cleaning and purging as I think about this summer's move. It's a great feeling to clear things out, and in the mean time it's a walk down Memory Lane. Yesterday I came across a bunch of pictures that need to do in photo albums at some point, pictures that included my years of teaching 1st and 2nd grades, my cross country trip with Lisa, Mom, Laura, and Emily, trips that my friend Donna and I took to Wilmington and Savannah, beach trips to Pine Knoll Shores with my family, my friend Anne's wedding in High Point, a trip to Maine for my cousin Christina's wedding, and a trip George and I made to the North Carolina mountains. It was a lot of fun to look through all those photographs, eventhough it slowed down my cleaning a little!

Blog name change

I've decided to update the title of my blog, partly on a whim (is that a good idea?!)! One of the new tunes I've added to my iPod is "The Time of Your Life," sung by Randy Newman, from the movie "A Bug's Life." It's a charming song for a cute movie, and the song's chorus is sort of a new mantra for me, a reminder to continue on my path to treat my body and soul better, to remember that anything worth doing is worth doing well, and to continue to connect with friends and family.

It's the time of your life
So live it well
It's the time of your life
So live it well
We may only go 'round one time
As far as I can tell
It's the time of your life
It's the time of your life
It's the time of your life
So live it well

Date Night

George and I had an inpromptu date night last night, went to see the movie "Premonition," with Sandra Bullock. Reviews were mediorce, but it was a decent movie to see on a Thursday night. There were only 6 people (including us) in the movie theater, so it was relaxing and kinda nice, almost felt like a private showing. Mainly, it was nice to have a night out with George. We've just been so busy lately!

Beautiful Weekend!

It's been a beautiful weekend, weather-wise, here in Durham. The temperatures have been mild, the humidity relatively low. Ahhh! I think I'll open up my windows this evening--why has it taken me all weekend to think of that?!

George and I participated in the community walk portion of the Great Human Race 5K in Durham yesterday. It was nice to get out and walk together outside in the great weather yesterday. I was glad I decided not to run the 5K, just wasn't ready after last weekend's breakthrough (for me) run in Raleigh.

This morning at ERUUF, the new class of us Pastoral Listeners was installed. I'm looking forward to being part of that program. I've gotten to know a number of people better already through it.

After my Sunday afternoon nap, I started working on cleaning out my dresser drawers. Feels good to be making progress on clearing out and getting better organized.

Run for the Oaks 5K

The Run for the Oaks 5K road race in Raleigh was a surprising success for me, as I was able to run (ok, jog!) the whole thing--and felt fairly strong at the end, to boot! I was excited to break 50 minutes as well, which has been a goal of mine for several months now. Finally completing a 5K race at a jog has opened my eyes to the possibilities of doing 10Ks and beyond again. It's been a dream of mine to run a marathon, but now it seems to be a little more of a reality. :-)

I'm still waiting for the chip results to be posted at runnc.com, but best I could tell, I finished in about 46 and a half minutes!

ADDENDUM: My chip time was 46 minutes, 30 seconds! Yay!

My Apartment

It dawned on me over the weekend that part of my stress about moving this summer is that I haven't spent the time I need to to get my apartment cleaner and more organized. Part of the stress, too, is that moving will fall at the end of the fiscal year at work! Yikes! But there are many things I can do now to get ready for moving AND the end of the fiscal year, SOOOO time to get going! I made good progress on my apartment yesterday afternoon, which felt good. The I met George at the laundromat to visit for a bit while he did his laundry, and we ended up meeting anc chatting with a nice couple. That was a pleasant surprise. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday!

Getting involved

Last night was my last training class for Pastoral Listening at ERUUF. It was a good session, and I was a little sad to see the training come to an end. On the other hand, I'm excited about this new way to be involved at church.

The Run for the Oaks 5K is coming around on Saturday. I'm excited about that, and hope my finish time is faster than my last 5K in December. Actually, I'm hoping to break 50 minutes.

What's By My Bed

I picked up The Devil in the White City (by Erik Larson) recently at Barnes and Noble as a reward to myself gor hitting a particular weight loss goal, and though I'm not very far into it, it's an intriguing read, one of the best books I've picked up in a while. It's about the creation of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the architects who planned and built it, and a serial killer who's working his destruction in Chicago at the same time. It's all quite interesting, and it makes me want to go back to Chicago for a visit!

Weekend Update

I had a pretty busy Saturday, which included going to the H&R Block in Cary and using the lady George goes to to do my taxes. When I did this year's federal taxes on my own, I came out owing $1200+! Yikes! When she did them, I only owed about $50 federal and about $25 for state taxes. No fancy deductions or anything were added, I just did the math wrong. That's a load off!

After that appointment, we went to visit George's parents, grandparents, and brother and sister-in-law. His mom wasn't home, but we got to see everyone else at their respective homes. It was good to see everyone. George came with me to supper at the Rice House afterward. We were pretty pooped after all that, so we stayed in Saturday night.

Saturday morning I got up early as usual and went to the cross country trail through the woods and around the Duke golf course. It felt great to be outside in the fresh air for exercise.

Yesterday was a little strange with Daylight Saving Time going into effect several weeks early. We made it to church at ERUUF okay, but the rest of the day was spent taking it easy. I watched part of the ACC basketball finals between UNC and NC State, but fell asleep for a good nap. I did a little cleaning, but otherwise just puttered around and took it easy. I didn't even make it to the gym. It was very refreshing to have some down time!

Another week down

It's been a busy week on this end, with something going on every night. Three nights this week I got home around 10 PM after leaving home around 8 AM for good. (This after getting up at 5:00 to go work out, then back home to get ready for work and the Rice House!) The pace has been a little troubling to me on a number of levels. I'm tired and feeling a little burned out, and I haven't been able to accomplish verymany things on the homefront lately.

I hope the weekend brings some rest and healing of body and spirits, as well as some time to get things done and feel more accomplished at home.

Bar Mitzvah Trip

George and I had a good trip to Atlanta this weekend for Jake's Bar Mitzvah. It was a jam-packed weekend of time with his family, all a good time. The food was good, but I was careful and actually lost a tenth of a pound. It felt great to get away for a change of scenery and routine, but it wasn't the relaxing weekend that George and I are used to when we get away. The intovert in me missed the time to recharge at some point over the course of the weekend, so I was relieved on some level to get home.

The hotel we stayed in was very nice, and had the best gym set-up I've ever seen. The cardio equipment had screens big enough to show live feeds of various TV channels, and head sets were provided. The equipment was clean, to boot. They provided both regular towels and face towels on ice, which felt heavenly on my face in the steam room. The locker rooms had neat amenities as well, all sorts of lotions, soap gels, shampoo & conditioner, deodorant, Q-tips, mouthwash, hair dryer, both sauna and steam room. It felt like a luxurious treat!

George's mom paid for our rooms so that we could stay in the same (nice!) hotel with most of the festivities, and that helped a lot. It was really nice of her.

I would love to return to Atlanta and see the Georgia Aquarium sometime.

Grad school

It's time to start getting serious about grad school, I think! I'm not getting any younger, and would love to graduate in time for the degree to help my professional future!

I'm thinking about a masters in library science from either North Carolina Central or the University of North Carolina. UNC has the better reputation, but NC Central's program caters more to working folks, offering many classes at night or on the weekend. Both programs are accredited, and that's really important!

I need to get back to studying for the GRE, and quick like! I have a study guide at home, perhaps a project to begin this weekend.

House cleaning

It's amazing what getting ready for a trip reveals to me about my apartment! George and I are heading to Atlanta this weekend for the Bar Mitzvah of one of his cousins. Last night I got my suitcase out and started going through my closets and drawers, planning what to wear and seeing what I need to take to the cleaners or wash myself, that sort of thing. I really need to clean out my closets! And my drawers! Wow! There's so much I can give or throw away now! I hope my place will be transformed in the next couple of weeks.

I'm getting myself psyched up for the trip, food-wise. I'll be taking my Rice Diet food with me. And I need to remember that at all the social functions, food does not equal fun!

Weekend update

Saturday afternoon, George and I went on a walk around the cross country trail, led by a lady at our church. It was part of a fundraising auction at our church, and this was something George bid on for the both of us. It was a beautiful afternoon for the three-mile walk, and it was a treat to get outside and meet some fellow church members.

Saturday night we went to the Starlite Drive-in to see "Ghost Rider." The movie was okay, normally not my kind of movie, but kinda fun to see at the drive-in!

Yesterday I took it easy, and watched a portion of two Duke basketball games on TV, which was relaxing and fun (especially since Duke won both of them!). The women's team is undefeated, which is quite an accomplishment.

Sense of Community

I've been thinking a lot lately about community, and how I fit into different communities. It's more about just fitting in here in Durham, but in different areas of my life as well.

Some things, like my church, Eno River Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, have been pretty easy to become a part of. There are many opportunities to get involved, and the people there are open and friendly. Other things, like my Junior League group, have been a little harder for me to break into. I have some acquaintances, but no one I talk to outside of meetings. Every meeting or event I go to, I try to meet someone new, or talk with someone I've met a little more.

I'm still a Mary Kay consultant, though I haven't done much with it lately. I love the makeup and skin care, so I plan to keep up with it so when I'm ready to become more involved with it, it will be there. I do miss going to the weekly meetings, but the adopted director's meeting I attend is a good 20 minute drive each way, in addition to the two-hour meeting on a weeknight, so that's something to consider.

I'm also the moderator for a Yahoo Group called Triangle Friends, which is a "job" I inherited about 4.5 years ago, when the previous moderator bowed out and appointed me. It become a group of one (me!) and is now 600+ members strong. The activity on the group board has dwindled, and it's been close to a year since I've had time to organize any events. Attendance had been a little spotty, but I have met some interesting people along the way through this group. I've been trying to decide how much time and energy I want to spend on it. It would be nice to get it going again, I think.

Of course, there's my work at Duke, which I enjoy, and I'm feeling more and more a part of the community there. Our department will be moving next year, and I was glad to be put on the worklife committee for that move, since I am concerned about things like community.

What's newsworthy?

It dawned on me this morning, as I listened to the morning news on the TV while walking around the apartment getting ready for work, that I'm kinda sucked into the whole Anna Nicole Smith story, sensational as it is. Oddly enough, I didn't follow her in life, and would often roll my eyes when her name came up in conversation around me. Now I find her life and death both sad and intriguing.

I think that part of my fascination with this story as it's played out on the news lately is that it's a change of pace from the war in Iraq.

Not the only news story to pique my interest, though, I've also been following the Presidential race as it's playing out early on. The fact that a woman (Hillary Clinton) and an African-American (Barack Obama) are in the running for the Democratic ticket fascinates me, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out!

Weekend update

George and I had a busy weekend at church, going to the annual fundraiser auction on Saturday night (which was a lot of fun!), then going to the Sunday morning service followed by a congregational meeting. I got my lunch to go from the Rice House, and George and I ate together in between the service and the meeting. I chose puffed wheat instead of my usual rice concoction, and found it to be pretty tasty, especially mixed with the fruit. (I had manadarin orange slices and tropical fruit salad, also from the Rice House.)

Afterward, we went to check out another apartment complex. We were a little worn out from the previous week and weekend activities, so we weren't particularly impressed with this particular apartment. Part of it for me was that it hadn't been cleaned, so there was still mildew in the bathroom, stuff on the carpet, and a general dinginess in the kitchen. Perhaps we'll give it another try later on.

Preparing for another 5K

I signed up for another 5K road race yesterday, the Run for the Oaks, on March 17 in Raleigh. I'm excited about having this (running a 5K) as a goal again. I hope to improve my own time over the last 5K in December. Maybe I'll break 50 minutes this time!

Valentine's Day

George and I had a nice Valentine's Day last night. He took me out to eat at Rockfish Seafood Grill. I had salmon, veggies, and rice, and it was yummy. :-) Although I'm still on the Rice Diet, it was nice to have a change of scenery and pace, to get away from the Rice House for a night. George and I rarely get to eat together these days, with my eating at the Rice House, so it was a treat to get to sit and talk over dinner.

Books Beside My Bed at the Moment

I've recently started reading two new (for me) books, The New Psycho-Cybernetics, by Maxwell Maltz & Dan Kennedy (editor), and Lost in a Good Book, by Jasper Fford.

The first, The New Psycho-Cybernetics, is a self-help book that I first heard about over 20 years ago, before it was newly revised. The tennis coach at my high school had her team read it, and they were quite good. I looked up to her, to boot. Since I'm on this not-so-new-anymore diet and exercise program, I thought this would be a great time to finally read it, so I had it on my Amazon Wishlist and received it for Christmas. I've just read what Wikipedia has to say about Psycho-Cybernetics. Here's the website for Psycho-Cybernetics, too.

The fiction book, Lost in a Good Book, is a mystery/fantasy type book that's the second in the series. I finished the first book of the series, The Eyre Affair, last week, and enjoyed it alot, so I decided I wanted to read more by Jasper Fforde.

Successful diet weekend

George and I had fun at our social engagements over the weekend, and I survived the munchie temptations with a weight loss for the weekend! For a further reward, Dr. Neelon stopped by my breakfast table yesterday and told me to stop taking the metformin and see how my numbers are. They've been really good lately, so the hope is that they'll continue to stay stable. Need to stick with the diet and exercise routine.

Party Weekend (while dieting)

George and I have been invited to 3 parties this weekend, one on each of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This is a little unusual for us, but it makes for a fun and interesting weekend. Last night we went to a gathering of ERUUF folks. Tonight a friend of ours is hosting a games party, and tomorrow she's invited a group over to watch the Super Bowl.

It's fun to visit with old friends and acquaintances and meet new people, but partying has taken a new turn for me since I started the Rice Diet. It gotten me to try to think less about the food and more about the people. Last night was the first party I can think of where I didn't have a thing to eat! Everything looked and smelled wonderful, but when George and I left the party, I was glad I didn't have anything. I would've regretted eating afterward, though I would've have enjoyed it at the moment. I think I did more talking than I would have otherwise, though it was interesting not being able to talk about the food last night. One guest did ask if I was going to eat anything, and I just said, "No, I'm fine!" She shrugged and left it at that.

I feel a stronger resolve for tonight and tomorrow, after surviving last night's party. Plus, I'm sooo close to my next big weight loss goal!

Rituals

Last night at our ERUUF Covenant Group meeting, we had an interesting discussion about rituals. I've missed some of the Christian church rituals I grew up with since attending ERUUF, but I've come to realize that rituals and traditions can take time to sink in and become part of me.

George and I used to have some rituals: listening to "A Prairie Home Companion" on NPR, watching "M*A*S*H" together on Saturday mornings and "ER" on Thursday nights. As he pointed out in last night's group discussion, we don't have those rituals anymore as life has gotten busier. I hope we can find some new rituals in time.

Weekend

George and I had a busy, but fun weekend. Saturday and Sunday we looked at some apartment complexes together, which was fun for both of us. We're both looking to move in June/July. Saturday night and Sunday morning we attended ERUUF events that made us feel like we got our culture for the weekend! One was an event called Cafe ERUUF, at which members volunteer (ahead of time) to share a talent with the audience. Acts ranged from singing to piano and guitar playing to storytelling and poetry reading. It was delightful, and I wish we'd been attending those all along. (Cafe ERUUF happens every couple of months or so.) Sunday after church one of the ministers showed pictures of her recent visit to the Republic of Georgia. It was fascinating to hear her stories!

New car

I picked up a "new" car Friday night at the local Honda dealership, another 2001 Honda Accord LX, like the picture. It feels like home, being back in another '01 Accord, same trim level, too! It does have side impact air bags and alloy wheels, which my other '01 Accord didn't have, but otherwise, it's pretty much the same car., just a different color and a few more miles. It seems to have been well maintained, for which I'm thankful!

R.I.P.

I went by the body shop to clear out my totaled car yesterday. It was a relief to get my belongings (nothing valuable, but still...), but sad too. It served me well, and I was looking forward to driving the car for a long time.

I got the check from the insurance company today, and it looks like I'll have another Accord this evening. I drove another 2001 model at the local Honda dealership last night, and it felt like home.

Car Update

I found out yesterday that my car is totaled. I'm a little sad, but also a little relieved, since I'll be able to get a new car faster than my old car could've been fixed. I'm still waiting to hear back from the insurance company about how much I'll get for my car. Hopefully I'll get word today and be able to start car shopping tonight after work. I'd like to get another Accord, or something similar.

Another book I'm reading

In addition to the personal finance book, Start Late, Finish, Rich, mentioned in an earlier post, I'm also reading a fiction book, The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde. It's a delightful book--a combination of mystery, sci fi/fantasy, and history. The protagonist in this first book of the series (set in England) is named Thursday Next, a Special Operative in literary detection. Other character names in the book are similarly querky. :) I look forward to finishing this book and continuing the series.

Catching up on the holidays

I realized after my New Year's Resolutions post that I hadn't updated here on holiday goings on.

As I mentioned earlier, I stayed here in Durham for Christmas to stick with the Rice Diet. On December 23, I was in a car accident! Eventhough no one was hurt, my car was badly damaged, as was my ego. (The wreck was my fault.) My Accord is at the body shop, and as of Friday afternoon, they were still working on an estimate. They're closed on Saturdays, and of course yesterday was New Year's Day. I'm hoping to hear something soon, today or tomorrow.

On Christmas Eve morning, George went with me to Duke Chapel. It was beautifully decorated, and I really enjoyed the service. That evening, George and I attended two services at our church, Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. The earlier one, billed as a family service, was based loosely on Chris Van Allsburg's book, The Polar Express. The later service was more of a carol-singing service, with "Silent Night" by candlelight at the end. It was great for my spirits. Christmas Day morning, we went to St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Durham for the Holy Eucharist. It was a small turnout, but it felt good to go and have communion and reconnect on that level. It made me miss the rituals in the Christian church, and has me wondering how I can find a balance. I do enjoy going to Eno River UUF a lot.

George went with me to the Rice House for lunch on Monday. It was nice to have him to eat Christmas lunch with, eventhough the lunch was unusual by most Christmas meal standards, and I missed the rest of my family.

George is Jewish, by the way, so he was a great sport with all the church services. He considers himself a Unitarian-Universalist now, so he took it all in stride.

On New Year's Eve, we went to Mike and Suttee's house again to play cards. It was a lot of fun to catch up with everyone. Suttee and Mike hadn't seen me since the hospital, and everyone else I hadn't seen since at least last New Year's Eve! They ordered pizza from Papa John's, but I ate my Rice Diet supper before we left and took a raw veggie tray with me.

Yesterday, on New Year's Day, we went to an open house thrown by George's uncle and aunt, Howard and Nettie, and some long-time friends of theirs in Raleigh. It was good to see George's family there and meet some new people. I nearly wiped out the raw vegetable tray there!

New Year's Resolutions

I'm working on my list on New Year's Resolutions, and the big one this year (aside from continuing on the Rice Diet) will be to improve my finances. This is a big stepping stone to other goals in my life, like moving to a better apartment and eventually owning a home, being able to travel more, and being prepared for a wonderful retirement!

To help me along, I've picked up thhe book, Start Late, Finish Rich, by David Bach, again. I started it a year ago, and got just a few pages into it. With everything going on this year, I'm probably not in much better financial shape than I was a year ago, because I haven't given it much attention. I've been coasting along, by and large, just taking care of basics and not thinking much about the future, financially. I did increase my automatic contribution to my retirement account earlier in 2006, but otherwise I just let it sit. Am I investing wisely for retirement? How much do I want to save for my first home? What's my credit score? Lots of things to decide. I'll start my balancing my checkbook today and work on a gameplan!

Christmas

Talked with Mom last night, and we decided it would probably be best if I stayed here for Christmas, since it would be such a long drive for such a short visit. I'm still on the Rice Diet, so I'll have Christmas dinner at the Rice House. I'm glad to be staying the course on my diet, but a little sad about not seeing Mom and Dad for Christmas. I will spend more time with George, who has agreed to join me for the Rice House Christmas dinner and church festivities.

Update

I ran in the Reindeer Romp 5K in Cary, NC, yesterday. Although I didn't improve my time like I'd hoped, I finished in about 52 minutes, not bad for me. It was a fun race, and my buddy Stephanie ran with me, which made it even more fun! It was a beautiful morning, to boot.

My niece, Laura, found out on Thursday that she got into Duke! I'm so excited for her! Looking forward to seeing her more, too.

Fun weekend

George and I had a wonderful day on Saturday, celebrating my birthday a little late. We started out at Doc Green's, a gourmet salad restaurant near Southpoint Mall, for lunch. After some window shopping at Lane Bryant and Omega Sports, I went to a nearby nail salon for a manicure and pedicure while George went next door to get his hair cut. George came back to visit with me while my nails were being done, and surprised me by paying for my spa-like treatment! Later, we went over to Southpoint Mall and had dinner at Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill, where I had a yummy salmon dish cooked to order (the Rice Diet way). Afterward, we went to see the movie, "The Holiday," which was right cute!

It was a movie weekend, as we went to see the Borat movie Friday night. It was hilarious in spots, just crude in others! I'm glad we went to see it, though, as I'd been curious about it.

Yesterday, we joined George's brother and sister-in-law, as well as his mother, at the North Carolina Museum of Art, to celebrate my birthday too. :) We went to see the Monet in Normandy exhibit, which was wonderful! Afterward, I'd missed the lunch hours at the Rice House, so George's mom took us to lunch at the Applebee's in Raleigh, where I was able to get a salmon dish cooked to order again. I've come to love salmon!

Another 5K

I've signed up for another 5K road race, this one in Cary on December 16. It's called the New Balance Reindeer Romp, proceed of which will go to Girls on the Run of the Triangle. Since I'm up to 75 minutes on the elliptical, I'm hoping my endurance is better, and I know I'm a little lighter. I'm excited at the possiblity of improving my time.

Last weekend

George and I spent some extra time at our church, Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (which we call ERUUF for short), last weekend, as our new lead minister was installed. It was interesting to be a part of the celebration, which included a number of guest speakers. I was especially impressed by one lady in particular, Ginnie Courter, who is the current moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association. She was very well spoken, energetic, funny, and sharp. I would love to have someone like her for a mentor.

We went to a panel discussion of 4 people on Saturday night on Unitarian Universalism Today and Tomorrow. The panel included not only the lady mentioned above, but the last lead minister of ERUUF as well. It was nice to meet him. The installation service was Sunday afternoon, followed by a reception. The food looked great, but I stuck to fresh fruit, which was tasty too.

Birthday

I had a really nice birthday, especially considering it was a Monday, and dinner was at the Rice House. I had a good visit with Mom and Dad, who brought cards and a couple of presents when they met me at the Rice House. Mom had already taken me clothes shopping a few days ago, when I got several cute items in the next size smaller!

Lisa and Craig sent a new iPod my way via Mom and Dad (who went to San Fransisco for Thanksgiving)! It's red and cute as a button! Craig and Marion loaded some songs on there already, over 1700! A lot of the music is right on, and some of it I've never heard before!

Tis the Season

I pulled down my Christmas card boxes this morning before I left for work, and put them on my breakfast table. I'm excited about doing Christmas cards this year, for some reason! I feel this need to reconnect with folks.

Meanwhile, today is my birthday. My parents are meeting me at the Rice House for dinner. I miss being taken out for my birthday, but it's not about the food, right?

Today I brought some dip and crackers (along with cute little Christmas plates) into work for everyone. Folks seem to like it. I just felt like helping folks cheer up on a cold Monday morning. Okay, so maybe a little bit of it was throwing myself a birthday party, without people knowing it's my birthday! A little strange, perhaps.

My old pal Angela called and left me a Happy Birthday message this morning! I can't wait to call her back later!

Weightloss Milestone

At check-in this morning, I lost 2.1 pounds and a total of 50.2 pounds since I started the Rice Diet! Woohoo! The past couple of weeks on the scales have been a little strange, so I'm glad to have made some good progress at last.

Cravings-Hotdogs

Recently, I saw a TV show about a hotdog restaurant (shaped like a hotdog!) in rural Colorado that has quite a reputation in the area. I think the show was on the Travel Channel, but may have been on the Food Network channel. Anyway, hotdogs are one thing I miss, being on the Rice Diet. They're meat, for starters, and the Rice Diet is a vegan diet. And then there's the sodium issue; hotdogs have lots of sodium!

The show got me thinking about some favorite hotdog places in my past. The first one that comes to mind is the Varsity in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, known for their orange drinks as well as the hotdogs! My favorites were the chili cheese dog and a frosted orange. I also remember all the TV screens, and being impressed that the employees could remember (sometimes complicated) customer orders to shout to their co-workers assembling the dogs.

The other favorite hot dog joint is a place called Yum Yum's, in the College Hill district of Greensboro, NC, near the UNC-G campus. Pretty unassuming on the outside, the hotdogs inside are good and inexpensive, and their ice cream is also yummy! (My favorite flavor was lemon custard.) I enjoyed grabbing a bite there while on campus.

Postcrossing

I checked my email today and learned that my first Postcrossing postcard sent has arrived in Germany! Pretty neat! Postcrossing is a worldwide postcard exchange coordinated on a website. It appealed to my love of travel and the penpals I used to have as a kid. Seems like a fun idea.

Back to work

I'm back at work today, with much to do! I guess that's the price I pay for being on vacation for a few days!

Thanksgiving Day was good. George joined me for lunch at the Rice House, then we went to visit his family in Cary.

Saturday, we went to the Duke-UNC football game, which Duke lost by 1 point! The final score, 45-44.

I tried some different approaches to exercise while on vacation, mostly walking in different locations. It was refreshing to get outside later in the week and get a change of scenery while exercising. I enjoyed being back in the gym this morning at my usual time, and that let me know that the change of routine was good for me.

Ahhh, Vacation

It's a great feeling to be on Day #2 of vacation at home. I'm still getting things done around the apartment, but am enjoying a different schedule. My car is fixed now (big relief), and I've done some cleaning. Tomorow I may do some shopping. Taking it easy, though. Will continue to get my exercise in, hopefully a little extra. It's such a relief to be able to take it easy for a bit.

The only downside is that George is sick. :-(

Vacation Day

I'm off work today, but was up at my usual time to get ready to take my car to the dealership for repair. It turned out to be a faulty tumbler in the ignition. (My key was stuck in the ignition, couldn't get it out.) I was out around 10 AM, $160 poorer. Could've been worse, but could've been better.

George is also off today, but he's sick. :-( Hope he's all better soon!

It's going to be a cool and cloudy few days ahead, but I do have several books I've been wanting to finish. Looking forward to lots of R & R this week.

Fun party

George and I had a fun party last night, with 5 guests in all--a nice size for my apartment. Amy, Steph, Melissa, Mitch, and his finacee Katherine were there. (I'd never met Katherine, so it was nice to meet her.) We played a couple of games, Imaginiff and Scrabble. Imaginiff was a new game for me, and a fun one.

I tried three new recipes for the party, a salsa with interesting ingredients (including black-eyed peas), vegetarian chili, and an easy pimento cheese (few ingredients and easy to spiff up). I also got a veggie tray, and George got fruit, Ruby Tuesday sampler plates, nuts, chocolate, and drinks. It turned out to be quite a spread, with a good bit left over. I was glad we had enough food, though!

Getting more social

George and I decided to try to organize a games night/afternoon this weekend at my place, so here's great motivation to get my place in order. I'm also thinking about what kind of food to serve, being on the Rice Diet! At least this way I have some control over the food and can make sure there's something I can eat. I'll do a veggie tray for sure, maybe cook some (veggie) chili. Sweets, dunno. (Maybe fruit?) Chips, dunno. Drinks--sodas, alcohol? Maybe some wine. I want to keep it low key and not about the food, but I want to be a good hostess as well!

At any rate, I'm looking forward to having some people over and being a host/hostess along with George! I think it'll be fun!

Working on my apartment

Lately, I've been wanting to make my apartment a more comfortable place to be, both for myself and for entertaining. What I'm mainly working on now is cleaning and decluttering. Since time is short these days, especially with the Rice Diet and the extra exercise time, I'm doing what I can, knowing that every little bit helps. Sometimes, before I start, I try to look at my place through different eyes, try to get a different perspective.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Well, I definitely feel better than I did yesterday afternoon! I was getting a little down, then had an odd experience at the Rice House. But after talking with George some and relaxing a bit at home, I felt better!

I've had a good weight loss week on the Rice Diet, and that's been encouraging! I've lost 46 lbs so far, and still going strong.

Where is my life going?

I find myself getting more and more pensive about where my life is going, where I want my life to go, who I want to be. Some of my thoughts about it all make me happy and hopeful, while others make me feel a little sad. Making changes in my life can be both invigorating and scary, exciting and sad. What should I do?

Weekend

Had a pretty busy weekend, but a pretty good one. Saturday, George and I went to visit Papa and Bubby, and ended up having dinner with them. (Bubby cooked yummy salmon!) We dropped by to see Tina and Barry before going home.

Last night, I went to the Duke-Columbia basketball game, Duke's first of the season. They played well, and won pretty handily. It was fun to see the young Duke team in action!

I may some progress on cleaning my place, but didn't get as much reading done as I'd hoped.

Catching up

Mom and I had a fun time shopping on Saturday. I got three new items that were all a size smaller than what I've been wearing for several years! Yippee! Now, not everything I tried on was a good fit in the smaller size, but I was happy that some smaller things fit well.

Tomorrow evening, I'm meeting up with a couple of ladies who are wanting to get back into running too. We're going to meet at Whole Foods and go from there. I talked to Tayler on the phone over the weekend, and she sounded nice. She lives in Chapel Hill,and Denise lives in Raleigh. Looking forward to meeting both of them.

Weekend Plans

Tomorrow, Mom and I plan to go shopping. Tomorrow evening, George and I plan to go to the Duke-NC Central basketball game. Should be fun!

The Rice Diet is still going well. This week marks the beginning of my 4th month on the Program! I'm still exercising for an hour every morning before breakfast and work, and feeling so much better between the diet and the exercise! I'm relieved to be off of both insulin and blood pressure medicine.

The Mountains

George and I had a fun time in the mountains this past weekend! We stayed in Hendersonville, and explored part of the state west of Asheville, down to Cherokee. We drove around Cherokee a little, stopped at a delightful park for lunch (at the recommendation of a man at the Visitors Center), and visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. It's a pretty touristy town, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless. Out of curiosity, we also drove into downtown Sylva, a quaint little town. George and I also enjoyed gem mining at Broad River Gem Mining, both on the way down and on the way back.

I miss that we didn't go on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but there just wasn't enough time. Perhaps next trip!

Although we'd planned to be away Friday to Sunday, Friday was a wash-out, rainy day, so we changed our reservations to Saturday-Monday. That worked out fine.

I took my Rice Diet meals with me, and boy, did I get tired out eating out of styrofoam! I'm glad I did it, though. I lost 2.5 lbs while I was gone! George took some healthy food from home as well, and I appreciated his company and support in eating. One night, we did go out to eat at China Palace in Asheville. I got steamed rice and vegetables, and the dish was yummy. It was nice to be served on china, to boot!

We saw some pretty scenery, and I took a number of pictures! I'll post them soon.

George and I make good travel partners, and I'm glad of that!