Sorry I’ve been gone for a few days, but I was taking a short vacation over the Independence Day holiday! Today’s throwback is to a July trip to Colonial Williamsburg. I just love this place and so did the family!
Happy Friday! A moment at the #JerseyShore #AttheShore
Happy Friday! It’s so hard to believe that it’s almost July, but I am so excited because this is one of my favorite times of year down the shore. I love all the fireworks displays and parades in the small towns in my area. If you’ll be in the area, here are some dates for you for the upcoming 4th of July events:
July 1, dusk – Manasquan Fireworks
July 3, dusk – Ocean Township Fireworks
July 3, 9 pm – Bradley Beach Fireworks
July 4, 10 am – Ocean Grove Parade
July 4, 9 pm – Asbury Park Fireworks
July 4, 9 pm – Fireworks. Oceanfest is from 10 am to 10 pm
For now I’m leaving you with a video of a quieter time on the Jersey Shore – a gorgeous day in October. Have a safe and happy weekend!
Beauties and the Beast #ThrowbackThursday
A few years ago we did a family vacation to Disney and had a blast. The only thing we didn’t like was coming back to the aftermath of a snow and ice storm and having to chip and dig our way into the driveway!
One of the hightlights of the trip was our dinner at the Be Our Guest restaurant and meeting the beast! From the moment my best bud and I walked into the castle, we were enchanted. Of course, the guys were like “Where’s the food?”, but we were oohing and aahing over the ballroom ceiling, west wing and of course, meeting the beast in the library!
I’ll be back in the area for the RWA National Conference and if you’ll be down there, I’d love to get together with you!
Mindfulness aka Stop and Smell the Roses #WisdomWednesday
Yesterday I chatted about my weight gain and one of the things that I’ve been doing is being more mindful of what I eat and why. When my mom got cancer, I ate to bury the pain and the stress. That packed on a lot of pounds. I lost them. And then something else happened (or didn’t) and I gained them back. There was a lot of not paying attention to what I was doing or paying too much attention to every little calorie to the point where it became frustrating.
Being more mindful, more in the now and aware of the present, is something I’ve been trying to apply to my eating. Why am I eating? Is it because I am hungry? What am I doing when I’m eating? Watching TV?
I’ve been trying to be more mindful of the food, its taste and scent. Eating it more slowly and enjoying every bite. Making meals count instead of just gobbling them down.
That mindfulness applies to other things as well. Not running around so much and taking time to stop and smell the roses. Living more each day by being grateful for all that I have. Little things like that.
Just some thoughts for you on this Wisdom Wednesday.
The Yo-Yo Affect #TransformationTuesday
Almost a year ago I shared a picture of my weight loss, nearly 40 pounds off my body and on the way to losing more. Or so I thought. Today I’ve gained back all that weight and am back to trying to lose it again. This isn’t a new thing for me. I’ve gained and lost hundreds of pounds and it can be truly discouraging. Just when I think I have it figured out, I go back to carbs and BAM, the weight comes back.
This time I’m back to the same regimen as before, but with some carbs here and there since the virtually no carbs thing totally backfired once I stopped it.
If you’ve been on the same yo-yo up and down as me or if you’ve lost it and kept it off, I’d love to hear from you.
For now, the old me is back, but hopefully not for long.
Mondays are for Fresh Starts #MotivationMonday
There is an old joke that goes like this:
- Question: When do most diets start?
Answer: Tomorrow.
LOL! The truth of it is we often set aside things which challenge us in some way. Whether its changing our eating habits, exercising more, starting a new book (like me), ending a fight, standing up for oneself . . .
It’s not uncommon to say, “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “Come Monday, I’ll get started”.
So it’s Monday and it’s a day for fresh starts. Take a deep breath and set aside those fears. Think positive about what you’re about to undertake and just give it a shot. You’ll never know if you can succeed until you take that first sometimes scary step.
It’s Friday and I’m off . . . #FunFriday
Yes, I cannot wait on Fridays to head off and have some fun down the shore, get some reading done and of course, lots of writing! Hope you all have a great weekend.