So far this year, we’ve managed to go thru so many changes all at once.  And we’ve managed to continue to lose weight thru it all.

During our move, we did eat out a lot.  I did make unhealthy choices.  I did gain a couple of pounds.  I did take them off faster than I put them on.  And I have come to grips that there will be times in life when weight gain will happen.  I’ve also come to grips that taking it off is easy when I jump back to my healthy eating habits.

It was just the other day when I was out picking oranges from our fruit trees that I snapped a few pictures with my cell phone.

While it’s clear I’ve lost a lot of weight around my hips, I’ve also noticed that I’ve completely lost a chin.

Sometimes change comes rapidly while other times it creeps up on us.  Either way, I’m a fan.

Early on this year, hubby and I embraced change by saying to each other “change is awesome” yes it is.

Blessings – Debbie

Happy New Year!  January 1st was the day to access all of the weight gain over the holidays.  I was up 4.2 pounds after the holiday celebrations with family and friends.

The New Year was started off on the right foot.  It started by getting up on the right side of the bed, if you will.  It was an exciting day!  A day of change, in fact, we were looking forward to this brand New Year, knowing it was going to be loaded with lots of change.

We started the first day of the New Year with a nice 2.5 mile walk.  This is what brightened my day.

The days and weeks of January were hit hard with a lot of exercise.  Each morning was a brand new day to make a difference for my health sake.  And I did in fact get rid of all the holiday weight gain in just over a week!

 The beauty along the way was an amazing perk.

January was also a month to begin packing up all of our belongings, in order to move on.  It was also a time to begin the search for a new nest to call home sweet home.  A month of having lots to look forward to.

In the midst of all the packing and house hunting, it was a time to finish glazing the pottery that was still sitting on the shelf looking all bare and neglected.

It was an amazing bonding time in the midst of everything that was going on.

In the end, I was pleased with the outcome of this last batch.

To be continued…

Blessings – Debbie

What a lovely autumn here in southern CA.  Days are sunny with temperatures averaging mid 70’s and evenings are very crisp and cool.  Mornings are greeted with coffee (again) cheers!  I found a new coffee cream aka half n half that I’m adjusting to just dandy.  The healthy new me/us is improving and things are going well.

These pix were taken on one of my enjoyable hikes in the sunshine.

The color of autumn in So Cal.  Have I mentioned “I love autumn” from the rooftops?  Well I’m doing it now.  Come to think of it, I believe I sing it from the rooftops every year.

Autumn in Southern California is simply amazing.  Meet the Chorisia speciosa AKA majestic beauty.  I’ve taken pix of these trees in the fog and on blue sunny mornings.  No matter the background, this tree is no doubt majestic.

Hiking and house hunting ~ I looked at another house last week, this time it was in our neighborhood.  How fun to house hunt on foot.  We love our quiet neighborhood nestled in the mountains with a nearby lake.  Who knows, our next house may be right under our nose…

One of our beautiful evenings.

Another haircut?  When the urge strikes, I take my head of hair into my own hands.  Cut by me this time…

Halloween night ~ Best costume by far ~ My Cowboy!  He even answered the door saying “howdy”.

The morning after – This is what was lurking behind the freezer door, two Reese’s!  I touched them but they had a special someone’s name on them.  It was a positive experience as I was able to 100% stay away from all chocolate and goodies.  I’m saving up “BIG TIME” for Thanksgiving!

I’ve shared this view from my hike so many times.  But, as I was hiking this week, I had to stop and enjoy the sunshine as it burned the fog from the mountain tops.

Lesson Learned:  Learn when to leave well enough alone!  Apparently I couldn’t stop cutting my hair.  Now I just need it to grow an inch or so.  I had to break down and make that emergency call to have my girl get me out of a pickle.  No more cuts for me for a long time.  Promise!

A quote from my hubby’s FB status this morning – “Something’s going on here.  My wife had a bad hair day on 12/31/1999.  We call it the “Y2K hair day”.  Now she has another bad hair day on 11022011.  What are the odds of that?  If I could only predict when the next Y2K hair day will be, then I would keep her away from salons and scissors that day.  PS: Debbie, your hair looks fine!”

I LOVE that he loves me no matter what!

The evolution of the haircut – I’m assuring myself that it has already started to grow.  That = I have stopped cutting it for the first day in a while.  The aim is for it to reach the length of the top two pix.

And on that note, I’m pleased to report that I’m pretty much caught up.

On a brand new note ~ “Do you realize Thanksgiving is just 3 weeks from today?”  I can’t wait for the turkey and all the fixin’s!

Cheers to Autumn with a thankful heart!

Blessings – Debbie

Hi and welcome to the weekend!

I love that today is the day we get to “spring forward”!  In fact, I’ve been looking forward to this day for the last 6 months.  Cheers to spring!

I love that this magazine (Good Housekeeping) continues to show up in my box even tho I didn’t order it.

I love that it’s the weekend.  We’re busy planning a few things we want to do.

I love that a dinner date is incorporated into the plan.

Cheers to love!

Blessings – Debbie

Happy Valentine’s Day!  The day started extra early around here.  Hubby was out the door long before the crack of dawn.  So I had the bright idea to watch the sunrise.

I drove up to Mount Soledad, but had my concerns as I was on my way up.  There were twists and turns through fog and I took note of the cloudy conditions.

I’m so happy I stuck to the plan.

While I waited, I decided to snap some shots of the chain link fence/dew combo.

I thought it was an interesting subject.

But when I saw this dew drenched flowering tree, I was in awe.  I love how the tiny flower is laced with dew.  I also like how the dew beads on the tiny strand of spider web.

Then I got caught up with the sunrise.

I really like the cloud and sunrise combo.

Here comes the sun…

It was such a beautiful place to be.

Then I jumped in the car and drove over to Mission Beach. It felt like the thing to do…

The lifeguards arrive…

Ah, I remember this moment when the sun touched down. I love the way the palm trees cast their nice long shadows over the sand.

It was fun to chill and people watch…

The pounding waves are something I could listen to all day long.

Playing his heart out.  With all the commotion of the sea, I couldn’t hear a thing.

I wasn’t prepared to have a breakfast date all alone, but I did.  The aroma of breakfast cooking while taking a stroll on the boardwalk did me in.  So I walked through this door of calories.  I didn’t regret the move…

Next thing I know, I’m looking at this menu…

Soon, piping hot coffee was placed in front of me…

And the best French toast in the world somehow found me!  Oh my word, well there are no words.  This thing was coated with fruit, sliced almonds, some sort of cream sauce and then I slathered it with syrup.  Oh yea, and that nice dollop of cream on top.

I enjoyed the view from my seat.  I think I could have remained here all day.  Perhaps I should have kept the coffee coming.

Soon breakfast was over and I was on my way.  This little guy wanted to be friends so I took his picture.

After breakfast, I tried on a few hats.  This one just doesn’t cut it.  But you want to know something?  I had a lot of fun getting acquainted with this beautiful day, that’s what really matters.

Blessings – Debbie

I’ve had such a hankering for Japanese hibachi for quite some time.  And this is the place hubby treated me this afternoon.

We were the only ones at this table.  It did help that we arrived before 3 in the afternoon.

I was so excited about what we were about to eat, that this is the point all photography came to a screeching halt.

We stopped here after dinner.

A picture of us in the backyard after our fun date.

It’s been such a wonderful day all the way around.

Cheers to weekends and dates with my love.

Blessings – Debbie

Friday is a happy day.  It’s a day to wrap up all work related things and prepare for the weekend.

I had a fun yet busy morning.

My frames finally arrived and I’m so happy with my new prescription.

After picking up my prescription, I ran over to a nice little bakery to pick up a cake for my hubby and his group.  Today they had a goodbye luncheon for a gentleman moving on.  I’m happy hubby includes me in these functions as I have always enjoyed getting to know his group.  We’ll miss you Vern.

Now I’m home to get the cleaning and laundry caught up before the weekend.

Happy Friday and weekend everyone!

Blessings – Debbie

It was so fun to catch up with my friend Beth.  And I can’t think of a better place to meet (yesterday) than here.  We had abundant sunshine, packed lunches, beach chairs and the day to spend.

Again without the details

The view looking north

We couldn’t have asked for a prettier day – We got a nice dose of Vitamin D.

It was amazing to see the snow covered mountains way in the distance, while enjoy temps in the 70’s.

It was fun to people watch…This couple was too cute.


This gentleman overheard Beth and me exclaiming the fact that we could see Mexico from here.  We ended up having such great conversation with him.

The shirt he was sporting was “Ride The Rockies”.  Turns out this 65 year old gentleman loves to ride the distance.  I was amazed that many of the tours he’s involved with are 400 + impressive miles!

Then this couple stopped by to see if someone would take their picture.  Turns out this lovely couple are newlyweds.  They had their beautiful ceremony this past Sunday.  Such a sweet couple.  We ended up visiting with them for what seems more than a half hour.

We even bumped into Google maps!  How cool was that?

When I asked if I could take his picture, he gave me a thumbs up.

Evidently he uses a Dell…

What fun…

29′ Cross or 43′ Cross if you include the base – at the top of the mountain.

People watching at its best…

A view as I was coming down off the mountain at the end of the afternoon.

I took note of a bottle of (purplish) sparkle fingernail polish on the shelf in the grocery store this week.  Then I thought it would be fun to apply it to the tips of my nails.

I tried thinking of the many ways to share the sparkle and couldn’t think of anything better than mixing it with flowers.

How fun to be a little festive for the “love” month.

One last sparkle amid the flowers.

On a happy note, I had my regular visit with the dentist.  I was happy to hear him tell me that I’m blessed with really good teeth.  Today’s cleaning was just another walk in the park.

Oh Happy Day…

Blessings – Debbie

Good afternoon Monday!  Where is the day going?  That’s what I want to know.  Here are a few of the things I’ve done so far to kick off the week.

• Packed hubby’s lunch wishing all along it wasn’t Monday.
• I spent some quality time on the phone talking to loved ones and my girlfriend.
• Scheduled a play date (with my girlfriend) this week; I’m looking forward to it!
• Went grocery shopping
• Enjoyed a little afternoon stroll in the garden
• Caught up with the ironing pile, yay!
• Made a fantastic lunch – See below…

This baked potato with broccoli and cheese was enjoyed with the Dr.  That would be the “Diet Dr Pepper”.

It’s been a while since I’ve had this dish.  I have a feeling it will be a lunch repeat soon.

And for the Monday experiment.  I still tried shooting several different times of the day, but I’m still leaning towards that late afternoon sun/shade combo.  This was taken this afternoon around 3:30.

As of late, I’m longing for those nice long days when the light of day goes well into the evening.  Spring is coming!

Blessings – Debbie

In honor of Super Bowl XLV, I made some of these little treats.

Then I took pictures of the TV for future reference, just for fun.  We joined the TAILGATE party with Keith Urban and others…

Fans – I asked hubby who he was cheering for and he replied “I don’t have a dog in the fight”.  He just enjoyed watching a really great game.  However, I just can’t sit back and watch, I HAVE to have a team to cheer for.  Green Bay was my choice from the start.

There was a quick trip to The White House…

The Commentators

Welcome Pittsburgh Steelers

Welcome Green Bay Packers

Lea Michele from Glee – America the Beautiful



President George W and Laura Bush

Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan

Christina Aguilera – National Anthem

Reverence during song

A really cool tear…

The F-16

Heads

or tails – The Steelers lost the toss.  Green Bay deferred to the second half.

Kick Off!

I didn’t take pictures during the game, I just wanted to sit back, watch and enjoy.

Half Time Show – The Black Eyed Peas – We weren’t big fans but we enjoyed all the cool things they did with the lighting…

LOVE…

…LOVE…

A picture to remember…

End of the half time show

The Packers stepped it up for the win!  It’s celebration time…

Final

The Vince Lombardi goes home with Green Bay

Another great Super Bowl game!

Congratulations Green Bay Packers!  I love moments like this…

Blessings – Debbie

This flowering shrub is taller than me.

Many shots were taken.

Love the bokeh

Just one more…

I have no idea what kind of changes to expect, but I’ll be right here to see what comes next.

One last shot.

There’s something special about a relaxing Saturday, it does a body good.

Blessings – Debbie

I continue to learn that Southern California offers a continuous season of blossoms.

I’m engrossed with this flowering bush.

The tiny flowers.

Here’s a sample of a few buds.

This flower comes from a low hearty ground cover.  It grows much like a vine.

This flower also comes from a different type ground cover.

It’s the little things that compel me at times.  Today was one of those days.

Checking out yet one more ground cover flower.

One last pic

These photos were taken on my mid afternoon stroll in the garden.

On another note, it’s hubby’s Friday off and we’ve had quite a productive day.  Hubby had his eye doctor appointment as well as a visit to the dentist.  I was happy to tag along for the good quality time together.  He treated me to lunch, I have a hunch he kinda likes me.

Blessings – Debbie

doesn’t get near the amount of props it should.  Perhaps it’s because the speed limit is only 25 and you can’t pass on the long and winding road.

Isn’t that the point?  To take the long way home was worth every extra mile.

I got to see it at this pace.

I found the twists and turns exciting

I hoped the road would eventually lead me to this spot.

 

The road less traveled turnes out to be hightly recommended.

And right here at my turnaround spot, was this home.

There’s something about the whole feel of this that captured my attention.  The road less traveled made me smile so many times.

Mailboxes – what a pretty sight

A striking driveway

This used to be someones castle and backyard.  Now all that remains is the old chimney.

I recommend the road less traveled, you never know the beauty just around the corner.  Enjoy!

Blessings – Debbie