Monthly Archives: March 2012

An Evening To Remember

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What a treat to meet hubby’s friend (Christy from HS) and family.  It’s been over 30 years since they’ve seen each other and what a joy to have them vacationing in our neck of the woods.  Thanks to FB, hubby learned they were in town and the rest is history.

There was a lot of catching up on the balcony…

…while enjoying these amazing views.  The ambience at their resort was over the top amazing!

It was a fun evening, a night we will never forget.

Later in the evening, we headed downstairs to sit in the rocking chairs that circled around the open fire pit.  Terrible pic but the best one I have of the best rocking chair experience.

The view from our rocking chairs.

Sweet daughter Lara – LOVED her!  And she let me take tons of pix.  How fun!  While evening photography is not my forte, we had a blast!

Posing in front of the open fire pit, too cute!

If only I had been on time but I still like this one, so I’m posting it too.

Lara already knows where she wants to get married.  Yup, this is the spot and her dad is in the know.

C.U.T.E

I rescued a shot of Lara.  I think I like this one best in B and W.  Boo that I’m having such a difficult time with my camera.  Further evidence that I need to hop on another class to learn about night photography!

Lara and the waiter seemed to hit it off.

I may or may not have asked her to sit on (this perfect stranger’s) “JP’s” lap for this shot.  *Big Grin*

And Lara may or may not have given JP her phone number.

What a fun evening to remember…

Blessings – Debbie

I've Been Thinking

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I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the ways I’ve been slipping on my health.

While I’m thrilled with the progress, I don’t want all the bad habits that slipped in to take center stage.

A big area was the non-existent water intake.  The slippery slope started this winter when I picked up some Diet Dr Pepper, just for a little treat around the house.  And it ended in full-blown Diet soda consumption All. Day. Long. for the last several months.  Water is a bad word when I get into this habit, shame on me!

So last week, while food shopping, I made a point not to purchase another box of diet soda for myself.  When my soda stash ended was the moment I would quit cold turkey.

That moment occurred yesterday afternoon.  And I celebrated that very last soda with a bowl of 100 calorie butter popcorn.  And just like that, it is out of the house.

It seems I’ve taken a liking to water now that the other stuff is no longer at my dispense.

Note: I have my coffee every single morning and I will have Diet Coke each and every time hubby and I have a date.  Just wanted to clear that up.

Another area I’ve given a lot of thought to is the lack of exercise. It completely fell to the side during the move.  Good excuse, ay?  I know, I tend to get myself worked into a frenzy when I have a lot going on at once.  And things seem to fall off my priority list.  Something I did not intend to let go for so long.

But this is the week it all changed.  Today I got right out there even tho it looked like rain.

I loved the cool 54 degrees with a little breeze.

I was concerned (when we were looking for a place to call home) I wouldn’t be able to replace the paths like our old home had.

But I’m pleasantly pleased that I’m able to achieve all of that and more right here from our doorstep.  Today’s hike took me 3.53 miles with an elevation gain of 1,134′. That = a mountain and makes me happy.

I feel blessed to have this opportunity. Now is the time to turn these new adjustments into daily habits.

Blessings – Debbie

Finding My Routine

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Happiness is, finding my way back to a routine after our move.  There were days that a routine looked for packing more boxes, staring at more and more packed boxes and wondering if we would ever get moved.

These days, we are beginning to look at fewer boxes and the house is beginning to take shape.  But with every move, we still long for day in and day out routine.

Today I was delighted with my brand new hiking path/aka our new neighborhood.

It’s fresh and new…

…with so many wonderful things yet to discover.

And as I sit here putting this post together, I long to be right back out there.

I’m thankful for beautiful places to hike and double thankful I don’t have to get in my car and drive to a gym.  I just don’t stick to gyms very well and I much prefer the great outdoors.

I wish I knew the names of every single flowering plant, bush, shrub and tree in this area.  But I’m learning.

Learning, like this morning.  A gardener noticed my enthusiasm for photography.  He stopped in his tracks and officially introduced me to these amazing African Daisy’s.  We had them at our old place, I just didn’t know what they were called.

 

I met a wonderful neighbor.  She would have had me in for tea but she had to scoot to the Dr.  She said, “Next time, we’ll have tea”.

I just finished an amazing lunch date with my dearest.  And next on the agenda, we could be meeting hubby’s friend (who is in town) for drinks.  Should be a fun afternoon!

Blessings – Debbie

What A Weekend Is Made Of

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Good evening friends!  I can’t express the amount of joy coming from my being, but know it is there.  The reason?  The blog silence has lifted!

I hate it when I get behind, behind on anything.  When things begin to snowball, I’m left feeling a bit overwhelmed.  And I don’t know why that is and doubt I ever will.  Just know I’m happy to be back!

  • We made progress in the house.
  • I caught up on the blog – 2 months worth of information crammed into approximately 6 posts.
  • We enjoyed the most amazing BBQ brisket ever.  Love those kind of dates with hubby.
  • We indulged with a little sweet serving at Cold Stone, Friday evening.
  • All that and I managed to lose 2.2 pounds this past week!
  • And the icing on the cake – As of this morning, I’m down exactly 50 pounds!
  • Today was relaxing and peaceful around the house.
  • I enjoyed a nice visit with my mom over the phone while sitting out by the pool.  I love that we have such a great connection.  I just wish we didn’t live worlds apart, or so it seems.

Now if I could only attach another day or so to this weekend.  Then again, I’m thankful and blessed for the weekend we were given.

Blessings – Debbie

Change Is Awesome

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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

February Came and Went

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This year seems to be moving along at record speeds.  I blinked and February was G.O.N.E.

But we did in fact move into our new home sweet home!  We got the keys on the 15th and the movers arrived and delivered all of our things on 17th.  And we got to spend our very first night here at the new place on Friday the 17th.

That weekend went by so fast and before I knew it, hubby was off on a business trip the following week.

While hubby was gone, I took the time to chill with my girlfriend in Seaport Village, Downtown San Diego.  We enjoyed the best coffee and breakfast.  And we strolled the streets and visited along the harbor.

We even had the trill of watching a couple of ships come in.

That week I came to the realization (after unpacking all of the kitchen boxes) that I was missing the box with the coffee pot.  I made the most of it one morning with a Diet Coke and lime pool side.

Hubby insisted I get my fill of Starbucks each day and also insisted I just go out and replace my old pot.  I did indeed take him up on replacing my pot.  And enjoyed my cup of coffee under this amazing wisteria vine as it sprawls all over the top of the pergola.

While hubby was away, I also went to work on unpacking more boxes and fluffing our new nest.

It’s good to find and be home sweet home!

Blessings – Debbie

Finding Home in February

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We pretty much had up until summer to find a place to call home.  Our plan was not to wait until the last-minute to pack, find a place to move and have the stress on us at once.

Rather, our plan was to pack and look and when the right thing came along we would be prepared to “jump” fast.  And that’s pretty much how it went down.

One of our goals was to downsize our things.  We sold our honkin’ dining room and bedroom furniture.  The big heavy stuff we’ve been lugging around for years.  The stuff we grew to call our white elephant.  What a relief to get that behind us.

Our plan was to find a home with a nice open living and dining area aka a great room.  We’ve learned over the years that our “old” dining room suit did not get used nearly as much as we use our pool table.  When push came to shove, we decided it was time for the dining room to go.  And the “plan” was to put our pool table in the dining area.

When the search for a home came into play this was one of the big things we wanted in a home “a great room”.  We were also looking for privacy, peace and quiet.  Lo and behold, we found just the home.  It happened fast and it was love at first sight.

This backyard also had us at hello!

Delighted is how I felt when we got the call that we were welcome to be the new renters of this home.  And I’ve been on a high ever since.

Blessings – Debbie

The End Of An Era

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Once upon a time (January 2004), a passion grew inside of me to make pottery.  My hubby, right by my side every step of the way, encouraged me to pursue my dreams.  The passion grew and unfolded such a great desire to have my own home studio.  Again, hubby right by my side made all of my dreams come true.

As time went by, my work made its way to galleries, art shows and the like.   I also donated… quite a lot of my work to the Food Bank in Fort Worth to sell for profit for their organization.

My dream stayed alive and survived for several years while I didn’t have a studio thru a series of moves.

Then we moved to San Diego and hubby once again gave me an amazing studio where I started my passion where I left off.  It was then that I realized that I wasn’t getting any younger.  The 50 pound boxes of clay felt heavier than they once did.  My aches and pains grew in my back at the end of the day.  However, I still fought to keep things going.

Last year I was in contact with several galleries in San Diego and was on the brink of getting work out there but the writing was already on the wall, physically.  The day arrived when hubby and I put our heads together and once again he walked me thru this decision.

In the end, he let me understand that if it’s ever something I want to pursue, to go for it.  The ad was placed on Craigslist and everything sold to the first person that called.  Might I add, he wasn’t just any person, he’s “Master Potter” of 40 years.  He was purchasing all of the tools to give to the cause of helping others learn the skill of pottery.  He’s also giving of his time teaching others such that he can leave this world giving back.  He purchased the Kiln, potter’s wheel slab roller and chair and we donated everything else in my studio to his cause + 450 pounds of clay.

I could not have done any of this without hubby and his amazing support.  He decided to purchase the rest of my pottery so this means I am completely sold out of everything and I could not be happier.

The gentleman (in the above photo) who purchased all of my things, brought this beautiful gift of pottery that he had made as a token of thanks.

At times, it was hard to come to grips with the end of this era.  But in my heart of hearts, I feel so happy and at peace with where my tools have gone.

Blessings – Debbie

The Many Changes In January

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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

Family, Friends and Christmas

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Is it really March?  And am I really trying to catch-up on the blog?  Yes and YES!  Lets get started, shall we?

Is there anything better than spending time with family and friends at Christmas?  I feel one of the greatest gifts we can give to family is spending time together.

This Christmas we flew to FL to spend time with my parents and my “Little Brother” and his family.  Good meaningful times were had.  And lots of good memories were made.

My family, minus my big brother and family.

I had the privilege of taking a few pictures of my Brother and his family…

…My pop with his best friend…

…Nieces and nephew being silly at Christmas…

…Nieces and nephew – sibling shot…

…and again…

One evening (while in town) on a whim, my little bro called to see if we would like to join them for dinner.  It turned out to be such a great event.  After dinner, we enjoyed a nice little stroll and visit on the boardwalk.

Hubby got to see his old buddy – We enjoyed an amazing little outdoor lunch.

I had the privilege of taking pictures of my beautiful twin nieces with their best friend of so many years.

And my nephew with the snake he’s raised.

But most of all, I will cherish the love we share, the precious time we carve out for each other and all the special memories we made.

Blessings – Debbie