Staying Power, And Old Friends.

Just Dance 3 is proving to be an amazing work out. My shoulders and arms ache in places that weight lifting never could, and, no matter how hurt I am, I seem to forget all about it when I'm in the throws of "Airplanes" or "California Gurls". So much fun and such a great work out.  And ya know, I think I actually AM picking up dance moves! Anytime I hear one of my favorite songs to play in the car, I start dancing in my seat. :) For a motion-challenged-dancer, that's a pretty big deal!

If there is one thing the journey to wellness has taught me - it's that there is really only one "trick" to healthy living. It's a huge part of just about anything in life - Staying Power.  My eating habits, drinking habits, work out habits, meditation habits, artistic habits and all that all have to do with Staying Power.  It's a pretty big concept to consider.

Small world - one of my childhood friends and I are planning to meet up next week. We were best buds through most of grade school, went different directions in high school, and just happen to end up in the same corner of the country now, so many years later. It's kind of a track to meet with her, but I'm sure it'll be fun.

An Off Day

I don't really have a good way to describe this day.

It feels like an eternity and I can't wait for it to end.

I woke up aching all over. Part of it work out soreness and part of it maybe feeling sick, and even maybe some early ToM stuff.

So I dragged myself to my office chair and worked.

I knew I was too sore to go through with more Just Dance 3 tonight.

I went to the YMCA and did a gentle Hatha Yoga class on lunch. It was JUST what I needed and felt great. For a while, I wasn't sore, but all the aches came back as I went back to work.

Figuring that I could use a moral booster, I decided to re-read the last card My Sailor gave me before he left for work.

Bad idea. Missing him got the better of me and I cried it out for a few minutes before getting back to work.

Then Clydas was being extra whiney (maybe sensing my energy a bit). I finally finished up and sat on the floor with him, hugging him and crying it out a bit more while Clydas sat there. (Did I mention how amazing my dog is?) It's all normal, I'm sure, and part of the process. All things considered, I'm doing really great 99% of the time.

But darn that 1%...

I've reached out to some people who will hopefully hook me up with some local friends. Honestly, I haven't been out with anyone local in about a month. Not for lack of trying. Everyone has just been busy. I've kept in touch with a lot of folks from home by phone - which is great, but it's not quite the same. It wasn't until I got a facial yesterday that I realized how long it's been since I've had any physical contact with another person. The self-hug position we did in yoga felt so good. In a lot of ways, that's a HUGE step for me. See, I've never been too keen on just randomly being touched by people. If I physically let someone in, it's sort of a big thing for me. I used to have to challenge myself to look people in the eyes and shake someone's hand. Being in theater was part of that personal challenge. I didn't even get a professional massage until last year - and I couldn't completely relax, but I DID enjoy it.  So to realize I miss some sort of physical contact (even a friendly hug) is sort of big for me. At the end of the day, I can pat myself on the back for that. (And yes, I'm pretty good at keeping eye contact now and shaking hands and the regular everyday stuff.) Just blogging it out ended my pity party. I love it.

With that said, I'm looking forward to a warm soak in some bubble bath, slipping under warm flannel covers, and ending the day catching up with Jamie and Claire.

10 Things that make me smile right now

10 Things That Are Making Me Happy Right Now

1.My dog's thick winter coat is coming in - and it's GORGEOUS.

2. I'm doing well on MyFitnessPal today, despite a lazy day.

3.I get to send a package to My Sailor. It's fun coming up with goodies to send that are Sub-friendly.

4. Pumpkin Pancakes this morning. DELICIOUS.

5. That I'm about ready to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE and find a nice, warm, quiet place to sit down and right.

6.Having great coupons for new shoes, and actually NEEDING some.

7. 2 words PAY DAY!

8. Day dreaming about what that first kiss will be like after SO LONG.

9. My Ipod with Christmas music on it.

10. One of my fellow Disney Wedding Mentor's came through with some AMAZING photos I can use for my next article, which I'm finishing today!

Tomorrow's Excursion and Being a Tourist

Today I found out that a co-worker who LOVES to travel is coming up to visit in 2 weeks for a weekend. I'm pretty excited about that! It'll give me someone to be a local tourist with for a couple days. I don't have an itinerary planned yet, but I'm working on it. If the weather holds, the Space Needle, Pike's Market... and maybe another tour? But there might need to be a stop in Poulsbo for some delicious Norwegian pastries! Gotta do the walking to walk them off though! I'm sure we will.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with Alfred Angelo's local store. I use the word "local" loosely as it's about 45 minutes away - one way. But I'm looking forward to it. The plan of attack - try on my dress. Well, not "my dress", but the same style in the size I ordered it. It's really just to check my progress since I've been losing weight. I'm also going to look at accessories and to check out some new bridesmaids dresses. No one has ordered their dress yet since it's so far out, so if I can find a cheaper option that I like, I'd like to offer the girls some options.
Photos to come later!
But for now, it's time for bed!

The Value of a Friendly Voice

I feel really lucky the last few days. Yesterday My Sailor's dad called just to check in on me. Today a co-worker-turned-friend called to chat and My Sailor's brother called too.

It's amazing how a quick friendly voice can make your day. Okay - so the shortest of those phone calls was 20 minutes, so it may not feel "short" for some. But it's great hearing a friendly voice when I get off work (even more so after a weekend of leaving voice mails and feeling frustratingly lonesome).

Since I'm keeping it short tonight, I figured I'd inject some humor in here. Click here to discover some of the fun and creative things a blogging Missile Tech Wife came up with to explain where her husband is.

Even if you're not Navy, it's worth a look - and a smirk.

Taking Notes...

So this holiday season is pretty full. I'll be home with my family over Thanksgiving and over Christmas, but I'd really love to take a day to do this at some point too...

Okay, so it's probably a little corny, but for me, there is a little magic in small town Christmases. And this year, I may not be in Port Orchard for Christmas, but I look forward to the pre-holiday festivities... and to experiencing my first snow.

An Unexpected Delight - Trillium Winery

Today didn't turn out at all like I expected. I woke up, and my legs were feeling the spinning class I took last night. Had me a little concerned, but when you have a dog, you have to get out of bed. so out we went!

I like to make my weekend breakfasts "special". So today was Pumpkin Pancakes (I'd picked the mix up at World Market the week before - and it's delicious and only 90 calories) and scrambled egg beaters. Then I headed off to the Holly Daze craft fair I'd been looking forward to all week.

Overall, I found the craft fair (held in an nearly empty and somewhat run down mall) expensive and rather disappointing.It was held in a local older mall, where over 1/2 of the stores were empty. In fact, they were offering to rent them out as "event space" (for weddings, etc) at dirt cheap prices. Having my wedding reception in a run down mall doesn't ring 'romantic' to me - so they must really be struggling. I came with a $40 budget, and left empty handed. It's sad when a franchise like PartyLite has the best stuff there...

I headed over to another mall to use a Macy's gift card that's been burning a hole in my pocket. Nothing there knocked my socks off, so I held on to my gift card for another day. To console myself, I headed to Barnes and Noble. After a cup of my favorite hot tea (Holiday blend - YUM!), and a stroll through World Market again (curtains were on sale and I have my eye on some) I headed home. It's a bit of a drive, and I was feeling lonely, so I called a few friends. I gave up after 2 voice mails and 2 curtailed family conversations (all of my family was working), I gave up on company and focused on enjoying the brisky, sunny day it was turning into.

Once home, I promised Clydas a hike. We headed out check out a state park I'd seen signs for, but have yet to visit - Penrose park. After a longer drive than I anticipated, we arrived at the park 10 minutes before the park closed. It would cost us $10 to get out and walk for 10 minutes. Yes, I had money left over from my craft fair budget, but - Forget that! Though the drive was pretty, weekends are proving the toughest right now.
Today hadn't been fabulous. I called a couple friends to catch up, and left voice mails. I called my family, and they were busy, keeping the conversations brief. I was feeling a bit lonely.
Now, I've always found wineries to have a calming, creative feel too them (even before I could drink at them).

When I saw the sign for Trillium Winery, I figured, what the heck, and went for it.
I figured, worst thing that could happen is that they'd be closed. It was a chance I was willing to take.  I drove up to the tasting room.

Trillium Winery Tasting Room

Beautifully quaint, isn't it? I found the tasting house of a tiny one lane low mountain road lined with evergreens and small farm house properties. It was nearly sunset and a brisk 50 degrees outside.

Ducking inside the small cottage-like tasting room, I was greeted by 4 guests and Claude, the wine maker himself. He approached me immediately, shaking my hand, glassy eyed, as I would have expected from any french winemaker.

Proud Winemaker Claude

Claude took pride in introducing me to his unique wines. I'd seen the winery online, but never saw the bottles around town. Turns out, there is a reason for that. Claude's wines are rather exclusive. Made with a more natural process, he manages to retain a the flavor of the fruit in a manner that is beautifully full bodied without having the usual syrupy texture and flavor I've found in a number of larger produced California wines.

I have to say, the wines of the Pacific Northwest have been a pleasant surprise overall. And this was by far the best experience I've had. It's rare to meet a wine maker face to face without paying for an expensive paired meal, and even then, you don't get to really share one on one time. When the other group left, Claude was quick to engage me in conversation and show off some of his unique and amazing wines. I got a taste of his remarkable reserve Cabernet. I came home with 2 bottles and I can't wait to pick up one of the reserves to share with My Sailor when he comes home

Claude makes wine he likes to drink.

Apparently Claude and I think the same way.

Turned out to be a delicious night.

Thank you, Claude, for saving my day.
Click here for a link to Trillium's website - and let me know if you're in the area! I'd love an excuse to introduce you to the world of Trillium's wine maker.