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We got home from our New England vacation yesterday morning about 10:00 a.m.  We'd planned it that way, since The Tim wanted to be sure that the last part of our trip got us through NYC early in the day, before we'd be likely to run into much traffic.

It was actually nice to have the better part of a day left once we got home.  The Tim had to go back to work today, and I'll be busy with laundry and getting the basics we need from the grocery store until we can do a "regular" shop.

I missed the kitties, and I missed our house.  But otherwise, I could have stayed away forever.  It was a wonderful trip, and though I know returning to regular life and the usual routine are things that make vacations special, it would be nice to know that if I wanted to go away again, it wouldn't be a big deal, i.e., counting down vacation days available at work.

Anyway, back to reality and the way things are.  Once I get my pictures organized, I'll share some of them here.  I took so many, and as is often the case, most were not that great.  :-)

I do have some posts I want to share soon, so I hope you'll stick around.  I realized the other day, that this particular blog is now four years old, as of September 1st!  I truly had no idea I'd been here this long.  I'm enjoying it, and hoping that those of you who stop by are finding it interesting and/or entertaining as well.

Here's one of my favorite pictures from one week ago today, to give you an idea of how wonderful our trip was.  Lighthouses are one of my favorite things.  This one is in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut.

See you again soon.

Relatively Random

Hello all and Happy Labor Day a couple of days late.  I had a lovely, quiet, long weekend and for the most part, the weather was even agreeable.  However, now the weather is being rude and obnoxious again, and I am personally offended.   If it wants to be warm for a few more weeks, that is one thing.  But we are supposed to hit 94 degrees on Friday here, and go past a record from the 1800s.  That is not just annoying, it's also just wrong.  I am not amused.

Also - my allergies have decided that they have been gone too long.  Yesterday I think I went through an entire box of tissues.  Thanks, Obama.

We are getting ready for a vacation trip next week, and I just cannot wait. We will be doing a driving trip through New England, one of my most fave places.  I haven't been anywhere there for so long (not since high school), and The Tim has never been there at all.  We have our trip planned out as far as where we are staying each night, and we have some specific things we want to do/see, but otherwise, we'll be winging it.  When I was a kid, my mother's rich cousin (well, she was rich to us), who she was really close to (they grew up more or less like sisters), would send us a plane ticket every summer to visit her in Boston for two weeks.  While we were there, she would take all of us on amazing day trips to various places.  It was always fun, and compared our normal every day existences, extremely luxurious!  We had originally planned to do this trip last spring, but then our sweet Doodle Dog wasn't doing too well, so we cancelled it.  I would rather have him still here, but since he is not, we're going to hit the road and enjoy ourselves as much as we can.

Anyway, I have random things going through my head, and for better or for worse, feel the need to share.

This story is heartbreaking when you first read it.  However I would like to think that a) the father's last minutes of consciousness were happy ones. and b) that, given time, the daughter will be comforted knowing that the last thing she and her father did together was dance at her wedding.  I'm not saying it's not sad, but it has a bittersweet quality as well.  I would not be surprised to learn I'm the only person who feels this way.

Speaking of thoughts and opinions where I hold the minority view, I have to say that I do not like tattoos, and am actually sick of seeing them everywhere in the universe.  Most people I know both like them and have them, and some of them are really very nice, I just don't "get" it.  Maybe it's because I just don't feel the desire or need to have one.  Also, I'm not a big fan of voluntarily going out of my way to do anything involving needles.  I have had (and probably will still have) plenty of opportunities to spend way too much time with activities involving needles.  Though they do not frighten me, I'm also not a big fan.  It used to be that tattoos were a sign of non-conformity, and frankly I appreciated that concept.  Now they seem to be the ultimate in conformity.   There's a guy who owns a newstand in Center City Philadelphia, who is (from what I can see) completely tattooed - even on his face and bald head.  I always wonder why he took that route.

By the same token, I'm sure if he ever notices me at all (and why would he?), he wonders why I look like such a weird and boring person.  As my mother would say, that's what make horse racing ...

Moving on.

Do you listen to any podcasts?  I have a few that I enjoy, and one the non-craft-related ones I like is this one.  Though Alec Baldwin can be obnoxious in his personal behavior sometimes, I do think he does an excellent job with this podcast.  I enjoy the different types of people he interviews and like that some of them are people who I may otherwise never hear about or know.  Sometimes I'll think to myself, well, I'll listen to the first few minutes, but it probably isn't that interesting, and I end up listening to the entire thing.  You can also go back and listen to shows from the archives, which is nice since there are some I would have loved to heard when they were originally done - one of my favorites was the interview he did with the late Elaine Stritch, who played his character's mother on "30 Rock," and who has always been a favorite of mine.

Your mileage of course may vary.  :-)

That's it for now.  I don't know if I'll post at all while we are gone, but in any case, I'm sure I'll want to report on some of our adventures once we get back.

Take care!

Well, I Didn't Mean to Be Away This Long!

Time has gotten away from me since we have been back from Ireland.  For the most part, in a good way, so I'm not complaining, but I meant to post sooner than this!

So, a week from today is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays.  I like it because it's a cozy holiday, when staying home and relaxing is not frowned upon.  I know for some it's stressful, if they are cooking for a large group and everything has to be perfect, but fortunately, that's never been the case for me.

Growing up, my dad was the holiday cook.  He made enough for 28 people even though there were usually only the 5 of us.  But he loved to cook, and I used to love to help him - which I realize now consisted of probably 1 helpful thing, along with constant chatter and being in the way.   To his credit, I didn't realize it then ...

Anyway, now there is just us and the pets at Thanksgiving, and much to people's surprise, that's just fine.  We make everything except the turkey, since we are vegetarians.  But since stuffing is my favorite part of the meal, I never feel like I'm missing out on anything.

I'm pretty happy this year, since I've done so well with my exercise and diet.  I like to be able to enjoy the holidays, not dread going to the gym once they are over, like so many other people seem to do.

Speaking of the gym, I do plan to get there this weekend, but I haven't made it back since we returned from our trip - aaagghh!  Though I have been doing a LOT of extra walking so I don't feel like I've lost motivation.

I do want to remember, though, to keep moving forward actively throughout the holiday season, and not let myself think I'm too busy with other things.  The new habit I've developed is one I want to stick around.

That's really it for now.  I just wanted to check in and say I'm still here, still moving, and looking forward to everything holiday.  :-)

Well, That Was Longer Than Intended ...

as far as when I would post again!  A couple of times during our trip, I thought about posting, but to be perfectly honest, we were so busy and having so much fun, I really didn't communicate with anyone much at all.

Our trip was fabulous - good food, good drink, nice people, beautiful places, good weather.  The longest, most annoying part was actually when we returned.  Our flight arrived at JFK 45 minutes early.  We waited ten minutes until they could find a slot for the plane.  Not bad.  But apparently a lot of other international flights arrived about the same time, because it took 1 1/2 hours to go through Customs!  Then, the mini tram that takes you to and from Long-Term Parking to the terminal was put out of service by Hurricane Sandy, so it took another hour or so to get to our car.  I think the fact that we were actually just heading home made it bearable!

I must tell you - I drank a lot of tea with cream, a lot of beer, and ate a lot of brown bread and scones with butter while I was there.  It was delicious, and I was on vacation, so I didn't feel one bit worried or in any way guilty.

Now that we are home, I am more than ready to get back to my healthier routine.  Fortunately, even though we failed to actually go to the gym in any of our hotels, we did tons of walking around, so it wasn't a lazy or sedentary trip by any means.  I even lost more weight, which I have to say amused me greatly.

I did, however, come home with a cold.  My husband had one when we left, but after a couple of days seemed to feel better.   Then a couple of days later, I woke up, and there it was, glomming on to me.  I have tried to actively head it off, and though I don't feel a lot better, I don't feel worse at all.  I'm taking that as a good sign.

So anyway, onward and upward to see how I do between now and the end of the year.  I don't think my optimism is unrealistic.

Short-Term Goal Deadline Arrival!

When I first got started on this blog, I posted about my short-term goal here. Well, later today, the reason for my short-term goal will be a reality - I will be getting on a plane to go to Ireland until November 2!  And the best part is (well, actually, the best part is that I'm getting to go in the first place), is that I have accomplished my goal of being fitter and healthier by now.  In six weeks since I started, I've covered  a total of 43.41 miles more than my "normal" everyday activity, by walking, bicycling, and staying focused.  I did get myself into the gym  at least twice a week, and also during that time, I've lost 4.9 pounds, a change which I can actually feel and see in my clothes and my energy level.

And I've done all of this without doing anything crazy or desperate.  I'm actually kinda bummed because I haven't been able to make it to the gym this week so far.  However, the places we are staying all have gyms, and needless to say, we'll be doing A LOT of walking, so I have confidence I'll be able to keep things going well while I'm away.  (My gym clothes and sneakers were the first things I packed.)

I'll try to post while I'm away, but if I don't get the chance, I'll certainly post when I return.  Bye until the next time!