Recovering From a Backslide

Have you ever wondered why life turns out the way it does?  Me too! However, I’ve decided to move on and quit wondering and start living!

I am now almost 3 weeks past my Celiac breakout and 7 days past steroids, still feeling bad, still itching but thankful that I am slowly healing. The last 3 weeks have given me a new perspective on life! I am so thankful that I am able to enjoy my life and so blessed that I have been given a chance to move on and learn a new way of thinking!  Although, I have been gluten free for almost a year, it was by choice (I could deal with a little joint pain or swelling if I really had to eat that special something!). Now it is a matter of my life and well-being.  I cannot repeat another outbreak just because I want that piece of cake or those fried shrimp. After 3 weeks, my body is still not back to normal. I still find myself taking naps and having to struggle to finish tasks. I also know that if my skin is this bad after 3 weeks, my stomach and intestines must be horrible!

I spent yesterday going through my pantry. Although I have been eating relatively gluten free for almost a year, I needed to verify that EVERYTHING in my house is gluten free.  I ended up with only one thing of barbeque sauce that I was not sure about. I read the ingredients and noticed that at one point it said “spices”. I got it out of the pantry! I remembered Vanessa’s teaching: If the manufacturer won’t tell you what “spices”, it is not safe to eat!

Another thing that I am working on is a list of restaurants where I can safely eat. For those of you in the Nashville area, Darfon’s and the Backstage Grill have REALLY nice gluten free menus! I have also had success at Blue Coast Burrito. I get the Cabo Bowl and Red Robin; they have gluten free hamburger buns! Forget eating at fast food restaurants! The only exceptions that I have found are Hardees; I get the low carb thick burger and Subway, where I get a 6-inch made as a salad!

Dominoes and New York Pizza have gluten free crust pizza, but be very careful because they make and bake the pizza in the same area with the traditional wheat pizza! A month ago, I would have taken that chance, but not now!

The thing that I am happiest and most excited about though is that I can cook ANYTHING that I want and make it gluten –free!  I am rethinking my recipes and am thinking about a cookbook. What do you think?

“Lessons Learned or Why I Should Quit Being a Doubting Thomas”!

Throughout my life, there have been times when I tried to push the envelope or do what “Everyone Else” was doing. It has never worked.  I always get caught! That being said, I will move on to my latest lesson learned.

As you know, Shank and I were in Europe for 2 weeks. While on the ship, I was able to follow my gluten free lifestyle. However during shore excursions and in Barcelona, it was more difficult. If the excursion included a lunch, it was usually pasta. So, needless to say, I cheated. I did pretty well in Europe, just some joint pain and swelling, but nothing that I couldn’t live with. I think the reason is because there is less gluten in European wheat.

Flash forward: We come back from Europe and Labor Day is upon us. The last weekend of August, we spend a wonderful day with our friend Judith on Group Therapy. Everyone brought food to share. One of the foods available was chicken strips. I decided to have 2.  After all, I had just spent 3 weeks eating pasta and bread once a day, what was going to happen with the breading on 2 chicken strips?  The next day, I woke up with what I thought were mosquito bites.  The next week went by and everything seemed to be fine. On Thursday, I woke up late and missed breakfast. So I stopped and got a sausage biscuit. Now usually, I throw away the biscuit and just eat the sausage, but again, what could it hurt. 2 hours later, I am aching and having chills. In my denial, I thought, “ I must still be tired from the trip”.  Saturday, I cooked Gumbo and Shrimp and Grits for 20 people! We had so much fun! I have adapted both recipes so that they are gluten free. The only thing that I made that wasn’t gluten free was homemade Banana Pudding. I had a serving. I woke up in the middle of the night itching and I was so sore the next day I had trouble walking. Again, I realized that the aches were from the pudding but thought I had a mosquito in the house. On Sunday, I went to my friend Lorie’s for a cook out! I thought that I had not had any gluten but after about 30 minutes, I had chills again and had what looked like chicken pox appear on my arms.

Now here is where I should have listened to reason. But I just had to push that envelope. I just had to know for sure. I told Shank, this is probably not the thing to do, but I have to know for sure if this rash is caused by wheat/gluten. I decided that if I was going to do it I was going to go out with a bang! I had a chocolate chip cookie and a turtle brownie!

By midnight, I was covered in whelps and oozing sores, having chills, headache, and aching all over!  I tried to self medicate (being a nurse and all) but after 5 days of no relief and being unable to sleep with out clawing myself and drawing blood, I ended up at the doctor’s office.  Now 3 days into steroids, I can wear clothes with out pain!

The doctor told me that if I wanted to be tested for Celiac, she would order the testing, but that her recommendation was to consider myself Celiac and NEVER eat wheat or gluten again. I am considering whether to have the test or not. Either way, I am off of gluten.

Now why am I telling you this? First gluten is gluten. I should have not eaten it in Europe. It is interesting to know that I am not as bothered there.  Secondly, 95% of people with Celiac Disease do not know that they have it. I am including a Celiac Symptoms website that you may find interesting. I hope that this may help someone who is having issues and does not know why.

Until next time!

Enjoying Life!

I recently spent 2 weeks in Europe where I had a wonderful time with my husband. During our trip, I had long periods of time where I sat and looked out at the ocean and thought about many different things. I thought about my past, present and future. I thought about everything that I have done in the past and what I would like to accomplish in my life in the future.

For several weeks, I have been unable to think of anything else but this topic. There are so many things that I am thankful that I have done, so many things yet accomplished, so many things that I wish I had taken a chance on, and of course, many things that I regret and wish that I had done differently.

Today, I found a column by a woman who is a reporter for a newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio.  I had to include it in this post because in some ways it sums up what I have been thinking about, but it also gives me inspiration to make changes in the way I have looked at my life. I hope that you enjoy it!

Written by Regina Brett, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family   will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.

16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19.. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you need

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

I intend to start working on taking her advice! How about you? Until next time!

Celebrating Independence Day

Today, I am preparing to go to south Alabama to see my parents for the July 4^th holiday. I am very excited about the visit because I don’t see my family but 3-4 times a year since moving out of state. As I was thinking about the visit, I began to reminisce about how the Independence Day holiday has changed from when I was a child.

From my childhood perspective, July the 4^th was a HUGE holiday.  Although fun, the summer seemed to stretch on forever. We lived in the country and although there were several boys that were my brothers ages, there were no girls my age except in town. At that time, we did not go to town on a whim like people do today. We went on Mondays to deposit the church money (my mother was the church treasurer) and we went on Fridays to buy groceries. Occasionally we would go to the park to swim, but usually we spent the summer at home. So the holiday was very exciting.

Daddy, my Granddaddy, and all of my uncles were off from work.  I had several aunts who worked outside the home and they were also off for the day. Everyone would go to my grandparent’s house beginning in the early afternoon. The grill would already be heating up and the fryer would be set up and ready to light. Grandmother would be in the kitchen with the aunts cooking and all of the men would be outside in lawn chairs talking and watching my Granddaddy cook the meat du jour. There was not a square inch of the house or yard that did not smell of wonderful food.

The yard was full of cousins of all ages, adult and teenage cousins with their new wives or girlfriends and the cousins who were still children and toddlers. Everybody running around and playing games such as hide and seek, tag and mother may I? Everyone was happy and relaxed.

Around two in the afternoon, we would all sit down and eat! There was food for days and tables of desserts.  After everyone was finished eating, it was time to make ice cream. There were electric ice cream makers but there were also the hand crank mixers.  The hand crank mixers were easy to turn at the beginning, but as the ice cream would start to freeze, it would get more difficult to turn. As the crank became more difficult, I along with the younger children would be enlisted to sit on top of the freezer to hold it steady as the crank was turned. I always felt very important getting to sit on the freezer! For the cousins who were too small to sit on the freezer, the uncles and older cousins would give them the “important” job of making sure the hole on the side that allowed the water to drain was not stopped up by ice and salt.

While the ice cream was being churned, there would often be a game of baseball being played in the yard or some other activity going on.  Nighttime however, was the most exciting part of the day. The area that I lived in did not have a fireworks display, but we bought firecrackers, sparklers, roman candles, and cherry bombs from the little store down the street from my grandparents house. A dollar would by a brown paper sack full. Everyone got to shoot fireworks. Not only did we shoot fireworks into the air, we had fights and played war with them, throwing them at each other as if they were hand grenades. Looking back, it is a miracle that none of us died. We had ringing ears, scorched fingers and occasionally had very angry mothers because of holes burned into clothing, but no major injuries.

After the fireworks, we would pile up into our cars and head home exhausted. Looking back, I would give anything to be able to relive just one holiday. Just once more to have my grandparents, all of my aunts and uncles, and the 2 cousins that are deceased back together and in one place. The last time we were all together, there were 50 of us. Now almost 20 years later, there are just too many to count. I regret that my children did not get to experience family holidays as I did as a child.

Living Healthy, Weight Loss and the Fight for Healthy Food!

As I strive to “recreate” myself and become a healthier and happier individual, I have discovered a fact that many of you already know but some of you may not.  What I eat affects who I am. The old saying “You are what you eat” has never been more evident to me. Since I began this endeavor in earnest 6 months ago, I feel like a different person.

I am losing weight, it is a slow process, but I do not have to starve. In fact, the weight has just begun to come off on it’s own and I seem to eat less and less. Also, I don’t crave food the way that I once did.

Many of you may be asking why???? I have been thinking about this question also, and I have decided it is because of what I eat. As you know, if you have been following my blog, I was diagnosed with gluten and casein intolerance. Also, I have an aversion to soy. American grown soy was never meant for human consumption. At first, I thought that my world had ended.  How was I going to survive without bread and milk? Thanks to Vanessa and “Q”, I was introduced to the wonderful world of gluten free living and the amazing world of sheep and goat dairy and coconut milk. How, you ask can a person lose weight doing that? Well partially by getting rid of the foods that I have intolerance to. You see, when I eat these foods, my body starts an attack against these foreign substances. My joints become inflamed and I ache and swell. But also, my body in response to the inflammation puts out cortisol, which promotes and helps retain body fat. So, when I quit eating the foods that I was intolerant to, I began to lose weight.

However, I think that a major cause of my weight loss and my overall general better health is the fact that when I started reading labels looking for these foods, and began to realize what was hidden in the processed foods in the stores today, I stopped eating processed food.  A friend of mine tried this method and lost 70 lbs in a year. What? You ask? Stop eating processed food? How? Why?

The answer is easy. Processed food will KILL you! My journey began with oh, that has gluten, milk, or soy in it. Then I started saying, “ What are the other 30 things in here that I don’t recognize”?  "What will I do"? My mother or I used to make this food from scratch maybe I can do that again. Once I made the homemade version, I wondered why I had ever bought the processed version. People say, “but it is more time consuming”. Yes, but it is very satisfying to know what you are eating and what your children are eating. If you sit back and think about it, can you truly say, I would rather feed my children non-nutritious, potentially carcinogenic, dangerous food, or would I rather spend 20 extra minutes a day cooking REAL food?

The thing about processed food in the US today that scares me the most are the genetically modified organisms or GMOs. These are food products that have been genetically changed in a laboratory at a cellular level and then grown and sold as “food” in the United States. The big corporations in the U.S. are in bed with the FDA. The American people are being kept in the dark!!!! GMO foods are not labeled in processed foods or in the produce section of the grocery store! Do you want to eat corn or other vegetables and fruit that has been injected with viruses or animal DNA to keep insects from eating it? That is what most of the corn in the U.S. is today. It is not the corn that we had as children. In order to get a bigger yield, it has been injected with things that kill the insects that normally would eat it. Ask yourself, if something at the bottom of the food chain cannot eat a vegetable without dying, what is it doing to my children and me? Also, it is killing the bees!!!!! Without the bees, we cannot survive! The picture in this link shows why we need to protect our bee population!

I am repeatedly amazed at what the general public is aware of and what the government keeps hidden.  I am very proud to be an American, but I am not naïve enough to believe that our government has our best interest at heart.  Have you ever wondered why Organic cost so much? Are you aware that the government uses our tax money to fund GMO testing but charges small farmers to be able to tell us that they are organic farmers????

I am also surprised that the general public has issues with things such as embryonic stem cell testing but does nothing about scientists changing the vegetables and plants that God put on this earth. Either they are unaware, or they choose which Dr. Frankenstein to condemn and which to ignore.

One thing about living in the United States is that we are all free to believe what we choose. I for one, choose to fight government interference with nature and what I think is God’s plan. Luckily, in the United States, I am not alone! Much of the worlds including Europe, China and India have already banned GMO foods. Hopefully, this will happen soon in the United States.

I am including the links below if you would like more information. Have a wonderful week! And please let me hear your thoughts!

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/non-gmo-food-companies-with-printable-list-of-brands/

http://www.spreadlibertynews.com/the-organic-review-long-term-study-shows-gm-corn-soy-causing-severe-stomach-inflammation/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/viewpoints/risks.html

https://www.facebook.com/MarchAgainstMonstanto

A Thank You to My "LIFERS"

A lot has happened since I last sat down to write.  I spent the week of Memorial Day weekend traveling.  During this time, I went to my oldest granddaughter’s 6^th grade graduation and my youngest granddaughter’s 4K graduation.  Nothing in the world is as sweet as grandchildren! I also spent time with old friends and with a very dear and special friend who is losing the war against Alzheimer’s.

As I was driving the eight hours back home, I had a lot of time to think about my life. There are so many people that are so near and dear to me. Some I see often, some once a year, some every five of ten years and some are gone and I would give ANYTHING for just one more day.

Everyone has family and most everyone has friends, but there are some of us who have been blessed with people who transcend these categories and blend into something totally different. They become part of who you are. I realized as I was driving that these people, living and dead are part of what makes me the person that I am today. My friend Lee has a term for these people. She calls them “Lifers”.

I was able to spend time with my oldest friend Lee this weekend. By oldest friend I mean that we have known each other since birth. Our parents knew each other even before we were born. We started kindergarten together, dealt with children, marriages and divorces together, cancer, job changes and moves. We have been together so long that we instinctively pick up the phone, sometimes after not talking for a year and say  “what’s wrong and what can I do?” Countless times, we sensed that the other was in need.

There are other “lifers” that I love.  And after spending time with my dear friend who is fading away, I think it is time that I let all of you know that I love each and every one of you. Even if we don’t talk often, you are in my thoughts and prayers and you are part of my very being!

I have been looking at old pictures recently and there are quite a few that I want to share! Unfortunately, there are some of my oldest and dearest friends that I have no pictures of.  The only excuse that I have is that when you have been friends for LIFE, you take for granted that you will always have that person. So, my “lifer” friends if you don’t see a picture, that is probably the case, and the next time I see you, expect to see the camera!

Until next time!

'"Call it Paradise and Kiss it Goodbye" or My Childhood Memories of the Beach

I am getting ready to go down to the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area for a couple of days. As I am packing, I am remembering my childhood memories of the beach.

I grew up a little over 2 hours from Gulf Shores. At that time, it took much longer than that to get there due to road conditions, etc. But at least once a year, we would go to the beach. I remember several occasions when we would stay for a few days, but usually, we would go for just the day. Wow, what an experience!

Mama would go to the store and get stuff for a picnic.  She would fry a chicken the night before and we would also have sandwich fixings. We would carry potato chips and drinks.  In retrospect, this probably was not a vacation day for her, since she had to work twice as hard as usual just to get us all there packed and with food. But she always made the day special. 

We would leave early in the morning, wearing our swimsuits and away we would go. The entire trip was two lanes, so traffic was a variable. Also, there was the drawbridge over the river that we as children were always worried about. We were never certain that we were actually going to get to the “Beach” until that obstacle was overcome. One time, we waited and waited only to have to turn around and come home.

Once the drawbridge anxiety was over though, excitement would build. In those pre-seatbelt, car seat days, we would sit/lay wherever we had chosen as our spot for the trip and watch the sky or watch the wires swoop and hit the telephone poles. Sometimes, someone would say something that at the time we considered profound; usually it was my youngest brother. One trip he voiced his thoughts by announcing, “Wow, Granddaddy would have to have a long trot line to run this river!” as we crossed Mobile Bay.

We would travel through the piney woods of Clarke and Washington counties, go through the city of Mobile, cross Mobile Bay on the Causeway (pre Bay Way days) and head through the farm land of Baldwin County. At that time, there was nothing but farms, and the tiny towns of Spanish Fort, Fairhope, and Foley. We could tell when the journey was almost over by the smell of salt in the air.

Finally, we were there! The road came to a T. and there was the ocean.  There was asphalt for maybe a half mile in either direction, but otherwise nothing but ocean and beach. No fast food, tourist attractions or entertainment, just the Hang Out and the beach.

We would play all day.  It was one of the few times except for Sundays that we got to spend a whole day with Daddy. He would play with us the entire time. Looking back, I realize that he was probably exhausted and would have liked to just sit and do nothing, but he never let on.

Lunch was wonderful. There is nothing better than cold coke, cold fried chicken and pimento cheese at the beach. Nobody cared that occasionally the food was a little gritty from the wind blowing sand onto the blanket.

We would stay until we started looking pink. There was no sunscreen in those days, but I really don’t remember getting badly burned. Maybe it was because we played outside all the time and our bodies adapted. Finally, we would have to leave. There were tears and pleadings “just a little longer” but we would load up the belongings, and get into the car.  We would get in with our suits on, sand and all, and ride all the way home with the beach all over us.

At bedtime, after my bath with the bottom of the bathtub covered in sand, I would lie in my bed and feel the ocean moving me along and hear the waves in my dreams.

As an adult, I moved to Gulf Shores and my children grew up there. It was a great place to raise children and my dearest friends are still there, but it is now more of a destination location. The beaches are as beautiful as ever, the people just as friendly, and the food outstanding. However, I will always miss the beach that I had as a child.

Many years have passed since that time. My granddaughter Chloe' is graduating from 6^th grade at Gulf Shores Elementary this year but it seems like yesterday that I was her age and eating fried chicken on the beach!

Chloe' and me on the Beach!

Happy Memories and Happy Mother's Day

I’ve been thinking over the last couple of days about how blessed I am. I have been especially thinking recently about what a charmed childhood I had. Most children today cannot relate to the childhood that I remember.

I was born in the Deep South in a time when families still lived close to one another. I was blessed to have parents, grandparents, and great grandparents who loved me. That’s right, great grandparents. You see when I was born; I had all four grandparents living within 5 miles of my house along with 2 great grandmothers and a great grandfather.  My mother’s grand mothers were also living, one in North Alabama and one in South Georgia. Life for me was a joyful time of sitting on knees, receiving hugs, silver dollars at Christmas and on birthdays, and waiting for divinity, fudge, cards and letters to arrive in the mail.  I was a very happy spoiled little girl.

Besides the great grandparents, I had numerous great aunts and uncles, and even great-great aunts and uncles. These wonderful people who were actually my grandparents aunts and uncles also spent many afternoons and Sunday mornings at church molding my life.

I had cousins for days. There were thirteen of us on Daddy’s side and 5 of us on Mama’s. Not to mention the second and third cousins. Holidays were magical and Friday and Saturday nights as a small child were spent playing outside until dark and then lying on the couch while the adults watched Lawrence Welk or listened to Jerry Clower records or played a card game known as Rook.

Summers were spent in the creek or playing baseball in Grandmother and Granddaddy’s yard while waiting for Granddaddy to fry fish and waiting for the ice cream freezer to freeze. Sometimes the older boys would let me help with the ice cream by poking the drainage hole with a stick to keep the water draining or letting me sit on the top of the ice cream bucket to keep the churn in place.

The other part of my time was spent with Granny. Granny was single (widowed) and fun! I thought she was old at that time in my life but now I realize that she was very young. She died at age 51 when I was 12. With Granny and my aunt LaVonne while she was still at home, I had a great time! When I spent the night, we had what a 5 year old would consider wonderful meals. Frozen pizza and tater tots, or TV dinners, things that I did not get at home. Breakfast was buttered toast and milk coffee. We watched the Pink Panther cartoon because it was Granny’s favorite and she told us stories at bedtime. She played baseball with us and we spent time in the back yard picking up pecans and eating them.

Mother’s Day stands out in my mind as a very special day. We got up on Sunday morning and went to church as usual. But once there, it was different from the usual Sunday. Every mother there had a corsage.  The mothers who had lost their mothers had white corsages and the ones whose mothers were living wore colored corsages.  But all of the mothers were special on that day.

On this Mother’s Day, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful day and say, “I love you!“to my Mother, and “I miss you!” to my grandmothers and great grandmothers. 

I am going to leave you with some pictures of some of my favorite women in my life!

The Close of an Era

I love this time of year! Everything is green, pink, yellow and white! The birds are back and everything smells new and clean. I am so thankful for my life.

I had a wonderful surprise this week. My parents came to visit. I love my parents! We had a great time talking and spending time together.  We went out to one of my favorite places to eat, Demo’s.

My husband also surprised me this week and took me to the Grand Ole Opry. What a great time!  So many great acts, but my favorite performers were Jimmy Wayne and ALABAMA!!!

ALABAMA hasn’t changed since they first became famous when I was in high school! They are amazing. For those of you who haven’t been to the Opry, I encourage you to go if you get a chance. It is something that you will never forget!

It is ironic that the week that I get to the Opry, we lost one of the greatest singers of all time, George Jones. My favorite song EVER is “He Stopped Loving Her Today”. He will be greatly missed. When we first came to Nashville we lived in Franklin. You could see Mr. Jones most any morning in Cracker Barrel having breakfast. It was an experience that I will always remember.

Speaking of great entertainers, Waylon Jennings’s son Shooter was one of the performers at the Opry the night I went. He brought his mother Jesse Coulter who performed a piano piece and sang the first song. She is a beautiful, talented and gracious lady. I was very disappointed with Shooter however. Instead of entertaining and showing his talent, he sang a rant about Nashville that included the fact that Nashville “wouldn’t know country if it hit them in the head with a baseball bat” and how unappreciated his father was.  I understand that during the “Outlaw” period, his father and the other “outlaws” were ostracized, but I would like to think that this young man has enough talent that he could find his own way into the music world and not ride the coattails of the “outlaws”.

I am enjoying my new job and my new life. I am going to be the Marketing Director for the agency, but at this moment, I am writing a training manual and setting up SOP’s (standard operating procedures) for the office. I am also organizing and arranging the office to make it flow better.

I am looking forward to the marketing part of the job and will keep you informed on how it goes. I hope that all of you have a wonderful and blessed week and that you enjoy life as much as I do!

The moon this week has been spectacular! I am posting a picture of the moon from Mount Juliet!

Until next time!

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is here!!!! Finally! Today is the first day this year that it has been warm and sunny.  One of the biggest surprises that I had moving from south Alabama to Nashville was the fact that spring doesn’t arrive until late March - mid. April. Just because the weatherman says that the high for the day is 70, don’t be fooled! It will reach 70 around 4pm and then quickly begin to cool off again.

This winter has been especially long and hard so I was happy to wake up to a balmy and sunny 53 degrees this morning and hurried outdoors to spread mulch in the flowerbeds. 2 hours and 40 cubic feet of mulch later, I am tired but pleased with my results!

I have to say that I love my life! It is hard to believe 4 months ago that I was tired, depressed and dreading getting up every morning. Now, the days are happy and busy and there is never enough time to get everything finished!

One of my newest accomplishments and one that makes me very happy is joining the YMCA!  The Donelson-Hermitage YMCA is a wonderful place! I go 4-5 times a week. I enjoy the water aerobics classes, (Don’t make fun…. I have terrible knees and a bad back). Jean the instructor is amazing! She has us doing Pilates moves in the water. 75 minutes of cardio and aerobics twice a week will really change your life. I’ve also been working with a trainer and work out in the equipment room twice a week.  All of this is free to members! But the best part of my week is Yoga!

For those of you who have never tried yoga, you are really missing out on a wonderful experience! I have always loved yoga, but the cost is often restrictive. But here it is included in my membership! It has changed my life in so many ways. I feel better, hurt less, am more flexible but most of all my mind is much less cluttered. For one hour 3 times a week I don’t have time to think. My entire focus is on yoga. I leave the class feeling as if the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.

I encourage you to try something new. I really think that one of the best ways to feel young is to keep introducing your body and mind to new things. Life is too short to be bored and to feel that your life is stale. Let me know what you think!