TOL #5 50,000 Words, But Who's Counting?

Thank you to Amanda for hosting her weekly Thursdays Are For Thinking Out Loud linkup! Week five -- I can't believe I've been writing this column for over a month! -- of linking to her blog will all over the place: I’ve been thinking, thinking, thinking. 

Somebody better feed my monkey mind a banana, already! Here’s what’s been on my mind:

Coffee. I recently gave up coffee (sacrilege, right??). Until the last several years, I never drank coffee regularly. I have always liked the flavor of coffee but never really had the habit. In the last three years, I’ve relied on caffeine to get through the day because I’m wiped out so much of the time. I’m not really sure what to attribute the exhaustion to: iron absorption and/or thyroid issues, peri-menopause, not enough Z’s, etc. Honestly, it’s anyone’s guess. 

When we were in Kauai over the summer, I was snobby about the coffee (also sacrilege..who doesn't like Kona coffee??) at the timeshare we were staying at, so I didn’t drink any the week we were there. I kept getting headaches that ibuprofen couldn't touch, until I realized it was caffeine withdrawal. When we came home, I started back up with my coffee habit. I don’t really know why it took me so long to see it, but there is a direct correlation between my caffeine consumption and my anxiety level; the more caffeine I have, the more anxious I am. Ain’t nobody got time for that! Aside from an occasional soda, I have stopped drinking caffeine entirely. I feel so much better!

Prisma. This app is AMAZING. I feel like I’ve shared this before, but I’ll go into a little more depth here: I decided to make edits of the photos I took during our trip to Kauai, and mount them on note cards to sell. Although I’m hardly a professional photographer (I don’t even own a real camera), I like to think that I have an eye for composition. Plus, phones take such incredible pictures nowadays. I’m really excited about my new business venture! Here’s a sample edit from a photograph I took at the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge:

I love this edit! It gives me the feels.

I have a dozen different photographs (and magnets) with a variety of edits for each. I am going to sell them at a few craft boutiques next month to raise money for an upcoming adventure. [...which is a segue into next item...]

Japan. This will be it's own blog post, but yes. I am going to Japan in 2018! The working plan is to run an event there, but I'll have to see how realistic that is. Mostly, it's to celebrate a milestone birthday and to see MONKEYS (with my best friend, obviously).

Photo credit: scoutski.com

NaNoWriMo. I have to be insane, but I'm considering doing this again. For those of you unfamiliar with the acronym (although it's not really an acronym since there is the second...and even a third...letter included), it stands for National Novel Writer's Month.

50,000 words in 30 days. ::wipes brow::
My submissions from 2012 & 2013

After participating in 2012 and 2013, it's taken me three years to even consider wanting to do it again. With a goal of 50,000 words in thirty days, it is one of the gnarliest things I have done as a writer. However, there are some phenomenal resources that come with participating, and it was a great way to gain novel writing experience. The jury is still out as to whether I have the stamina for this endeavor, but the badges on my blog from three and four years ago are looking sad and outdated.

Veteran's Day Half Marathon. This event is fast approaching and although I'm woefully undertrained -- the wicked switchback at mile 11 can SUCK IT -- I am really looking forward to it. One of my longest and dearest friends (who I ran Bay to Breakers with) is running the half marathon with me. I'm so excited to see her! Running the race together is just half the fun; we're going to see Temple of the Dog at the Forum the following day. Yesssssssss!  

And that's a wrap. 

Edited to add: I wrote this on Wednesday and thought I had set it to publish yesterday. Whoops! 

Any big trips planned for you in the next year (vacation, business, other)? I'd love to hear about it!

Weekend Snapshots - Friday Night Lights And Staying Classy

Hey, howdy hey! Thank you to Healthy Diva Life and  Her Heartland Soul  for hosting their weekend linkups, as always. I can't believe that another weekend has come and gone. This should sum things up nicely:

I had planned to work on making note cards from our Kauai vacation photos to sell at craft boutiques in November and December, as well as laying contact paper in the kids' bathroom cabinets. I also had my 8 mike run on tap for Sunday. None of it happened. ::shrug::

Friday night was spent helping push equipment on the football field for my son's marching band halftime show. It was a good football game, a great show and a beautiful evening:

Watching my son perform is always fun, but it was especially raucous in the stands last Friday night. The fans were decked out in school colors, with about 50 students and football players sporting pink for October's Breast Cancer Awareness. The band played great, and the drum line worked the students up into an appropriate frenzy. 

Saturday was a quiet day spent doing weekend chores at home and puttering around the house. I got to spend the afternoon visiting with my bestest friend. No photos to show from her visit, but she does make a cameo in one of about 20 of these gems (from a certain phone-hacking boy):

Later was dishes, laundry, and cookie baking for a drum line party. The sugar cookies came out sort of biscuit-like, so I tried sprinkling cinnamon on them to create a snickerdoodle hybrid. I still wasn't satisfied, so I ended up dipping them in melted chocolate. It wasn't my best result...but teenage boys aren't too picky and the plate came back empty. 

Sunday morning I squeezed in a short run, and then met a friend for coffee and a meeting. It was an hour well spent. 

Always classy ✌🏼️

We picked up turkey burgers after Boydoll's jazz combo rehearsal and enjoyed dinner together. It was a nice way to close out a good weekend. 

What does a typical Sunday dinner at your house consist of? Takeout, large family dinner, leftovers...it's all good! 

Leave a comment below and dish it 😋

TOL #4 Alfred Hitchcock Called. He Wants His Birds Back

Thank you to Amanda at Running With Spoons for hosting Thinking Out Loud Thursday! Here's a sampling of my random ramblings:

1. That's So Raven. I was waiting at a stoplight on Tuesday after dropping my son off at school, and I heard an unnerving tapping sound coming from the roof of my car. I pulled back the panel to look out of my sunroof...and there was a crow walking around the roof of my car! WTH?? It's hardly like we live in a small rural town; this was a major intersection. I had a tiny freakout, and I still have no idea what the crow was doing up there.  

2. Pollywog love. Our favorite pet store specializes in reptiles and amphibians. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and this is where I bought Gizmo. I was there last Friday picking up dog food, and they had a giant display of tadpoles for sale. It reminded me of that hilarious scene in the animated movie Flushed Away, where The Toad (brilliantly voiced by Ian McKellan) grosses out his henchmen with jars of hundreds of his tadpole offspring. Still one of my favorite movies to this day...

Evil frog The Toad

Seeing those jars of tadpoles made me nostalgic for the carefree days of summer when my kids were younger and we would hunt for pollywogs in the creeks. After we raised them into frogs, we would return them to the same creek we had found them in.

Well. These were no tiny tree frog pollywogs. 

The huge bullfrog-sized tadpoles were actually baby Pacman frogs. These suckers are BIG. The adult female frog in the pet shop was the size of an enormous flapjack. Although I'm typically not squeamish, the notion of feeding a juvenile rat to a frog is more than I can bear. 

Albino horned frog aka Pac-Man Frog

3. Currently listening to. Walls by Kings of Leon, and Be Your Love by Bishop Briggs. #allthefeels

4. Foodie Finds. I'm obsessed with Halo Top protein ice cream. I heard about it first on Instagram, and finally came across some in limited flavors (lemon cake, birthday cake and chocolate) at a grocery store. I could easily eat a pint of Birthday Cake. I can't wait to try other flavors! 

I'm in love and I don't care
who knows it!

That's all I got this week. Feel free to share your favorite animated movie or leave a comment with a new favorite song you're obsessed with. 

Weekend Snapshots: Marching Band, Gizmo and What Couldn't Be Photographed

I'm trying to be gracious about it being Monday again, but it's not easy. Thank you to Erin at Her Heartland Soul and to Katie at Healthy Diva Life for hosting linkup links!

If you've been following along, then you know that I spoke at a 12-Step meeting on Friday night. It wasn't my best effort, but it also wasn't my worst. I kept remembering little details afterwards that I usually share to add more context and give my talk some continuity. It felt pretty rusty, which I could attribute to the fact that I haven't been the main speaker at a meeting for about 4 years. Also, my 19-year old daughter (!!!) was in the audience. I was so honored that she came home from college for the night to hear my talk. I don't have any photos to share, obviously, because it's important to protect the privacy of people in a meeting. People kind of freak if you start taking photos of the room with your phone.

    

This was one of the busier weekends on record, partly because I spent 12 hours on Saturday at Boydoll's marching band competition in Simi Valley. And despite the long day and the heat, I say this with all sincerity: this is the good stuff. 

My boy is second from the front.
#laserfocus

Warming up before their competition at Royal High School

Taking the field with their show, 'Behind The Walls'

It's the good stuff, partly because I know how quickly these last few years with our son at home will pass by -- but also because there are few things better than watching my kids do what they love. People who don't know my son will ask if he plays a sport, and I always reply that he's a musician; marching band and drumline are his sport. It is enormously demanding physically with long hours spent rehearsing. All of which paid off at their competition, big time!   

Winners! They won  first in their division,
plus award for best auxiliary and best drumline. 

I'm not really sure where I pulled off the stamina, but Mr. Doll and I went to the beach with the dogs late Sunday morning. I love beachcombing, and collecting sea glass is one of my favorite pastimes. I have had terrible luck finding any glass lately, but a friend tells me that it can be pretty seasonal. I think hunting after a storm is the way to go, maybe? 

Slim beachcombing pickings.

Any beach day with our dogs includes bathing them as well, especially for our younger dog. He will roll at least dozen times until he is completely coated in sand. I didn't get any bathtime photos since I had my hands full, but I do have a Boomerang (that isn't loading) of an incredulous Spooky. She just can't believe any of it.

'Get over yourselves.'

As if bathing two large dogs wasn't enough, I also cleaned Gizmo's cage. Although I don't know the sex, I think Gizmo might be a girl. Chameleons have been a fantasy pet of mine for about 10 years, and I find them absolutely fascinating to watch. I got Gizmo three months ago. She is a rudis chameleon and her breed is considered to be more of a decorative pet. Overhandling can stress them out, which leads to refusing food and hiding.

Gizmo, meet my readers!

Although I prefer the plant in the photo above for her screened terrarium, it wasn't thriving and the leaves had trouble supporting Gizmo's weight. I replaced it with the original ficus that came in her enclosure. Admittedly, it has a better variety of branch sizes to keep her adorable mitten-shaped feet healthy.

Camoflage is the name of the 

chameleon game. Can you spot Gizmo? 

Do you have critters? If not, what would be your fantasy pet? 

#AwareWithPink Friday Five

In solidarity of Breast Cancer Awareness month, here are five ways that I stay #AwareWithPink:

1. Educate myself: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women and it accounts for 29% of newly diagnosed cancers. 

2. Celebrate life: It is easy to get bogged down in the rat race. I make a conscious effort to tell my nearest and dearest how much I love them. I also spent time geeking out over stuff that brings me joy (writing, playing with my dogs, hanging out with my teenagers, and enjoying the company of my awesome husband).

These two keep me young. 

3. Self care: I exercise 5-6 times a week, schedule regular mammograms, focus on the 80/20 rule of eating healthfully most of the time but still enjoying treats, and make efforts to minimize my stress. 

4. Be inspired: Three women who regularly attend my spinning class have been diagnosed with breast cancer over the ten years I have taught at the Y. Despite fatigue and hair loss, these women continued to come to spin class weekly. That beats any excuse I have about being too tired to work out!

5. Share the message: As a fitness professional, I am an influencer in healthy lifestyle choices. It's an honor to advocate for #breastcancerawareness. This post was sponsored by Aftershokz in an effort to spread awareness about their new Pink Trekz headphones, in partnership with Bright Pink to spread awareness about breast cancer. All opinions and words are my own. I appreciate all of the brands that support the Sweat Pink community.

#AfterShokz is an incredible company with an equally amazing product: wireless headphones that conduct sound through audio technology without obsucring the ear canal. They are donating 25% of all Trekz Titanium Pink proceeds to Bright Pink, which is an organization that focuses on saving women's lives from breast and ovarian cancer. 

TOL #3 Autocorrect Poetry

Thank you to Amanda at Running With Spoons for hosting her weekly link up. It's been a fun way to discover new blogs and hear what's on the mind of my peers. Thinking Out Loud is a weekly celebration of quirks and randomness. Here's some Thursday random straight my fingers: 

1. Crockpots. Do you use a crockpot? The lid broke to our old one, so I have been using my Dutch oven for the things I ordinarily would have made in the crock pot. This would be fine, except that I'm not a fan for using our oven during the summer when it's already a thousand degrees inside the house. After 4 months without a crock pot, I picked one up on my Costco run last weekend. 

Tuesday night I used our new crock pot and made chili. It was culinary heaven! I was going to share a photo of it here, but pictures of chili (and stews/soups in general) all photograph pretty much the same. Besides, I'm a huge fan of toppings when it comes to chili, so all you can really see is avocado and cilantro. 

2. Auto-correct game. A friend posted this on Facebook yesterday:

Have you tried this?? It sounded like a fun little distraction, and my first attempt read like a little cliffhanger to an obscure story. Here is mine:

I'm not a fan but my daughter and daughter have a lot more than a few days of being able

...being able to what?! 

It reads like an essay prompt, and I wanted to expand it on to discover what happened. Apparently, friends who owned Samsung phones noticed that somehow the software caught on to the game because their 20 auto-correct words were coming out as fully-formed positive affirmations. 

I tried it a second time and the mood of the poem was a bit snarkier:

I'm glad I didn't want you back to my house so you could get me to a new one you

...rapscallion? (Just spitballing. I doubt I've ever called anyone 'rapscallion' in my life.) 

3. Public Speaking. This doesn't happen very often, but occasionally I'm asked to speak about my recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. Tomorrow night will be such an occasion. I'll be talking in a general way about what my life of addiction was like, the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, and what my life in recovery is like today. 

It's an honor and a privilege to share my story, but I'll be honest: I'm nervous to speak so frankly in front of a room full of 200 people. Although I have been that I seem poised and relaxed when speaking from a podium, I liken it to a swimming duck; it may be floating quietly...but underneath the surface of the water, it's legs are paddling furiously. Wish me luck! 

Comment below with your auto-correct poetry, or any wisdom or helpful tips regarding public speaking.  

Weekend Snapshots and the Warty Pumpkin

This was one of those weekends that I know I'm going to relish in the upcoming months. Fall typically hits our family at fever pitch with activities, marching band competitions for my son, and accelerates right into Thanksgiving and Christmas. I didn't have a single thing on my calendar through the weekend and into Monday. Heaven! 

I went to Costco on Friday. I try and avoid going on Saturday or Sunday if I can. Sometimes that's unavoidable, but I was able to swing in quickly and do some of our bulk shopping. Of course, all their Christmas lights and candy and gifts are out in full swing. There was even a completely decorated Christmas tree. 😒

But! I did see this:

Wouldn't these three be wonderful to cuddle
on Christmas morning. Maybe not...

Obviously, I immediately texted my best friend and asked her if it was bad that I totally wanted to buy large Star Wars action figure dolls for myself. She gave me permission to buy them…but I didn't. #starwarsnerd

My BFF and I did end up having a text exchange which led to a phone conversation about supporting each other through making healthier food choices. It was just what I needed. It feels so good to not be struggling alone! My poor eating habits feel like my dirty little secret. Today is day three of no sugar. I spent most of Saturday working on meal prep for the week. It makes a huge difference when I have healthy food on hand to reach for instead of losing my mind over a package of cookies. There is an expression that we use in 12-Step meetings which applies to this situation perfectly, "One is too many and a thousand is never enough." There have been times that I have wanted to reach for sweets...but if there are only two or three cookies, I won't even bother. It's not enough. Crazy talk, right??

Here are some mini breakfast (or lunch if I'm so inclined) quiches made from yellow squash zoodles, eggs, and leftover chicken sausage. I baked them in the oven and sprinkled a scant amount of cheese just a few minutes before I pulled them out:

Anything in a cupcake liner = winning

I have a huge sweet tooth. One of the keys to setting myself up for success is having a dessert that I can enjoy. If I feel for a second like I am being deprived, then it's all over. Staying on top of my blood sugar and ahead of my cravings is one of the things that has worked the best in establishing healthy eating habits. I have a recipe for almond bread that is typically made in a loaf pan, but I prefer them in muffin cups. I modified the recipe by adding a date rolled in unsweetened coconut. My teenagers like to call this recipe my 'prison bread'. We have clearly watched too much OITNB. 

These satisfy a sweet tooth. Also, see caption above.

It's hard to tell from this photo -- or maybe it's not -- that the planters in our front yard are old drumheads. My husband dug up our lawn several months ago and created a drought-resistant garden out of old up-cycled drum kits. The garden has really starting to filling out as the plants have begun maturing, and our yard has become a mecca for pollinators: bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, including evening marauders (what did that funny meme with the crazy names for animals call raccoons...trash pandas??) . It is the most unique garden I have ever seen, and we're thrilled with the results! Three cheers for Mr. Doll 🌱

Drums and plumeria

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday. It's not that I go for super scary stuff -- or maybe I do, just a little -- but I love decorating the house and the change of season into cooler weather. Sadly, we will be out of town on Halloween and I won't get to pass out candy. I decided it was pointless to decorate the yard for all those trick-or-treaters we won't be passing candy out to...so I picked out this warty gourd as my consolation prize for missing All Hallows' eve.

My pumpkin has a STD

The last picture is obviously one I didn't take, but a failed gif of Maya Rudolph that I tried to insert into my last blog post. I'm including it in my Weekend Snapshots post because she is that awesome.

Hi Maya!

Thank you to Erin at Her Heartland Soul for hosting a link up. Do you carve pumpkins? When was the last time you visited a pumpkin patch?