Is it too soon to be googling restaurants in Marathon?
I still have MONTHS to wait.
meh
Monday, 25 March 2019
Sunday, 24 March 2019
20 years
This time 20 years ago I was looking forward to moving back into my flat, staying at my dads place for a couple of months and listening to Lenny Kravitz "fly away" every time I was in the car. Spring was springing in the UK and I was in countdown mode to my very first Florida trip.
I was feeling very free. For the first time since I was 15 I was young, free and single. Enjoying a good job and doing stuff like eating grapes in bed in the morning, just because. The notion of choosing my own options at the weekend without any discussion with a significant other was new and a real treat.
I have strong memories of that first Florida trip that I documented here in my 1999 trip to Florida
This year marks 20 years of that year. Both Lily and I especially have struggled with not being in Florida this year and I searched the calendar and Expedia for options to go at some point at the end of the year. The want to be back in the Keys especially for me is a daily thought. The girls want Bahama Bay, which given that they learnt to swim in the hot tub there, doesnt surprise me.
Thankfully due to early bird cheap deals and Airmiles reward miles I have found a way and booked a trip for us all towards the end of this year, this 20th anniversary year for me. So now, I am back in a countdown mode of sorts.
I cant wait to see these views again
Eat here again
Run here again at dawn
Between now and then we have the girls birthdays, our early summer trip to the UK to see family, summer time in Nova Scotia and Halloween. All good times to "get through".
I was feeling very free. For the first time since I was 15 I was young, free and single. Enjoying a good job and doing stuff like eating grapes in bed in the morning, just because. The notion of choosing my own options at the weekend without any discussion with a significant other was new and a real treat.
I have strong memories of that first Florida trip that I documented here in my 1999 trip to Florida
This year marks 20 years of that year. Both Lily and I especially have struggled with not being in Florida this year and I searched the calendar and Expedia for options to go at some point at the end of the year. The want to be back in the Keys especially for me is a daily thought. The girls want Bahama Bay, which given that they learnt to swim in the hot tub there, doesnt surprise me.
Thankfully due to early bird cheap deals and Airmiles reward miles I have found a way and booked a trip for us all towards the end of this year, this 20th anniversary year for me. So now, I am back in a countdown mode of sorts.
Between now and then we have the girls birthdays, our early summer trip to the UK to see family, summer time in Nova Scotia and Halloween. All good times to "get through".
Tuesday, 19 March 2019
The commencement of my 44th year
This March we hit (as we do each and every year now) two key dates - my birthday and our Canniversary.
I am now 44 years old and ever aware of it. Our Canniversary this year is for 8 years in Nova Scotia.
To "celebrate" this 44th year I decided to do some research on how to be more active and therefore more healthy. I have extensive plans for us when we retire and those plans require us to be fit and healthy. Hubs has taken this on with much energy and is seeing real results with his personal trainer. I, on the other hand, needed something else.
I needed a workout option that didn't steal time from my other activities or "chances of activity". I used to do my workouts at 8pm and for a while that worked until I started occasionally to ride in the evening, or want to walk the dogs at that time, or we went out, or had friends round, or I didn't sleep properly the night before, or I was exhausted or it was Monday, or Friday.
So the 8pm thing wasnt really working for me and I fell off the wagon, constantly.
Someone in my workout group answered my post asking how others scheduled in their workouts with a comment that went "I get up at 5am and look forward to my workout then".
Look forward to.....
Who looks forward to that at 5am????
I decided, on further inspection, that 5.15am wasnt that much earlier than the 5.45am I was often waking up at. I decided to commit to 3 weeks of 5.15am and follow the 21 Day Fix, religiously.
So we are almost 3 weeks in and its working for me. My alarm goes off with a rousing melody at 5.15am, I gather my thoughts and then my "organized the night before" workout gear and down I go.
And I look forward to it. Every day, even the weekend.
The sense of accomplishment is real and there are days when I ride the horse and walk the dogs too. Those days are increasing as the temps go up, so I am really starting to move alot and I can feel it. I can now run up the three flights of stairs at work, complete with purse, coat and laptop bag, without losing my breath. Yes, the burn is still there in my legs but at least I can do it. Maybe the burn will fade... I cant wait to find out.
The downside is that I am in bed falling asleep at 9.30pm but thats ok too.... it means I am not snacking or thinking about snacking or arguing with myself about snacking. Its a true "dinner and done" feat every night.
And I can sit, after dinner, without guilt and just watch Netflix. The guiltfree-ness of it all is tremendous.
So, whats next? On Monday we start the next round, this is 21DF extreme. Finally my annual online subscription to Beachbody is paying off and being used. Bring it!
I am now 44 years old and ever aware of it. Our Canniversary this year is for 8 years in Nova Scotia.
To "celebrate" this 44th year I decided to do some research on how to be more active and therefore more healthy. I have extensive plans for us when we retire and those plans require us to be fit and healthy. Hubs has taken this on with much energy and is seeing real results with his personal trainer. I, on the other hand, needed something else.
I needed a workout option that didn't steal time from my other activities or "chances of activity". I used to do my workouts at 8pm and for a while that worked until I started occasionally to ride in the evening, or want to walk the dogs at that time, or we went out, or had friends round, or I didn't sleep properly the night before, or I was exhausted or it was Monday, or Friday.
So the 8pm thing wasnt really working for me and I fell off the wagon, constantly.
Someone in my workout group answered my post asking how others scheduled in their workouts with a comment that went "I get up at 5am and look forward to my workout then".
Look forward to.....
Who looks forward to that at 5am????
I decided, on further inspection, that 5.15am wasnt that much earlier than the 5.45am I was often waking up at. I decided to commit to 3 weeks of 5.15am and follow the 21 Day Fix, religiously.
So we are almost 3 weeks in and its working for me. My alarm goes off with a rousing melody at 5.15am, I gather my thoughts and then my "organized the night before" workout gear and down I go.
And I look forward to it. Every day, even the weekend.
The sense of accomplishment is real and there are days when I ride the horse and walk the dogs too. Those days are increasing as the temps go up, so I am really starting to move alot and I can feel it. I can now run up the three flights of stairs at work, complete with purse, coat and laptop bag, without losing my breath. Yes, the burn is still there in my legs but at least I can do it. Maybe the burn will fade... I cant wait to find out.
The downside is that I am in bed falling asleep at 9.30pm but thats ok too.... it means I am not snacking or thinking about snacking or arguing with myself about snacking. Its a true "dinner and done" feat every night.
And I can sit, after dinner, without guilt and just watch Netflix. The guiltfree-ness of it all is tremendous.
So, whats next? On Monday we start the next round, this is 21DF extreme. Finally my annual online subscription to Beachbody is paying off and being used. Bring it!
Saturday, 2 March 2019
Morning light
I am a fan of early mornings. This of course has a downside, meaning I am typically asleep or at least napping at 10.30pm on any given day, even the weekend, but the magic of the early morning never escapes me.
It started when I had babies, who of course woke me at the crack of dawn and morphed into a way to study when they were small, when I would get up at 5am, creep downstairs, makes a silent cup of Roiboos tea ( I MUST get more of that) and get at least one question under my belt before the house woke up and then work called.
I used to also walk up and down the garden path on those summer study mornings looking for a Virgin Atlantic flight coming into land that you could see, pretty much, from wherever you lived in Horley.
My babies of course grew into toddles, children and now teens, and the exams are long gone (thank goodness!) but the early morning lark has remained. I loved that time to myself when they were little and now I just love it.
As the winter is moving along to Spring, now its dawn when I wake, and I find the light at that time of day (along with twilight light) has a magical quality. I find myself wondering around looking out of all the windows as the the light grows stronger.
Dawn breaking over our back garden:
The pink sky I adore from our front windows
The early morning golden light starts to come through the blinds
Light on snow, 8am on a drive into work
The brightness of the day on a non stormy Saturday winters morning
It started when I had babies, who of course woke me at the crack of dawn and morphed into a way to study when they were small, when I would get up at 5am, creep downstairs, makes a silent cup of Roiboos tea ( I MUST get more of that) and get at least one question under my belt before the house woke up and then work called.
I used to also walk up and down the garden path on those summer study mornings looking for a Virgin Atlantic flight coming into land that you could see, pretty much, from wherever you lived in Horley.
My babies of course grew into toddles, children and now teens, and the exams are long gone (thank goodness!) but the early morning lark has remained. I loved that time to myself when they were little and now I just love it.
As the winter is moving along to Spring, now its dawn when I wake, and I find the light at that time of day (along with twilight light) has a magical quality. I find myself wondering around looking out of all the windows as the the light grows stronger.
Dawn breaking over our back garden:
The pink sky I adore from our front windows
The early morning golden light starts to come through the blinds
Light on snow, 8am on a drive into work
The brightness of the day on a non stormy Saturday winters morning
Thursday, 28 February 2019
a New Florida Keys blog
I have found a new new Key West blog to read and its all round perfect for me to lose myself in. The writer updates daily and there are many years of blog archives to while away time in. Its also "real" and has a ton of photos. Happy lunchtime for me :-)
In its realness I am once again reminded to focus on finding appreciation of my life. The fact that I have it for one, and that in my life I can walk, and see and hear and use my body. I have a job and bills and a house and a family, dreams, memories, plans and a lot of love. In short, I have a lot to be thankful. In the words of Miamis "Pitbull" ~ "every day above ground is a great day, remember that".
I remember back in the days, before 9-11 when I used to live for my daily webcam perusal of the Hogs Breath as soon as I got into work in Westerham in Kent. I used to get in early enough to get my tea and see the staff at the Hogs Breath sweeping up and wiping down the bar after a Key West night of drinking. I loved it. If, by any chance, I missed it, I was sad.
It was in the time when I used to read and re-read every word of www.fla-keys.com and take in all the photos and their joy of joy, webcams.
I still look at that website often but now we also have instant internet (no more at home dial up), Google, YouTube, social media (the toilet of the internet as Lady Gaga states and I have to agree) and these wonderful blogs to wander around in.
On a plus point, its the last day of February and I have survived it without our usual February down south trip.
#winning
In its realness I am once again reminded to focus on finding appreciation of my life. The fact that I have it for one, and that in my life I can walk, and see and hear and use my body. I have a job and bills and a house and a family, dreams, memories, plans and a lot of love. In short, I have a lot to be thankful. In the words of Miamis "Pitbull" ~ "every day above ground is a great day, remember that".
I remember back in the days, before 9-11 when I used to live for my daily webcam perusal of the Hogs Breath as soon as I got into work in Westerham in Kent. I used to get in early enough to get my tea and see the staff at the Hogs Breath sweeping up and wiping down the bar after a Key West night of drinking. I loved it. If, by any chance, I missed it, I was sad.
It was in the time when I used to read and re-read every word of www.fla-keys.com and take in all the photos and their joy of joy, webcams.
I still look at that website often but now we also have instant internet (no more at home dial up), Google, YouTube, social media (the toilet of the internet as Lady Gaga states and I have to agree) and these wonderful blogs to wander around in.
On a plus point, its the last day of February and I have survived it without our usual February down south trip.
#winning
Wednesday, 27 February 2019
learnings
I learnt two awesome sayings today:
- "Just because they say it doesn't make it so" - how many of us can apply that one to our lives, every day.
- "Profanity is a sentence enhancer" - just love it.
In my observations of the two cultures I have been immersed in, in my life, I have noticed some more key differences:
- The Brits do not generally shy away from confrontation, especially the Gen X and Millennial generations. They tend to "say it how it is" and dislike what they consider two-faced behaviour intensely.
- Canadians are way keener to go with "the filter". This can be confusing to a Brit. But, not all Canadians follow this train of thought. They are definitely more polite that an outraged Brit, and for the most part manage their emotions better, but they forgo the filter and take the direct approach. I have come to realize these are my Canadian friends.
Obviously I am stereotyping here, but these are my observations...
And finally, just because its hump day, a term I am now not only comfortable with but use weekly, I am finally at ease with the Z that arrives in words that "should" have an S in there, e.g:
- realize
- amortize
But, I do not accept "addicting" in place of "addictive" and "write you" in place of "write to you"
Just cant do it.
Happy hump day
Friday, 22 February 2019
Its another Friday....
Its Friday again. Friday seems to come round with startling speed these days reminding me how fast life is going by and how fortunate I am to have one. For a quick update I am thinking along these lines:
Wishing: we were in Florida this Spring
Planning: for a trip to Orlando and the Keys at the end of the year and a Cape Breton weekend this summer with my BFF and her fam-jam.
Dreaming of: my house to be paid for, no car debt and a condo in Bahama Bay
Realizing: that I have only eleven years to go before my planned retirement age.
Coming to terms with: the new realization that sometimes you dont know the people you thought you knew, even if you have spent almost your entire life with them and most importantly....thats ok. I can grieve the loss of what I thought it was.
Strongly aware: that my family, my girls, my "framily" are those that I will go to bat for, without fail, in the face of any and everything.
Knowing that: false friends are noted and no longer in my inner circle (thats ok too, I am over it).
Comfortable with: getting older. Its not so bad. I have clarity in places that were once cloudy and full of doubt.
Appreciating: my parents, my mum and my adopted dad. I have the strongest relationship with my amazing mother and love my dad for being always there for me.
Grateful for: this job, my manager, my team here and in NH. I am so very fortunate.
Impressed by: my husband for facing his health issues full on and making hard changes for the better.
Proud of: my two girls as they deal with issues that shouldn't even be facing them at this age. They are also rocking school and grades and earning their own money! WTG girls!
Newly thankful for: my roots. My beautiful English roots.
Still in awe of: this life in Nova Scotia and everything it encompasses and being Canadian.
Enjoying eating: chicken, hummus, red peppers and cheese sandwiches and "The Feast" homemade tomato and basil soup.
Loving: these damn pets, so much: Dukie, Alpine, Oreo, Kennedy and baby Ace who is most definitely my "mental health" advocate.
Oddly embracing: being frugal. The upside is my new found deep appreciation of everything in my life that I have.
Learning: that boundaries make for a happy and healthy life.
Appreciating: Winter... now this is new for me at this point in February. Normally by now I am about done but it occurred to me yesterday as my boots crunched on new snow that I actually love this snuggly buggly weather of pretty snowfall and oddly bright darkness at night, due to it. Yes I miss flip-flop weather but at the same time, snuggly buggly weather has its pros too. Flip-flop weather is on it way....
I love this photo of Lily in Bahama Bay.
And these two...
My heart is so tremendously full.
Wishing: we were in Florida this Spring
Planning: for a trip to Orlando and the Keys at the end of the year and a Cape Breton weekend this summer with my BFF and her fam-jam.
Dreaming of: my house to be paid for, no car debt and a condo in Bahama Bay
Realizing: that I have only eleven years to go before my planned retirement age.
Coming to terms with: the new realization that sometimes you dont know the people you thought you knew, even if you have spent almost your entire life with them and most importantly....thats ok. I can grieve the loss of what I thought it was.
Strongly aware: that my family, my girls, my "framily" are those that I will go to bat for, without fail, in the face of any and everything.
Knowing that: false friends are noted and no longer in my inner circle (thats ok too, I am over it).
Comfortable with: getting older. Its not so bad. I have clarity in places that were once cloudy and full of doubt.
Appreciating: my parents, my mum and my adopted dad. I have the strongest relationship with my amazing mother and love my dad for being always there for me.
Grateful for: this job, my manager, my team here and in NH. I am so very fortunate.
Impressed by: my husband for facing his health issues full on and making hard changes for the better.
Proud of: my two girls as they deal with issues that shouldn't even be facing them at this age. They are also rocking school and grades and earning their own money! WTG girls!
Newly thankful for: my roots. My beautiful English roots.
Still in awe of: this life in Nova Scotia and everything it encompasses and being Canadian.
Enjoying eating: chicken, hummus, red peppers and cheese sandwiches and "The Feast" homemade tomato and basil soup.
Loving: these damn pets, so much: Dukie, Alpine, Oreo, Kennedy and baby Ace who is most definitely my "mental health" advocate.
Oddly embracing: being frugal. The upside is my new found deep appreciation of everything in my life that I have.
Learning: that boundaries make for a happy and healthy life.
Appreciating: Winter... now this is new for me at this point in February. Normally by now I am about done but it occurred to me yesterday as my boots crunched on new snow that I actually love this snuggly buggly weather of pretty snowfall and oddly bright darkness at night, due to it. Yes I miss flip-flop weather but at the same time, snuggly buggly weather has its pros too. Flip-flop weather is on it way....
My heart is so tremendously full.
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