What I've Been Reading, Watching, and Listening To

Another version of "What I've Been Reading, Watching, and Listening To". I've never read so much or listened to audiobooks like this, so it's actually getting hard to keep track of! I have been obsessed with audiobooks while I walk--that's what motivates me to keep going each day--and I've been reading daily for at least 10 pages.

I prefer to read thriller/suspense novels, which is what I read most of. But I'm pretty open-minded!

Here is what I've been reading, watching, and listening to lately... (links are Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through the link, I may get a small commission.)

Here is my Goodreads account--I try to keep up with it!

Reading

'Every Last Drop' by Sarah Robinson

My sister recommended 'Every Last Drop' by Sarah Robinson, saying that it was one of the best books she'd ever read. I immediately bought the Kindle version and started reading it the next day. It's about a woman who has a glioblastoma, the same type of brain tumor/cancer that my friend Spencer died from last year.

I won't get into it too much because I don't want to spoil anything, but the book is inspired by the story of Brittany Maynard, a woman who chose to end her life via the Death With Dignity Act in 2014. (Death With Dignity is a physician-assisted death for people with terminal diagnoses--there are a LOT of hoops to jump through, so it is not something taken lightly). 

I don't get into political issues on my blog, but I would love to see Death With Dignity available in every state, and while I found this book to be a little over-the-top and "fluffy", I like that it helps explain why people may make this choice when facing a terminal illness. 

'Delay, Don't Deny' by Gin Stephens

I read this a second time, simply because I feel like I'm ready to work on weight loss and I wanted a refresher on Gin Stephens' way of intermittent fasting. It's a great book! I think I may re-read 'Fast. Feast. Repeat.' by Gin as well. 

'Lying Next to Me' by Gregg Olsen

Again, I don't want to spoil this book by saying too much. But it's a murder mystery that starts with a man witnessing his wife's abduction and being unable to help. Throughout this whole book, I kept thinking I knew the "whodunnit" and all of that, but I kept changing my mind. The end wasn't a total shocker by that point, but it definitely kept me wondering throughout the whole book!

I'm currently reading 'Girl Gone Mad' by Avery Bishop

I am enjoying this one, but I'm not very far into it. From the synopsis, it sounds like a Lifetime movie--definitely something I'd enjoy, haha!

---

Watching

'How to Die in Oregon'

I'd seen this documentary before, but after reading 'Every Last Drop' about the Death With Dignity Act, I wanted to watch it again. It's a documentary about "real life" people who have terminal illnesses and who choose to end their lives with a medication prescribed by their physicians. It follows them to the end, and it's very eye-opening to see a disease progress so rapidly and terribly that they choose to hasten their deaths.

'The Secret: Dare to Dream'

Again, my sister recommended this. She suggested it to both my mom and me, so I ended up going to her house (at 6:00 AM!) for a movie date. The movie was very good! It was your typical "feel good romantic drama" that is very predictable, but leaves you feeling warm and cozy inside.

Also, I am definitely familiar with "The Secret"--I remember when Oprah did a show about it. I created a vision board and the only thing I put on it was People magazine's "Half Their Size" cover. I wanted to lose the weight so badly! And it wasn't long after that when I started losing the weight.

'Brothers and Sisters'

Jerry and I watched this show a long time ago, and we loved it! We'd forgotten all the details of the drama, so we decided to watch it again. We only watch a few episodes a week, but it's a great drama. It makes me wish I had more kids! Hahah. And grateful that I grew up with three (awesome) siblings. 

'American Pie: Girls' Rules'

This movie was terrible! I have to say, American Pie holds a special place in my heart. It was THE movie of my generation. I graduated in 2000, and the characters in the movie graduated in 1999, so we were pretty much the same age. American Pie pushed boundaries of teen movies like no other movie had before, so it was a pretty big deal.

I'd hoped that this "girl" version would be just as good--but it was awful. The acting was bad, the storyline was bad, and it just felt like it was "trying too hard" to be like the original American Pie. Nothing can stand up to American Pie! 

I'm bummed, because this had SO MUCH POTENTIAL but didn't live up to it.

---

Listening to

'An Anonymous Girl' by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

I am totally obsessed with Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I can't say that their books are out-of-this-world-amazing (I actually only give them a 3-4 star review on Goodreads), but listening to them on my walks has helped me walk what feels like a million miles. I think what draws me in is the guessing game--am I right about the whodunnit or what is happening?

For 'An Anonymous Girl', I was SO SURE that I had it figured out from the beginning. Then I kept changing my mind toward the second half of the book. By then, I really wasn't sure of anything anymore. When it finally came to the end, I wasn't blown away (which is why I don't give it five stars) but I enjoyed the book enough to give it a good review. 

'You Are Not Alone' by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Another Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen book. This one made for one hell of a drama/thriller based on a ton of misunderstanding between the characters. Again, I kept changing my mind about what I thought was going on. This one was very "out there" and unlikely to happen in real life, but I still enjoyed it. I liked it enough to make me look forward to my daily walks, that's for sure! It was so hard to stop listening.

'Buried Deep' by Margot Hunt

This was just a random download when I had an audible deal (like $7 a month for three months). It was a short listen, and I can't say it was earth-shattering, but it definitely kept me interested. If I don't like the narrator of an audiobook within the first 60 seconds or so, I can't listen to it. It doesn't matter how good the book might be! I enjoyed this one, though--a quick murder mystery.

'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor E. Frankl

I was having a VERY bad morning one day, even feeling slightly suicidal (questioning why I'm even here, what's the point of my existence, etc.), and I decided to download this book to listen to on my walk. My therapist lent me the book a while ago, and I skimmed it, but didn't fully read it. 

I wish I had! The first half of the book is about Frankl's time in various concentration camps during the Holocaust. I found this fascinating, and I felt guilty for even feeling upset about my own "problems". Because I have a hard time reading/listening to "self-help" type books, it was hard to concentrate on the second half of the book.

However, I did get a few bits and pieces out of it that really helped me while I was feeling depressed. I started to really question my personal "meaning" for being here and it made me want to make more of an imprint in my life. 

I don't typically read (or listen to, in this case) "classic" books, but this one made a difference for me.

'The Cuckoo's Cry' by Caroline Overington

This book was another impulsive (free) download while I had my audible trial. It was a short novel that actually takes place during the COVID pandemic. Without any spoilers... a young woman appears on an older man's doorstep claiming to be his granddaughter that he'd never met. She immediately moves in with him, due to the pandemic, and you are left wondering about whether she's telling the truth or not. I questioned myself constantly during this audiobook! Whether you predict the ending or not, it's a good listen.

---

I'm kind of impressed with myself for reading and listening to so many books lately! It's actually getting hard to keep track of, despite my Goodreads account. I love that I can borrow ebooks and audiobooks from the library! 

Have you been reading/watching/listening to anything good lately? Please share! :) 

Continue Reading...

My Longest Walk in Probably 10 Years

First, let me just say that this was a really pointless goal. I have no idea WHY I made it a mission to walk every single street in a nearby neighborhood, but one day it just popped into my head and I've attempted it a few times. I felt like it should be easy. And then when I missed a couple of streets, I became determined to do it.

As I'm walking, it's so hard to remember what streets I already walked. My memory is bad as it is, but considering I've been walking that neighborhood every single day for a few months, it's hard to know if I remember seeing each street that day or a previous day. I didn't want to map it out ahead of time, because the whole point was to try to do it spontaneously.

I also didn't allow myself to turn around (for example, walk a short portion of a street and then turn around because I already did the rest of the street). This meant I had to circle blocks on several occasions just to make sure I walked one side of it. 

Each time I've attempted to do it, I've walked over six miles (the entire perimeter is roughly one mile). When Jerry got home this morning, I showed him my map from a couple of days ago, pointing out the couple of spots that I'd missed. He laughed and joked that I would always miss a tiny little portion of a street, even if I walked 10 miles.

I took it as a challenge, and decided that today was the day I was going to do it. I got dressed and ready to head out, and it started raining. I really didn't want to walk in the rain! So I looked at the forecast and it said that the rain would stop in 10 minutes. Good enough.

So, Joey and I headed out in the rain. It wasn't pouring, but it wasn't just sprinkling, either. I tried to think of a strategy to cover all of the streets. It got confusing after a while! I know the streets SO well from walking them so much, but without looking at the neighborhood from above, it's hard to picture where I am.

Anyway, it never stopped raining... the entire time we walked. I was embarrassed walking down some streets, because I knew it was my second or third time going past those houses. People must have thought I was nuts--walking in the rain past their houses over and over.

All of this is just leading up to say that I did it! Today, I walked every single street in that neighborhood. It took such a long time, too--nearly two and a half hours! I walked 8.42 miles total, with an average pace of 16:46/mile. I can't believe I walked that much for some dumb mission that really didn't mean anything. But I was so excited when I uploaded my run and saw that I'd not missed a single street.

I'm not sure what they consider "slower" and "faster"... I don't feel like walking a 16:46/mi pace is slow, and that's what the majority of my walk shows. I'm curious to know what it's based on, though. 

Now that I completed that goal, I'll probably just continue walking the perimeter of all the neighborhoods. It's a five-mile loop and I can do it totally mindlessly while listening to an audiobook. 

I realize this post is incredibly boring, but it's all I've got today! ;) 

Continue Reading...

A Trip Down Memory Lane

A shopping trip, that is.

A few weeks ago, my mom called me to tell me she bought me something at a garage sale... the board game MALL MADNESS!! I was SO excited, to say the least. When I was a kid (maybe 10?) my friend Shannon and I played Mall Madness all the time. We loved that game!

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about vintage board games that I loved, and I included Mall Madness. I had the original 1989 edition back then. The one my mom bought was the second edition (released in 1996). Even though the editions were slightly different, playing the game made me so nostalgic!

Yesterday, I opened up the battery compartment and hoped that it wasn't ruined from having batteries in it for so long. It didn't look very good; the batteries had leaked and the conductors were a little rusted. However, I spent some time cleaning it up and I inserted new batteries. It worked great!

My mom bought the game for only $5, and I was shocked to see that it wasn't missing a single piece. I was excited to put it all together, and then of course once it was set up, I just had to play it. So I recruited Jerry, Noah, and Eli, and we played my first game of Mall Madness since the early 90's. Everything about the game was just as I remembered!

So many memories! Jerry actually said he liked the game. The kids weren't as thrilled, but I expected as much ;)

I have been LOVING the fall weather we've had lately. I've been heading outside early in the mornings with Joey for our walks, and I like being able to wear sweatshirts or a fleece jacket. This morning, we happened to be walking along the lake during sunrise. Look how pretty!

When I got home, I went to Wal-Mart to return some things and I went to the Habitat for Humanity Resale Store (looking for nightstands). No luck on the nightstands. (I really want to build them, but they would be so expensive!) So I went home to work on the shelves I told Jerry's sister that I'd make for her.

She'd sent me a picture of some IKEA shelves (the kind with the little cubbies) and asked if I could make something similar (32"x32"x16"). I was excited to have a project to work on! I went to Lowe's yesterday to buy the materials and today I got to work on it.

I had Lowe's cross-cut the plywood (a 3/4" x 4' x 8' board) into thirds. Then I just had to rip each one of those into thirds on the table saw. I had planned to make nine cubbies, but I thought they'd be too small, so I made six instead.

I used my Kreg pocket hole jig and wood glue to put it together. That's as far as I got today. I still have to add the backing onto it, sand the heck out of the whole thing, caulk, prime, and paint it. But I'm glad that it's working out so far! I get nervous making things for other people.

I may be able to finish it up tomorrow. I'd like to make one of these for myself, too--it's so much better quality than the cheap ones I have from Target or Wal-Mart.

Speaking of wood, Jerry sent me this meme and I thought it was so cute!

Continue Reading...

Nailed It! (My Attempt at Color Street Nail Strips)

We've all seen the "nailed it!" memes that are typically a before and after photo of someone's attempt at a cute Pinterest project that goes terribly wrong.

Several months ago, a reader named Deb reached out to me because she read about how I just can't keep nail polish on to save my soul. By the second day, it's already chipping. I didn't want to try gel polish for fear of ruining my nails. Deb super generously offered to send me a set of "Color Street" strips for nails--which I had never heard of--to try out. She is a "stylist" for Color Street now because she loves them so much.

I'd heard really great things about them from several people, including my sister. I did warn Deb that I am terrible at this kind of stuff--very uncoordinated--so I was afraid I would totally botch it. Also, I'm VERY rough on my nails--with all the wood projects and painting and "handy work" around the house, they take a beating.

She sent me the nail strips right away, but I've been too intimidated to try them! They've sat in a drawer in my bathroom, and I kept telling myself I'd do them as soon as I'm done with _________ (fill in the blank with whatever project). Well, I finally got around to doing them on Saturday!

To explain a little bit about what they are... they are little strips of color (made from actual nail polish--the base, the color, and the top coat all in one). You simply pick the correct size and press it onto your nail, then file off the excess. I watched a how-to video and it looked so simple!

Leave it to me to screw it up somehow *eye roll*. They didn't turn out terrible, though--not enough to warrant the "nailed it" meme of shame. 

I have very shaky hands, so it was hard for me to hold the strip still as I brought it to my nail. Then I found that once it adhered, there was no going back. The instructions say to "gently stretch" the strip to fit your nail, but I accidentally tore it because I guess I wasn't gentle enough!

And when I think about it, I was rushing because the instructions said that they will immediately begin to dry when they are exposed to air. I wasn't sure how much time I had, so I felt like I had to hurry. And when I was done, I could see I clearly am no manicurist ;)

However! I don't want to complain about these, because I really do like them! Here are a few reasons:

1) They are dry right away. You don't have to paint coat after coat, letting it dry in-between. If I was good at this, I could have all my nails done and looking great in less than five minutes. (I honestly think that on my next set, I'll do a better job because I know how they work.)

2) They are real nail polish, and not just stickers. You wouldn't know the difference by looking at them.

3) You don't need to apply heat or anything to adhere them. You wipe your nails with an alcohol swab to clean them, then choose the right size strip. Remove the strip from the adhesive paper, and then (carefully!) line it up to your nail. Gently set it down--hopefully in the right spot--and press it down to the rest of your nail. 

I tore off the excess and still had more than half of it left so I could use the other half on my other hand (they are double sided, basically, unless you have very long nails). So now I have enough to do a second set (which I will when these wear off!)

4) They actually are really durable. I worked on a project yesterday with some shelves (now THAT was a "nailed it!" meme for sure--I wish I'd have taken pictures). Other than the couple of nails that I'd screwed up on, they didn't chip at all. 

As I always say, I am completely honest when I try out new products (whether I purchase them myself or they are given to me). Deb didn't ask me to give her a shoutout or to promote her business or anything, but I wanted to do that in case anyone is interested in trying them. You can find her here on her Facebook page.

I really do find them convenient! And I like them better than painting my nails. Now that I know what to expect, I think I can do a better job. I'm actually really impressed they turned out as good as they did! Like I said, I am terrible at doing stuff like this ;)

(Thank you Deb, for gifting these to me! It was fun to try something new, and I really do like them--I'm going to practice with the other set after these wear off, and then I may order some more. I appreciate it!)

OH! By the way... today is Prime Day for Amazon, and they have special deals for Prime members. My beloved Kindle Paperwhite that I always rave about is on sale for $80--it's usually $130! This is the cheapest I've seen in. I'm trying to think who I could gift it to for Christmas... haha :) Here is a link (affiliate link). 

Continue Reading...

Feeling Ready to Focus on Weight Loss

Today is the final day of Week 3 of my Cookies Fall Challenge. I had attempted to take on all three challenges, but I haven't been keeping up with the Run/Walk Checklist. It seems like that would be an easy one for me to do, considering I walk every day, but I always forget to check the list!

However, I've been doing awesome with the mileage challenge (just a friendly competition for racking up miles either running or walking). I've been walking a minimum of five miles each morning. I've been second on the leaderboard twice in a row (among the walkers; the top runners are hitting crazy mileage!).

As for the Cookies Fall Hard Challenge (a different take on 75 Hard), I've been doing so-so. I haven't been doing ALL of the things every day, which I would love to change. I want have that strict discipline I had when the challenge first started. 

When starting 75 Hard, my goal was to develop discipline in order to stick with my weight loss goals. I didn't care TOO much about the weight loss during 75 Hard, because that wasn't the point of the challenge. However, now that I feel like I've developed some discipline (like the walking), I feel like I'm ready to step it up a notch.

I want to work my best at losing the weight. I still love intermittent fasting, but I know that I am eating too much during my "eating window", which is four hours. I know that it's not because I'm hungry, but because I'm stressed. We've had a lot going on lately--the kids doing school in a totally new and unfamiliar way, working on building a front porch before the weather gets cold, building Noah's desk, refinancing our car for a better interest rate, researching and buying a new mattress, keeping up with the fall challenges, and several other things. 

I'm starting to get used to the kids' schooling, so hopefully that will be less stressful from now on. I finished the porch, Noah's desk, and bought the mattress. I just finalized the refinance loan on the car (our interest rate went from 5.7% to 1.8%!! We'd bought the car just a couple of days before all the COVID stuff started, and the interest rates dropped significantly right afterward).

Now that all of that stuff is taken care of, I feel like it's a good time to work on focusing on the weight loss. I am extremely uncomfortable in my body right now. I'm worried that I'm going to undo all of the work that my skin removal surgery did--I paid a lot of money for that (even though my insurance covered most of it) and I don't want that to be a big waste.

The Cookies Fall Hard Challenge focuses on discipline rather than weight loss, and because it's so similar to 75 Hard, I feel like it's become a lifestyle for the most part. Now that I have the lifestyle part down, I want to set some fresh goals for my weight loss. Here is my most current full-length photo (aside from my daily progress photos):

While my ideal goal weight is 133, I'm not going to obsess about getting there. I'd be happy with 144, which is the top of my BMI range. That means I have to lose about 35 pounds. (Except for the photo above, all of the photos in this post are of me at around 144 pounds--my "happy weight".)

My plan is to continue with intermittent fasting. However, I'm going to do a OMAD (one meal a day) approach. I felt best when I was doing that back at the beginning of 75 Hard. It doesn't mean eating one small meal a day... it can include an appetizer, large meal, dessert, etc. I typically ate a large dinner and then finished with decaf coffee with cream and a sweet treat (zucchini bread was a favorite). I allowed myself a four-hour window (usually between 4pm and 8pm) but I was usually done eating after about two hours.

Here is an example of a large/filling dinner (Eli made this for us!):

About an hour later, I followed that up with coffee with cream and a piece of zucchini bread that Noah made.

I noticed that when I eat past my window, I am really hungry the next day. So, I'd like to be done eating shortly after dinner. I felt SO good and energetic (and my mood was better) when I was eating that way. I want to feel like that again.

That's pretty much it as far as my diet goes. My fasting periods are "clean fasts", which means that I don't consume anything except for plain water. For more info on intermittent fasting, particularly on the "OMAD" plan, I highly recommend the book 'Delay, Don't Deny' by Gin Stephens (Amazon affiliate link). That's the book that really made me want to try it! There are several different options for intermittent fasting--the OMAD approach is just one of them.

I don't only want to do the intermittent fasting for the weight loss, however. There are so many health benefits that I am hoping to see. I'm especially hoping that it helps with my chronic pain! But that could take a while, so we'll see. It most certainly helps with my digestion. I never feel bloated or stuffed, and I became very "regular".

Anyway, enough about that!

As far as exercise, I'm going to continue my daily walks. The five mile walk takes about an hour and twenty to an hour and thirty minutes. I like to go as soon as it's light outside so that I am back home early--by 9:00, usually. Once we change the clocks back for daylight savings, I'll be able to head out an hour earlier.

My overall goal for the weight loss is to lose about a pound per week (on average). When intermittent fasting, my weight goes up and down like crazy, but the overall trend was downward. So I'll be looking at that instead of a specific weight on a specific day. It'd be nice to see a downward slope of about a pound a week, though.

If I manage to do that, I can get to my happy weight of 144 in about 35 weeks--mid-June. That seems so far away right now, but this year has been flying by, and I have no doubt that June will be here before I know it. It would be nice to fit back into my favorite jeans by then!

Here are a couple of favorite pictures of me at about 144 pounds. Not my thinnest (this is borderline overweight, actually!). But I'd love to get here again. I felt so good at this size. (This is when Jerry and I were training for the Martian Half Marathon in 2018.)

Continue Reading...

Kids Say The Darndest Things!

I was in a VERY bad mood today and had no idea what to write about. I was going through photos on my computer, looking for inspiration. I came across a bunch of screenshots of my old Facebook posts about funny things my kids have said. 

The reason I was in such a bad mood was because I was feeling like my kids have been ungrateful lately for all I do for them. So, this post is a bit ironic, but it certainly turned my mood around :)

My kids said the funniest things when they were little! I love when Facebook reminds me of these things, because otherwise, I would totally forget. Anyway, here are some of my favorite funny stories about my kiddos. (The pictures don't match the stories... I don't have pics for them! So I just chose some cute ones.)

**When Eli was three years old, he yelled to me, very panicky, and told me that he swallowed a baby. I had no idea what he was talking about! He seemed so worried about it, and kept insisting that he swallowed a baby. Thankfully, Noah was able to help and told me that Eli had actually swallowed a BB--like from a BB gun. (I have no idea where it came from--likely something they brought home from my parents' house.) He thought his stomach was going to explode, so to calm him down, I told him he better not fart or he might shoot someone. He laughed at that and it seemed to satisfy him!

**Eli refused to eat grapes that had been sitting on the kitchen counter for about an hour because they were "old". But thank goodness he remembered that piece of cheese he left in the bathroom, because he was happy to eat that instead!"

**I was out driving with Noah today, and he kept saying, "I'm very, very hungry, Mama."  After a couple of times of him saying that, I realized he said that every time we passed a McDonald's billboard or McDonald's itself :)  I ended up taking him there for lunch, because he's just too cute.

**Eli came up to me today and asked, "Mama, do we have any little tiny legs?" I was unsure what he was talking about, so I said, "Um, for what?" And he opened his hand to show me a (dead) ladybug. "For this bug. His legs is all crumbled up." How does one answer that? "Sure, we keep all our spare legs in the junk drawer"?

**Noah was on the phone with my dad, who asked what he was doing. Noah responded that he was playing with his "dicks". Now, to anyone else that may sound a little naughty (and weird because it's plural) but he was referring to his DISCS (for disc golf) that he got for his birthday!

**Today I learned that Eli is at least SOMEWHAT paying attention at church. I discovered this when Noah was in gymnastics class [when he was about five years old], and Eli was with me in the waiting area. Eli tripped and then exclaimed, "Whoa, I almost just died on the cross!" I didn't even try to come up with an explanation to the other parents. I was quite speechless, actually. 

**Noah: "Mama, I think Eli just broke my sternum AND my clavicle!"

**Today, Eli had just gotten out of the pool and stripped naked. He asked me if I wanted to see his seashell. I said sure, and he PULLED A SEASHELL OUT OF HIS BUTT CRACK to show me. And worse--he started to put it back in there before I made him throw it away and wash his hands!"

**Only Eli would think that Dora the Explorer is saying "butt hole" instead of "abajo".

**At the boys' t-ball game, Eli was in a little argument with another kid while they were in the dugout. I went over there to tell Eli to just leave it alone. I whispered to him through the fence. Then he yells, "You want me to CHOKE HIM?!" I said NOTHING like that. I walked back to the bleachers, too embarrassed to even look at the other parents' faces. 

Kids are so funny, aren't they? I miss when they were so little! My boys had such opposite personalities. Noah was very "book smart"--he was obsessed with anatomy when he was just two years old and he learned the names of all the bones and organs. Eli was always very creative--I loved the different outfits he chose to wear. He's always had such a great imagination!

Things haven't changed much to this day. Noah is still very "book smart" and is taking college courses at 16 years old! Eli is an amazing artist, has mastered the Rubik's Cube, and is an expert fisherman. 

I really miss their little high-pitched voices and their non-stop giggles over the silliest things. I'm lucky to have such great kids. Bad mood over ;)

Continue Reading...

A Sleepy Saturday

I think all of yesterday's exercise/activity really wiped me out. This morning, my body felt so tired while I walked today. I ended up walking at a very slow pace. I felt pretty tired all day, actually. And just before I started writing this, I was falling asleep on the couch (at 7:00!).

I finished my audiobook at the end of my walk (I actually sat on the porch for about five minutes so that I could finish it). When I got home, I went out to the garage and opened up all of the garage doors. It was super nice outside! I brought my Kindle out there to sit on the couch in the breeze and finish reading my current book. I feel like I've been talking about nothing but my books lately, so I'll save those for my next "What I've Been Reading/Watching/Listening To" post. 

I had planned to go to the kids' cross country meet today (not MY kids, but the kids that I used to coach). My friend Adam came over to drop off Jerry's bike (he borrowed it for a couple of weeks) and I should have left right when he did so I could make it to the meet. I totally forgot about it! It didn't occur to me until mid-afternoon that I missed the meet. 

On my walk today, I noticed that one of the houses that had skeleton decorations in their front yard (one pushing a lawnmower, one raking up a pile of bones, and a skeleton dog eating a bone) had changed their display, which I thought was fun. (You can see the previous pictures here)

I love seeing Halloween decorations! They seem to be extra creative this year. Or maybe I'm only just now noticing them because I walk so much and see all the different streets.

I've been getting very antsy without a project to work on right now, but Jerry's sister asked me if I could make some shelves for her. I drew it out and priced it today, and she thought it sounded great--so I'm going to try to get the materials and work on that next week.

I'm going to cut this short because I really don't have anything to write about! Happy Saturday :)

Continue Reading...

When You're Walking and You Lose Track of Time/Distance

First, I want to mention that I tried the tapenade hummus I posted about recently yesterday, and it's AMAZING. Like I said, I adore olive tapenade, and I can't believe I never thought to combine it with hummus before. I ate it with pretzels and it's my new favorite appetizer/snack during my intermittent fasting window.

As I have mentioned a trillion times lately, I have loved listening to audiobooks when I do my morning walks. Ever since I finished 75 Hard, I have been doing a longer walk in the morning (5 miles) instead of 45 minutes twice a day. The five mile walk typically takes me about an hour and 20 minutes to an hour and 25 minutes.

I've been doing a specific five mile route--the perimeter of all four neighborhoods on the peninsula--because it's mindless, simple, and I get to see a good variety. Today, however, I accidentally skipped the street I was supposed to turn on, and I made a last-minute decision to go into my favorite neighborhood try to walk every single street.

It's not just a block system; there are several blocks separated by a triangular park in the center. I had no idea how long it would take me, but based on my previous walks, I guessed it would take roughly an hour. 

As usual, Joey was bouncing to go out the door at 6:30 AM, but I've been waiting until it gets light out at around 7:45, so I read a book for a little bit. 

I used to only really listen to memoirs on audio, but I listened to a thriller and then I wanted to keep listening to them.

I'm currently listening to a psychological thriller called 'An Anonymous Girl' by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. (FYI, the books I mention in this post are Amazon affiliate links, which means if you buy them through the link, I may get a small commission. But I encourage you to check your library--that's where I borrowed them for free!)

I can't explain what the book is about without a ton of spoilers (everything you think is happening is probably wrong--I was so sure I had it figured out immediately). I had previously read 'The Wife Between Us' and then listened to the audiobook of 'You Are Not Alone', by the same authors.

I listened to 'You Are Not Alone' while walking and was obsessed with that one as well (I looked forward to my walks so much!), and when I was finished, I was thrilled to see my library offered 'An Anonymous Girl' . 

Anyway, I am super engrossed in 'An Anonymous Girl' and was excited to head out for a walk this morning. As I turned into the neighborhood, I mentally tried to plot out a general route in my head to be able to walk every single street. There were some streets I had to walk on twice to be able to round corners onto others; it was kind of fun to have this goal in mind!

I always have my watch covered with my sleeve, so I had no idea how far I'd gone or how much time had elapsed. I just concentrated on my book and on walking all the streets. Every so often I'd hear a beep from my watch, alerting me that I'd just hit another mile. 

When I was nearing the end of the neighborhood, I heard a beep that I thought was mile five. I knew that I'd have roughly another half mile to get home, so I figured the timing worked out pretty well. It wasn't until I sat down to write this blog post that I noticed I'd walked much farther (and longer) than I'd thought!

I was super bummed to see that I missed two sections of one of the streets in the neighborhood (where the yellow arrows are pointing). 

I had covered 6.45 miles in 1:49:41 (a 17:01/mile pace). That's the longest walk I've done in... well, I can't even tell you how long. Years! 

I stopped wearing my heart rate monitor a while ago. I just don't care what my heart rate is--I don't really care about my stats at all, other than the duration that I walk. It's nice!

The transition from 75 Hard to my Cookies Fall Challenge has been pretty seamless. I've not checked off everything on my list every single day, but I haven't skipped a workout (walking) and I haven't forgotten to do a progress photo. My progress photos haven't really "progressed", unfortunately, but I know the things I need to change in order to make more progress--which is what I'm working on now. Here is today's photo (in my new favorite tights):

I'm trying to keep posting full-length photos so that I don't get too embarrassed to post them again. I still have to work on not feeling so self-conscious of the weight I've gained, and posting pictures is a good start. I hate posting them, but I hope that I'll get more comfortable with it if I keep doing it.

When I got home, I immediately got to work on the landscaping. I've been using a shovel to pull up the grass that was next to it, so that the entire area from the edge of the sidewalk to the house will be landscaping (next year--I'm not going to plant anything now). It was a ton of work! Now, it's just pure dirt along the front of the house. (I will try to get some pictures together soon, honest.)

I am 100% wiped out from all the walking plus the yard work. I'm going to try to find a movie for Jerry and I to watch tonight :) Have a great weekend!

Continue Reading...