Just one of those days...

Can I just say, I have always had a hate-hate relationship with the grapevine. Today, the first song in Zumba class and there goes the damn grapevine move - I somehow tripped over my shoes and fell right on my behind. Doh! I felt really dumb but got back up and kept going, finished out the class. It must have been one of those days because not only did the teacher call out the wrong instructions more than once, but both straps on her tank fell down at the same momemt during a shimmy and she flashed the whole class with her sportsbra. I was relieved it wasn't just me! All I was hoping for was to get back home again without crashing my bike.

I made it back in one piece, but the computer has been acting up, not wanting to cooperate at all. And darn, my ankle that I twisted thanks to that grapevine actually really hurts! I guess it's just one of those days. Time to hide out, ice my ankle, have a cup of tea, and let it pass. Tomorrow better.

No time!

No, that is not my excuse for not exercising, it is my excuse for not blogging! Things have been a bit hectic since I got back, we had the last part of our middle son's confirmation this weekend and then my husband has been getting ready for his trip to Japan - he leaves today so I am hanging around the house in this morning while he is getting everything packed, and in the meantime I am trying to get some things done for the workshops next week. I have been so TIRED...I have always heard that each hour of time difference means one day to get readjusted, and in my experience, it seems to hold true. So that means it should be another two days before I feel fully back to normal.

My exercise plan for the next three weeks is to get to the gym three times during the week and do a Matt Roberts workout (I am doing the ones from the first month of his "weight loss" program, Fran!), and run a longer distance on Sunday. We are all signed up for the Corrida at the end of December, we will be doing 8 kilometers, so I know I need to get my running in - one of the biggest benefits, for me, in being signed up for a race!

Linda and I have had great response to our workshops again this year, three of them are sold out, the fourth one is almost full, and we added an additional session, which is already half full! The topic this year is "healthy baking - how to make cookies, waffles, cakes and such using healthier options for sugar, flour, butter and eggs". We are going to have the participants roll their sleeves up and make some of the recipes, it should be fun!

Back home and finally functioning!

Thanks to my two great travelling companions, with whom I had a blast:

And congratulations to Mary and Brad, whose beautiful wedding was the high point of the journey! Being able to celebrate the special day with them and seeing family that I hadn't seen in so many years was such a pleasure.



I've been back home in Belgium since early Tuesday morning and today am finally starting to feel a bit back to normal. I was so glad to see Stefaan and the boys again, and happy to find that they also had a great time last week on their "guys only" trip. I headed to the gym this morning and it was good to see familiar faces and energize myself with some cardio and a few resistance exercises. I'm not sure what I'll be doing the next few weeks as far as workouts, since I will be very busy with my workshops coming up, but I will certainly have a plan figured out by Monday to get me through til the beginning of December.

Coronado Island to Carlsbad

Off to a good start - a morning run on the beach is the best way to wake up in the morning.

Yesterday when we finally tore ourselves away from the Coronado, we headed up to Bilboa Park, where we visited the rose and desert gardens, the Timken Museum of Art and met a beautiful white cockatoo named Jojo who was being "walked" by his owner. Jojo was very friendly and even came to sit on my arm and make my acquaintance!

Then we headed north up historic highway 101, passing the coastal towns of Mission Beach, La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas before arriving in Carlsbad, where the wedding will take place on Saturday afternoon. We were invited to the rehearsal dinner and it was great to see cousins I probably hadn't seen for about 30 some years! The wedding couple, my cousin Brad and his fiancee Mary seemed very happy to have everyone there for them. A lot of the wedding guests are staying at the hotel, so after dinner a few of us had a glass of wine together in the hotel bar and caught up on old times.

This morning Mom and I got up early along with my cousin Tom's oldest daughter Kelsea and crossed the road to check out the beach, which is wild and rocky at this point of the coastline. We scrambled down a cliff and took a long walk along the beach, picking up pretty beach rocks and watching the surfers along the way. Today we're planning to do some more exploring around Carlsbad and then go back to La Jolla in the afternoon to see the shops, caves, coves, and sea lions!

Palm Springs CA to San Diego CA

A beautiful drive from Palm Springs down through southern California to the San Diego landmark of Coronado Island and the amazing Hotel del Coronado. We were lucky enough to have an ocean-front room in the original 1888 building, what a treat! I was thankful that we were not in the famous haunted room, because I don't think I would have been able to sleep! There is lots of history here, including the filming of the Marilyn Monroe comedy "Some Like it Hot" in 1959.

We walked on the beach yesterday when we arrived, had some California wine on the patio as we watched the sun go down, and then enjoyed a delicious dinner at one of the restaurants. We still went to be early (that time change is a killer), which meant we got up early again, but by the time the sun came up we were ready to get out and run on the beach. We went north up the beach all the way to the Navy base, and then back, 2.5 miles total. By the time we jogged back to the hotel, I had a bunch of shells in my hand - not too convenient when running, but what an opportunity!

Today we head up north to Carlsbad, where the wedding will take place, and on the way we are going to stop in La Jolla to see the sea lions.

Albuquerque NM - Palm Springs CA

Because of the time change we have been getting up really early, which makes it easy to get a workout in. On Monday we were at the hotel's little workout room by 5:10 and we both ran 3 miles on the treadmill and then did a few resistance exercises with the weights. Then we did laundry, had breakfast and headed west. Our first stop after getting into Arizona was the Petrified Forest National Park, which was fascinating. Not only the beautiful petrified wood, but also the painted desert, the old ruins of pueblos, and petroglyphs (ancient drawings on stone) were there to see.

Then we pressed on to Sedona, arriving just in time for the gorgeous sunset on the red rocks - amazing. We stopped in town for a fabulous dinner at Rene's, where I had at least three vegetarian/vegan main courses to choose from - what a treat! I decided to be decadent and chose the Seitan and Tofu Wellington, which was delicious with a glass of Pinot Grigio from Oregon - mmmmm. I was glad I had worked out in the morning, I felt I had earned the right to enjoy such a yummy dinner.

Our next hotel was in downtown Phoenix. We got there well after dark, so were unable to discover how pleasant and new the city was until the next morning. First thing we did, though, was hit the gym at 6 am, which was a real treat, since hotel guests were allowed to use a full service health club adjacent to the hotel. We both nabbed treadmills and did 3 miles again. After showers and breakfasts, we headed to the Heard Museum, which has an incredible collection of Native American art, historical artefacts and history. I loved it.

For lunch, we had a special place we wanted to try - the Pane Bianco eatery, which is owned by the Pizzeria Bianco people - you may have seen them on Oprah a year or two ago when Gayle was reporting on the best pizzas in America, and they were one of them. Unfortunately the pizza place doesn't serve lunch, but Pane does, where the bread for the sandwiches is made with the same dough as the pizza crust, and they serve their own homemade mozzarella. Yum!

Then it was time to move west again, into the desert for the trip over to California. The desert is beautiful in a barren and desolate sort of way, I am amazed by the long stretches of just nothing, nothing, nothing. We arrived in Palm Springs, found our hotel and relaxed outside in the warm evening air with a few glasses of wine. This morning, up early AGAIN, mom and I decided to take our workout outside and did four miles, all the while enjoying the beautiful vistas of mountains in the distance and the palms and cactuses close by.

Dallas TX to Albuquerque NM

Our first day on the road, and the most miles of all the days we have planned. It was a beautiful sunny day, that gorgeous blue Texas sky smiling down. The driving was easy and since we took turns it never seemed very long. I enjoyed the scrub and brush and the subtle fall colors on the trees and long grass. Notable stops: Cadillac ranch - ten Cadillacs buried front down in a row in the middl e of a field; Midpoint Cafe in Adrian TX, the exact halfway point on the old route 66 between Chicago and Los Angeles, and the most delicious piece of blueberry pie, still warm from the oven. Then I was excited to cross the line into New Mexico, a state I have never been to before. The sun was brutal as we headed west into the sunset, but the sky behind us was gorgeous with stripes of blue, pink and yellow, and bright white harvest moon. We arrived in Albuquerque, found our hotel and headed to Old Town for an authentic Mexican dinner - yum!