Living a little like "Benjamin Button"

I'm going back in time.  To age 28, when I'm fairly positive I had a wee bit o' depression and other anxiety issues.  I felt fat, ugly and unaccomplished.  FELT it, not knew it. I KNEW better.  Honestly thought the world viewed me the same. 

HA. HA. HA.

Self, you need to realize, it's gotta be bad...really bad, before the world even notices.  Go out one day without makeup, wear jeans and t-shirt, don't do your hair.  No one will even look twice.  Tomorrow, roll out of bed, go out, you MIGHT get a few looks. Maybe.

So why in the world do we (and by 'we' I mean me, but less accusatory to say we-apologies to the human race ahead of time) worry so much about the outside world?  When goodness knows the best advice we've been given is to "be in the world, not of the world".

So guess what happened after I bore my soul, talking about how much I hate fat rolls and how being fat is making me depressed and making me feel gross?  Well, I gained more weight.  And dear heavens, I'm about to turn 31 in November. 

Guess the last 3 years have been good cause I'm not depressed.  I'm happy with who I am and where I am.  I also figured something out.  I DO want to lose the weight, but not for the world, not even for myself.  More so to be in tune with all my body can accomplish when I'm healthy.  I want to be "in shape".  If that means I lose 50 pounds, great!  If I only lose 10 and I'm healthy, I'm happy!  I want to be healthy and allow myself every opportunity to do the things I feel I should be able to.

So with that attitude, I began a new lifestyle.  Most call it a diet....and while it is, in essence, a diet to the outside world looking in, I'm calling it my new lifestyle.  It sounds less temporary, more enduring and better for me in mind and body.  Saying "I don't", rather than "I can't".   I got that gem of wisdom from my lil sister, Lindy.  The power of don't vs can't is liberating.  "Don't" sets my parameters and allows my body the freedom to excel.  "Can't" makes me feel like I'm missing out on something great and makes me yearn for it.

And as my health coach tells me, "You CAN have anything you want.  Just ask yourself, will this help me get to where I want to be?"  How's that for a great motivator?  The first few weeks of the new lifestyle, I narrow mindedly applied this thought and question only to food.  (Thunk-thunk, that would be the sound of a few good sized knocks on the side of my head.) It applies to anything you can think of!  Choices have consequences, of course we all know this.  I think the real goal is to be ever more conscious of your choices to yield good/great consequences, right?

I'm trying my hardest to feed my mind first and develop healthy habits and hoping my body follows. 

And I'm happy to report, my body IS following.  I'll turn 31 this November and as of now, I weigh one less pound than I did at 28.  And I've got 5 weeks to go til the big birthday! 

Bringing me to the conclusion of the last 3 years. The healthier the mind & soul, the healthier the body.  When your mind is healthy, healthy choices become second nature.   It really is mind over matter.

And on the days I'm craving something defined by the health-minded individual to be "sludge" or worse, I read Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

From where I stand...

I forgot.  Yes, I'm human, we all are, and we tend to be forgetful creatures.  Even more so when we feel life is "just going".  I'm just working.  Juan is just working and going to school.  We're just doing the same old things we've done for the past...geez, let's not put a number to that thought.  

Then a little light (epiphany) finds it's way in.  It's awesome to "just" do anything in this world.  

We've been looking into solar blocking screens for our back windows.  The ferocious sun blazes in, our a/c unit works overtime to keep the house sated and we cringe a little more each month the utility bill comes in. 

 

So we invested in the solar screens.  Welcome to Vampire City, we'll be your hosts for the summer.  It's DARK in the back half of our home now.  I could host a Gothic dance off.  I can extend an invitation to the Cullens for a bread and breakfast (please, not the dog) weekend.

 

Which has led me to spend more time in the front of the house, seeking the light to get a good picture of my latest project.  Which brings me to the title of this post.  'From where I stand' is subjective, relative, rarely objective.  'From where I stand', such a common phrase, I think we forget to move around, enjoy the full spectrum of what the world has to offer, and be HAPPY with doing the "just" things in life.  Life is grand, life is great, life is hard, life is challenging, life is wonderful.  Life is what we choose to make it. 

 

And while I'm standing in the light flooding in through the front door, I'll leave you with a picture of my new plant stand.  Thank you Hobby Lobby clearance section.  A plant stand for $17!!  In coral-ly orange, why yes, I do believe I will take you home with me.  Enjoy the light!

Boat Party!

View of the lobby from our deck (deck 11)
 

It was raining in Galveston, things were looking dreary

 

The back of the boat, right when the horn sounded!

Front hot tobs and pool.  Pool was saltwater, which was nice.

Our milk bath was drawn before our WONDERFUL couple's hot stone massage.  Worth every last brass farthing!!
 

Massage with a view....although we just slept through ours!


 

Who needs to leave on a jet plane???

When you can leave on a cruise ship!! 

Cruising is the way to vacation.  It's the best of so many worlds, great food already paid for, beautiful ports of call to spend some time on land, cruise ship fun like comedians, ropes' courses and variety shows.

Maybe some have guessed by now, but just in case it needs to be said, we went on a cruise!  It was our late honeymoon/Juan's birthday/Kourtney's birthday/Christmas/5 year anniversary celebration.  You name a holiday, that was how we celebrated it in 2012 . I never said they were cheap, mind you, but awesome is VERY descriptive.

Ports of call were: Mahoghany Bay (Roatan) Honduras,  Belize City and Cozumel Mexico.  All beautiful places and we could not have more fun than we did.

Some things to remember for next cruise (this list is for myself mostly, but if I've somehow convinced you to cruise, feel free to take notes):

-Passports- they tell you as long as you have your "cruise card" you're okay. However, if you are going off the beaten path, for heaven's sake, bring your passport. Stranded in Honduras withnothing but a "cruise card"? Something tells me the $50 bucks you brought with you is going to get you nothing but robbed and stranded in Honduras. And while beautiful, working for $1.80 an hour doesn't sound quite so, oh I don't know, fun?

-Bring $1 bills- lots of them.   I'm talking enough to make a "self clothing removal specialist" blush. Tipping is something you don't really think about on an all inclusive vacation. How would you like to help someone have the time of their life (making $1.80 an hour) and just get a thank you? Yeah, so tip 'em! They are very good at what they do, really, it's worth it.

-Don't be timid- We sat around on the ship when we first boarded waiting for our room to be available. We were hungry, really hungry (we left super early in the morning- long story). For some odd reason, we didn't think to go get food. We sat in the lobby for a while, walked out to the back of the ship, sat around and then went to our room when they told us it would be ready. The food is there....eat it!! We realized as we went to dinner how very cruise-virgin our mistake was. If you are hungry, go find food, it's EVERYWHERE on the ship, and most of it is free.

- CHECK IN, CHECK IN, CHECK IN- online and way ahead of time. Don't put it off. You wait til 24 hours before your cruise and you're not checking in online. They'll tell you it's now necessary to get to the ship 90 minutes PRIOR to normal check in time. While I'm not certain this is actually necessary, we did.  And we didn't have luggage tags and the guy taking our luggage said, "what room?"
                       I said, "11203"
                       He said, "Eleven-twenty-oh three"
                       I say, "No, Eleven-two-oh three.  1, 1, 2, 0, 3" (really didn't want our bags to end up     
                                   missing!!)
                        He said "Yeah, that's what I said, Eleven-twenty-oh three"
                        I have quite the look on my face by now, "No, what you are saying is 11-20-03 and
                                     it's 11-2-03."
                        He says, "I don't understand, will you write it down?"
                         I say, "Oh yes, GLADLY!!"
           Online check-in, above conversation obliterated.

- Get a waterproof camera
           Cave tubing in Belize=AWESOME.  Paying $20 for 2 pictures because you are too afraid to
           get your nice camera wet or submerged= sad day.  Said 2 pictures less than desirable= lesson
           learned.  You NEED a waterproof camera.  We'll be investing in the Hero next time a cruise
           opportunity rolls around.

-TAN before hand- even if it's tan in a can


And here's some pics:

It was sprinkling and cloudy as we left Galveston

                
      

A little ways out, the weather cleared right up!

 

 

Our room and view

 

 

 

Honduras Party Time:

I don't think our captain was more than 22, what a life!

Then we went snorkeling!  It was really fun once you got the hang of the ocean and fighting the choppy water.  Too bad we didn't get a waterproof camera, we saw a few really cool fish in the sea.

 

 

 

Okay, that's all for now.  These pics are taking FOR-EV-ER to load.  More to come!