Pressing On

We have officially cycled our one year mark of being in our home in New England. One way of knowing that is,  I just used the term "New England" rather than Boston. When we first moved here I noticed most people use that term in reference to the area. Sort of like Phoenicians will say, Southwest. So, I guess I am settling  into our temporary home.  Our house is beautiful and even though I am very grateful and often have to pinch myself when I look around at the beauty surrounding our area, I can still get side tracked by the little things that aren't exactly the way I'd like them to be. Certain things that are broken that have not yet  been fixed. There is a crack in the bathroom tile, uneven and loose bricks on the front porch, a large crack in the pavement in the garage, I think the fire pit leans right, a leaky window and the smell of thirty plus years of dampness in the basement. Those silly little things get me off focus of what is good and right about the house...

My husband and I celebrated our 31st anniversary last month with a trip to New York. It was something on our bucket list and since it's just a short distance from us now, we took advantage to travel by train. It was a great ride along the coast and a very relaxing way to travel.   We had a long list of things we wanted to see and do in the three days we would be there. We arrived the afternoon of our actual anniversary, caught a cab to our hotel, checked in and headed out to do some sight seeing around the area before dinner. As the night went on, Jim's foot began to flare up on him. He had something like this happen before so I knew it was not a good situation for a vacation that would consist of miles of walking. Not to mention the running we had hoped to get in while being there. He felt terrible, both physically, because of the pain in his foot and mentally in that he was disappointed of what it would do to our trip.  The next morning, being fully rested I was ready t...

Last week  I went to the dentist. As the hygienist was cleaning my teeth she suggested I not scrub so hard when I brush. It was causing my gums to recede. As she was telling me this I thought,  "Shoot, that's what the Dr. told me six months ago at my last appointment."  I tried to lightening up on the pressure I was applying to my brushing habit but truthfully had forgotten about it after, I don't know, maybe a week or two? I told the hygienist that I had been brushing my teeth like this for years and it's just such a hard habit to break. She suggested I try using my less dominate hand or a soft electric tooth brush. So I vowed to attempt to break this old habit. I have plenty of other bad habits too. Some I have managed to break while others I still struggle with. Some are fairly new, they snuck up on me. I didn't even realize it had become a habit until it was brought to my attention. My phone for instance. It's a wonderful device that I have become very...

When we moved into our house nearly a year ago, we knew we had some things we would need to repair. Our driveway, for one, had a few dips and cracks that we thought we could just fill in with some asphalt. We ( by we I mean Jim) bought bags of gooey tar like stuff he poured into those dips to attempt to level it out. The dips continued to sink in. The rainy season and the winter storms came and they got worse. Forget bringing a cup of coffee to go, I would  be wearing it before I hit the street.  So we had it looked at by an asphalt company thinking they could just put a layer on top to fix the problem. They informed us that, although that would temporarily fix the problem; we would most likely have to do it again in another year or so. The best solution would be to rip it all up and start over. Super!    A few weeks ago we made the decision to bite the bullet as they say and have it replaced. The pavement people showed up with a dump truck and a large size bobcat tr...

Getting from point A to B during rush hour traffic is no easy task around here. The streets are narrow and the cars are many. I don't want to label all New Englanders as aggressive drivers but let me just say that they are not shy when it comes to road rage. They freely blare their horn and cast dirty looks and throw up their middle finger as if it's a second language.  I have been out of California long enough to have forgotten this "way of life" on the road of commuters.  I try to avoid traveling during these peak hours as much as possible but there are more times lately that I have had to head out to the dark side. My hubby had an early morning flight the other day. I needed to get him to the airport which is in the city. Four a.m. on a Monday didn't seem too bad. We would beat most of the traffic. So we thought. Smooth sailing, until we got to the tunnel that leads both into the heart of the city as well as the airport exit. We watched as the clock moved much ...

Two weeks ago I did the ever so dreaded " step on the scale after a long winter of zero self control". Time to face the music. I really didn't need to step on the scale to have a number verify what I already knew.... The dryer shrunk my clothes. Ok, not true but my clothes aren't fitting like they used to. Time to get back on track and shred those unwanted pounds. Or have to go buy new clothes. For the record this is a cycle I have been on my entire life!  I have to say, since that dreaded scale day; I have been faithful. I've been eating clean ( based on what I determine clean for me not what any extremist says) and I got back to the gym. TWO WEEKS! Typically for me after two weeks I will see results. Mind you I am a little bit older and things ( including my metabolism) have slowed down but still. TWO WEEKS! Sure, I  feel better, I'm sleeping better, and a few of my things seem to fit a little better. So I was horrified when I got on the scale and those numb...

We had an incredible opportunity to attend the Boston Marathon this year. They were expecting a million people in attendance. It was raining and I was glad I wasn't running but spectating instead. We had passes to the Grand Stands at the finish line and I was looking forward to seeing the finishers cross the line. As a previous runner from years past I was quickly reminded of the adrenaline rush of coming around that corner to the finish line after a grueling  26 miles. And the incredible spectators cheering me on all the way to the finish.  I remember the crowd cheering us runners on every step of the way. That's one thing I can say about New England. They love their sports and are the most enthusiastic fans I've ever seen. The marathon is no exception and particularly after the bombing in 2013! They rally together and encourage the runners with cheers, bells, orange slices and red vines.  All  from the shot gun start to the last runner to cross the line. It is amaz...