Our Summer Vacation

A few months ago Jason and I decided we weren’t going to take any spectacular vacations this summer due to the price of gas and the months it took to pay off last year’s Vegas outing. However, after visiting my old stomping grounds over Memorial Day, we decided perhaps we should explore North Dakota. We’ve already undertaken much of the western part of the state during our honeymoon and 1st wedding anniversary, so we choose to trek through the southeastern part over the long holiday weekend. To help make it budget friendly, Jason and I choose to camp for our excursion. We love to camp, but we just don’t ever plan it into our trips.

So Thursday we packed up the Jeep and headed out for the weekend. Our first stop was the Maple River Winery in Casselton. We’re lifetime “members” of the winery and decided this would be a good place to stock up for a few beverages. We tasted about five wines, bought a few bottles and headed south to the Sheyenne River Valley national scenic byway that starts in Lisbon, ND. Of course we made the mistake in both assuming that a byway would be paved. Well folks, only in North Dakota would it be solid gravel… though this was much to the liking of our Jeep. It really hasn’t been “off-roading” and got broken in over this trip. After several photo op stops, Jason and I arrived in Fort Ransom and checked in to our campsite at Fort Ransom State Park. We set up camp and went into Fort Ransom to check out some of the attractions, all of which took about a half hour of our time. We then dined at a local color restaurant that due to the holiday weekend, had a menu of five items. Little did we know it would be one of our better meals of the trip. Really though, the food was good and the atmosphere certainly pleasing. We finished the day by hiking a bit on a trail in the park and then roasting marshmallows over a campfire… that had taken us nearly an hour to get lit. Note to self, lighter fluid is a must pack for camping trips.

That first night on our air mattress was like being on the Titanic went it sunk, but we survived and arose the next morning to continue on our journey. The Jeep got to do some serious off roading to see the Standing Rock State Historic Site, basically a site marker in the middle of nowhere, and after many more miles of gravel, we arrived in Valley City. After driving around for hours looking for a campsite (who would have thought in North Dakota that the sites would be booked solid), we finally set up camp outside of Valley City. Lunchtime had arrived, and I was in serious need of coffee. We easily found The Broken Spoke, a cozy little diner in downtown and enjoyed a pleasant meal. The company wasn’t as pleasant as two little old ladies next to us complained about the price of their meals and how much food one got while the other didn’t. We were somewhat glad to leave. After hunting down some lighter fluid, Jason and I started in on the sites of Valley City. While we thought a busy day was ahead of us, we completed the tour of VC attractions in just several hours, including a 6.5 mile bridge tour on foot (really, it wasn’t 6.5 miles as the brochure touted). Still, we had worked up an appetite and since the campsite we ended up with didn’t have any place for a campfire, we figured we better grab a bite. Luckily along the way we had come across a brochure, Eats and Sleeps in Valley City. After driving around town to the seven different restaurants listed, we arrived back at The Broken Spoke. While the company had improved this visit, the food certainly had not. Well, mine was decent but Jason opted to try the sirloin steak. He could have dined on an old piece of shoe leather and not have noticed much difference. The day’s events ended with a drive out to Baldhill Dam and Dairy Queen, a much needed stop for Jason’s stomach. After several stops around town for ice, including a liquor store, it was determined this city has a shortage of ice on the 4th of July. All in all, the city came up short in many areas.

A good night’s rest changed our outlook though, and we were off to Jamestown. This town had ice, a huge improvement already. Our first stop was the National Buffalo Museum. We were lucky enough to see both White Cloud and her little one Dakota Miracle. A little ways up the path is the Frontier Village and many gift shops. Lunchtime had arrived so we were off to Grizzlies. While the restaurant didn’t appear busy at all, there was a 15 minute wait upon our arrival. We were seated right away and decided to wait using the time to cool down and relax a bit. Over an hour later, it was myself who ended up with the bad lunch and left a bit on the hungry side. We continued on to Wal-Mart as we have been in search for a Wii Fit since it came out last month. They didn’t have one, so our next stop was K-Mart. You just never know where one might be. We didn’t end up with a Wii Fit, but we found a clearance bin in which a few Wii games were $10 each (marked as $20, but only $10 when we checked out!). From here, we decided to head out to the Jamestown Reservoir and set up camp. Jamestown was celebrating their 125th year and we figured the rest of the day would be filled with events. How disappointed we were. Our first stop was the Ft. Seward Interpretive Center. Jason is convinced though that we missed something here as this stop was again pretty non-existent. But, we didn’t want to miss out on the events downtown and choose to go there instead of trying to find exactly where this interpretive center was. So, it was off to the Street Fair. We arrived around three to one block that they considered a street fair. Some of the vendors had even left already or started to tear down their spots! The fair was to last until 7, but it didn’t appear as if it was even going to make it until 5. To not waste the trip completely, I had to make a coffee stop at Babb’s Coffee Shop.

Luckily, our campsite for the night had much to occupy us. We changed into our swimming gear, but then found out we’re both a little wimpy as the water wasn’t exactly warm. Or clear for that matter. They had paddle boats for rent, so we hooked ourselves up with one for an hour. While we ended up bailing out water thanks to an overzealous boater, the outing was a lot of fun. We headed back to camp to start a fire and have supper, this time the fire only taking about 15 minutes to light, not with any help from the lighter fluid either. We dined over hot dogs, one of the finer meals of the trip, enjoyed our fire and then another night on the Titanic.

Sunday morning brought us more excitement in the world of dining as we stopped at Perkin’s to enjoy breakfast before our drive around the countryside that day. The table across from us was quite entertaining as the gentleman was convinced his water had salt in it and a lady at the table was complaining about the size of the plate her breakfast was served upon. Needless to say, they weren’t pleased by the price of a cup of coffee either. It certainly was good humor for our day.

We continued on to another byway of North Dakota, this one appropriately named a backway as once again, we drove on gravel much of the way. We drove through the ghost town of Merricoat, which made for a lot of great photos as well as our own personal tour guide, the one resident of the town that stopped and gave us a tour. We were then to Whitestone Hill Battlefield. During our route home, we planned a stop at Rutland, home of the World’s Largest Hamburger. Much to Jason’s dismay, the hamburger is no longer there. All that remains is the framework of what used to hold the sign announcing this achievement of the town. I had to hear about it the rest of the way home… well, only until about Hankinson. It was then I dozed off after a 556 mile jaunt around the south central part of the great state of North Dakota.

30 Days and Counting

It's strange how since I have been doing really well with the diet and walking, I've not logged on to here much. I do log on religiously to track what I eat and exercise, but I just haven't felt a need to vent out about it all. I realized this morning that I think I use this more as a tool when I am struggling, but maybe that's not a wise choice. So, I am going to try to commit to just jotting down some things every day. This past Monday marked my 30th day of diet and exercise, and I am proud to say I worked out every single day of those 30 days. I also feel I did exceptional on the diet as well, having only one bad day, but even that was only 2100 calories. And it was my treat for making it a week. In the last four weeks I have been sitting at about 1700 calories a day, which is right on track for me to meet my goal weight by by goal date.

I have been trying not to concentrate too much on the weight, though having a new scale has made it a bit better to weigh in, lol. Strange, I know. But now I get an actual number instead of this daily thing that fluctuates and that I can barely see. What stunk though is the two scales were off so even though I have been losing each week, roughly 1.5 pounds, I haven't been able to update my weight on Prevention as I am still just a little bit above what I had entered per a weigh in on the scale from the ancient times. But this week I know I will be able to!

My goal this week is two pounds. That would put me at 10 total since I started, which means time for a pedicure! For making 30 days of exercise, I celebrated with a new pair of shoes for walking. I spent a little more than I wanted, but they are pretty comfy and are suppose to help with the shin splints. For making 30 days on the diet, I got my hair done along with the eyebrows, so it was a fun evening Thursday. Total treat day! Figure we need those to help stay on track. I don't have anything planned for after I make the pedi... maybe I'll just continue pedis until winter. Hehe.

The food entourage continues at work. It was homemade buns and rhubarb jam this past Wednesday followed up by a chocolate chip pie Thursday... I actually stayed away easily from both.

I think another big accomplishment for me was having eaten out twice in the last two weeks. One night it was a turkey burger, salad instead of fries with the dressing (a vinaigrette) on the side! Last night was a salad, and though it ended up having more calories that I imagined, I feel it was still the better choice. I had plenty calories to burn yesterday anyways. So, all in all, I think I am making some serious progress and permanent changes again. YEA!

Next week though we are going camping for the 4th... I think I will have a major test on my hands in sticking with everything. DH said he planned lots of walking on most of the days, so I decided I will wear a pedometer on vacation. Each day I don't make 10000 steps, I have to walk around the campground until I do. I am still working on what some food choices could be for me. I am so excited though to be going on a mini vacation.

Rummaging Vultures

Jason and I seem to have a list of all the things we want to try or do in our lives, like shopping on Black Friday. This weekend we decided to undertake another one of those events and had a garage sale. Back in May, we participated in Fargo’s Spring Clean Up Week and went through every room in our house. Based on how fast our “treasures” disappeared from our boulevard, we should have been prepared for the chaos that would be upon us when we opened our garage door Friday morning. Perhaps our first mistake was opening it before we were completely ready and before our opening time of 9 am. It was 8:30 when the door did open and within 30 seconds, there wasn’t even standing room in our two stall garage. By 9, our scheduled opening time, almost half of our goods were purchased. Thank goodness our niece Katie was up for helping us Friday morning. Without her, I know Jason and I would have likely lost our minds. She was a huge help!

What blew us away is we had been hearing negativity from many of our acquaintances about how garage sales are a lot of work for nothing. Even though when we asked to borrow tables from relatives, they had no problems giving us their stuff to sell as well. By 10 am, we had a couple hundred dollars made. By 4 pm Friday, our garage, once filled with items stacked on tables as well as below tables, looked pathetically empty, though we didn’t have to wait long for the reinforcements. After Renee had made over $75 of dumping off her stuff, she and her husband returned with two more boxes. At least it ensured us merchandise for our second day of the sale. Otherwise, we would have looked like peddlers.

And yes, I’ll admit, it’s 9 am on a Saturday, and we’ve only made about $5; however, we did get rid of two old car batteries that have been sitting in our garage since we practically moved into our home. I’d say I am all for garage sales and am very happy with our profits. Oh, and I even ended up with a job after the whole experience. A really good paying one at that. Perhaps this Friday I’ll become a rummaging vulture myself. I certainly have money to spend.

The Office... AGAIN!

Another work day, another "treat" day. Really, does anyone else constantly get bombarded with people bringing food to work? I will admit, it wasn't as bad as the cheesecake the other day, but it came in a close second... homemade buns with fresh strawberry rhubarb jam. Thankfully, they stayed away from the cube across from me and went elsewhere. Perhaps my protest on mini cheesecake day sunk in? I'm not banking on it.

To make matters worse, our entire system was down at work today, so I couldn't even really work. I had a training document to finish up, but not being very busy makes the stomach grumbling even more audible. I survived though, but only until 3 pm. I decided to call it a day at that hour. I had felt like I had watched paint dry long enough. What is the first thing I worry about though walking out of work? It being 3 pm and me going home to where I have food. I only allow myself to take a small cooler to work each day that contains only what I can eat that day. I do not bring any money for those evil vending machines. But, I did ok. And I took a nap. I know, I should have went walking or done something with the extra time, but I have still felt really tired. Plus I walked on my lunch for 25 minutes and my first 15 minute break, so I felt I deserved to be a little lax after the work day. Lo and behold, I am wide awake now at 11 pm... Let's hope for a more filled day tomorrow - though it is Friday, how can one not look forward to that?

Hanging in There

I thought I was doing super fabulous, even marking the 14th straight day of walking yesterday, and then I stepped on the dreaded scale this morning. I know any loss is a good loss, and I know too that 1-2 pounds is good, but I seriously worked my tail off and behaved so well this week, the 1.5 loss that registered this morning was heartbreaking. I don't even know if it really was 1.5. I need to update the scale. I am still using the old fashioned dial one that I bought years ago just for decor... don't ask. I know too that I had my hopes up too high. I figured I could pull another 3-4 pound loss this week like last, and I know that was the first week so that's why it was big, but still. Frustrating.

I did have a treat night Saturday night for accomplishing week one of fitness and diet, but I only consumed 2100 calories for the day, and walked almost four miles that morning!!! And honestly, the fried cheesecake and ribs really weren't worth it (I was at a Ribfest). I felt awful afterwards and eating normal food would have been just as good. No more treats that are food. Unless they fall within calorie restrictions.

I am trying to stay positive. I had my second fitness night last night, and that was good. I have just been really tired lately. I am working on setting a more defined bedtime to make sure I get 7-8 hours of sleep, but I am just wore out. I take a nap almost every nigh after my walk/work.

I had to battle a birthday treat at work today too. Cheesecake. Those little minature kind... I asked the girl who brought them to NOT put them across from my cube where the food spread usually goes. I didn't give in and have any either, so another day survived in the office. I just hate how we celebrate everything around here. Someone's hangnail healed, someone would have to bring in something to celebrate...

Big Loss!

I stepped on the scale this morning to find myself down 3.5 pounds! It was a really good feeling. I know its probably a big number though since it was the first week I was behaving, but I know too my hard work has paid off.

Strangely, my mood didn't stay high from the loss this morning. I've been tired today, not up to doing much. I did go to the doctor per the DH for these hives I've been experiencing. He put me on Allegra, so we shall see. If things don't improve or they come back after three weeks, he suggested an allergist. Fun! I had a horrible time getting the prescription filled. The pharm tech I had was very unpleasant. My doctor had warned me that insurance may not pay it, but he included for hives on the prescription. I don't think this made any difference to the pharm tech and she wouldn't even try. They claim they are going to mail me some paper work I can send in to try to get reimbursed. I also went in seach of another pair of shoes for walking, but after not finding a pair I had to have, I decided to wait on those. Other than that, it was a pretty mellow day off.

I had no energy to go walking today, and it again was pouring rain. I do love the rain, its just not fun to walk in. After DH came home, decided I should try to walk. I got my 30 minutes in, but at a pretty moderate pace. I walked though and that's what matters. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a little more energy. Right now, time to end the day cuddled up on the couch with a movie.

Feeling Fabulous

Yea! I have now completed a full week of walking and dieting and stayed on track every day! I have done this before, however, I have never walked or worked out or whatever have you for a straight seven days. I know a lot of stuff out there says to have a day of rest, but I am going to keep plugging away at this and use those days when I really really need them.

I will admit, I did not want to go to the first night of Fitness Night tonight. I was tired from working all weekend and just wanted to veg out in front of the TV. But I went! And I worked my butt off during the walk. Shins are still pretty sore. Started using Tiger Balm last so hoping that will help during this break in period. One of the trainers that helps with the Fitness Night also suggested having two pairs of shoes to rotate if you plan on walking 6-7 days a week, so I will have to look into that. Money is a bit tight as we're saving to pay for my tuition this fall, so I am not sure I can justify a 2nd pair of shoes.

The diet has been going really, really well. I had my third day in a row now in focusing on protein. I've always known this was a key, but its tough when your diet is based on calories. Don't know many foods that are high in protein, low calorie. So far the eggs are doing nicely and chicken and tuna will probably become good friends too. LOL. I need to do more research on the protein factor and what foods I can stock up on.

My only challenge for the day was of course the office again. There was a birthday in the department so of course someone has to bring something ladened in calories... ice cream cake. Then another office mate started carrying on about making upside down pinapple cake and asked me if I would help her eat it if she brought it in! Mind you, this is the same one from the Chinese episode last week and is fully aware that I am shooting for a healthy lifestyle again. She claims she is going to do the same, but so far her breakfasts and lunches are still following fast food suit, today BK for breakfast, Arby's for lunch... I will prevail.