life is not a dress rehearsal.

Where the heck have I been for the past 2 months?!  Well, there's really no excuse for my BIG dry-spell in blog writing except that I simply needed some "me time".  I felt like I gave up so much of myself over the holidays that I forgot to nurture myself.  The past 2 months have been amazing and I have really had a new transformation.

January

I don't know how else to put this, but I realized that I was a bit on the hefty side thanks to the amazing gifts of baked goods and nightly "meals on a stick" at holiday parties.  The month began with a group of 6 of us who ventured out on our very own "Biggest Loser" contest.  We used the honor system to weigh in and used a nifty online tool to track our competition.  It started 1/3/11 and ended 2/3/11- collectively, we lost a lot of weight so I'm very proud of the group.  Of course, the main reason I'm telling you about this event is because I WON!!  Yep, 9.5 lbs. of much needed "bulk" are officially of of this bod.  It was hard work, but I kept reminding myself that I deserve to take better care of myself and must be kind to my body or it will come back and bite me when I'm old.

Also, I attended orientation at the Senior Community Center of San Diego.  Looks like I will be putting in some hours to help our local seniors by doing such tasks as serving lunch, helping with bingo, etc.  Can't wait!

February

Probably one of the most amazing February's of my life.  I joke that I was on vacation for the entire month of February, but really, that was pretty close to true!  Louie and I took the trip of a lifetime to the Caribbean on a Windstar Cruise Ship with Tobin James Winery and Top Chef Master, Cindy Pawlcyn.  I don't have words to describe the trip except that it was simply amazing and worth every penny.  We made some amazing friends and saw parts of the world that we may have never had the privilege of seeing.  It's trips like this that remind me that there's a "bigger picture" to life than the small bubble of work, bills, family and daily chores- trips like this remind me just how small we are and how amazingly beautiful the world we live in really is. 

I have come back a new, me.  I'm rested, tanned and recharged.  It took a few days to get back to reality, but I finally feel motivated to get back to doing good for others and can't wait to share my adventures with you.  Remember to take time for yourself- recharge, close your eyes and smell/listen/feel what's around you, live in the moment and put your feet in the sand.  

 

As my mom reminded me today, 

"...keep doing what you do- LIFE is not a dress rehearsal"

xoxo