Oh, the pleasures of having one’s own space are immeasurable. My refrigerator and cabinets are stocked with compliant foods, my plants are green and happy, and my music generates an energy that fills this space with lightness, contentment and peace. My being seeps into every corner and leaves behind a lingering hint of scent that reminds one of lavender, castile soap and pure love. I am at once fully at peace and utterly content. I am a queen, a king, a princess and a snake. There is no end to my creativity, passion, or hunger for all that Life can teach me.

As you can tell, I am in a very good place right now. I’ve been highly compliant in my eating, back in the pool and finally taking time for me. I feel more “me” than I have in some time and it feels fantastic. The care and feeding of my soul has been constant, nurturing and kind. It is so wonderful to feel so good, no matter what daily events may dish out. I am remembering how to move in my skin, lean into the wind and smile with abandon.

To revisit an old topic: Living a highly beneficial life takes any relationship with the BTD to the next level...I believe that it’s not enough to just EAT right, one has to remember to LIVE right too. It has been nearly one entire year of focused living by BTD principles and I have found myself into a pretty easy routine with healthy eating (as long as I make time to purchase/prepare food in advance). The recent challenge has been taking the time to care for my self…but I think that I may have passed that summit in my journey ever upward. I revel in the success of being treated well and cared for. I give my eternal thanks to the winds that brought me to this new lifestyle because it has given me back the freedom to be completely me.

May this find you being well…

Or…I’m back in the pool-finally!! Ahhhh….I cannot describe how wonderful it feels to be swimming again. My skin rejoiced to feel the water streaming across it while my muscles bunched and pulled and remembered how to slice through the liquid. It can be so hard to set work-outs as a priority in the day…but it is oh-so-worth it in the end. The levels of emotional ecstasy and physical satiation are just as powerful as eating right. With the diminished light of winter making everyone tired and feeling drug-out, being in the pool (or whatever your pleasure may be) is nearly as good as a strong dose of sunshine (which is getting weaker and weaker by the day, so sad!! I think that I’ll start researching light boxes here very soon).

Well all…I hope that this finds you well, happy and compliant! More to come with a yummy, yummy (EASY) salmon recipe soon…take care…

I for one have fallen smack on it and am still reeling from the aftereffects. The odd electrical shock will course through my body systems reminding me that I’ve been living a life of non-compliance for nearly two weeks now. I’ve done moderately well on the food front, mostly meaning that I’ve eaten bennies here and there. However, I have also eaten large portion amounts, a fair amount of sugar and have downed much coffee. I have not been in the pool or to the gym in two weeks and have not been getting my fair share of sleep. Worst of all, I’ve not been careful about de-stressing and taking care of my psyche. This is not to say that there have not been super highly beneficial lights shining in through the deep dark tunnel keeping me from being stunned and shattered on that third rail. It is just that I haven’t been taking the care that I deserve.

So…I have printed off my weekly food portions chart (three days late, but here this week nonetheless). I have stocked my ‘fridge with bennies and a few neutrals (and no avoids), and am so looking forward to Thursday off so that I may catch up on a few extra zzzzz’s. Thursday at home will also allow me to boil a big pot of beans on the stove. I get so grouchy without my beans…there’s not much explanation for it, and I’ve learned to just accept it. At least most of the time there are a few extra containers full of beans waiting patiently in the freezer to be devoured. (*wink**) As for getting to the pool or gym: I’m still learning how to effectively manage my new schedule, so they will be priorities as soon as I can make them so.

Here’s hoping that y’all are having a fantastic, sunny fall season and that you’re lucky enough to have caught a glimpse of the amazing Northern Lights show that has been happening this week. Take care of you and most of all…be well…

BTW—I tried goat cheese for the first time this past weekend and it was YUM-MY…if you’ve not ventured into that cheesy arena, give it a run, you just might like it!!

I don’t know how I haven’t gotten to submit a blog since the third week of October…I’ve THOUGHT about it often enough, but just haven’t sat down to write. I am firmly ensconced in life at the middle school, and am recalling how to survive the daily hormonal ups and downs of pre-teens. Good grief!

Life on the BTD has been scattered because I haven’t really been cooking or preparing food, so the compliance comes from yogurt, rice, cottage cheese and whichever veggies I grab to throw in the microwave to be steamed. Of course, the lemon water has never been absent, and I’ve been much better about getting in 2 Nalgenes of water a day.

I’m settled into a new place now, and am finding my ground with time management. My goal for this weekend (after a great visit to a dear friend out of town) is to get that weekly food chart on the kitchen counter and a plan for the week’s meals. I also resolve to blog regularly…so stay tuned!! Be well...

Natalie…if you’re reading this: Girl, your hotmail account is full! Each e-mail keeps getting popped back to me…I will try to reach you by phone this weekend!