It may be difficult for some of you to believe this, but I THINK about blogging every day! Some days I try a subject in my head and then it’s the end of the day and I don’t get to it. Other days I try to think of something interesting to say, and I think ‘well, it’s just the same old drivel, so why bother?’. And then the weeks go by and by.

‘Nuff said on that matter. The trips are over for the summer, finally. I am so ready just to stay at home and enjoy my house. The weather has been beautiful and we’ve been able to spend evenings just sitting on the deck and enjoying the peace and quiet. I’m afraid that too soon it will be getting chilly and rainy. I am making an effort to play more golf, too. I have only posted a few scores in the handicap machine this summer, and my handicap has gone up three points. That’s kind of discouraging, but understandable. Like any sport, you have to keep up with it to get better (or stay the same).

Daughter has been gone three weeks and seems to be thriving on her own. Thank goodness for Windows Messenger. We chat at least once a day. All naughty foods are out of the house and I’m doing a pretty good job of being compliant. That pesky new pound that was hanging on seems to be gone, and if I’m ‘lucky’, I can pull another three pounds off this fall.

Blackberry season was good. They grow all over the yard. I just love wandering around, pulling berries off the vine and shoving them in my mouth. And they are s-o-o-o beneficial! I did make a pie for hubby and ate some, but I really prefer them naked and sun warmed.

I discovered Starbucks finally makes a compliant drink! The shaken iced green tea. It has some mint, lemongrass and lemon verbena in it and can be ordered unsweetened. It is quite refreshing. It has helped to get me out of my bad habit of having a small coffee in the afternoon with hubby. It was getting to be too regular, and I knew I had to find a way to stop. Unfortunately, I still have my cup in the morning. Don't know when I 'm going to wake up and make the effort to stop altogether.

I let my exercise get a little unstructured over the summer. I still kept up with the Pilates when I was at home. But, I let the yoga slide. I missed it and am going to make sure I go at least once a week. Aerobics was hit or miss. Mostly miss. I’m going to try to play more golf to get more walking in until it gets to cold and wet. Then it will be the treadmill ( I promise…..?).

That’s the plan.

I'd better get to blogging or I might get fired!

The trip to Monterrey was interesting. It was during the weekend that was so hot. Luckily our motel was near the coast, so the temperatures were quite moderate. Inland, at the racetrack was another story. No shade, no running water (a water main had broken) and pretty downright miserable. I followed hubby and daughter around and took an ‘academic’ interest in everything. The big MotoGP race itself was very loud and smelly. But don’t tell anyone I love I said that. The highlight of the trip was a 200-mile ride along Highway 1. It was absolutely spectacular. I had done the ride in a car before, but on the back of the bike was thrilling as well as beautiful. Lots of twisties.

A couple weeks after that I had a barbershop singing training weekend on the other side of the mountains in Yakima. I talked hubby into taking me over on the bike. It allowed him some rides that he normally wouldn’t do because they are too far away from our home. We both had a good time. He got to ride and I got to learn more about my hobby.

Right now it’s Liver and Onions season. Hubby is off in Hawaii helping daughter get set up in her new place while she spends the next few years going to school. It will take some getting used to not seeing her for months at a time. But, I think I know where I’ll be taking vacations for awhile. There is an extra bedroom with our name on it.

For those who are fairly new to the BTD blogger world, Liver and Onions season refers to my favorite meal. I am not allowed to cook it in the house when hubby and daughter are around. They can’t handle the smell. So, whenever they have been away together for motorcycle trips or whatever, I get really excited about being able to indulge in my favorite treat. He comes home tomorrow, so I’ll finish the liver up tonight. Oh yum!

My trips will soon slow down for awhile. Hubby and I have one more long motorcycle weekend coming up next week, then I think I’m home till October. I really must get on the BTD stick. I do okay until the weekend trips. Sometimes I try to be compliant, but more often than not I’m too lazy to make the effort in the restaurants. I know it is the Avoids taking hold. One avoid begets another, and another until I’m one stuffy, bloated mess.

So, no more promises. I will play it day by day.

This summer seems quite hectic. And going way too fast. We spent a week in Hilo, HI from July 4, through the 11th. We went for the purpose of finding living arrangements for our daughter who is transferring to the University of Hawaii in August. It was a busy week. We found a suitable place that has a room for us to stay in when we come to visit. We also spent a lot of time shopping for the necessities she will need. We did a couple sightseeing trips. One trip was to the volcano. It was a rare clear day around the volcano and we got some spectacular views. All in all it was not a very restful trip. I certainly wouldn’t count it as a vacation.

That left me just a week to get all my book work done at the store and to the accountant before this next trip. Tomorrow we are leaving for Monterey for the Moto-GP races. This is hubby and daughter’s passion. They went last year and had a great time. They want me to share their joy this year. I will try to do my best. At this point, I can’t quite see the point watching young men racing around a track as fast as they can. They are all covered up in armor, so you can’t really tell them apart. Maybe the excitement and the smell of the exhaust will make me more enthusiastic.

Needless to say, these trips wreak havoc with my exercise schedule and my diet. I have found more wheat and other avoids creeping into the scene. Another permanent pound is showing on the scale. I vow that when we get back from this trip I will take care of it TOOT SWEET!!

I’m feeling distracted this week. It seems to be a combination of a little dehydration, a couple of days succumbing to more avoids than usual, and maybe a little stress added in for spice. In fact, I am so distracted that I forgot to go to my dentist appointment yesterday. I don’t do that. I don‘t forget appointments, especially ones that are on the calendar! But I did. I was sitting at home at the computer and the phone rang at 11:15 telling me I was supposed to be there. I was really embarrassed. It left me shaken the rest of the day. I was thinking maybe I am losing it already! That’s a B thing, you know. Our minds succumb to dementia a bit more than the other types. And it does run in the older generations of my mother’s side of the family.

The dehydration probably came from a couple of very hot days we had. On Sunday hubby and I dressed up in our Kevlar suits and motorcycled about seven hours. Temperatures were in the 90’s and it was uncomfortable at times. Nice ride though. We did some twisty roads that wound up along the back up Mt. St. Helens. ‘Twisties’, as they are called in the motorcycle world are what riders are always looking for. The next day was even hotter and I had a Pilates workout in an uninsulated building. Whew!! I should have drunk more water, I’m sure.

Monday night, being hot as it was, hubby didn’t want to heat up the kitchen for dinner, so made some fancy French Provencal tuna sandwiches. He used wheat sandwich rolls, of course, and there were kalamata olives in it. I didn’t check out all the ingredients. But, I didn’t want to fuss about the wheat, and enjoyed the meal. I mean, those were great sandwiches! Unfortunately, the heartburn set in about 4:30 am.

Tuesday, I started out eating compliantly. Had a Unibar for breakfast while playing nine holes of golf. The weather was still hot (Uh-huh…shoulda drank more). Had eggs, ghee and a slice of spelt toast for a late lunch before heading off for chorus rehearsal. I totally blew it after rehearsal. There really wasn’t anything compliant in the house to eat. Oh, sure there was some protein powder….but no juice. So, I ate hubby’s pistachio nuts, then had a few slices of Jarlsberg between water crackers.

It's no wonder my brain was mush when I woke up Wednesday morning. Dehydration and avoid-eating pushed that dentist appointment right out of my mind.

So, remember kiddies. Stay hydrated. Be compliant.

Okay. The guilt has finally gotten to me. It’s time to blog.

I think I finally converted someone to the BTD! I had a trip back east to visit family recently. I have been very forthright about the diet with family members. Especially my brother. He is employed by Whole Foods, and has always been inclined to alternative treatments. So, naturally he has been receptive to the idea. This time he actually started the diet the day I left. And subsequent emails say that he is trying hard to stick to it. I have tried to be encouraging. His birthday is next week, so I just got off the NAP website where I ordered a secretor test to be sent to him. I threw in a few Unibars too, just for fun.

I am going through a ten-session Structural Integration program with my massage therapist. It is similar to SOMA, which I went through a few years ago. There are differences, though. I think I’m ready to follow through with the homework and retraining this time. I don’t think the SOMA really worked for me. Anyway, starting with the feet and working her way up the body each session, she is retraining me how to walk. It is really difficult to walk correctly after 50 odd years of duck-fwapping. She showed me yesterday, at the fourth session, how I never move my hips when I walk. So, I am practicing swishing my hips as I walk…..it is SO hard! But my feet come down in the right place with the proper balance when I do it right. It’s an exciting process.

Diet-wise I’m still stuck. I eat too much. I have taken to thinking of my weight in golf score terms. I consider my wedding weight as par. Right now I am plus nine and holding. I spent quite some time at plus six last fall and felt much better than I do now. You’d think three little pounds would be a cinch. If I’m disciplined enough to follow the B nonsecretor food lists 85% of the time, you’d think I would be able to suck it up and just eat less. Okay. I just pep-talked myself into REALLY, REALLY trying again.

So, we’ll see.