They lied. They promised that whatever happened in Vegas would stay in Vegas. Even the gal at the airline counter said any pounds I gained would remain there. Not so. I returned with one more big, ugly pound hanging around my waist. I ate a lot of wheat. And they served bacon, potatoes and wheat along with my eggs in the mornings. At least I always chose a beneficial or neutral protein for dinner. Yep, that’s it folks. I chose good protein. Sheesh! No wonder it followed me home.

Anyway, we had a great time. The convention was wonderful. There were 14,000 people there. Besides all the great barbershop singing, we managed to take in three shows at the various casinos. And, I thought, as long as I was in the gambling Mecca of the world, that I would try my hand at it. I had planned on losing $200 and call it a vacation, but by the time I had lost $75, I was so bored with it I quit. I just couldn’t get the point. At least that’s one addiction I won’t have to worry about conquering. Goodness knows I have enough problems to fix.

It’s been a busy, busy week at work catching up, and trying to get ahead while we get ready to take off to visit daughter for a week. She’s been pretty lonely and needs her Mom to go shopping with and buy her things. That always makes her feel better. Hubby is coming along too. He’ll fix the things she needs help fixing. Food won’t be a problem, as we will be cooking in most of the time. Maybe I can leave that ugly pound in Hawaii!

Another month has come and gone. Where does it go? And where is my progress? Hmmmm?

I’m staying even. That ‘s a good thing. But, I lack the impetus to really go after my BTD goals. Again. My bad.

Anyway, enough self-flagellation. There are more fun things to write about.

This past weekend was our Sweet Adelines Cabaret show. We worked hard all summer learning the songs and choreography. It’s always exhilarating to put on a show. We had two performances on Saturday. I couldn’t get to sleep for a long time that night. Too much music spinning around in my head. No rest for the weary, though. Tonight we start learning new songs for the Holiday season. Plus, we have to start learning the songs we’ll be singing in Competition next spring. There will be small performances in between, of course.

The golf season is winding down. Our ladies club had its end of year dinner last Friday. It was edible from this B’s standards. I left the roll sitting on the bread plate. There was a green salad with vinaigrette dressing. The entrée was salmon wrapped in puffed pastry (I scraped that off, for sure) and asparagus, with which I took a glass of riesling. There was the obligatory chocolate cake for dessert. I had it boxed and took it home for hubby. (I must admit, I did taste it after I got it home). It was just another example of all the obstacles we BTDers have to hurdle when eating out. My golf season suffered this year. I don’t think I played enough to improve. In fact, my handicap went up three points. That was very disappointing and frustrating. Hopefully next year my neck and shoulder will be stabilized enough to allow me to play more.

Daughter is toughing it out in Hawaii. She is definitely invested in school this time. So, we’re happy about that. I don’t know if she is refining her diet yet. I try not to mini-manage her life from across the ocean. We are planning a trip to see her at the end of the month.

Next week I leave for a short week in Las Vegas. The Sweet Adelines International Convention will be there. There are a bunch of us gals going down to watch the contests. It should be a real hoot. Of course, that will be a week of extreme dietary obstacles. We will be depending on hotel and restaurant food the whole time. I’m saving the last of my Unibars for real emergencies. I’ll be sure to take some workout clothes, too. Six days could wreak havoc with my routine. Hopefully, I can leave all the extra pounds in Vegas!

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!!