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Happy New Year!

I decided I could not wait for Monday to post my blog.

It is an absolutely gorgeous winter day here in Pennsylvania, USA.  We do not get many sunny, blue-sky days in this corner of the globe during the winter season.  I am grateful for it.  I took Jaxon out for a walk and smiled the entire time, despite his incessant pulling on the leash to get me to hurry.

The day feels fresh and new, as it should on January 1st.

Writing today seems a very good way to start the year off right.

The holidays are a difficult time for anyone who is trying to stay true to healthy habits… Including me.

The “holidays” are not just ONE day.  They are a string of days lasting from Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day.  The past weeks have been difficult to stay on track given the added stressors of the holidays.

Saturday was weight and measure day.  I have decided that routine checks of my progress with both weight AND measurements will help in the long run.  As someone who has had weight struggles for many years, I have a love-hate relationship with the scale.

Mostly hate

It is a glorious winter day in Pennsylvania.  The sun has been shining since early morning and it is brilliant on the fresh snow.  I do enjoy this type of winter.  I am a happy woman.  It has been a week since “going public” with my work on healthier habits and I am working my program. 

When I got home from my most excellent adventure this fall I was exhausted.  I took some time to reflect and recover.

At the end of that week, I made a realization:  I have gained weight. 

I have been fishing since I was old enough to hold a fishing rod.  My earliest memory is being five years old, standing streamside with my dad and little brother.  My dad handed me a bamboo rod with an old Pflueger fly reel.  There was a 15-inch fish on the other end and my dad said “Reel it in Kim!” 

I did.

Not only was the fish hooked, I was too. 

I woke up this morning well before the sun came up. 

Although this is not a day I wanted to wake up at 4:00 AM, I woke up because Jaxon literally walked on me… his communication that he had to go outside. 

Once home, I hit a wall.

I was physically and mentally exhausted.  The time change was not helpful.

I spent the first few days just getting back into some sort of routine.  I struggled with even the simplest of tasks.  I felt disorganized.  Everything I did took effort. 

I was so tired. 

Yesterday was a day of rest and relaxation in San Mateo.  Katie Q took the seat as passenger and her hubby took us to Half Moon Bay, along the Pacific coast for a fantastic lunch at Half Moon Bay Brewery.  Her hubby and I opted for a Dungeness crab roll and fries.  I sipped a Pumpkin Ale with my meal and it was delightful.  Katie Q found a vegan option in a Portabella mushroom burger, also with fries, and a pumpkin stout.  We all had our fill and enjoyed the trip to the coast.

We had a good night’s rest for our last night “on the road”.   I say that because we will be spending the rest of our trip in the comfort of Katie Q and her hubby’s new home in California. 

Wow.

It is hard to believe this adventure is coming to a close!