Summer Vacation Part I (Trips 1 and 2)

Hello Everyone!!

All I can say is that summer got off to a running start and it hasn't slowed down yet.  You know how we (well, atleast "I") always expect to slow down in the summer; knock out a few items on the "to-do list"; meet up with friends we haven't seen in months, etc, etc.  Ha!! Who am I kidding?  Summertime is never slow and lazy for us. Since my last post we have had company, did some deep cleaning in the house and taken two vacations (and have one more coming up).

Our first trip was the week of my last post.  We flew in to Boston and took a cruise to Bermuda.  This trip was taken to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of my in-laws.  I know I've mentioned this before, but I originally started the Belly Fat Cure in the fall of 2010 in preparation for a cruise we were taking. I did lose weight but then went a little crazy on the cruise and gained about 8 lbs and came home very discouraged. 

I was not going to let that happen this time around so in January,  I started "Clean Eating" and strength training.  To date, I've lost 16 lbs. and feel wonderful!  So here's the funniest thing about the cruise we just took.  I actually lost weight on it!!!  I lost somewhere between 3-4 lbs.  I've been on several cruises and almost from the moment the trip is booked, I'm thinking about the food that will be available 24/7.  I mean isn't that what cruises are famous for?  OK, maybe not, but that's what I use to think. 

So anyways, in mental preparation for this trip, I told myself that I was going to continue to eat clean and it was going to be wonderful because someone else would be doing the cooking for me.  I went into this trip with a totally different mindset.  It wasn't hard to find a protein, complex carb, and veggie at meal and snack times.  I continued to eat 5-6 times a day.  For breakfast I usually ate oatmeal with fruit and nuts and a few eggs.  For lunch, usually a salad, fish and veggies.  Mid-day snack was usually more salad, a hamburger patty or another piece of fish and sometimes a few sweet potato fries.  Dinner was always either salmon (it was the best I've ever had), chicken, or steak, and a salad and veggie.  I only ate two partial desserts on the entire cruise and they were not even that good.  I have to be honest, the first few days were the hardest when everyone was enjoying dessert with every meal and pastries at breakfast.  But as the days went on it got easier.  I felt great and had lots of energy (and felt great in my clothes!!!).  I weighed in when the ship  got to Bermuda and the scale said 135.  It was a different scale but my clothes did feel really loose.  On our way home from the airport we stopped at a diner and I finally allowed a "cheat meal" which was a hamburger, a few fries, and 1/2 of a chocolate malt.  The next day I weighed 138 which meant I did lost a few lbs on the cruise.

Before I move on with the next trip, here are a few photos from our cruise:

We were home three weeks and then set out on our first driving trip.  Drove to South Dakota to visit some friends who bought a KOA last year.  Of course, we couldn't drive to South Dakota without stopping at Mount Rushmore (which is about a 4 1/2 hour drive from our house).  In addition to Mount Rushmore, we stopped at Wall Drug, and spent some time hiking around Badlands National Park.  This park is so cool.  You can hike anywhere.... no place is off limits. Some say it resembles the surface of the moon.

After a few days we left South Dakota and spent the 4th of July in Nebraska in my mother-in-law's hometown.  Mid-west, small town 4th of July parades and festivities are the best!  Everyone seems to come home to celebrate.  Sleepy little towns come alive and are so fun! Here are a few pictures from that trip:

We got home this past weekend and have a few weeks at home before we head home to my parents house in Southern California.  And then.... school starts.  All of my kids will be going to school this year.  I homeschooled our three youngest this year (and all 5 of them previous to this year).  It was my 9th year and we loved it but it's now time for a change - it just feels right.  Everyone is excited (and a little nervous)... but more excited than anything else! 

Last summer we didn't take a vacation.  We had an exchange student from Denmark for three weeks so we did things locally with him.  We're trying to get some of these "driving" trips in before our oldest daughter graduates high school in two years.  Our kids have been on many driving trips and do pretty well as long as we don't push them more than 7-8 hours in the car (that's about their limit).

Well that's about it for now.  My weight was 140.6 this morning so I'm holding steady.  Feeling a little "flabby" in areas since I caught a cold a week before the last trip (and still have it) so I put working out on hold.  Resumed weights on Monday so I'm hoping to tone up.   

Here are a few photos I've taken this summer around the house at my favorite time of the day... SUNSET!  Have a great week and let me know if you have any questions about Eating Clean :)