E is for Explore, Errands, Exercise

For my A to Z this year I’m EXPLORING the different things you can do on a date. As I’ve said, next month my husband and I will be married 38 years and I don’t think that being married that long is a reason to give up on dating.

Case in point, a couple of years ago we went to Oregon to visit hubby’s mother and while we have been there many times, we usually just stay around the house. His mom is 96, doesn’t go out anymore and takes naps during the day so this time I said, “Let’s go do something different while we’re here,” We found the Lava Butte in the Deschutes National Forest. It was very interesting to see the remnants of the volcano. We walked all the way up to the top where there is a fire lookout. The weather was gorgeous and the view spectacular. Even if you are familiar with an area, it is fun to go exploring new things.

Exercise is another thing that you can do together, even if it something as simple as taking a walk around the block. I will admit that exercise is not something that I enjoy doing but taking a walk around the block isn’t bad. This was before we had our dog, Benny. As you can see above, the path around the cinder cone and the ramp we had to climb to get to the lookout at the top of the Butte got us some exercise as well!

And lastly there are errands. You may not think that’s a fun date but I’ll tell you it certainly is nice to have his company when I go to the grocery store or Costco. Most of the time it is more expensive because he always seems to find things to add to the cart but it’s still nice that he’s there. We’ve had some pretty deep discussions as we go from place to place. Just the other day we went looking for material to put a fence around the front yard so we can let Benny go outside and play without worrying he’ll run into the street.

So what do you think, am I covering some good date ideas? Can I make it through the rest of the alphabet? Would you consider running errands a date?

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Just Jot January - 2020 - Stream of Consciousness Edition

Linda says: 

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “the first 3 words of the first full sentence.” Okay, follow me here. This is what I want you to do: 1. Grab the closest book to you when you sit down to write your post. 2. Open it to a random page. 3. Locate the first complete sentence on that page. 4. Use the first three words of that sentence to start your post, then take it from there–write whatever comes to mind. That’s it! Have fun!


Additionally, over time, it gets easier and easier to follow a routine.  It is the beginning that is the hardest.  They say it takes 21 days to start a new habit or to break a bad one but I'm not so sure about that.  I have also read that after the 21 days you continue it for another 90.  That is more like 111 days which makes more sense.

Got my 3 words from one of the Keto books I have on my desk.  I've been using them to get inspiration for meal planning, something I've been trying to get in the habit of doing.  I've done it for a week or so at a time but then something happens and I go back to just winging it.  I notice though that when I am planning, I am losing faster.  You'd think that would be motivation!

Exercise is another thing I've not been very consistent with, except for walking Benny twice a day.  I really need to get some arm and core work in to strengthen those muscles and help lose some of the excess flab from there.  I know that I've stretched my skin with all the weight I was carrying but you'd think I'd be able to fill some of it back with muscle instead of having flopping wings.  I'll start tomorrow, maybe. 

Jazzy January 2016

January 9 - Vision Cards

For the last three years I have been making vision cards, something I learned from watching Jamie Ridler.   She shows us how to use vision cards to channel your focus on the things that you want to make happen in the year ahead.  She makes 10!

I made three the first year...

Health 

Craft Business

Our House

By using these cards to remind me of the things I wanted to work on, I was able to work toward some goals for each area.  While I did not accomplish everything on my list, I did make some movement in each area. 

In 2015 I made four cards:

Our House

Healthy Me

Craft Business

Finances

Our house and fixing it up remained one of my priorities, as did getting myself healthier.  

Increasing my craft presence by blogging and getting out there selling my creations was still a desire and I added a vision card to remind me about planning our financial future.  We are getting older!

Again, each area got some attention.  In the "Home" area we got a new fence and had a clean out of the backyard.  For my health I had a physical and started taking steps to lower my blood sugar.  In the crafty sense, I participated in some blog challenges and had a table at two craft shows.  Financially, we got some credit cards paid off and plans for our retirement started.  Not bad.

For 2016 I have made five cards.  I love the process of deciding my focus points and then gathering pictures and words to bring them to life:

The process

Our House

Finances

Our house is still a big one but this year instead of just concentrating on the outside, I want to do a huge cleaning and reorganizing project.  The dynamics have changed with the kids mostly gone so it is time to get things more functional for two instead of five.


Finances are still a big issue as well, with Bill turning 65 this year and with his Workers' Comp claim coming to a close, thank goodness.  We will be experiencing some income differences I'm sure and I'm going to need to keep on top of what our options are.

Health

Craft Business

 My health is also still a priority.  Healthy eating with the Hungry Girl plan and continuing to monitor my diabetes is key.  I am still not a fan of exercise but there is a new craze called "housewalking" that I may try.

As far as the crafty business, I need to organize the space I'm in and concentrate on making more items, in addition to finding new ways to get the word out there about all the neat stuff I can make.  Adding some new products will help there.   

Travel

                                                                                                                                                                    

My fifth card is Travel.  We did some traveling in 2015 but they were quick trips and for specific purposes (the family reunion in July and Oregon at Christmas) and they were fun but not relaxing.  I have something more like a romantic getaway to Carmel or a splashy trip to Las Vegas in mind.  (The finances card is going to come into play for this one as well!)

Well, those are my vision cards for this year.  I usually do a follow up after about six months to see how I am progressing.  

What about you?  Ever try making vision cards for your goals?  Love to hear about it!