August recap

Bonnie's Blog has arrived. Inspired by friends living in the Dominican Republic, who blog every day I thought "why not?" Apparently the blogging world has become SO simple, even I can do it. Or so I think.

To recap recent history, Ed and I spent most of July in the Northwest, first visiting his sons in Eugene, Or., a look at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, on to Crater Lake for a look at volcanic remains and eventually, a cruise to Alaska.

The cruise was our early celebration for our twentieth-wedding anniversary (December, 1987). The highlight of the cruise was, for me, the floatplane flight over the Misty Fjords - just beyond Ketichcan. By the end of July we headed back to North Carolina in what has to be the worst trans-continent flight ever. Don't get me started on the state of commerical air travel. Plus we skipped over three time zones in fourteen hours. I was still on Pacific time a week later.

No sooner did we get home than the delayed doctors appointments began to fill up the August calendar. EF had missed saxophone practice for weeks and needed to 'get his lip back.' The rehersals for the Swing band performance at the September 9th OLLI convocation have already begun. We had a dance lesson just in time to say goodbye to our favorite teacher, Missy. Her family is now residing in the Dominican Republic.

Focusing on the Caribbean, the details for the January 5 cruise to 'practice dance' aboard the Norwegian Majesty took considerable time and effort, BUT new couples have already booked to dance at sea the first week of January. This will be our third cruise on this ship, with enought time at sea to practice during the day and dance to live bands in the evening. We really work at it and as one dancer from last year reported "it's the only cruise where I actually lost weight!" How bad is that?

August was the opportunity I gave myself to unload a lot of collected stuff. First twenty boxes went to Jan's house for a garage sale on August 25th. Now I'm in the 'sorting mode' going through books in the library. Much as it pains me to toss out a book, there are already three boxes in the garage, headed to the CHPLibrary's next book sale. I should be feeling free of clutter and enjoying more space - but there is much more to tackle. I have not even started on the craft room where piles of fabric, scraps and UFO's await (UnFinishedObjects).

The heat of August, drought in North Carolina and threats of watering limits means we stayed close to home the last week...thank gawd for the ice maker and mini-fans. We just hope our trees and shrubs make it a few more weeks.

I can also report that all of the doctor's tests were negative and I am good for another year; IF I stick to the diet, the workout routines, and pay attention when driving. As for my diet that won't be easy.

We have sister Jan and her husband, Rich for dinner this evening (big BBQ); Ed's step-daughter-twins are coming to visit on Wednesday; and the annual Gentlemen's Wine Dinner hosted by Dick Isabel is Saturday night with a gourmet meal at Governor's Club. Balancing proteins, fats and carbs this week will take major effort on my part. All this eating means more workout time and I only have so many hours in a day. The UNC Wellness center is already taking notice of that 'ole lady huffing & puffing with free weights. The only advantage so far is that EF is getting nervous about my strenght training, he's afraid I might take advantage of him (?). The Governor's Club dinner is actually motivation - as wearing the chosen outfit means my waist has 'no expansion' territory! More salads, please.

OLLI classes begin September 10, EF's band practice on September 11 and my ballroom classes at Fred Astaire on September 19. I for one am waiting for cooler weather, more dancing, back to the fall routine and looking forward to October at the OLLI reatreat in Blowing Rock. It's going to be a good fall.

Next on the calendar for this week: Wednesday will be the third of three Personal Trainer sessions at UNC gym. And an evaluation to see how many more I will need. You laugh? I can tell you it's not a pretty sight but I am determined. September is just beginning and I have no time to waste. Just keep moving....bbf