Three days until the wedding, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve forgotten something. I’m sure we covered our bases, yet the anxiety is real and present. Anyway, we march on. The boys’ tuxedos arrived yesterday, so the Mayor and the Hubby will try theirs tonight. Goalielocks and Jake will go tomorrow to try on their tuxedos. My dad just picked up his and it looks amazing!
Yesterday we headed to my brother’s AirBnB to have dinner and cake for my dad’s birthday. His air conditioning went out over the weekend too, so they got a place to stay for the week. They didn’t know how long it would take for the AC to get fixed. Moreover, they have my parents brother, and sister-in-law staying with them for the wedding. The HVAC guys are insanely busy, so the wait can be long. Truly, we lucked out with our A/C guy. We had BBQ for dinner and another tasty cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Three days!
What strategies do you use to maintain your health and well-being?
Self-care is super important for living a healthy and balanced life. I use a few strategies to stay on top of my physical and mental well-being. First of all, I go to bed every night at the same time. Also, I turn off my phone at least 30 minutes before I go to sleep. I wind down by reading, which usually prevents the wheels in my mind from turning in overdrive. I work out six days a week and include spin, run, Pilates, strength training, and yoga in my routine. Lastly, I make sure I always drink enough water.
Five days until the nuptials and we’re roasting. We are roasting since our air conditioner gave up the ghost yesterday. The South Florida heat was too much for it to handle. It has served us well over these last eighteen years, but its timing couldn’t be any worse. As if we don’t have enough to do or enough things to pay for this week, why not add a new air conditioner to the list? We may have to go a bit hillbilly and Jerry-right an air conditioner for the upstairs.
My hubby helped me out big time today by taking the food ordering out of my hands. It was nice to have one less thing to worry about. He ordered a plethora of food for Friday’s party. We’re finally all set with the food. Melly’s mom volunteered to bring a salad, which is amazing. First of all, she makes the best salads. Second of all, I’m glad someone else wanted vegetables at the party. Five days to go!
We also got some very sad news yesterday morning. I didn’t include it in the blog because I wasn’t sure everyone that needed to be told had been told. Sadly, my dad’s sister Sheila passed away yesterday from cancer. We were all hoping and praying that she’d make it to August to see the birth of her first grandchild. The fact that she didn’t make it to August adds salt to a very open wound. My aunt Sheila was an absolute doll. She was generous, kind and supportive of all her nieces and nephews. I’ll always cherish our walks up to the Dairy Store along with many other happy memories. It’s hard to be 1,500 miles away when things like this happen. I’d like to thank my cousin Holly for always keeping me in the loop. The updates were so appreciated.
What would you change about modern society?
I’d change how we interact with each other. The internet has empowered a lot of folks to be the worst version of themselves. Unfortunately, keyboard warriors are quite brave when they can hide behind the keyboard. They’ll bully and troll someone mercilessly, but would never have the guts to say any of it to their face.
Six more days until Jake and Melly get married! This morning I crossed a couple more things off my list, which felt good. We needed a few things for the bar and then photos for the in-memoriam table. Tomorrow I’ll pick up the photos and frames for the table. I still have a few more items to go. Honestly, the list seems never-ending just like it did when I was preparing to get married. Nonetheless, it will be here sooner rather than later and I can’t wait.
Yesterday I baked mini chocolate chip cookies with great success. Today I attempted sugar cookies with cookie cutters in the shape of birds and Daschunds. Unfortunately, the sugar cookies were an unmitigated disaster. The birds look like overcooked blobs, while the Daschunds look like dicks. Perhaps if you were hallucinating, you could see they’re birds or dogs, but probably not. They were so bad I threw them all away. I’ll be making the sugar cookies for Friday in their regular, boring, circular shape. Oh well, there was no harm in trying. Six more days!
What do you listen to while you work?
I like to listen to heavy metal between calls at work. If it’s not super busy, I’ll watch a live Wild Life Safari filmed in South Africa instead of listening to music. While on a call, I mute the safari but keep the closed captioning on so I can still watch it live. It’s amazing!
We’re now nine days from the big event! It’s getting down to the wire. FedEx delivered the shoes I bought for the ceremony. They’re a perfect fit and will look great with the gown. The only piece of the wardrobe puzzle remaining is a handbag. I’ve found some ones I like, but I am still on the fence. Obviously, I have to make a decision pretty soon, so stay tuned. Of course, I’ll post tons of pictures after the wedding.
I forgot to post yesterday, so much for posting every day until the wedding. Consider this the t-minus ten and t-minus nine days from the wedding. My shoulder continues to improve although it feels like it’s deeply bruised. It’s not, at least most from outward appearance, so that’s fun. Fortunately, my range of motion is pretty much back to normal. It is, however, a bit uncomfortable at certain points. I did some upper-body strength training with light weights yesterday. Unfortunately, it was pretty uncomfortable. Fortunately, I got it done.
What foods would you like to make?
I love to bake and cook. Since it’s super humid here, I’ve paused the bread baking. The humidity makes it a lot more difficult to get bread that isn’t too stodgy. I have, however, been baking plenty of cookies. While the Cubans may be famous for their cigars, they should be famous for their cuisine. I wish I could make a good, authentic tasting arroz con pollo.
Eleven days until the wedding?!? Can you believe it? I checked a few more items off the list this morning! Now I only have the caterer picking up things like ice and borrowed cooler to pick up. The dress I ordered for the rehearsal dinner should be delivered early next week. Thankfully, the shoes I ordered off of eBay for the ceremony should be here by tomorrow afternoon. This gives me plenty of time to buy another pair if they don’t fit right.
Eleven days is a short space of time to get everything done and for everything to change. It seems like science fiction that next week will be the last time our family of five will be under the same roof. I’m still trying to figure out where time has gone and how the kids got so old without us aging. I think my mom might be aging in reverse. Eleven days from now our family will embark on a new and exciting chapter.
Got to celebrate my mom’s birthday with her yesterday!
In other news, the shoulder is getting better daily. It hurts most of the time, but both my range of motion and pain level are steadily improving. In light of the injury, I’ve been modifying my Apple Fitness + plan to protect the shoulder. Honestly, I don’t love walking on the treadmill, but it was significantly less jarring to the shoulder than running. I enjoy running Apple’s treadmill workouts. They always draw the best out of me,
Which activities make you lose track of time?
I lose track of all time and space when reading. If I didn’t pay attention to the time, I could read all night. The bookshelf I bought earlier in the year is already filled up with new books. My pocketbook can’t wait for the new library to open up this fall.
Sixteen days until the kids get married! I can’t believe it’s nearly here. As finally preparations are underway, it’s nice to cross items off my excel wedding project plan. Yeah, I know I’m a dork. You need to keep track of many things to ensure their special day goes off without a hitch. (See what has to be done there?) We’ve got nearly everything set to go for the rehearsal open house. I put the blog on the back burner for a bit as I concentrate on wedding planning.
Since most guests are from out of town, we held an open house rehearsal dinner for everyone instead of the traditional limited dinner. The menu is simple and consists of their favorite things (i.e. pizza and wings,) which I have to order next week. Naturally, we’ll have plenty of liquor and beer. Thankfully, the wedding isn’t until 5:00 pm Saturday afternoon. Since we are having alcohol, we had to pay for security, which will be Jake’s favorite gatehouse guard.
As the march to the wedding continues, I’ve set myself up on a three-week fitness plan with Apple Fitness Plus. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about their classes or their trainers. To get myself wedding-ready, I ramped up my treadmill workout to forty-five minutes instead of thirty. This went well Monday, but not so much today. I either rolled or sprained my left ankle, who knows how, so running was an absolute no-go today. Consequently, I ended up walking the workout. I did manage to get through Pilates and yoga with a few adjustments. T-minus sixteen days!
What do you think gets better with age?
I think life gets better with age. Old age is a privilege denied to many, so aging is a gift. What’s not a gift is the aches and pains that come with aging that stuff is for the birds. The experiences, people, and adventures that come over time make aging a pleasure.
I’m so excited about my four-day weekend that I can barely stand it. Work has not been the best place to be this week, so I’m looking forward to a nice, long weekend. Fortunately, I have no plans outside of watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Timberwolves in the NBA playoffs. Outside of watching the playoffs, I plan on watching Netflix and chilling on the couch.
Speaking for four days, I have four days left on my four-week Apple Fitness + plan. I missed a couple of workouts yesterday and today due to a pinched nerve in my shoulder. I also had to cut my spin class short due to sharp knee pain, which was great. Outside of the last few days, the plan has been working fantastically. The yoga and Pilates are helping quite a bit. I love lighting some incense or palo santo for my practice.
The fitness plan ends on Sunday, so I’ll be starting a new one. One thing I don’t love about the plan is its lack of flexibility to change or move workouts once set. Consequently, I’ll be setting a weekly plan from here out. This way I can make sure the plan aligns with my schedule. Otherwise, managing the plan and my schedule is a bit stressful.
What personal belongings do you hold most dear?
The personal belongings I treasure most are the picture books I’ve made over the years. I made books for each of our Utah trips. When the boys are older and have their own place, I’ll make sure they each have a copy. One of my favorite Utah books is the book I made for Jake and I of our trip through the Mighty Five. It’s nice, thick, and great documentation of an epic trip across southern Utah.
Perhaps my favorite book is the cookbook I’ve made for my family. I compiled all the family recipes and put them into a beautiful book with family photos. Each of the grandkids will get one when they get married. It’s beautiful! Also, I’ve made some of the recipes so many times that the recipes are no longer legible. With the book, I can now easily read all of the recipes.
The fourth park on our trip through Utah’s Mighty Five was Canyonlands National Park. This park is close to both Arches National Park and Dead Horse State Park. All three are near Moab, Utah. Consequently, I recommended staying in Moab for several days to fully enjoy the area. In addition, to the parks, other sites like the Birth Scene Petroglyphs are worth visiting. Canyonlands, like Capitol Reef, is a lot less busy than Zion, Bryce Canyon, or Arches. We drove from the Bryce Canyon area to Capitol Reef, which took around four hours. It was another beautiful drive.
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Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah. It has over 337,000 acres of colorful canyons and rivers. It is broken down into districts. We visited the Island in the Sky district, which is closest to Moab. The other districts include the needles, the maze, and the rivers. These districts are not accessible from Island in the Sky and are not close to Moab. We spent one day at the park. If you’re looking to visit all four districts, you will need several days. If you plan on visiting the needles, don’t forget your bear spray, and don’t forget to remove all food from your backpacks.
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After visiting the visitor center, we made our way down the canyon. Our first trail and the most famous trail at the Island in the Sky district is the Mesa Arch. After the Mesa Arch trail, we did the Grand View Point trail. I saw a cute little snake. It was only cute because it wasn’t large and it wasn’t that close to me. After the canyon rim, we decided to do the Upheaval Dome trail. Unfortunately, we ended up taking a wrong turn. Consequently, we ended up on the Syncline Loop Trail. Coincidently, this trail is responsible for most park rescues. Thankfully, we realized our mistake before we got too deep into the trail. After a near miss with a crazy trail, we decided to make our way to the AirBnB.
Before you go, here are some things to consider.
Canyonlands is remote and has spotty cellphone service, so plan accordingly. More precisely, don’t forget to download the trail maps, so you don’t inadvertently end up on a very difficult and dangerous trail.
The busy season runs from April to Early October. And while Canyonlands isn’t as busy as Zion or Bryce, you’ll want to get there early so you’re not waiting in line to enter the park
We only had one full day at Canyonlands and I would recommend trying to plan at least 2-3 days to see all four districts. Given our limited time, we did not venture beyond the Island in the Sky district.
The Canyonlands park map is a good resource for planning your visit.
Watch the weather carefully. The weather will impact your ability to complete certain hikes safely.
Prepare to be flexible. Your planned hikes may need to change depending on the weather conditions or rock falls.
There are no restaurants in the park, so you’ll need to pack a lunch or eat outside the park.
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Some of our favorite hikes:
The Mesa Arch trail is a .6-mile loop trail. It’s easy and accessible to all levels and abilities. Moreover, the payoff is big. The Mesa Arch and the views over the canyon are stunning.
The Grand View Point trail is a 1.8-mile out-and-back trail that follows the canyon edge giving you panoramic views of the canyon below.
We attempted the Upheaval Dome trail but ended up on the Syncline Loop trail, which originates at the same point. We were not the only hikers to make this mistake. Make sure you download your trail maps before leaving the visitor center.
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Animals you may see while visiting Bryce Canyon (not an exhaustive list):
Black bears
Desert Bighorn sheep
Mule deer
Cooper’s Hawk
Ravens
White-tailed antelope squirrel
Kangaroo rats
Beavers
Great basin rattlesnake
Yellow-bellied Marmots
Cougars
The park has a beautiful visitor center in the Island in the Sky district and the Needles district. It also has numerous nice restroom facilities throughout the park. The park doesn’t have a shuttle system, so you can drive up and down the canyon. If you’ve never been to Canyonlands National Park, I’d recommend adding it to your list of places to visit.
Ho Hum, what an appropriate title for a shit show of a day. Our internet with AT&T went down early this morning along with our cell service. Fortunately, we have Comcast as a backup. Unfortunately, Comcast still sucks. Needless to say, it’s been a trying day. It has me counting down the hours to Momcation 5.0.
I should have known today was going to be a special kind of crazy. After all, it is the day the taxman cometh. One bright spot was that our menagerie was hopping this morning. We even had a new visitor. A beautiful mottled duck joined the others for a snack. The animals have gotten so used to me that they don’t fly away anymore when I bring out the food or water. Even the skittish blue jays and squirrels have started to stay.
Instead of running, I’ve been working on Zumba chores for Momcation. I haven’t taught since I tore a tendon and was diagnosed with Graves, so I’m excited to give it a go. After all, it’s only been six years. Honestly, I had forgotten both how hard and how much fun it is to put together a class. I’m a bit rusty, so hopefully I’ll be able to give my fellow moms a good workout. It’s also a test to see if my ankle and body will tolerate it. If it goes well, I’m going to start teaching again as I need a second income.
Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.
My family has done so much for me that I don’t even know where to start. I guess I’ll put it in broad strokes because otherwise, we’d have a War and Peace size answer here. The biggest thing was that they have supported me through life at every stage and every difficulty. I know that’s a pretty general answer, but the truth having support makes a huge difference.
The third park on our journey through Utah’s Mighty Five was Capitol Reef National Park. The drive from Cannondale, Utah where we stayed near Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef National Park is a straight shot on Utah’s Scenic Route 12. Few drives on this earth are as spectacular as this one. It was surreal. You will drive Grand Staircase Escalante and its dramatic landscape and Canyons before taking you up an incredible mountain road. As we traveled the winding road through the blazing, colorful foliage at the higher altitudes we were sharing the road with free-range cattle.
The drive is slow, but you’ll want to spend time taking in the amazing views. Plus there are portions of the road with s-curves featuring no shoulders and steep drops on either side into the canyon below. The drive is stunning, but scary at times too. The mountain road takes you to over 10,000 feet above sea level and offers spectacular views of the valley and canyons below. Before you leave for the park, be sure you have enough gas to make it to the national park. There are very few places to stop on the way.
When we got to Capital Reef, we were shocked to see there wasn’t a gate at the entrance. You just drive into the park. It was immediately obvious that this park was significantly less busy and popular than Bryce or Zion. Consequently, you’ll need to prepare your trip around the visitor centers’s hours, which are 9-4:00 pm. I highly recommend stopping into the visitor center, and checking out what they have to offer. More importantly, however, you’ll need to ensure you take advantage of their WiFi to download and access your trail maps. There is no cell service in the park.
I highly recommend getting there early in the morning, so you can enjoy one of the famous cinnamon rolls at the Gifford House and Museum. The homestead also sells fresh pies made from the fruit picked from the parks orchards. We also bought an apple pie that we enjoyed after dinner that night. The cinnamon roll was as good as it looks and was enjoyed in a beautiful picnic area next to the house. There were gardens with flowers and tomato plants
After enjoying our authentic Capitol Reef breakfast, we went to see the petroglyphs found just off the park’s main road. The petroglyphs were so cool to see. Something is humbling about seeing them and walking the same path as the ancients. Afterward, we headed to the trailhead for the Hickman Bridge Trial. You can access several trailheads from the main road making the park easy to navigate. Again given the complete lack of cell service, make sure you have the trail maps downloaded.
Before you go, here are some things to consider.
Capitol Reef National Park is very remote and has no reliable cellphone service, so plan accordingly.
The busy season runs from April to Early October. And while Capitol Reef isn’t as busy as Zion or Bryce, you’ll want to get there early enough to get a cinnamon roll at the homestead.
We only had one full day at Capitol Reef and I would recommend trying to plan at least 2 days here. Given our limited time, we didn’t venture too far off the main road.
The Capitol Reef National Park map is a good resource for planning your visit.
Watch the weather carefully. The weather will impact your ability to complete certain hikes safely.
Prepare to be flexible. Your planned hikes may need to change depending on the weather conditions or rock falls.
There are no restaurants in the park, so you’ll need to pack a lunch or eat at the Subway outside the park. The Gifford Homestead sells cinnamon rolls and pies, but no lunch food. There are also orchards where you can and should pick fresh fruit. After a long day of hiking, I enjoyed eating the apple I picked right off the tree.
Some of our favorite hikes:
Hickman Bridge is a moderate 1.7-mile out-and-back hike that will take you to the Hickman Bridge. This is the most popular trail in the park and is fairly well-marked. It’s also the one where you’re most likely to see other people. The bridge is stunning as is the surrounding landscape.
The Grand Wash Trail is an easy 6.9-mile hike that is an out-and-back trail that takes you on a dried-up river bed through deep canyons and narrows. We took the Wash to access the Cassidy Arch Trailhead instead of driving to the trailhead.
Cassidy Arch Trail is a strenuous (and they do mean strenuous) 1.7 out-and-back hike to the arch. There is little to no shade on this trail, so prepare accordingly. Also, the trail isn’t well-marked once you make it up the cliff. They have placed some Cairns along the way, but it’s still easy to find yourself off the path.
Animals you may see while visiting Bryce Canyon (not an exhaustive list):
Desert Bighorn sheep
Mule deer
Ringtail
Golden eagles
Peregrine falcons
White-tailed antelope squirrel
Rock Squirrel
Great basin rattlesnake
Yellow-bellied Marmots
Cougars
The park has a beautiful visitor center and numerous nice restroom facilities throughout the park. The park doesn’t have a shuttle system, so you can drive up and down the canyon. If you’ve never been to Capitol Reef National Park, I’d recommend adding it to your list of places to visit.
What is your favorite type of weather?
My favorite type of weather is the perfect winter day here in Florida. The sky is clear of clouds and is a brilliant shade of blue. The temperature is in the mid-70s and the dewpoint is low.
