Butchart Gardens

Of my prior three trips to Victoria, BC I never made it to Butchart Gardens. I did today. Very wheelchair (and scooter) friendly. I took way, way too many pictures of flowers. Here is just a fraction of the beauty to be found there.

Yes, I am

For those who predicted this was the adventure I was taking by myself, you were right.

Today we leave from Vancouver, BC. Tomorrow's stop - Victoria. 

The Big Test

I have to pass this test. It's everything I believe in. It's how I'm trying to live my live. Adventure. Opportunities. Excitement.

But my knee has struggled to keep up. All the walking, the treadmills, the being on my feet has destroyed it. I can't take a step without excruciating pain so until I get a new knee (after kiddo's wedding) my life is being lived with a cane and the scooter. Pain - the really bad kind - darkens your world.

But pain wasn't an issue when I planned this adventure. So I find myself struggling to go forth with a positive attitude. But go forth I shall. I choose joy. (Or at least that's what my tattoo tells me.)

The solo,
handicapped,
suck the marrow,
trains, planes, automobiles, and ships
adventure begins now.

First up, hop a plane to Seattle. Take the light rail into the city. Visit Pike Place Market in the pouring rain. Just me and scooter. And flowers. And veggies. And fish. And the most delicious salmon-potato croquettes from a restaurant in the market.

Second up, take the light rail to the Amtrak station. 

Hop a train to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Next up? You'll just have to wait and see. But if you know my travel patterns, you probably could venture a pretty good guess. 

Poor Tree

Remember these gorgeous blossoms on a tree outside kiddo's apartment?

That pretty tree is no more. A windstorm turned it on its side.

Poor tree.

Egg Discovery

Look what kiddo found behind our shed when she was staining the fence. Any idea what bird lays these kind of spotted eggs in the dirt?

Happy Easter

Hmm...an Easter Lily. 

Happy Easter!

Color Swap

It was time for a color swap in the Boise house. First up, the bedroom. The room has been living with the wallpaper and trim from when the manufactured home was built years ago. Now a new color scheme. An arctic blue wall color and silky white trim. What a different paint makes. 

And an even more amazing transformation? The bathroom. Dark to light. Gotta love paint!

Views are Good

A view from a parking lot can be good.

High Altitude is Bad

Last night on the treadmill I was dragging. It was a very hard workout where I couldn't hardly catch my breath. I kept thinking it was just because I had a long day so I pushed through all 45 minutes. When I went to the pool, I couldn't swim as many laps as I usually do - I really noticed my lungs were struggling.

But it wasn't until this morning when I had to keep taking rest breaks while getting ready for my meeting, particularly when I had to lean over the sink to brush my teeth (and catch my breath), did it make sense.

It's the altitude. While being home and at work and in Boise my lungs have improved dramatically. But in this almost 6,000 foot altitude in Sun Valley it's obvious the lungs aren't so perfect. Darn.

Guess I needed a wake up call. Remember, Deb, you're not Superwoman. So no more treadmill while I'm here. And walking to my meetings? Not all that fun. And to think I purposely left my scooter home for the first time in a year.

Something else bad? Cheese sticks that have been to Los Angeles, sidetracked to Puerto Vallarta to Minneapolis to Boise to Marsing, then to San Antonio to Marsing to Sun Valley. They don't make for a very good snack. Now they are traveling to the trash.

Something that could potentially be worse? Not getting to spend time swimming. Come on, lungs. Hang in there.

Goals are Good

Go to work.
Go to Boise.
Drop off three bags of too-big-for-me clothes at a local charity.
Go with daughter to get stamps for wedding invitations.
Go to daughter's apartment and help stamp invitations as I watch a webinar for work.
Drive another 160 miles to another work conference.
Hit the treadmill for 45 minutes.
Hit the pool.
Climb into bed by 8:30.

All tasks done, my goals for the day complete. Throw in a picture of a tree blooming outside my daughter's place and a cat put to sleep by both the webinar and the repetition of stamping envelope after envelope? Makes for a long, exhausting, but good day.

Tourist

I played tourist today. Our conference ended at noon and with a flight not until six it was time to head out for the sites. 

Can you tell where I've been? While the cactus pictures aren't giving away any clues the other picture certainly does.

I Forgot

I forgot what it was like eating around other people.

Usually it's just hubby I eat with and he's been really good about keeping the not-so-good foods out of my sight so I can avoid temptation. Now that I'm on a business trip with other people, there are lots of foods at the table. Some of the most delicious:

Spaghetti
Pizza
Hamburgers
Apple pie
Ice cream
Cinnamon roll
Pancakes
Chips and salsa

While at any other time in my life I would have been eating alongside them, this go round it has been hands off. I actually haven't even been a bit tempted. I have to focus. Keep my eye on the prize.

I did forget one more thing. I forgot about the time difference. My 5:00 AM trips to the treadmill are really 4:00 AM trips back home. It doesn't matter all that much, though. What matters is being here when it opens at 6:00 AM.

The Arrival

LAX to Puerto Vallarta. Spend the night in Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta to Minneapolis. Spend the night in customs in Minneapolis. Minneapolis to Boise. Spend the night at the Boise airport. Boise to Marsing for a last minute arrival.

Just a few days in the life of my lost luggage. And it's a good thing the missing luggage arrived when it did. For yesterday morning I had a very early flight out of Boise, heading to a conference for work. There were things in that suitcase I needed. Warm weather clothes, undergarments, workout clothes, and my swimsuit.

So this morning while my compadres slept (yeah, it was early - 5 AM early) I made my way to the treadmill for a 40 minute workout. After that workout, a workout in this. While it may have been chilly out, and windy out, and even rainy out, you won't hear any complaints from me. Who gets a pool like this to themselves, with a view like this, before sunrise?

Lucky me.

Puerto Vallarta

It's 40 degrees and rainy in Marsing, Idaho. It's 82 degrees in Puerto Vallarta.

Where would you rather be? Yeah, us too. But our vacation is over. Time to get back to work and back to reality. We never visited Puerto Vallarta on this trip. It wasn't even on our scheduled stops. Heck, I don't even know where Puerto Vallarta is. 

But our luggage does. 

When we got off the plane last night and went to pick up the luggage our bag was a no-show. Come to find out that despite being tagged for the Boise airport, a baggage handler in Los Angeles put it on a flight to Puerto Vallarta. And that is where it sits right now.

It sits there with our toiletries, our clothing, my swimsuit, my walking poles, our jackets. Without us.

Thankfully the airline will reimburse us for some costs until the bag arrives. Being that our vacation was 10 days long we had pretty much packed every undergarment we had. A visit to Walmart is allowing hubby to wear clean underwear, me not to have to share his men's deodorant, and us to have fresh breath. If the luggage doesn't show up pretty soon I may be shopping for a new swimsuit. Since I logged over 13 hours in the pool this past trip I want to keep going.

How can I not when my weight loss is looking like this? 72 pounds as of today.

The Letter S

Two S pictures.

Sailboats in Santa Barbara.

Sunset at sea.

In Transit

When a cruise ends and you've booked the next cruise on the same ship, you're considered an "in transit passenger". You get to get off the ship last, be escorted through customs, and be the first folks back on the ship. Being that we were one of these types of passengers today - we are doing back to back cruises - we got back on the ship early and spent the day at my favorite hangout. (Although I have to say the spa is getting up there on my list - I had a seaweed wrap and deep tissue massage today.) I could get used to this.

Even the view of the Los Angeles harbor at sunrise isn't too bad.

Here Comes the Sun

Yep, it arrived. Cool and windy, but look at that sky.
Pool day for me. (As usual!)

2nd Verse Same as the 1st

We're stuck in a song.

I'm Henry the Eighth I am, Henry the Eighth I am I am...

Second verse same as the first...

Fog and clouds in this next port. Opted to stay on the ship because of the weather. Spotted a seal before breakfast. Morning walk, two hour swim.

The big difference is what hubby treated me to. I've never been to a spa in my life but that changed today. I had an afternoon appointment at the ship's spa for several 15 minute massages. Scalp, neck and shoulders, feet and ankles, hands and arms. Even get to go back tomorrow and get my poor knotted up legs worked on. Heavenly.

The only pictures I managed today were a couple of Ensenada, Mexico, today's chilly port, that I took on the morning walk.

Hoping for warm weather!

Gonna be Sore

When I think of Santa Barbara I think of sunshine. When hubby thinks of Santa Barbara he thinks of a soap opera. (I guess there used to be one called Santa Barbara?)

Today we got neither one. We did get fog and clouds. With the weather being as it was we opted to stay on the ship. But we did keep busy. We got a seal outside our balcony before breakfast. 

We got in a nice long walk around the Promenade deck. Did you know that sometimes a cruise ship is parked out in the water and not alongside a dock? When that's the case the survival craft (life boats) shuttle passengers back and forth to town. 
And when the cruise ship is sitting out in that water, it drifts a bit. Check out my silly looking walk I took this morning. Trust me, it was the ship's fault this time.

And then came the swim. In the adults-only quiet pool at the back of the ship. The pool I spent two hours in, walking and swimming. Forwards, backwards, sideways. Not once during those two hours did I stop. Just kept a-movin'. Bet I'll be pretty darn sore in the morning.

All In

I'm not sure what to call it. I'm all in. Grabbing life by the horns. Basically, living deep and sucking out all the marrow of life. Not wanting to die knowing I hadn't really lived. A bucket list while I still have my wits about me to enjoy it. And doing it now - because later sometimes becomes never. I figure there will come a time when things are so bad I will be home bound permanently. (I kinda already had some temporary periods of that so I really know the importance of taking advantage of adventures whenever I can).

So we're on another adventure. Got my walk in on the hotel's treadmill, exercised in the water, had a healthy high-protein breakfast. A delicious salmon lunch. And now this, sitting by the pool getting some warm sun on the Sapphire Princess.

I am so blessed to have this life.