Countdown to Week 2 of the course!

Greetings on Sunday evening, around 10:30. Of course, my body is saying it's only 7:30, so here I sit at my laptop typin' a note!

Can I just say how wonderful it is to be home and with my stuff?!? Don't get me wrong, I had an AMAZING time in Phoenix and my brother John is a great host. AND, I really enjoyed the party and seeing all the sibs....however, nothin' says "home" like my body pillow...which is waiting for me in my own bed, with my own pillows and my own sheets...ahhh....

Well, I should catch you up on the last few days. Thursday brought the rest of the family to Phoenix and chaos abounded! We all went out to eat at Souper Salad where we decided to head to Stone Cold Creamery for dessert. I ate sparingly 'cuz I knew the heaven that was waiting for me. Lemme tell you, I was not disappointed! I was, however, high on a sugar rush like you wouldn't believe! I ate this straight-from-the-ice-cream-gods concoction of chocolate ice cream, caramel, brownies, almonds & chocolate sauce...all stuffed into a chocolate & peanut covered waffle bowl! Oie! My teeth are hurtin' at the memory of all that sugar. Fortunately, that's a once every 12-18 months treat. Ya know, like cheesecake or that triple chocolate cake I ate for my cheat meal. Anyway, it was worth it!

Friday, John, Lorry & I did our 8KM walk. The pace was much faster with the addition of sister "long legs" Lorry! That girl can move, lemme tell ya! But, I'm happy to say I kept up with the pace and even led the group a few times...yeah for me! Friday night we all went to a Turkish restaurant for Jimmy's birthday celebration where we all shook our bootays with the belly dancer. Poor thing! She was a good sport, even when my Uncle Paul shoved a $20 bill into her top...oie! You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family...sigh...

Saturday was the big party day, where I spent the morning hangin' with homey, John at Baiz Market, a Lebanese food store. I was in charge of making kibbee (family tradition handed down to me from my father). In a 30 minute period, John & I consumed more carbs than we did for the entire week. But man! They were worth it! Fortunately, that was all I ate until I got to the party. Then, at the party, I went to hell in a handbasket....seriously! I could not control myself. Thank goodness for my niece, Sandra. I always felt the need to keep myself in check when I was around her. Of course, that didn't stop me from snarfing down everything in sight when she wasn't around, but hey! There were points of control!!

Anyway, did I mention it's good to be home?!?

So now my challenge is to keep up the level of activity while reigning in the bad eating habits! The eating part should be ok, but I should warn you not to eat anything sweet in front of me while I'm going through my carb withdrawals. I'm just sayin'....

My brother-in-law, Barry, gave me a good tip on how to better prep for the hikes. He's an experienced hiker, marathoner, triathaloner, he-man-pick-up-trees-and-throw-them-at-each-other-jock, so he's done alot of training. He suggested I start going up the stairs whenever I can. So, that's what I'm planning to do. I'm on the 5th floor, so I will do as many flights as I can, working my way up to 5...or higher!

Well, it's time to hit the hay. I start Week 2 of my course. I can't wait!

BTW, all the carbs and crap I ate yesterday has made me feel nauseous all day. Totally not worth it....when will I ever learn?!?

Cheers everyone!
(a) yt xox