When a Busy Weekend Keeps You From Walking

…..3 days in a row of over 10 000 steps and then the weekend comes along

Usually the weekend is a great time for walking but this weekend proved otherwise. On Saturday I squeezed my newly pedicured feet into a brand new pair of high heels and wore them for the next eleven hours.

We left the house shortly after 12 noon and arrived at the church just in time for the wedding. The service wasn’t as long as we had expected and now we had 3 hours to kill before the reception. We thought about going home but opted instead to go to a restaurant close by and have a bite to eat. We ordered a couple of appetizers and sparkling water. Well that took less than an hour and we still had time to spare.

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We decided to find some stores to browse through but we were in the middle of box store city with lots of pavement and parking lots to walk over. Not very good for someone in 3″ heels. In hind sight it seems ridiculous but we drove from store to store. My husband hates  malls and box stores so we didn’t spend too much time ‘shopping’. We didn’t actually buy anything.

We didn’t have any coffee when we were in the restaurant earlier and we were now in need of a caffeine fix. Back in the car, we now drove around looking for a coffee shop. After a couple of missed turns we finally found a Star Bucks and sat down, again, for a cup of coffee.

We arrived at the reception hall exactly at 5:00 and there was no one else in the parking lot. We wondered if we had the right place but within minutes the families of the bride and groom showed up and slowly the guests stared arriving as well. I guess showing up on time is an old fashion custom. I couldn’t believe how late people walked through the door.

After the cocktail hour, dinner was served and for the next four and a half hours we were in our seats as the courses were  served with speeches and formalities in between.

I was hoping we’d get to do some dancing but by the time the last speech had been delivered it was already 10:30 and we realized that our poor dog had been alone since noon. We said our good-byes and headed home. By 11:00 o’clock we arrived at the house and the first thing I did was take off those high heels. My husband took the dog out for a quick pee. I was just too tired to go for a walk. I had only logged 3400 steps.

On Sunday I slept in and then read my book for a couple of hours. I had booked an appointment with the Apple store to sort through some issues I was having with my computer and my iPhone. My husband came with me so that we could leave right from the mall and drive to Hamilton to have dinner at our daughter’s house. That’s right, my husband was in a mall, two days in a row. What a sport!

Unfortunately today was a very rainy day and when we arrived in Hamilton our plans for walking to a new area to explore were altered. The rain had let up briefly but our daughter didn’t think it was a good idea to walk to our destination because the odds of a downpour were pretty high. She was right. We drove to a quaint shopping area on Locke Street, parked the car and walked up and down the street. We stopped for coffee and a bite to eat because dinner wasn’t going to be early as we had anticipated.

There are some great little stores, coffee shops and restaurants in this area of Hamilton. I’ll be sure to return on a future visit. When we returned to our daughter’s house I went out for another short walk over to James street but most stores on Sunday close between 4:00 and 5:00, if they’re open at all.

When I returned to the house G had put out a lovely spread of cheese, dips and crackers and shortly after they served us a scrumptious dinner of ribs and a watermelon salad. I suggested going for a walk before dessert was served but it was decided that we would play a board game first and then go for a walk. Well we never did get out for that walk and in total I only logged 4000 steps for the day.

13 000 More Steps to a Healthier Me

….after work I treated myself and my good friend L to a manicure and pedicure

I’m going to a wedding tomorrow and I really needed to get my toes done. It was L’s birthday last month so I decide to treat her to a manicure and pedicure after work today. Of course it made no sense to sit and watch her being pampered so I had to treat myself as well. Besides I’ve been wearing sandals to work for a few weeks now and it was a little embarrassing when my kindergarten students pointed out that my nail polish on my toes was chipping.

After about an hour of soaking, filing and applying colour we headed over to Marshall’s to try on some clothes. I chose nine tops to try on and left with two. When I got home my husband had just pulled out one of his homemade pizzas from the oven. Yummy!

After supper Frances was eager to go for her evening walk. Even though I was tired I knew that once I got going I would really feel better for it and I do enjoy it. The rain had stopped and it looked like it would stay away for awhile. I brought along my iPhone to snap a few pictures. Before I left I checked my Jawbone Up to see how far I had walked up to this point. It registered at just over 6000 steps.

Tonight we headed towards Col. Samuel Smith Park. I’ve been letting Frances dictate how far we walk and the direction she wants to go. When we got to the park I thought for sure she’d want to turn back but no she proceeded to head towards the lake and the naturalized area of the park. I kept my eyes open for some interesting shots and I think I managed to catch a few good ones. Here are a few things we saw on our walk tonight.

When we finally got home I checked my Up bracelet and discovered that I had walked almost 13 000 steps. This is the third day in a row that I’ve walked over 10 000 steps. Last week I averaged over 11 000 steps a day. I’m hoping that this increase in movement and watching what I eat will help me lose the pounds that I put back on. Luckily I didn’t put it all back on but more than I should have. I need to learn to get right back on track as soon as the first five pounds return.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 23

….4 questions and a poll from Cee

For your blog do you basically use Mac or Windows applications. What type of device laptop, desktop,tablet, phone or pad?

I use Mac and I use my laptop most of the time. On holidays I used the iPad but found it awkward and I never use my iPhone (way too awkward). Having said that I do use my iPhone almost exclusively for my photos.

If you were to treat yourself to the “finer things” what would you treat yourself to?

I would treat myself to more spa treatments, pedicures and manicures.

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Can you change a car tire?

I’ve never had to change a tire but I think in an emergency I could probably do it.

The 4th question this week is answer this poll about “how you would like to see the question formats for Share Your World”. Feel free to answer the questions in your post too.

I chose the ‘Do 2 random questions, 1 list and 1 complete the sentence each week. I think it’s nice to change things up a bit but when I last checked the first option, ‘Leave it as it is.’ was in the lead.

How you would like to see the questions for Share Your World? Multiple Choice answers are allowed.
Ask 4 Random Questions. Leave it as it is.
Add lists creating my own lists monthly.
Add complete the sentences monthly.
Do 2 Random Questions, 1 list and 1 complete the sentence a week.
Suggestions? Write in your post or comments.
I am tired of Share Your World, please hosting it.
Vote
View ResultsPolldaddy.com
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that I averaged over 11 000 steps a day last week. I’m really trying to move more. I had a great visit with my sister and her husband from Calgary. It was short but sweet. I’m also grateful for completing part one of last week’s art assignment with Carla Sonheim. I made over 15 little handmade books and I’ve started to write in them.

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This week I’m looking forward to completing part two of the assignment where I have to create a story and paint a new booklet. I’m also looking forward to going to a wedding on Saturday and going to Hamilton on Sunday to visit my daughter and her husband.

Here are a couple of photos of my view of the lake looking east and west, on my walk with  Frances. We took a slightly different route and went further than we normally go.

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Haiku Prompt Challenge #48 – ‘Inspire and Loss’

….thank you Ronovan for this week’s words, inspire and loss

This week’s prompts immediately brought to mind Noah Galloway, an Iraq war veteran who was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Despite being a double amputee he persevered week after week and went all the way to the finals and placed third. The words ‘inspiration and loss’ came up every week after he performed.

Dancing With  the Stars

The loss of one arm

and dancing with one leg

Inspired us to vote

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Bravely baring all

His spirit to dance inspires

His loss, matters not

Image Courtesy of: http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Screen-Shot-2015-04-07-at-4.02.31-AM.jpg