Yelm and the Mountain

There is a very good chance that at the end of this job search, I will be packing up and moving. I’m not sure where but I’m almost definite it won’t be where I am now. Whenever I talk to a new company about a new city, I immediately turn to Google Earth. I am having so much fun thinking about the possibilities. There are so many beautiful places in this country and I’m ready to see another one.

I was on the phone with my brother last week and unknowingly, he fed right into my latest obsession. He said, “Man, every day I get up, I swear that dog-gone mountain is getting closer!”

Mountain, what mountain? I had no clue. He has just relocated to Yelm, Washington which I didn’t know existed until he was heading to an army base there. I consulted Google Earth and there it is, about an hour away. Mount Rainier in all its snow capped glory.



What a beautiful sight. I was excited to plan to visit him because of his proximity to Seattle and Portland, but now I have a new target when I go. I’m going to that mountain. Actually, I’m just going to the state park to get closer to the mountain. I’ll leave the mountain itself to the more adventurous people out there.

Oh the places we can go!

Tips for Restrictive Eating While Traveling

I’m slowly tackling the changes that have been needed in my diet. Until it became necessary for me to give up all things dairy that I really became aware of how many foods contain cheese and yogurt and sour cream and cream cheese. These ingredients make so many of the foods we easy so yummy! I’m a little lucky in that I don’t have to give up cakes, cookies and baked goods that contain milk, but sauces and icings are still a struggle.

In addition to eliminating the dairy, I have decided to significantly cut the amount of bread and fried foods that I eat. Yesterday, I had lunch at Cracker Barrel and everything tasted terrible and smelled just as bad. There was nothing wrong with the food so please don’t take this as anything against the CB. The problem is me. I have noticed that as I change how I eat, my appetite and food tolerance are changing as well. And No, I am not pregnant. That was the first thing my mother asked when I said everything tasted and smelled bad. ☺ My problem, and really it is not a problem but a revelation, is that I’ve been hanging around and eating dinner with my vegan friends and my body is craving more of a natural, if not completely vegan, diet.

I think if we are really going to tackle the weight and health issues, we have to look beyond the what the dairy, farming and weight loss industries are telling us. We have to stop listening to them and start listening to our own bodies.

These are the things that I know about me.

• When I drink more water, I want less sugar.
• I enjoy the thick, creamy sauces that are made with cashews rather than milk or heavy cream.
• I still enjoy and crave the yogurty goodness of a nice Indian curry sauce. I will just eat a few times of year and suffer through the headaches that comes.
• Cake is still a craving but I crave it less.
• The more vegetables I eat, the less meat I desire.
• I am loving the homemade version of some of my once favorite take-out items…like pizza.
• My midsection as decreased as I have decreased my intake of bread.
• My plantar fasciitis hasn’t bothered me in at least 2 months. I think this is a result of the increased water intake.
• My body loves eggs.

I’m sure there are many other things I will learn as I continue to modify how I eat, but since I have been prone to travel in the past for work, I wanted to make sure I concentrated on how to continue eating more healthy fare while on the road. I am currently on the road for a job interview. For 3 days, I have been trying to make the best decisions possible so as not to feel terrible while driving or while doing the interview. My solution was to rely on the grocery store. There is a Publix supermarket just a few blocks from my hotel and since I have a refrigerator in the room, I decided to go over and buy boiled eggs and fruit for breakfast and edamame salad to snack on. I thought I would eat out after my interview but I ended up going back to the grocery store for more fruit and a nice spinach, mushroom and carrot salad. I still found myself at Zaxby’s a little later, but considering how much fruit and veg I had consumed, I have no hard feelings about the chicken tenders and extra Zax’s sauce. This trip only took me 5 hours away from home, so I will need to do more planning for longer trips. In the past, I would try to drive straight through as much as possible only picking up things that I could eat while driving. I will have to change that habit if I am going to keep my travel time as healthy as possible.

This is a work in progress but as I make more changes, my momentum is growing and more changes are being prompted. I encourage you all to make a couple of small changes and see how your body reacts. There are many reasons to change how we eat, but if you are resistant to listen to anyone, open up to listening to your body.

Sightseeing In The City

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Thanks for all the well wishes. I’m still iffy about this area, but I did get to get into New York for a little sightseeing. We spent two days visiting Ellis Island, Liberty Island (Statue of Liberty), the Empire State Building and Times Square. That was a lot for two days. I’ll save the rest of New York for another trip.

That Bad Mood

I’ve never been to New Jersey before and I was looking forward to starting my new job in a new place. Now that I have arrived, the bottom has dropped out of my optimism. I flew in a day early to give myself some time to get around and figure out my way around this place. About four hours after stepping off the plane at Newark Liberty Airport, my attitude became quite foul. The traffic is atrocious and I’m not one for getting road rage. I can usually turn up the music and sing my way through the traffic jams. Not here. It could take awhile to get used to the way the exits and U-turns are arranged. And just so you know, a U-turn here is not really a U-turn. It’s a loop. Where I’m from, a U-turn is actually shaped like a U.

I got here on yesterday (Saturday) and had dinner at the hotel. After finally finding this hotel, I was not about to venture back out into the unknown, but as the hotel is right next to a mall I figured all would be good for the rest of the weekend. To my surprise this morning, I found the mall and just about everything else around here CLOSED. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen a mall closed on a Sunday. It’s been years, probably over a decade. What century have I gotten pulled into? I drove around for over an hour today before I found a Boston Market open where I could get food. I’m waiting for the hotel to bring me a fridge before I venture into the one grocery store that I saw. I found it shortly before I found that Boston Market. I was happy to find a CVS were I could pick up a couple of things that I forgot but I have to say the staff there was a little on the rude side. So far, there have been no random smiles. I don’t like to get into comparing the North and South, but when someone makes eye contact with you on the street, we typically smile in the South. Not here.

I wasn’t able to fit any knitting in my suitcase so I was hoping to find somewhere (like a Michael’s or Hobby Lobby) to buy some needles and sock yarn. No luck. If I had, it would probably have been a Hobby Lobby since they are closed on Sunday. Fits the apparent theme of this place.

I’m assuming this place will come to life tomorrow when the mall is opened and everyone heads to work. I hope the people I’ll be working with are nice and pleasant and can point me to some eating places around here, because right now I’m not seeing many choices. The hotel has a nice restaurant which I absolutely love, but if you’ve ever been to a Bone Fish Grill then you know it’s not the most economical place to eat every day for a 14 day hotel stay.

Pray for me people! I’m in need of an attitude turn-around. And to all of you living in a place that is turning your mood foul, please move. Just pack up right now and move. The world could be a much better place for us all if we weren’t living in places that made us miserable.

Happy New Year

Welcome to a brand new year and hopefully a brand new you or at least a newly-revised-for-the-better you!  I ended 2008 and started 2009 in London and it was the best and most fabulous thing I could have done for me.  More on the trip later.  For now, enjoy the 520 new pictures I have added to my Flickr page!

There's No Place Like Home

I'm still in Pittsburgh. There's been some beautiful weather here but the stress of work and training classes have kept me from really enjoying it. And the hotel living is starting to wear on me. Hope to see you all soon. I'll be back in Chattanooga mid September. Can't wait to reconnect with me knitting group.

Last Day of Unemployment

Oh how nice it's been but I am oh so glad it is over. I start my new job on Monday. And don't you know I don't remember anything (okay almost anything). It's going to take a little time for me to get back up to speed. My last job was as a project/office manager so I've been away from the technical side of engineering for about two years. I'm excited about it though. Today and Tomorrow (Sat) will be spent getting ready. Getting clothes together and packing and what not. I am flying to Pittsburgh Sunday to get started there on Monday and then I'll be back in Chattanooga later in the week.

Wish me luck.