Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes...

So I'm back. Woosah. Feels good to be home. Now that I am back, the changes I began implementing before take-off are now in full-force. What changes, you may ask? Lifestyle. But of course. I have now been 6 months without cigarettes, so it is time to do something about the weight. (For those of you who haven't known me long, this is the largest I have been in years. Am I obese? No. Am I uncomfortable? Yes)
So.... solution. Many of you know I have tried everything under the sun. But I really am in to a lifestyle shift today, not a diet, or a fad. I had nonstop classes at the gym lined up this week, but I am no longer going to that particular gym due to poor customer service (lower than poor, but that's for another blog). What is funny though is my herbalist/acupuncturist advised against EVERYTHING I was doing in the first place, it was actually making me worse due to my adrenal and liver function issues. Working out hard core for 50-60 minutes is not what he wants me to do. He advises I do 20 minutes here and there throughout the day. Which is funny because when I was doing that before, I was in the best shape of my life.
Now the food... this is where the major shift will take place. I am nearly vegetarian now. Not by choice. I love, love, love meat. But again, based on my health condition, metabolic age (49!!), and body type, it is recommended I eat 40% veggies, 30-40% whole grains, 15-20% animal, 5-10% fruit, something drastic like this. It's hilarious I call this drastic when I used to go on crazy Atkins diets. However, this is complete opposite of what I've been doing. Which may explain how I got to where I am now... uncomfortable.
So here goes nothing!
Oh, other recommendations include 3 cups of green tea a day, no soda (even diet, which I had been good about avoiding unless on vacation), 64 ounces of room temperature water (the colder the water, the slower the metabolism, or something), and the times of eating have totally changed! Breakfast before 10, Lunch around 11:30, Snack around 2, Dinner between 5 and 6, snack before bed (that is against everything I know... eating after 7? What?) But he is trained in eastern med and I trust him. I also know I feel great so far! And that's without even working out. Just having 12 or so days of this new way of eating.
I also have to add this is the exact way I was supposed to eat based on my blood type, and what type of oxidizer I am. However, I was too stubborn to do it.
Glad to let go of stubbornness and be open to a world of possibilities. Even enjoying (craving!) raw veggies, grilled eggplant!, veggie sandwiches, etc. So grateful.
So that's all :) No big deal

The waiting game...

So for those who have been following my flight experiences this week, be prepared for another fun time... I'm now on a plane but waiting... Similar to getting out of SFO, but this time for a weather delay. We will at least be sitting for an hour... As long as its not 3 hours, we will not have to deplane. And as long as we do not deplane, the flight will not be cancelled. And as long as the flight is not cancelled, my luggage will stay with me...

Geez

What is it with my luck this week?

The bright side is I had a wonderful conversation with Bear, reflecting on all of the amazing possibilities and opportunities that opened up this weekend. All because I flew home to surprise him. And my mom through a Sunday dinner in which many people connected and have created healthy bonds. I'd go in to more detail but most of that is their place to tell. I'm just extremely grateful for people in my life healing other people in my life, pathways of communication and trust being built, and relationships being established. I also strengthened a relationship with one of my (now) closest friends, love you Margit, and am grateful! Super grateful.

Sure. There were downsides to the trip, all the flight delays, some issues with my biological family, some sad times, and me needing to remember to practice principles in ALL my affairs (I'm stubborn, and impatient, what can I say?) but I choose to see the good today. Hope you all do too. 

And another good lesson- if you're angry or resentful, get over it. Life's too short not to! Too much love in the world to have hate in our hearts. If there is someone you are closed off to, create a possibility to make it right. Just do it. Live like there isn't a tomorrow! Because today is all we really have.

Love to all, light to all, 

DBear 

Flight Fiasco... again

So I have been on at least 20 planes in the last 10 months or so and never have I had a week (4 days) like this week. For part one of this story, stop reading now, and go read my last blog post (laughing at the lesson.) This blog post will not be nearly as funny, I am too exhausted, but here goes...
I was simply trying to fly out of DC to my hometown in order to surprise Bear for Father's Day. Simple. Right? Wrong. The morning started off frustrating enough because I couldn't get a representative to attend a meeting I thought we should attend, but that is a whole other story for a whole other time. Basically, I was just trying to get too many things done at once, as I knew I was leaving for the airport around noon and really wanted to stay in D.C. until today. Or yesterday. Friday. You get the point...
So I start hearing about flights and airports being closed due to weather around 10am. My flight was set to depart DC at 2pm. Arrive in Tallahassee at 4pm. So I call my airline in between meetings and obsessively check online. After all, if my flight is cancelled, I can stay in DC longer and attend the meetings myself. But every single person I spoke to said my flight was fine, no worries.
I head to the airport.
Shorter lines than expected. Check the screen. See nearly every flight cancelled or delayed. Except for Tallahassee! Exciting! Right? Ha. Just wait. We even board plane on time. No rain. Everything is fine. But we just keep sitting on the runway (all of 15 of us.... apparently, DC --> TLH is not very popular). And we sit. And we sit. I know enough to know that we are okay until we deplane. If we deplane, it's likely cancelled. We sit for 2 hours and 45 minutes. I am still calm at this point. I have a window seat with no passenger next to me. I read. I nap. I design workflows. I am fine. Then we get the announcement. We are reaching the limit for DOT regulations and must de-plane. We de-plane. I see THOUSANDS of people camped out. Not good. Instead of standing in line, I get on the phone (see last blog for the importance of this) Besides, I don't do lines. I get a flight leaving at 7:30 going to JAX. Meaning I need to find a ride home. No biggie.
But what about my baggage? Due to the volume of people at airport, there was no way for me to leave the terminal, go track down bags, re-check bag, and go back through security. So I get on the phone. I talk to agents at the gate. I talk to FOUR people, ALL say my bag will follow me to JAX. I finally get there at around 11:30... no bag. Long story short, I got to Tally at 3am (my poor mother) without my bag. I called the airline about 20 times (no exaggeration), was promised my bag would be in Tallahassee at 10:30 this morning. Where do they send it? JAX. Get on phone again. FINALLY am reunited with my bag at around midnight tonight. My mom retrieved it at 8pm (again, what a mom!) but I was unavailable to go with her to retrieve it... which brings me to the gratitude of this post...
I made it home in time to complete my operation... surprise my dad (Bear) for Father's Day! I had help from a friend and it was an amazing surprise! He had NO clue! I will only be home for the weekend so just seeing family, but really happy I pulled off the surprise.
I also made friends at the airport and practiced my acting skills pranking random strangers (you had to be there... but it involved a broken charging port we were sitting next to and some superb acting on my part)
Most importantly, I made it to my hometown. And had an amazing veggie sandwich from a place called Mickey's... highly recommended.
I do not get to stay long, but I just pray no more flight fiasco.
The last gratitude is my response to all of this. My mother was overhearing me on most of the calls with the airlines and was shocked at how calm I was through this all. Shocked. I have to say I am too. Feeling all zen, thanks to Reiki, Acupuncture, Landmark, friends of Bill, and of course, exhaustion.
Oh, and I can't forget to thank my awesome friend Mindy who let me raid her closet and makeup counter this morning. I got a compliment on the outfit I threw together every single place I went today :) Hippie meets rockstar meets beauty queen. Yep. That's me
Love to all, Light to all
DBear

Laughing at the lesson

(excuse the grammar, it's 3:15... or 12:15... I've had a 16 hour day that was "supposed" to be easy)

 

It’s amazing how cranky I can become when things do not go my way. Here I am, celebrating many milestones this week and I’m just a kvetching. Kvetching about flight plans not going my way. About going to D.C. and not getting enough time there to do things I want to do. Because I have to work. Blah blah blah blah blah.

It all started this morning when I woke up. Yep. The chatter begins before my feet even hit the floor. I was all in my head about this trip and instead of being excited about coming to D.C. to represent this amazing community, our youth, and our agency, I was more perturbed that I was coming to D.C. not getting to explore. (Keep in mind, I always wanted a job that would provide me with travel too..) Then, I get all ready and get to the airport. I’m thinking wow, this is a breeze. No traffic, no lines, easy. I did realize I was not allowed priority boarding though because the trip was booked with the company’s card, and not my personal United card.

First hissy fit. (In my head, of course).

But it’s ok. Really. It is. So as we line up to board, I am noticing how many people have bags that are oversized and clearly do not meet the requirements. I automatically know that there will not be enough overhead space for my bag because I was not given the priority boarding and I am sitting in Economy Plus (I always pay extra to fly in Plus because of my claustrophobia, that’s another thing I could kvetch about… but I let it go). So basically, we board, my bag ends up allllll the way back in row 25. I am in row 11.

Second hissy fit (in my head, of course).

We sit on the run way for about a half hour, then we are told there are mechanical issues. Keep in mind, this same thing happened my last trip when I was headed to Philly. I’m thinking “you have got to be kidding me, this plane was on the runway for at least two hours and you JUST now see mechanical issues?!” So apparently they cannot fix it, and we de-plane. Which means I have to let alllll these people get off before me because my bag is wayyyy back in row 25. So we de-plane. I expect they will just bring us another bird. That’s what typically happens. Nope. Flight is cancelled. CANCELLED! I have to be in D.C. tomorrow!

Third hissy fit (in my head, of course)

So I get on the phone (which is about to die… oh, I forgot to mention I paid $15 for a phone charger at the airport that didn’t actually charge my iPhone, then I lost it and couldn’t return it.. and ended up buying a $30 charger for the iPhone.. that was a mini hissy fit.. in my head, of course).. so anyway, I’m on the phone with United immediately. While I stand in land at customer service too. Basically, they went ahead and put me on the same plane that would leave tomorrow without asking me (which is now today because it is 3:15 am EST). I said no, that will not work, at all. So what do they do instead? Fly me to Dulles. Not Reagan. Dulles. But I got the flight. And I got the economy plus seat I really wanted. However, I get behind two of the most annoying girls I have ever heard speak in my entire life. How can two girls like talk for like 5 hours like oh my god? Yes. 5 hours of that. Skip the hissy fit and shoot me now. But I made it. We made it. I did politely ask them to pipe down, but they denied my request. So I get to Dulles. The ugliest, rankiest airport I have ever set foot in by the way… not knowing if my luggage will be there or not. There must have been at least one traveling god shining down on me because my luggage was there!

So here I am, in a cab (that will cost about $60) on my way to what apparently is a very famous hotel. And guess what? The cab driver needs to stop for gas. LOL. I can only laugh at this point. Today’s lesson must be patience.