A Few Of My Favorite Things, 2013

1.  Maybe because it is frigid outside, but my first favorite thing from 2013 is fleece lined tights.  I found them at Marshall's for $5.99.  Something that holds me and keeps me warm with no strings or added jobs attached, plus fuzzy soft and cheap, what more could a northern girl want?!

2.  Flavored Coffee with fat free flavored creamer.  30 calorie comfort treat.  Not a warm chocolate chip cookie, but better than nothing, which is option number 1.

3.  Mountains.  I completed 10 of the 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks, 4 in New Hampshire.  I am still discovering what kind of hiker I am, but I am finding out who I am as a person with each hike.  Favorite ADK high peak in 2013 was Giant Mountain, but no hike this year was more glorious than Lincoln and Lafayette in NH.

4.  The World According to Mr Rogers by Fred Rogers.  Every time I get feeling blue, I read this book.  If he can like me for being me, then maybe I can too. 

5.  My new favorite non athletic activity, TV binge watching.  Thanks to NetFlix, I have enjoyed Orange is The New Black, Dexter and a few other series.  It is a perfect activity for long, cold winter days.  Favorite TV shows of 2013;  Sons of Anarchy, Downtown Abbey, Game of Thrones, Dexter and Chicago Fire.  Favorite snack while watching TV, Skinny Pop popcorn, 35 calories a cup, yummy.

6.  My favorite music genre this year is adult alternative rock.  Bands such as Imagine Dragons, Of Monsters and Men and One Republic all rocked my world.  Radio station WEQX 102.7 out of Manchester, VT is my go-to station.

7.  If I am not working or hiking, most Saturday mornings you can find me at a farmer's market.  I love the sense of community, the sights, sounds, smells and the variety of colors abundantly displayed.  My favorite continues to be the Troy Farmers Market.  Albany needs to get going. Troy has used it to help revitalize their downtown, maybe Albany can do the same.

8.  Frozen yogurt at Guptills.  Mint chocolate chip fat free, kid size 50 calories, perfect treat after a hard hike in the Adirondacks.

9.  I have walked lots of miles and spent many hours at the Albany Municipal Golf Course.  It's a great place to walk, snow shoe, burn off calories and strengthen my legs for hiking.  Walkers and dogs get it from November to April.  All 18 holes is a hilly 5+ miles.

10.  My family rocked 2013.  Sam officially graduated from college and started a Masters Program in Urban Planning.  Ben  is in his final year of High School, doing well academically, enjoying sports and is planning on college. They are both freaking amazing men.  I made new family holiday memories with my sister Martha. She retired from teaching and is finding a new happy path for herself.  And finally my sister Nancy and I hiked some awesome mountains together this year. The three of us share a mother and unbreakable bond.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Church

Image
"I believe in God, only I call it nature." Frank Lloyd Wright I went to church last Saturday.  My cathedral was a snowy path through the forest.  The choir was the birds in the trees singing "hallelujah", accompanied by the acoustic trickle of the brook next to the trail.   I rested my weary body on a pew made of rocks and the hand of God was the warm sunshine on my face and the cool snowflakes falling from the trees.  The service lasted most of the day, but the blessing has stayed with me.  Thought I would go back again tomorrow.
Read more

When a Girl Likes a Boy

What does she do, especially if she close to fifty,and has been celibate and single forever?  For the last month I've pined from afar, planned imaginary outings to invite him to and hoped he would call or email. I looked forward to seeing him whenever he was around.  I turned to my two resident experts on men, Sam and Ben, for advise.  I know what you are thinking, but I swear since surgery my brain doesn't work the same. "What do you think about me writing to .... and telling him I like him?" "Mom don't you think it's up to the boy to decide and then ask the girl?"  replied Ben, expert # 1.  Really, sometimes I wonder where he came from.  This from the boy whose pockets were full of love notes from girls on Valentines day.  But then again, he doesn't have a girlfriend. Having much more faith in my older son, I went in search for him.  Samuel, who's actually had a girlfriend or two, replied, "I'd be flattered Mom, really....
Read more

Surviving

"I survived…."   We have all said it, both in jest and seriously.   It is used in a very generic fashion, to the point it almost dilutes or equalizes the emotional punch not defined by the very definition of the word.   To say I survived an earthquake, a pimple on prom day, a tsunami, freshman year in college, running a marathon, a broken relationship, the Holocaust, a bad day at work, or a car accident, takes away from the individual experience and the meaning it brought to the lives of those affected.   I have survived some very emotional, heart breaking things in my life, for sure, but it is impossible to compare my journey to someone else's.   Definition of SURVIVE ( Merriam - Webster dictionar y ) intransitive verb : to remain alive or in existence : live on : to continue to function or prosper transitive verb : to remain alive after the death of survived by his wife> : to continue to exist or live after < survived ...
Read more