Well, I'm getting ready for my vacation. As I write this I have only 5 more days before we go. I'm so excited. I have a friend staying at the house to take of it, the plants and most importantly, the animals. We're, my sis G. & I, taking a cruise down the Mexican Riviera! We don't have to take coats or any heavy clothing. It's going to be around 80 degrees there. We'll be going to Ensenada (so-so), Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Villarta (Ya-hoo!), some days at sea, a massage, great food, gambling (not my specialty but I enjoy it once in awhile. I like roulette and black jack). Dancing, laughing, what can I say, I'm so freakin' excited! I won't be going back to work until Christmas eve day. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, feels great just sayin' it.

I'm so thankful I got all of my Christmas shopping finished ahead of time. The 1 thing I haven't done is buy some Christmas cards. Usually, I've done them already and sent them out but not this year. I'll try to find some tomorrow. I did, however, write my Christmas letter. So, I need to see if I have enough letter paper too. Stamps, I have. Again, thankfully. I'd hate to have to go into the post office at this time.

If you're still thinking about what to get some of your clan, I might have some ideas for you.
1) for the cook or king/queen Bar-B-Q'er, how's about a 4 pack of Buck & Judy's Dang Rubs.  www.dangrubs.com  They're fresh and all but #9 are salt free and it only has a small bit in it, so they're healthy as well. With this for my niece I gave the gift of meat too, but these work beautifully on veggies and soups too.
2) for the person bordering on changing their health & well-being, or just needing some inspiration, Barbara Appelbaum's book Live in Wellness Now, Check it out at www.appelbaumwellness.com
3) for the person a little afraid of going to a gym, a bank of sessions with a Personal Trainer, Me for instance! Or someone in your area. Or a gym membership for a gym rat.

Remember, our health is something we should never take for granted.

Try to stay sane through these holidays and please, please, please be on the lookout for anyone you know who might be having a rough patch, as they say, and give them some extra attention maybe. It doesn't take much, remember it's a time of giving and not all giving is money related. Time can be a huge gift to a person. Hmmmmmmmmmm, maybe I should take my own advice here in regards to my mom. Ooohhhhh, a little self-reflection just happened.

Please be patient with one another. This season, which is supposed to be a time for peace and hope, sometimes becomes a time of despair, envy and greed. Sometimes the real meaning of these holidays gets lost in the shuffle to get the best deal. All of the major religions celebrate a major time now, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Christmas, I'm not sure about Buddhism, whether or not the actual event took place at this time or not, it's when it's celebrated. Look into your hearts and look into the hearts of others, you'll find the realness there.

Bring the New Year in Healthy and you'll probably bring it in happy too. Keep your regular workouts going

This pic was from when we sailed out of Seattle in 2010 to Alaska.
I'll be posting when I get back, this is a non-working vacation for me. Workouts, yes, work, NO!

Well, I made it through the Thanksgiving meal pretty well. Not too stuffed but feeling very, very satisfied. My pie came out beautifully from that morning. I got up at 4am to make that pie. Thankfully, I already had made the crust the night before and had it "resting" in the fridge, so, all I had to do was roll it out and then make the filling. I even made a double batch of crust dough and put the other 1/2 in the freezer for Christmas. Yah! Ha-ha! Watch 'em ask me to make 2 pies. Oh well, it is my specialty.

Actually, I'm still eating Thanksgiving meals from the left-overs. I had to get a pizza for lunch today at Costco for something completely different though.

It's Dance Week at work again. I've opted out of performing nor am I choreographing this time. It's just too soon and so hard to get everyone together, blah, blah, blah. Frankly, I just needed a break. I've already got something twisted in my mind for May so we'll have to wait & see.

Yesterday I was shot when I got home. I taught 2 dance classes and assisted 1 other 1. My knee was swollen to twice the size of the other 1. It's been awhile since I've had that many dance classes in 1 day. I took a nice hot bath when I got home, popped 4 - 200mg. ibuprofens, watched a bit of tv after walking the dog and went to bed. Sometimes you've just gotta be good to yourself.

I did manage to finally figure out what to get my brother B. for Christmas. He is not so easy to buy for and he won't help you with either. Ugh! Pain in my you-know-what. But...it's done and so is my shopping for the family & friends. Whew!

It's clear that I won't be able to wrap the gifts and set them out under the tree this year 'cuz of the kitten. He's almost killed a couple of my plants and I'm sure he'd have everything ripped apart & the tree down and all of the ornaments scattered to the 4 corners if I did. So, no tree this year. I might buy some poinsettias though and maybe put up some lights but no on the tree. He is still a constant source of astonishment and poor Putney is a constant reminder of patience in action. He is so wonderful with that crazy kitten. Oh lord, he's at it again.

The weather is changing rapidly this week, so I need to wrap up the pipes outside of my house so they don't freeze & burst on me.

Remember to get ahead of your celebrations, drink lots of water along with the fun stuff, watch your portions, and drive carefully. Time for defensive, aware driving skills. Don't drink & drive, select a DD. Bundle up so you don't invite the flu or a cold or Strep throat or anything else trying to take hold of you this season. Keep your workouts going. Even if you only have 15 min. to workout, it's better than skipping it all together, right? You can still do a pretty good weight routine with 1 exercise each for the chest, back & legs, 2-4 sets and be done in 15-20 min. and get your total body workout in. You can do 3-10 min. or 2 -15 min. cardio workouts/day. They don't have to be 30 min. at 1 time.

Lets make it through this season, happy, healthy & hearty. Let the parties begin! Fa-la-la-la-la...la-la-la-la!

Peace

By the Samantha, I missed the last 2 numbers of your phone number. They got garbled on the voicemail you left me.