I haven't been blogging in a while. I have been on a hiatus. I haven't been making jewelry either and it is very frustrating me. I have moved on to a different journey... for the moment.

I have 365 days till my neice gets married and I have some serious weight to lose in that time. I am hoping to drop around 70-80 pounds. I started on Sunday and have been doing pretty well. I am currently doing the Special K diet. I have SK for breakfast and dinner. Lunch I have been having Healthy Choice meals. I snack on Fiber One bars, fruit, or something else low in calories. I am mostly drinking water and crystal light.

I have been walking on my treadmill for about an hour a day. I am seeing small changes ... and I know I won't see anything major for a while.. but the small changes make me happy.

So ... I have 1 year to get fit and I know I can do this. I will keep you informed on my progress!

Goddess in the sun.

Ryan conked out after being in the water most of the morning.

Peter and I relaxing in the sand.

Enjoying my view.

Nathan and Ryan having a great day in the water!

Our camping adventure

So in the previous blog I had said that I had not camped in many years and wasn't sure how I would feel about going out in the "Great Outdoors." We camped at a rustic campground.. no electricity, no picnic tables, no bathroom.. nothing. We ended up having such an amazing time out there.. and plan to go back again.

We got out to Big Traverse Bay on Friday around 5:30 and had everything set up by 7pm. The kids were so good. We got them into their swimsuits right away and let them play in the sand with their toys while Peter and I set up our camp. The four of us stayed in one tent and had a screen tent next to us for Buck to sleep in. After everything was set up we had hot dogs for dinner, followed by play time in the water.. Lake Superior water. Which for those of you who don't live around here Lake Superior is very very very cold. I have never been in the water over my head. My husband on the other hand has swam in LS every month of the year.. Brave .. Crazy.. I call him both.

Anyway we ended our evening with a campfire and smores. The kids were in bed by dark which is probably around 10:30pm. We didn't have a clock around us, which is why I had such a great time. I would rather forget about time and just have a great time. Peter and I had wine coolers and then I was off to bed.

Saturday we got up and I can't even explain what I experienced at the water. It was calm. Completely still, the sun was shining and the sky had no clouds in it. It really was like a religious experience out there. It was very calming and peaceful. We had breakfast and the kids went back into their swimsuits and into Lake Superior. I would say they were in the water by 7:30am, but again I had no clock.. i could only tell by the placement of the sun in the sky.

After we got the kids situated on the beach I took the kayak out on the lake. I put my headphones on and drifted in the water, with the sun on my face and listened to Edith Piaf. Edith Piaf is a very popular (from decades ago) French singer. I had no idea what she was singing about, but her voice is so popular it was beautiful. I just drifted and every so often i would put my hand in the water just to feel how cool it was. I really have never felt anything like that. All the stress in my life was gone. I didn't want to come back to shore, but I thought I should give Peter a turn in the kayak.

The rest of the morning was spent making sand castles, swimming, giggling, and reading on the beach. I did go out on the kayak one more time around lunch time and it was just like the first time.. amazing.

Our day was pretty much that... doing nothing relaxing on the beach. We did have to take a drive out to Lake Linden in the afternoon. Peter and I needed a cold soda so we took a drive. At dinner time as the kids played in the sand I realized that my MP3 player had a radio on it.. and I got public radio. That totally made my day. I love public radio and too boot... Prairie Home Companion was on. We listen to PHC every Saturday night while we eat dinner at home. Smore and wine coolers ended our day.

We had fields of blueberry bushes around us. The boys and I picked for about an hour and we have enough to last us for a while. The only bad parts of the camping trip were the ants. They were everywhere and got into our stuff, but I had just get over it.

And there is the part of the no bathroom. For boys it is just easy.. but for us girls :::sigh:::, I managed.

By Sunday morning I was ready to come home. It was starting to storm out when we were driving back home. We all had a great time and we want to go again in two weeks. I am glad we had all day today to recuperate. We will all be in bed early tonight.

I only wish I could bottle up the sights, sounds and smells of this weekend. It was so perfect!