XXX on the beach

Come on, you know me better than that. Of course, that was RUN on the beach!

It's all I thought it would be and then some. First of all, let's get things straight, it's difficult! I have been running maybe one or two songs less than at home. I blame this on a few things : the heat and red wine (and maybe a couple glasses of rhum). I have been extra careful about what goes into my body, especially the nights which precede a run (every other day that is), but still, I have to keep repeating my mantra over and over again : "I don't stop when I'm tired, I stop when I'm done!"

One thing is certain, running on the beach is great motivation. Let me explain. My ego has been crushed and rebuilt more times I can count since we've reached sunny Florida. The crushing part usually involves being passed by another runner and not for the life of me being able to latch on to him/her. Luckily this hasn't happened too much and when it has I could easily justify it by the fact that the ones who passed me were most definitely high school track and field stars (at least that's what was written across the back of their teeny tiny shorts more often than not). Then there were those who didn't seem sweaty or even remotely hot regardless of the very hot early morning sun. This, I am sure, is explained by the fact that they surely must live here based on their supertanned bodies which I am almost certain have never experienced the sunburns I am trying to avoid myself. On the other hand, my ego was rebuilt when I passed fellow runners myself with the wind in my hair. Sorry guys, I know how it feels, but I must say that it felt good!

But nothing beats the motivation which comes from seeing 50, 60, and maybe even a few 70-year olds running on the beach. Hats off to them! They are my running inspiration. High school track and field stars have nothing on them... they rock!!! Biggirl commented on one elderly running lady today stating that she was pretty old to jog. Heck yeah, but she was doing great and I hope I will continue running long enough for someone to say that about me one day...

A little taste of our current paradise

So here are a few pics just to keep you dreaming. They should provide at least a momentary escape from the snow, sleet, and rain present up north. Yes, we are feeling pretty darn lucky to be here. Temps have remained pretty much between 25 and 33 since we've arrived. Tomorrow, we're expecting a mere 22 degrees... hey, it's still flip-flop weather right? As you can see, I'm not the only one enjoying the sun and sand!
For those who are wondering, biggirl and hubby are absent from the pics since they were off exploring the surrounding islands on yet another motorcycle ride. Apparently there are plenty of wonderful sights, but I'm content right here on Estero Island, my favorite home away from home.

Hot, hot, hot!

We made it to the west coast of Florida. After spending four days in Cape Canaveral, we are now in Fort Myers Beach. The west coast is definitely the way to go. I truly believe you haven't really experienced Florida until you've seen the west coast. There is just something more tropical, more exotic about everything. I haven't gotten around to downloading the pics but I will...

This is by far the warmest Florida Xmas we've experienced yet. Hip, hip, hooray! Just what we were looking for.

There is a fire station right at the end of the campground. Tonight, Santa Claus left in a fire truck, off to deliver toys... he surprised babygirl with super cool gifts. How nice and so very unexpected! We're talking Barbie dolls here... couldn't help but hope that these weren't originally meant for needy children though... This did also complicate things. He's already been to the campground, does babygirl expect him to return tomorrow night too? I think she does. And he will. Somehow. Some way...

Until my next post, I will let you imagine just how wonderful west coast Florida can be... If you can picture white sand and gorgeous palm trees, you won't be surprised! Go ahead, dream on!

Red like a...

I am a big Ricardo fan. I turn to his website whenever I'm looking for a recipe, especially during the Holidays... When hubby's family was here for an early Christmas dinner, I was all excited about trying this original macaroni salad. It's really easy to make and tastes pretty good too. Best of all, it's a great way to add some color to traditional holiday meals. Let's face it, turkey (or pork tenderloin in our case) needs a little pizazz. A wow factor.

Can you guess what gives the macaroni it's festive color?

Come on, play along!

No one at our Christmas table guessed the answer. That would be because I totally forgot to take it out of the fridge.

I only realized my mistake once everyone had gone home, content with their nearly colorless meal. Yup, all that work went to waste.

That meant plenty of macaroni salad for lunches for the kiddos. Only one problem. When I proudly showed them my salad the next morning, it was greeted with, "Yuck! Macaroni isn't supposed to be red!"

So much for wanting to be original huh?

A for effort... at least I get to share it with all of you!

The secret ingredient is...

Beet juice. Which is surprisingly quite good and expensive. Especially if you forget it in the fridge!

O Christmas Tree?

So here's the deal. For the fifth year in a row, we're going South for Xmas. The first three years, we decorated our full-size artificial tree only for the cat to climb halfway up and destroy its festive look one decoration at a time. Last year, I plopped a 3-foot tree on a coffee table and the end result was the same. So... this year, I decided I needed to find an original, sleek, and simple tree for the few gatherings which were to take place in our home prior to our departure. This is what I came up with.

O Christmas tree!




Or not... maybe the exclamation point was going a little overboard there huh?

Biggirl actually told me that she thought it was our best tree yet. Well, not sure about that one, but the good news is that it was cat-proof, but that's not to say he didn't give it his best shot!

Tonight though, Babygirl shared that her teacher had them write about their Christmas tree. I immediately felt a pang of guilt. She informed her teacher that she didn't have a Christmas tree... so, so sad...

I remember literally sitting in front of our Xmas tree as a kid, just admiring all the beauty of the lights and decorations. I feel terrible that she won't have that memory.

But, she will have white sand and golden Christmas Eve sunset memories, lots of them. That must count for something!

Right?