Balancing Lifestyle Change With "Girls Weekend"

LIFESTYLE CHANGE

Three months ago, Southwest Airlines had a great sale on flights from Seattle to SLC. Alisa purchased a ticket for her and Ciara...just to have a "Girl's Weekend" with Gwama Bev. It's interesting that our first conversation was, "let's decide where we're going to eat". A month ago, that question would have been well received. However, because of my GI problems, the nurse practioner put me on a restricted diet....NO CARBS/GLUTEN, NO SUGAR....OUCH!!! The nurse put me on this high liquid protein food plan. It's like a diabetic food plan.

The first week was super hard. I craved carbs and sugar like crazy. But after a week, my body and psychee had no interest in refined products. It was amazing. I slowly went from 'living to eat' to 'eating to live' mode. I've NEVER felt better. I had energy and wasn't fatigued. I didn't have to pop an excedrin a couple times a week. I didn't need as much sleep either. But what I did notice was that I became 'blue' or 'slightly depressed'. I had lost a valued friend....FOOD. I used to play mind games and reward myself with a jr. whooper w/ cheese no onions (without top bun), a cool lemon dr. pepper, or an excuse to bring the dessert at a social event. I LOVED desserts (that's the Swedish in me)and I LOVED good Mexican food (that's the Mexicano in me). When lunch time approached, I would say to myself, "do I feel like driving to burger king, or hires big H on my way to the grocery store". I realized the only thing I really looked forward to was FOOD.

Now don't get my wrong. I love my life. I love this season of life. I love the freedom I enjoy to pursue my interests, e.g. taking organ lessons at the university, volunteering at the juvenile detention center,etc. I love greeting Roger at the back door each evening and seeing his smile and twinkling blue eyes. While I had my BEST friend, I felt I had lost my SECOND BEST FRIEND. Isn't that sad?

The remarkable upside to this lifestyle change is that I have felt better than I have in decades. My stomach doesn't churn, girgle and belch. I don't have breakthrough reflux and my hiatal hernia discomfort has decreased...AND I've lost 10 lbs and 4 inches. I can wear my smaller clothes that I've kept in an extra closet all these years.

When I picked up Alisa and Ciara, our first stop was Hires Big H. I had a salad, but made a pig out of myself with the 3 of us sharing a root beer frosty. That evening we met Alisa's in-laws and sister-in-law at Rumbi's in Lehi. Ordering there was easier....grilled shrimp and veggies...but I did sneak in some brown rice. Friday's lunch was in Midway at Tarahumara Mexican Food Restaurant (tacos al carbon..the BEST). On Friday we picked up red chili pork tamales at Victor's Tires (tamales to die for). I pigged out and ate 2 tamales. On Saturday, Alisa met her friend, Kim, at Cafe Rio while I watched Ciara (thank you Ciara for saving me on that meal). Tom Frank knew Alisa was visiting and he dropped off a succulent dessert he made...(a French Dacquoise...which is sweetened meringe in layers of creamy vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce). I had TWO big servings of this dessert. I savored every bite. Saturday night Alisa and Paul went to dinner (thank you Paul). On Sunday, I fixed our traditional meal....salmon, asparagus, sweet potatoes (can't have), spinach salad and fruit (can't have)...AND I DECLINED THE MERINGUE DESSERT! Roger was impressed.

Now, I share this detailed food account because it was really easy saying 'no' today on the dessert because I knew in order to feel better, I needed to go back to my lifestyle food change. It's interesting that I only ate those restricted foods because I was enjoying the company of Alisa and Ciara. Bottom line: EATING IS A SOCIAL EVENT. If somebody could invent a social alternative, they'd be rich....of course, there IS one out there....alcohol. (However, Roger suggested I not take up that alternative!). So I'm now psyching myself with positive reinforcement dialogue to carry me forward. A-N-D putting all the memories of our weekend is helping me move forward...in a strange sort of way. Brace yourself, I'm on my third night creating the picture collages.

GIRLS WEEKEND

Ciara’s language and pronunciation is so cute.

Examples:
Girl = ge’el
Ciara = Si-ewh-wa

We went to a small boutique shop, Urban Blues. Their dressing rooms are small with a sliding curtain. Alisa and I were trying on things while Ciara had a ball trying on all the hats, boots and gloves. It was the perfect store because we were the only ones there and the clerk played along with Ciara and thought she was precious. She enjoyed the extra attention. She crawled under the circular clothes racks and we didn’t worry about her because the store was so contained. When it was time to leave we called out “Ciara, where are you?” She replied, “I’ll be der in a minute”. We called out again to locate where her voice was coming from. We found her in this dressing room. We started to laugh out loud. Ciara immediately shouted, “Stop laughing at me!!!”. Her comment made us laugh even harder. With a scowl, she again shouted louder “STOP laughing at me”. In her defense she was so cute all weekend.

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

Ciara loves watching movies. When Grandpa Roger babysat, he put on a movie downstairs and she was content for 2 hours! Grandpa confessed while she was watching the movie, he took a catnap in the family room.

Ciara LOVES spicy Mexican food…the hotter the better. Finally, I get a little Mexican even though she’s the fairest of them all. Ciara is also VERY dramatic. (good luck, alisa!)

This was Ciara’s first pedicure with gwama bev. She loved the flowers on the 4th fingers and the big (her little) toes.

Ciara is a girly girl. She loves putting on makeup and dressing up in princess dress up clothes.

Ciara is a fun shopping buddy. Ciara missed her brothers DJ and Jackson….AND daddy.

Ciara likes to pick her nose and eat it. Ciara was caught picking her bum and smelling it. (sorry alisa, gotta tell it like it was)

Ciara loved to sing with gwama’s karaoke machine.

Ciara loved having conversations with gwama’s baby dolls. She talked to them and they talked back to her. One time I listened to her dialogue: In disgust, she flipped the doll on her tummy and spanked her. I asked her later why she had spanked the doll. Her answer was, “She (the doll) was talking back to me”. (Alisa’s disclaimer was, “My children don’t get spanked when they talk back, they get time out”. And when they DO get spanked, it’s not repeatedly.)

To illustrate this point, while trying on clothes at Downeast Outfitters at the mall, Alisa asked Ciara to sit in the corner while she tried on clothes. Ciara wanted a clarification and submissively asked, “Am I getting time out?” We laughed and laughed…then Ciara said, “STOP laughing at me!” We tried to explain we weren’t laughing AT her. We tried to explain that what she was saying was so funny. She still didn’t get it. Four years old is such a cute stage.

Ciara loves tacos with hot sauce, bean burritos and cheese with hot sauce, happy meals, Hebrew national hot dogs, strawberries and blueberries and dill pickles (Alisa says she’s in a pickle phase).

We took her with us almost everywhere. However, she kept asking to go to gwama’s house so she could play in the playroom.

Ciara’s logic: After investigating inside the cothes dryer, Ciara discovered 3 small blue, cleated balls (used to prevent bunching of clothes in the dryer) Ciara came to me and asked, “We don’t have one of these balls. Can I borrow one?” I said, “Sure,”. Ciara took the ball into the bedroom where Alisa was packing and showed it to her mom. Alisa asked, “What if gwama wants all three?” Ciara declared, “No, gwama just wants 2”.

Ciara is a great eater and is curious about all types of food. When I was cooking she asked politely, “Can I taste some of that?” Alisa says her favorite food is ‘pho’ which is a Vietnamese noodle.

Conversation: Ciara, “I want more broccoli” Gwama prompts Ciara, “how do you ask for it?” (I wanted to hear a ‘please’) Ciara says, “please”. Momma says, "First take a bite of the the sweet potatoe” Ciara: “Can’t I have broccoli FIRST?” C: “If you won’t give me more butter (on top of her sweet potatoe), I’ll eat my spinach!” (which was in her salad) After finishing her dessert, Ciara asks mommy, “will you share YOUR dessert with me?” Reluctuantly, Alisa shared her dessert. Under her breath, Alisa reminds herself and sighs, “I’M supposed to be the adult”.

Gwapa's Observation: Gwapa saw some quail in the backyard. He took Ciara to the backyard and said, “you have to be very quiet to sneak up to the quails in the yard.” Ciara dashed into the yard leaving the sound of ‘swish’ in the background. Quiet and slow are NOT in her behavior at all. Ciara defends herself by saying, “I wasn’t trying to chase the birds, I was trying to pet them.”

While at the mall I took Ciara to “Build a Bear”. I enjoyed that experience. All I had to do was pay for the experience. The kids and employees basically to everything for you. After the experience, she ran up to Alisa exclaiming, “look, look mom, my my bao (bear) has long hawo (hair)!

WEEKEND IN REVIEW
Painting Faces

Gwama's version of a video without a camcorder

DAY TRIP TO MIDWAY
Eagle Siting

Eagle in Flight

Friendly Deer

Trip to the LDS Church History Museum

This is how Alisa described her 3-day visit, “We are leaving at the perfect time…..while grama bev still loves us”.

It was a great visit with Alisa and 4-year old Ciara. We had such a good time, we departed with smiles on our faces.

As Gwapa and Gwama quietly drive back home, Gwapa shares his observation while babysitting Ciara for 1.5 hrs yesterday. He says, “She certainly is strong-willed.” Yesterday, when he tried to hold a little bear to make the bear talk to her, she grabbed it and threw it across the room, exclaiming, “NO, we’re doing something else.” Gwapa said Alisa is the PERFECT mother for Ciara because she (Alisa) has the ability to channel all that energy into positive directions because she is stronger than this child and she disciplines with consistency.

To complete this beautiful weekend.....picture this: When we get home…both of us try to solve a wireless mouse problem. The wireless mouse doesn’t work. Both of us ‘futs’ with it. In frustration, Roger says, “Oh, this one is broken, we’ve got to buy a new one.” I quickly answer, “NO! I want to try to fix it, leave me alone”. As Roger leaves the room, under his breath he says, “I can see where Ciara got her strong-willed gene” (Roger says everyone will agree to that). Post-script. The wireless mouse now works and I’ve saved my husband $50. Res ipsa loquitur!