Whew it's been a long time

Yes I know, I've been a terrible slacker/blogger. Well it's been a very busy year and I'm already exhausted. However, there have been a lot of good things going on, so it wasn't all working (Thank God!).

In a very quick nutshell, here's what I've been up to:

1. Visiting Grandpa - a lot. mostly monthly. lots of mileage.
2. Celebrating my girlfriend Lisa's 40th Birthday - Bahamas Cruise.
3. Eating as Gluten-Free as possible.
4. Recruiting new Wine Club members (please let me know if you are interested? All of our ladies keep getting "knocked up" and can't attend for 9-12 months at a time, and it's dwindling our attendance).
5. Travelling for work - a TON.
6. Doing the Modern Atlanta Home Tour (it ROCKED btw)
7. Going to Zane Lamprey's "Drinking Made Easy" Comedy Tour
8. Got a nasty Ear Infection, got better, then hurt my back, realize it was my mattress, switched mattresses, finally getting the back better
9. Working out more
10. Hosted Mother's Day Brunch for 3 moms
11. Hosted brunch with the White Russian
12. Went to the Princess Diana exhibit
13. Went to the Public Forum for the Nutrition and Health Conference to meet Dr. Andrew Weil and see Sanjay Gupta.
14. Finally attended "Wednesday Night Dinner" (missed 2 of the 3 though)
15. Cooked Paul Prudhomme's Shrimp Creole 3 times (over 2 months)
16. Dined on "The Queen's Paella" - and other Spanish yummies
17. Discovered Hi-Life
18. Gearing up to cut off my cable - for good. Hello Mac Mini!
19. Got a Yoga Ball Chair (they are awesome!)
20. And last but not least - planning a trip to visit my peeps in Ohio finally.

Well that's all the news with me. I probably missed something in that list, but that's okay. Anyhoo, hope you are all well, and thank you for bearing with my slacker-ness in the blog department.

Hope you are having a GREAT summer!

Diet & Health musings

Matthew and I had a lovely private vacation for our 4-year wedding anniversary. However, seeing myself in a bikini for the first time in a year, was fairly disturbing. I have definitely put on some weight. And I want to LOSE some before my cruise at the end of the May!
but how?
Yes the lo-carb method does seem to work for me.
Going Gluten free is great for my digestion, but I still get too many carbs from the rice-noodles etc.
And going lo-carb, gluten-free, and dairy free (helps alleviate congestion), is REALLY too strict for me. I'm not living in a bubble people!!! I am social, and I do need to eat once in a while. sheesh!
so
my thoughts are turning to other methods/lifestyle choices.
I already work-out 3-5 times week. I eat healthy foods (most of the time), and so Matt and I decided to reduce our alcohol intake (whenever possible). So, unless it's wine club night, or a weekend out with friends, we are sticking to water and herbal teas (of course I get my one cup of coffee each AM).
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Also in regards to how wonderfully the lemon water helped stave off the cold I was getting last month, I did some more research on alkaline/acidic foods. These links are very helpful (although not entirely in context, they are written to help people who have had a colonic treatment, and how to elongate the healthy effects, etc). Considering I get major issues down-there after having too much gluten, I felt this was appropriate. NOTE - it's not telling you that you cannot ever eat meat or cheese, but just advising that it is better to eat more of the Alkalizing foods than the Acidic foods. Most of us (unless we are strict vegans) will not be able to stick to an only alkaline diet. Anyway, I was happy to see this online as I had often wondered about the differences in certain foods and how they affected me - this is a good list to have around.
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Links
What to do/eat after a colonic
Alkalizing versus Acidic food lists
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The Dogwood Festival was just wonderful. We walked around quite a bit (my workout for the day), and then lay out in the grass in the sunshine listening to the live music. (exhaling happily). It was just a beautiful weekend.
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Chinese Grand Prix was entertaining also.
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In other news... MAY MAYHEM of activities on the radar...
**Zane Lamprey is coming to Atlanta on May 22nd - show is at Center Stage.
**ISAW Foundation Drink Well Do Good Tour ATLANTA is also that night.
lucky me I'm going to both - why oh why do they put these things on the same weekend? lol.
**Alive Expo is coming to Atlanta May 15-16th weekend. Natural Products and Green Living Event. although I'll be most likely visiting my Grandfather that weekend, so I will miss it. Enjoy and let me know how it is, if you go?
**33rd Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival is May 29th & 30th
and I'm spent!

May the Fourth Be With You & Cinco De Mayo

Wow, how did I miss THIS holiday?
I should have been decked out in a white dress and cinnamon-bun-hair.
Happy belated Star Wars Day!
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Also, Happy Cinco De Mayo!
May you all be blessed to enjoy fabulous Margaritas. I myself will be unable to have one, due to the sugar content, but don't worry I have plans for celebrating in other ways! OLE!
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Last night we finished setting up the Zazen Photo exhibit at Get Coffee. Stop by sometime for a peek?
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Zane Lamprey of Three Sheets will be BACK ON THE AIR with new episodes starting Friday May 29th, 11pm ET, on the Fine Living Network. Those of you who still have Comcast will be able to see it on Channel 255 or if you have AT&T U-Verse, it's Channel 456 (if you have the U450, U300, or U200 plan).
FLN is part of HGTV, check your local listings. For those of you unfamiliar with Three Sheets, it's a travel/drinking show about a guy who gets to go to various countries/cities and explore their local watering-holes, bars, pubs, and local liquors. It's actually quite educational in spite of it's hilarity. It used to air on MOJO/HD but then it was cancelled/stopped due to that channel ceasing to exist. Anyhoo, they have found a NEW HOME thanks to all the fans, and off we go again.
BTW - Zane supposedly says his FAVE episode is the one he did in New Zealand, and New Zealand is the one airing on May 29th.
NOTE: Those of you who can't get FLN, never fear Hulu.com to the rescue! Hulu should have it available for viewers 1 day later.
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Three Sheets

Follow Zane on Twitter so he can WIN!
http://twitter.com/zanelamprey

This message was approved by ME.

:-D