My Tribe

I'm sitting on my flight from Denver to Houston. I'm tired. I am so very, very tired. This past weekend at Fitbloggin has come and gone in a flash and I am doing my best not to let this overwhelm me with sadness. 

To explain why, I need to tell you what Fitbloggin is all about. It's the people. My people. MY TRIBE. My cheerleaders. My brothers and sisters in arms. They are the people that love with the whole of their heart. The ones that make me feel safe just with a smile or a hug. This is the group of people in my life that allows, and encourages, me to just be me (and love me 'just the way that I am'). The ones that make me laugh until I cry. The ones that allow me to express and emote and talk about the rough shit with no fear of judgement. The ones that share with me their life, their stories, their love and weave me into their tapestry. These are the people that want to see the ring and chat about the wedding. They ask about Gordie and know all about his adventures. They are the ones that bring me beers and go to breweries with me just because they know it's what I would like to do. They are my yoga buddies and my running companions. They know I am vegan and make jokes about iceberg lettuce and french fries. They know to feed me when I'm hangry- although that's more for their own interest then mine. They are the hugs and the kisses and all of the oh how I've missed ya's. They are the celebrators of life. The dance until you drop, talk all night, wild and crazy and quiet and shy beautiful souls. They are the people I NEED in my life. So much so that I have traveled all over the country to attend a conference that lasts just three days because I know those three days will make the other 362 days SO MUCH BETTER!

Fitbloggin is, of course, more than just the people but for me it is the reason why I choose to attend. Never in my life have I experienced anything close to the phenomenon that happens at this conference- a few hundred people, all of different ages, shapes, sizes and abilities, coming together to celebrate, positively and lovingly, a common interest. And even though we all attend and approach Fitbloggin differently that is not something that divides us, we all relish in our commonalities. Which is pretty amazing. 

I don't know what to say. When I started this whole blogging thing 4.5 years ago I never could have imagined this is where it would lead me. I may not be the best or the most popular blogger but that was never my goal. My goal was to share my story, whatever that might be. From that first step I have been able to find inspiration, help, and wisdom from other bloggers and develop those bonds into some of the closest and most meaningful relationships of my life. I am truly the luckiest to be able to be a part of something this amazing. 

Fitbloggin just ended a few hours ago and my mind is filled with thoughts about next year. Hoping I can once again make the trek and spend another weekend with my tribe. Excited for those that are making the trip to Pensacola for my wedding- allowing me to have my blood family and chosen family all in one place. And of course I am optimistic that there may be some random adventures during the next year that allows me to see my friends, my soul mates, yet again. But until then, I leave Denver with a full heart, strong body, and a happy, quietly buzzing mind ready to take all of the wonderful energy and awesome memories into my daily life. My Fitbloggin friends are with me always. And for that I am a far better person. 

Just a few of my favorites...

Love and hugs, 

Dacia 

xoxoxox

Super Quick Post

I would love to stay and chat but life right now....well, let's just say I am operating on very limited free time.

This week...

Is the last week for one of my grad classes and I have a paper and project due Sunday. STRESS!

AND I am going out of town Friday so it needs to be finished by Thursday. More STRESS! (Always, even when I know it will get finished in time and it won't be that bad- the days leading up to the end of a course are always stressful to me)

Crazy cold front moving in and it will be in the low teens (possibly lower) with the windchill in the mornings...might not seem too terribly bad for most but we were enjoying our 70 degree temps this weekend, I can't handle 12 degrees. All running this week will be done indoors- BOOOOOOOO!

Half marathon training, as always it seems. No complaints though. Next one is less than 2 weeks away. I have been supplementing my training with some Les Mills Combat (love it!) and have even taken a few Barre classes this past month.

Gordie is doing awesome. We actually ran into the owner of Gordie's two sisters Friday night while we were out at the brewery (aren't dog friendly places the best?) and we have a plans for future play dates/doggy family reunion.

He's getting so big! Not even 6 months yet! 

Wedding planning has slowed significantly...we have so much already taken care of we are kind of on a break until it comes time to order the invitations in April. Yay us! Go team La-Root!

Getting ready to build my third garden some time in early March. We dumped our first batch of compost from our yard into garden one, which is currently empty (all foods have been harvested and enjoyed), in preparations for planting. We have some big plans this spring for the yard and the gardens. I cannot wait to share them all with you!

Last week I got some really shitty news that broke my heart. One day I may share here but for now lets just say I am devastated, sad, angry and racked with guilt. It's been a really rough week.

BUT- as much as this past week wore me down and left me with not a single tear left to cry I am so thankful for the people in my life that were there to help pick me back up and take my mind off of the bad, even if it was just temporary. Thank you all for your love and support!

Enjoying some of the Mardi Gras festivities...

Love and hugs,
Dacia
xoxoxox

Happy Thirty-Seven!!!

Today is my thirty-seventh birthday! Huzzah!

I went back to look and see if I wrote a birthday post lastyear which in fact I did. I guess I was really excited about my birthday last year. Not to say that I am not super freaking excited about my birthday this year, because I am. I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to do a whole ‘another year older’ type post.

So instead I will give you a quick synopsis of what’s been going on lately.

I have had a chest cold for a week now. Doc says it is what it is and I just need to let it run its course. Yay! :/ I am pretty sure all of Pensacola has been sick at least once over the past month or so. Me, this is my third bout. Yuck!

I have a 5K and a half marathon next week. I am not going to PR either which I am ok with. I haven’t ran consistently for about 3 weeks. I have been nursing a nagging issue in my leg then getting sick….it’s just been a lot lately. But I know I can go out there and run/walk that half so that is what I will do. And it will be awesome! There will be lots of pictures and maybe even race updates during. You never know. I picked this race because I wanted to scout out the course for a possible full marathon next year. It’s supposed to be one of the best small races. This year, however, I am racing the Déjà vu Half+5K which is a 5K Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday. Erick and Gordie are coming along to cheer me on. I am really freaking excited! Baton Rouge here we come!

This week has been a bit surreal with all the magazine stuff going on. And I am ready to just go back to life as usual. Thankfully, so is everyone else in the world. My fifteen minutes are officially over. LOL!

Today I woke up with Gordie only to find decorations and balloons and presents all laid out for me. It was a great birthday surprise. Then I went to work and was greeted by more surprises there which just made my heart melt. I am so thankful for all of my friends and family that took the time today to send me birthday love. It was amazing to receive so many messages today.  I am not, however, thankful that my father posted a naked baby picture on my Facebook wall. That’s just a bit much. Ain’t nobody got time for that. LOL!

Yay presents! 

They have LED lights inside so they glow in the dark. How cool???

 I have the best friends...

Peonies are my FAVORITE! Love these so much! 

E has a whole birthday weekend planned out in which I don’t really know much about the specifics. I just know it starts with dinner and an overnight bag. And we’ll go from there. I know that no matter where we go or what we do it will be awesome. I am very lucky to have such a sweet and thoughtful guy in my life. I will definitely be raising a glass in his honor tonight!

Anywho, that’s about it. I am officially 37. I am 100% ok with that (not like I have a choice, right?). And in just a bit my birthday celebration weekend will begin. So for now, I bid you adieu.

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxo

Five Things Friday

Hooray! It’s Friday! And I don’t know about you but I am certainly looking forward to the weekend.  So much so, I will make it the first thing I talk about in this week’s edition of Five Things Friday.

#1- I live in Pensacola which, for those of you who don’t know, is on the gulf coast of Florida (in the central time zone) about ten miles from the Alabama border. It’s a pretty tiny city but a city nonetheless. I am always impressed with all the fun events going on around town. Tonight is a recurring event that I have yet to attend called hot glass cold brew at the First City Art Center. It is a fundraising event for the center and its programs and includes a hand-blown glass or hand-thrown pottery cup, pizza, beer, live music, live art demos and workshops. I am pretty excited for this event- I have been waiting since November (when I first learned about it) to attend one.  The rest of my weekend will probably a bit more low-key. Tomorrow I have a long list of errands and homework to do and I am also having some furniture delivered so most of my day will be spent on those things. Saturday night will more than likely be spent downtown at one of the bars we like to frequent and then Sunday we are heading out of town to visit E’s family. They live about an hour away and it’s a nice, easy drive. E has a three year old niece who is just the cutest little thing and thankfully she likes me too so I plan on spending a lot of time hanging out with her, playing Angry Birds.  All in all, it should be a really great weekend.

#2 This week was pretty good. Definitely the best one I have had activity wise since the surgery. Tuesday I had my fitness assessment and on Wednesday & Thursday I did the first two runs of the couch to 5K program. Wednesday’s run went really well but Thursday’s did not.  I think a lot of that had to do with the treadmill I was using, the one on Thursday was old and stuck on an incline and I think that was just too much for me. I scaled back as much as I could but afterwards I had some pain in my abdomen which was no bueno. I will try again next week, on the good treadmill, and see how I feel. I may need to opt for more cycling and limit my running if there is still pain. This whole surgery recovery/getting back into the swing of things is all new to me. I don’t know what is a healthy amount of pain/discomfort versus too much pain/discomfort. I know that it is possible for me to have lingering issues years after this surgery so right now I am just trying to figure things out.

#3 I need to get back into my greater than 50% raw diet. This way of eating is ideal for me. I feel really great when I eat pretty much all raw before dinner. I have tons of energy and I really enjoy the foods I eat which make it easy to do. However, it isn’t as easy to do when I am away from home which I was for pretty much every day for the past two weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I still managed to pack my lunches and snacks daily and still ate a decent amount of raw foods just not as much as I would like. So this week, since I plan at being at home most nights, I will try to get back into the swing of it again. Right now I think that is the most realistic plan for me to have- stick to raw before dinner on days/weeks I am home and the rest of the time just do the best I can. I mean ultimately, I can’t beat myself up if I eat oatmeal instead of having a green smoothie…both are really good and healthy options.

#4 On a more personal note…I need dating advice. After being married for so long, I am not really sure how to be a girlfriend. I fear most days I may be too smothering or too overbearing (my words, not his) but I think it is because I am so accustomed to being with the same person day in and day out. I am not really sure if I am doing the whole dating thing right. Also, is dating in your mid-thirties different? I would think it would be. I mean I have way different expectations from a relationship now than I had in my twenties. I would hope that most people my age who are out in the dating world feel the same. Kind of like the whole ‘I don’t have time for BS or head games or drama’ type mindset. I’m too old for that crap. But I do often worry that being totally open about my wants and needs can be a bit overwhelming. But that’s just the way that I am and I doubt I will change it. I guess I really am just looking for some affirmation that being this way is ok because I doubt it is possible for me to be ‘less Dacia’. LOL!

#5 Ok, so in this segment I will actually ask for your advice/input. How do you handle toxic people, especially those ones you cannot (due to circumstances) cut out of your life? Do you have a mantra or meditative phrase or some way to help get you through those frustrating moments? Although I am sure it would feel good to just scream STFU at someone I doubt that is the right way to handle this situation. So, any ideas how to work through a difficult situation with a difficult person?

Well, that’s about all I’ve got for today. I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Love and hugs,

Dacia

From our last trip to the Abita Brewery...finally got it on there! 

FMM: the Holidays- Parts One and Two

If you’ve taken part in Friend Makin’ Monday (FMM) then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Make sure you share your link over at All theWeigh so everyone can see your responses. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s (and last week’s too) topic!

The Holidays: Part 1

1. What are you plans for Thanksgiving this year? I am quite fortunate that a number of my friends and co-workers invited me to spend the holiday with them this year. My plans are to go with a friend of mine and spend Thanksgiving with his family. It will be nice. It’s been 5 years since I spent Thanksgiving with my family so it will be a welcome change to spend it this way.

2. At what point do you being celebrating the Christmas season? Typically I try to wait until after Thanksgiving before I start celebrating Christmas however, there are Christmas songs already on the radio 24/7 and decorations already up around town so it is hard not to get sucked in.

3. Do you celebrate Christmas, or do you celebrate another holiday? Christmas

4. If you could have one present (you know, a material good, not love or world peace) what would you want? Wow….that’s a tough one. I feel like I already have everything I need and my list of wants is pretty small. I would say I would love some new earrings to replace the hummingbird ones I lost or even a new necklace to replace the one I broke (sorry James)

Oh and this pillow...it is completely ridiculous and far too expensive for a throw pillow but I love it so much. That would be the one present I would pick...

 

5. Share an idea or two that you can plan to do for someone who may need to feel loved throughout the holiday season. I have been on the hunt for really unique and meaningful gifts this year. This year I expect Christmas will be a lot different for me and instead of just getting hung up on me being alone I am trying to focus on showing those around me (and all over the country) how much their love and support means to me. This year I am going to try and make the holidays about giving thanks and spreading loving joy and celebrating life. You know- the real reasons for the holidays.

6. Would you rather spend the holiday season on the beach or in the snow? BEACH! Don’t get me wrong, I love the snow…for like a day or two…but I love the beach more. The beach feels like home to me…I think that’s why I love Pensacola so much.

7. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? That’s a tough one…I would say either pumpkin pie or mashed potatoes. I did have some oyster mushroom cornbread stuffing a few weeks ago (which I will be preparing for this Thanksgiving) and it was so yummy….it may be my new favorite.

8. Will you participate in Black Friday shopping? Nope. I hate crowded malls/stores so BF is like a nightmare for me. If I shop at all it will be on Amazon…from the comfort of home.

9. Will you travel for the holidays or stay at home? If you’re traveling, are you flying or driving or making alternate plans? Like I said earlier, I am spending Thanksgiving with a friend and his family. We will be driving. It’s like an hour away from here- nothing too major. For Christmas I will be at home resting after surgery. The only travel plans I have for Christmas is spending what I am dubbing ‘Christmas weekend’ (the weekend before my surgery) traveling to Mobile (which is only an hour from here) to see the Nutcracker and a Christmas light show at Bellingrath Gardens.

10. List at least 5 things for which you are currently thankful. I have so much to be thankful for but I will keep this list short.

·         My family (which includes my furbabies, whom I miss oh so much)

 

 

·         My friends

·         My health

·         My job

·         Pensacola….my home

The Holidays and More: Part 2

1. What state/country do you live in? I live in Florida…the sunshine state :)

2. Where were you born? Were you raised there? I was born just outside of Philadelphia and grew up there until I was 8 (I think) when we moved across the bridge into Jersey...yep, I’m a Jersey girl…watch what you say ;)

3. How do you feel about stores like Wal-Mart opening on Thanksgiving Day for pre-Black Friday sales? Will you participate? Absolutely not! The whole idea is revolting. People (especially those who work in retail) deserve to spend Thanksgiving with their families (or at least not working) and I think being open that day is completely unnecessary and completely ridiculous.

4. Have you ever participated in a Turkey Trot? Yes! Last year; for the first time. It was a four-miler and it was awesome. Don’t think I will be doing one this year but hopefully I can get in a post-Thanksgiving feast walk to help the digestion ;)

5. What was your favorite toy as a child? I think you might need to ask my parents this one to know for sure but I feel like I had a giant doll that was the same size as me, maybe bigger, that I really loved. Oh and the doll house my great uncle Richard built for me.

6. Will you count points/calories on Thanksgiving Day? I don’t most days so no, I won’t be tracking on Thanksgiving. I will, however, try to not overeat or eat when I am already full just because I love ALL THE FOOD. I will try to treat it like a normal day and listen to my hunger cues. But, it is Thanksgiving and I’m not a robot…I will probably eat more than I would on a normal day. Lol!

7. Will you watch football Thursday? I am guessing we will. I definitely know I will be watching some football on Friday and Saturday. Oh and I get to go to two hockey games this week; Wednesday and Saturday. Yay!

8. Do you decorate inside/outside of your home for the holidays? Usually I do. This year, in my new apartment, I probably won’t do much though. I do have this little ceramic tree (that looks like the ones my grandmothers had/have when I was growing up) that makes me feel so happy every time I look at it. Definitely makes my little home super festive.

 

9. Do you have allergies that prevent you from eating traditional holiday meals? No allergies but as a vegan it is pretty difficult to eat most ‘traditional’ holiday food items. For my Thanksgiving dinner I am making baked tempeh with roasted veggies, cornbread stuffing, and probably some green beans or broccoli. I am also bringing cupcakes from a local bakery that sells both vegan and non-vegan cupcakes so I am going to bring a mix.

10. Is it snowing where you live? Ha! Nope…and I certainly hope it doesn’t. This Florida girl is not prepared for snow.

What about you? How will you be spending the holidays this year?

Happy Thanksgiving loves!

XOXO- Dacia