Day 465 - Sleep Apnea & Sunshine

So my new housemate has sleep apnea. He snores. Loud. No – LOUD. REALLY LOUD. In fact, through 2 closed doors I can still hear him sawing logs. Needless to say, I didn’t get a lot of sleep.

Thankfully today was a beautiful day! I managed to sneak away during lunch to visit the bank & the grocery store. I needed batteries & a little flashlight – the path is a little dim when I walk home at night. I picked up a few pens – my only good pen got nicked on Saturday. Grr.

I’m still the same weight as I was on Friday morning. Oh well. Maybe it’s all those olives I’m eating. They said to eat 3 or 4. I counted 19 on my plate the other day. What?!? I don’t get anything sweet or dessert like – no fruit! I’ve got to have a little indulgence somewhere! And to make matters worse, I missed out on ice cream on Saturday night! The only time they serve dessert & I missed it! Grr.

I guess I must be a little grumpy from my lack of sleep… I’ve discovered a white noise app on my iPod, so I’ll give that a whirl tonight. Wish me luck… good night!

xxxxMaria

Getting organized

Elfriede - the Colonics Specialist! I'll guarantee - she's a lovely lady - INSIDE & out!

Day 464 - South Beach

This morning we went to the beach! I didn’t have a lot of time before I had to catch the train, so we went to South Beach & my roomie showed me around some of the fancy Art-Deco hotels. She is studying Interior Design & Fashion Design, so this was right up her alley!

She knew which designers had decorated which hotel, where the parties & get-togethers happened on what days of the week, and of course, the history of the hotels in the area. After the beach & the hotels, we walked down the main pedestrian street. There was a Sunday market in full swing, so we checked out the orchids, cocoa butter, pastries… of course, we didn’t eat any! I took a salad with me for yesterday & tonight I’d be back at the Institute for dinner.

We zipped back to the house, picked up the suitcase & made our way to the train station with a few minutes to spare. I was sad to say goodbye to my roomie. We got along so well last week & had a lot of fun times together. I was worried about who my roommate would be this coming week.

I told her I’d see her in the coming months, as I was certain one of Jaco’s ships would be sailing out of Fort Lauderdale at some point in the game!

The train ride went well. The bus, not so much. I had the address written down & I knew it was a left hand turn after the freeway. I thought it was I-95. Apparently it was the Turnpike. Minor detail! I had half the bus trying to figure out where I was going. One lady was convinced I was headed to a rehab place for alcoholics & drug addicts. I assured her it was not. Finally one gal got on the bus & she knew where Hippocrates was. The bus driver dropped me off in the middle of nowhere & I walked about a mile back to the Institute. The last leg seemed forever away. I was beginning to wonder if I’d taken the wrong road! Suddenly this white Avalanche pulled up beside me, the window rolled down & I cringed as I didn’t know what was about to come…

It was John! My friend from the Institute! He cleans the main hall every night & although it usually closes at 2100, he lets me stay later & use the internet to talk to Jaco. He’s a real sweetheart & tonight his timing was impeccable! He was on his way to work. He gave me a ride home & I was safe & sound by 1730 – just in time for dinner!

I was plenty hungry! Sprouts have never looked so good! Needless to say I had a heaping plate! Yum!

What a whirlwind of a weekend… I won’t forget it anytime soon… That’s for certain!

xxxxMaria

High rise on the beach

South Beach

Pretty water, pretty beach

Ooh la la

Yours truly on the beach

More high rises & hotels

Fancy decor

Funky chairs

Help me out - who is the designer?

Loved the curtains blowing in the breeze

White washed

More creative designs

Crazy designs

Wheel barrow/wheelchair

Pool party anyone?

The 'it' place one day of the week!

Another funky hotel - same designer

I want a bed outside! Thanks!

Hotel

Sunday market

Orchids!

Beautiful!

I've been here! In 2003 with Jenn & the men of the past!

My bus stop. A lot of miscommunication!

Day 463 - CSI:Miami (Crazy Stay In:Miami)

Today will most certainly go down in the history books as one of the most intriguing days of my life. Today was ‘Turnaround’ day at the Institute. Guests are leaving & some will be arriving today & tomorrow. Some were up early to catch a flight & some were hanging around until the afternoon.

The sun was finally out! It was warm! I sat outside & called Mom. She told me all about the snow & cold weather on it’s way. I don’t miss that!

My roommate had graciously invited me to come & stay at her place tonight & spend some time in Miami. Alessandra was busy, so it worked out well! I looked up bus/train schedules & it will be an easy way for me to get back tomorrow afternoon.

When I was a little girl, I always dreamed big. I have no idea where it came from. I grew up in the country, on a ranch, surrounded by all things rural. In any case, I never dreamed this big. My head is still spinning. Here’s a snippet of 29^th January, 2011:

We drove to Miami in a convertible Bentley. To a small island.

I could see the cruise ships docked waiting to set sail for another week of adventure & sunshine. They each blew the ship’s whistle as they sailed out of the harbor. (Just a few more weeks until I see Jaco!)

I am certain I have walked into a magazine - something from Island Living, or Beach Homes. There is a water fountain as we walk up the steps. Tall & white, plenty of windows, infinity pool, elaborate artwork & décor, a gym, a 4^th floor balcony where I watched the sunset, speakers in all the rooms, a jet-ski dock, worldly carvings & statues – I knew that people lived like this, but I’ve never experienced it! My roommate showed me some books from her & her husband’s travels – one book covered about 10 years worth of travel for you & me. They did it one summer! I commented on the books & how nice they were. She said, ‘Oh, yes, it’s a little company my husband started. It’s called Shutterfly.’ (For all you photo/scrapbookers out there – yeah. ‘Nuff said.)

I watched the sunset over Miami & then typed this post. We’re off to a 30^th birthday party this evening – should be interesting! I’ll take my camera, but no promises! I’m feeling slightly ‘under-dressed’ I have Lulu capris, a grey tank top & flipflops! Oh & no hair & no wig! I’ll only stand out a little bit.

xxxxMaria

Sunset over Miami

Palm Trees & Sunshine

Reflections

Pur-dy

Love the water & colour

Long tall shadows

My feet in the infinity pool

The view

Somebody pinch me!

Sunshine sinking away for the night

Miami by night

My roomie & her husband

My raw roomie & I

You're looking at 2 Hodgkin's survivors! YAY!!!

The scene of the party!

Day 462 - Co-Lonica

Yup. Today was my colonic. If you haven't heard of them before, it's like an enema, only a little more intense. Intense in its effects, not in its approach! The process basically involves a tube up your backside & then water is gently allowed to flow into your bowels to help remove 'stuff'. You can get rid of plenty of old garbage in one session. I was very impressed with the results. I couldn't breathe too deeply when I arrived. By the time I left, I was able to breathe much deeper. It was a great session. I felt lighter & much less toxic! Elfriede, the Administrator of the Colonic, was a sweet lady. She made the process far less intimidating than it could have been! I am going to make another appointment for next week.

The end of the colonic involves 4 oz of wheatgrass being added to the filtered water. Your body absorbs much of its vitamins & minerals through the bowel, hence the importance of keeping the plumbing working! Oh! We had our weigh in this morning... I've lost 8 lbs by this point! Yay! Keep it coming off!

My roomie & I took a quick trip to the sprout house to see what things looked like. It is quite the operation. I'm still a little intimidated by all the sprouting & how to make it come together! I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to figure it out once I'm on the ship with Jaco!

Tomorrow marks the end of the first week. I'm going to visit my roomie at her house in South Beach. Alessandra is busy & I am able to come back on the train from South Beach, so that will work well. I'm excited to get off the grounds & see a little of the area.

xxxxMaria

My friend, Felicity.

Sprouts!

More sprouts!

Sprouts!

Wheatgrass

I love palm trees in January.

Day 461 - I Can Do It!

Last night was cold! I shivered in the bed all night long! No heaters in these joints! My roommate & I managed to get out of bed in time to catch the 0800 meditation class. It was really nice! I didn’t even fall asleep this time! We went to the beds-room - where  they have the laser, water, electromagnetic & lymph beds. We each hopped on a bed & did a quick little session before heading over to the Aerobics Room & booking our H-Wave treatments. We did our yummy wheatgrass shots & then ventured over to the Fitness Centre. I went in, but didn’t work out. (Technically I went to the gym!) We were going to go get our swimsuits when we stopped at the Wigmore Hall & got sidetracked. We ended up chatting with Alexsandra from Switzerland for awhile & then it was lunch time.  I must say, the day of fasting really made a difference! I was so happy to eat food today that it all tasted delicious! We had a raw jambalaya & some kind of vegetable that tasted like apple pie! It was wonderful!

The afternoon found us learning about Organic Food – obviously fruits & vegetables. I was amazed at what I learned. I am officially an Organic Food Convert! I would encourage each & every one of you to look into it. If you think it’s not such a big deal, email/call me & I’ll tell you what I’ve learned! It’s fascinating & there is no excuse why we should continue to use pesticides, herbicides & take the easy way out! It’s scary!

After that session, we had a Kitchen Awareness session. It ROCKED! I actually learned how to make some really yummy food! And it’s easy! And they did it in less than 15 minutes each! Well, minus the soaking & dehydrating – but it was awesome! I’m excited to come home & share the goodies with you!

Lastly, Brendan Brazier showed up at 1900 to do a lecture on being a vegan Triathlete. It was quite inspiring & very interesting. He has a book called Thrive or The Thrive Diet. If you have an interest in being an athlete of any sort, I would encourage you to pick it up! He’s Canadian by the way!

Okay, I’m topped up with wheatgrass, sauna’d up & tired out! Eat green & laugh in between!

xxxx Maria

Lunch time view

Lunch! Yummy!

Green juice

Chef Ken teaches us how to uncook

Renate makes a party platter

Brendan Brazier - creator of Vega & Triathlete extraordinaire!