• Mind,  Soul

    Beach Day 2022

    I have the luxury of living near the beach and every summer I get annoyed with myself that I did not get to the beach often enough. The last few years I have made a more conscious effort to correct this imbalance. I am happy to report I completed my first beach day for the 2022 summer and I was able to squeeze it in before the end of June!  Due to chores, I could not spend the entire day at the beach.  I was up early and was able to get some chores done then headed off to the beach with my youngest.  We went to a different beach…

  • Mind,  Soul

    Returning to Church

    A few weeks ago I went to my first in person church service since covid began. If you follow my blog posts or know me, you know I can get anxious in a variety of situations, returning to church can now be added to the list.  I have kept in touch with some church members over this hiatus and started volunteering at our thrift store, but the thought of seeing everyone all at once was a bit scary.  It is crazy how the mind can work, even though I have missed my church family and wanted to return and see them, it was still an overwhelming thought.  Things have also…

  • Body,  Mind

    First 10K Race After Injury

    So as I mentioned in an earlier blog I was sidelined by an injury to my ankle.  I ran a 5K at the end of April as a test race before the Great Cape May Footrace in May, the one I signed up for the 10K instead of the 5K. I kept thinking the race was on a Sunday and the weather report calling for rain on Saturday was of no concern to me until Thursday before the race when I realized I was running on Saturday!  Every runner I have ever met will tell you the importance of training in conditions you could face during a race.  I never…

  • Body,  Mind

    Trying New Things-First Swim Race

    Last year, I completed my first triathlon and already signed up for the same one again this year.  I want to see how much I can improve and work towards completing a longer triathlon the following year. As I see multiple triathlons in my future I purchased my first wetsuit.  Last year Delmo sports held a swim race at Sunset lake in Wildwood Crest, this year was the second annual event. I figured I had a wetsuit, so I should sign up.  There are two distances, a quarter mile and a mile. I briefly thought about signing up for the one mile before selecting the quarter mile.  I prepared by…

  • Body

    Hidden Gem- Cape Tech Cosmetology School Beauty Salon

    This past May my girls and I went to our annual appointment at the Cape May County Technical School District beauty Salon.  The salon is operated by students in the Adult Cosmetology Evening School. I forget how I originally found out about this hidden Gem but I have gone off and on for at least the last 20 years.  The students in the program are coming to the end of the program and the first two weeks the salon is open to the public for friends and family.  After that they open to the general public.  The lead instructor is attentive and walks the room to oversee the work being…

  • Body,  Mind

    My First Race Back

    April 24, 2022 marked my first day back to racing after my injury in November.  I completed all of my physical therapy and was cleared to start increasing my mileage.  I have been a bit hesitant to run too much, I don’t want to get injured again.  My breathing is not where it was pre-injury, not sure if it is from my bout with covid or just my asthma and my lungs need to get back in shape.  I have a race coming up in May, a 10K I signed up for thinking I would have been back to running long before now.  Second Capital running announced a new race…

  • Body,  Mind

    Trying New Things-Golf Lessons, Part II

    The weather on the day of class number three was a bit iffy.  Three of us showed up for the class and after a brief lecture we looked outside and the rain and wind were not going to allow us to get any playing time.  Tom used the extra time to cover even more points of how to hit the ball, how it spins once it is hit, and ways we can work on our swing.  The next class would be a repeat of this class and time to practice.  Tom did not want us to miss any of the clinic so he offered to do the last class on…

  • Body,  Mind

    Trying New Things-Golf Lessons, Part I

    I have always loved playing miniature golf.  It is another situation where I can compete against myself to improve and I thrive on that.  Added bonus when I can get bragging rights in the family when I win!  During the 90’s I did not have cable and mostly what was on free TV on the weekend was golf tournaments.  I found it very interesting and thought I could do that too.  Cape May par 3 course opened not too far from me and every spring I see the Ladie’s clinic add and yet every year I have not had the time or the class fills before I enroll.  This year…

  • Mind

    February 2022 Update

    As the month is coming to a close, I am looking back to see how it derailed.  I was so hopeful at the beginning of the month, this was to be my January fresh start.  Chore chart created and hopeful about what I could accomplish.  Looking at my chart I did great for the first six days before I started waning but I was still completing more than half of my daily goals each day.  The sixteenth was the last day I tracked anything. And here we are on the twenty sixth.  I like to learn from the patterns in my life so that I can continue to improve. What…

  • Body

    2022 Ski Adventure Continued

    Sunday morning we woke up to a couple of inches of snow and it was still snowing. Perk of the hotel was now the parking garage that kept the car snow free and made it easier to get ready to leave.  We headed back to the mountain for a morning tubing session.  The falling snow and fresh powder on the mountain make me want to ski another day but I know that is not practical on the day we need to drive home, so tubing it is.  There are about ten lanes and it is not crowded at first.  After a few runs more people arrive but it is not…