Do you ever wonder why some moments stay so clearly in your mind?  Well the one for me was a vacation to San Francisco last March.  I was so looking forward to long walks on the Warf: trips through the downtown area shopping and of course China Town.  So many wonderful memories for me were in that city, and we were going back.  We would see old neighbors, friends from our days as students, and think back to the days of being a young family again.

The edge of my joy was slightly removed when I went shopping for new clothes for the trip and I found that somewhere along the line clothing manufacturers started labeling your basic size 16 as 2X.  How could that be possible?  My joy continued to erode when I found that the basic black wardrobe looked pretty bland.  How could I go to a city of greatness in only black mournful clothes?  Well with a few minor scarves for color I packed my bags and left for fun.

The first saga began at the Minneapolis Airport.  Somehow the trek across multiple concourses left me more than a little winded.  There I was dripping in sweat and I still had 2 colors of concourses left to travel.  Well not to be discouraged with bags in hand, I moved on.  We arrived in the San Francisco Airport and found that Minneapolis is a relatively small airport by comparison; only this time we had more bags to pack around.  When we reached the airport shuttles, I was ready for a shower and a nap or chocolate.  With no time to waste I got into the van and we headed off into the city to meet with old friends.  By now my husband of great patience noted that I seem to have a lot more hot flashes as we traveled the airports.  Well maybe my excuse for all my sweating was a bit work out.  The next thing that hit me between the eyes is our dear friend, who was struggling with chemotherapy, looked better than me!  And she had no hair!  There I was almost twice the women I was when we moved from the city and as many chins as the years between.  Oh well, I was still going to have a good time.  And our evening was wonderful.  We wined and dined and I discovered we all had changed, for some of us it was an outward appearance and for some it was inside our hearts.

The week progressed and I ate my through San Francisco.  My dreams of long walks turned into short trips into stores, and taxi rides around the old familiar sites.  Each night I was worn out from all of my activity and could not believe just how old I felt.  My husband being a brave man did mention at various moments that he would enjoy more physical exercise, like those hoped for walks.  He settled for a bit of that on his own, while I recovered from all of my strenuous eating. 

We left the city with me feeling at a low in my life, partially from missing my youth and partially from the weariness of moving around so much.  We returned to Madison and I got redirected.  My life could be easier, and I knew how to make it happen- Healthy Inspirations.

Nine months later, here we were planning a Christmas vacation to Seattle.  Could I really see my family and old high school friends and not carry the self-image of the Donna of sizable girth?  Well I was willing to give it a try.  We planned outing, and several small trips within the big trip.  I was heard to shout out “adventures away” more than once.  The preparation began with shopping.  Here I was in clothing stores picking out brightly colored things in a size 10.  The only real worry was not to spend all my money on clothes and forget the gifts for my family and friends.  I did have to purchase an extra suitcase, but I quickly pointed out to my husband that it was because of all the gifts I was taking.  This brilliant man did not mention that I had shipped most of the presents the week before.

We traveled easily across those multi-colored concourses and I even carried my husband’s computer bag as he was struggling to keep up with me.  I was a woman on a mission that did not include food!

We arrived in Seattle and I took the lead.  I charged into the airport with the enthusiasm of a 2 year old.  We zipped through the satellite terminal, and baggage claims and on out to the airport shuttles.  When we arrived at our family’s home, my travel-worn family was ready for naps.  I on the other hand was busy unpacking, decorating the Christmas tree and running up and down the stairs like a younger Donna.

The true highlight of my Seattle trip was a university campus walking tour. We visited Western Washington College and spent 4 hours walking the campus with other parents.  I was able to keep up with our college student tour guide and watch with pride as several of the other parents were seen dropping out of the tour due to fatigue.  I kept thinking about how much more fun I had because I was looking at the world, instead of trying to always find a place to sit down.

Our Christmas days past quickly and we returned home.  I wondered how I could go back to such a mundane existence, but knew I needed a new adventure to look forward to.  The adventure began when I realized that I had actually lost weight over the holidays and still some to go to meet my goal.  Well I am keeping at it, and perhaps the next tale will be of two Valentine Day evenings, one before skinny sexy undies and one well you can guess.