Savoring

My days in Arizona are numbered. This makes me sad. The break I've had has really been positive and refreshing.

My friends invited me to go camping in Payson this weekend. When they said "camping" they actually meant "a weekend getaway to a resort on a golf course".

Once I saw the place, I could easily overlook their deception. I was absolutely blown away. This is easily one of the nicest homes I have ever seen.

Here's a little sample of the interior, compliments of Verizon Wireless and the new iPhone.

The living room:

The kitchen and dining room:


My personal favorite, the THEATER ROOM complete with leather recliners, tiered seating, mood lighting, a theater-style popcorn popper, projector, and surround sound.


Some features not featured in the photo tour:
-a hot tub on the deck
-a pool table and ping-pong table
-antique oak wood flooring upstairs salvaged from an old courthouse in Arkansas
-impact sensitive lighting: the lights come on when they sense your footsteps.
-purified water in all the faucets

I could go on, but I think that paints the picture for ya.
There was a winter storm warning in effect, and storm it did. We woke up to this:

I was almost thrilled, but I still haven't gotten to the point that I like snow again yet. I'm still in love with the desert heat and sunshine and was hoping to get my fill prior to my return to Idaho. It was really pretty, I have to admit.
I felt like we should all slip into fur coats and head down the lane to have tea with Mr. Tumnus.

So now that I've got that all blogged, let me speak of other things.

For those that actually follow my blog, I finally got around to adding pictures to my Vegas post. Scroll down and check it out if you want.

In my last post, I mentioned some of the changes I've made in order to be more healthy. Well, I've really stuck with it and this camping trip was no exception.
For Friday dinner, we headed to the store to buy our own choice of food.
While others were busy buying steaks to grill, I was buying the simple ingredients for lettuce wraps and protein shakes for breakfast.

I felt a little like a joy-kill snob-boy. Everyone else was having the deluxe steak dinner and I was sticking to my lean protein wrapped in leafy greens. Oh well. I really want to stick with what I'm doing. It's paying off.
Let me say this: I haven't lost a lot of weight, but I am changing shape and feeling good. I hate being controlled by the scale and fretting about a number. It's not a positive motivation for me. When I'm gaining muscle and losing fat, that doesn't show on the scale. The real reward for me is feeling healthy and energetic and being able to run 3 miles non-stop without feeling like I'm going to puke and/or cough up my right lung.
On a similar note, my P90X order was canceled for some reason. I'm actually glad because rather than spending the $90 plus tax and shipping, I have a friend who was good enough to duplicate her discs for me (thanks Perla). I'm really excited to be able to get going on the program on my own with access to my own DVDs.

I am really not liking the lurking feeling of anticipation of my departure. My heart has gotten firmly set on staying here. I almost want to defer a semester of school and stick around. Almost. My better judgment tells me to stay. Freudian slip! I meant go!!!

And so without further adieu, let's make these last few days in the Grand Canyon State as Grand as Can be.