In Minneapolis

I wrote a big long thing yesterday about our trip: why I'm here, what we've seen and done, etc...then I accidentally hit my refresh button in a moment of sheer stupidity, and lost it all. I will try again...

My sister was coming to Minneapolis because of family business. She was going to drive all this way alone, then deal with all her "stuff" alone - some very emotional "stuff" even - and then drive all the way home alone. I couldn't imagine that so I offered to come with her if I could gather up the funds. She told me that she was already paying for the gas and the room, so I just had to pay for my own food and that'd be it. That made it affordable for me to come along and keep her company in the car (I can't drive, don't have a license anymore due to my eyesight - or lack thereof) and also keep the homefires burning back at the hotel, listen/offer feedback as needed, etc.

(For those who may not know, Gwen has literally saved my life twice in the last 2 years, intervening and advocating for me with a medical profession that wasn't interested enough, setting aside her own and her family's needs for the duration each time, and at great cost to them. We are there for each other, it isn't a one-way street, and there haven't been many opportunities for me to be there for her as she's been for me.)

Anyway, we left Michigan last Wednesday and had a blast driving across the U.P., it was so beautiful! Took lots of pictures across US 2. Stopped in Escanaba for gas and $1 cheeseburgers at McD's, and continued on to Wausau, WI where we spent the night at a forgettable hotel.

Thursday morning (that would have been Jan.29th) we completed our journey across Wisconsin and the Mississippi River, arriving at the hotel that was to be our home for the next 5 nights right at check-in time. (I gotta say, this place is great, very nice, helpful, clean; Gwen could not have chosen a better place. The only problem is that she came here in large part because of the hot tub, and was SO looking forward to it, but when we got here she discovered that it is "closed until further notice" and was bitterly disappointed.)

So far things have been going well for me. She's been busy with her family things, and I have been minimally involved, but have had the opportunity to do the website updates that needed to be done by today (Feb.1st), and will be updating another site that I do as well. I brought along my precious keyboard because, frankly, I couldn't imagine being without it for a week, and have had some special worship time in music as well.

So we'll leave here Tuesday morning, and take 2 days going home so that we can stop and smell the roses (snow-covered though they are) along the way. I am homesick for my husband who is carrying the burden of all of the critters (4 dogs, 11 parrots, and a cat) in addition to my business and his full-time job. I appreciate that he's doing this more than words can say...I also miss our pets, and my recliner and home...but I'm thankful to have had this opportunity to be with my sister and be whatever help I can be. She's told me she's glad I'm here and she doesn't know how she would have done it without me. That's why I'm here.

Some Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-LzATdSrDk

Oh kneel me down again, here at Your feet.
Show me how much You love humility.
Oh Spirit be the Star that leads me to
The humble heart of love I see in You.

You are the God of the broken, The friend of the weak
You wash the feet of the weary, Embrace the ones in need
I want to be like You, Jesus, To have this heart in me
You are the God of the humble, You are the humble King!

(copyright 1999, Vineyard Songs)

Now THIS is living!

From a note I sent to my friend Shelly (who has known me forever, since high school in fact) in our Scrabble game:
I just had THE most invigorating, fun morning!! We got up early and took Casey home, then had breakfast at BK, then wandered around the St. V dePaul store which we love to do. After that we drove around our end of the lake (this lake is huge, the biggest inland lake in the state) and watched the ice fishermen and snowmobilers - HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of them! - and drove around the outside of TipUpTown. PACKED with people, all having a blast, lots of little kids on the rides and milling about. TuT used to be about beer but a couple of years ago they decided it needed to be a family event, now the beer tent is a couple of blocks away from the rest of the action. Then we came back to (world-famous, at least since Frozen Stupid was filmed here!) Lyman's and parked and walked about 1/4 mile out to the lake. It is SO COOL to see people driving and walking and snowmobiling and 4-wheeling all across the lake, I think I like it better in winter than I do in the summer! We stayed out on the lake for quite a while as I took pictures and videos of hundreds of people having fun, it was so exciting and exhilirating, especially after that long illness I just have to thank God that I can do everything again! Just to be able to walk - or drive - across the lake to get where you want to go, how cool is that????? Everything about today has just been awesome!!!!!! This is life, not sitting in a recliner holding my head in pain and being waited on for months on end...

I love living here, I love being able to get out and do things again, I love Houghton Lake in the winter!

Today I gotta gripe!

Lovely beautiful white fluffy snow falling, the air is crisp and fresh and clean...yet everywhere I go, people are complaining about winter! I live in northern lower Michigan, where lots of snow and cold temps are expected, and most of the people here just go about their lives. It is a given that our weather changes throughout the year, and we accept it, and life goes on. In fact, in our tourist town this weekend and next are thousands of downstaters and even folks from other states, here to celebrate winter! All sorts of wintry activities here in the 59th annual TipUp Town festival - and people LOVE IT! Those that came for it, and most who live here.

So, why so many people who choose to live where there is always a cold snowy winter, complain throughout the season? I don't get it. If I chose to live in Miami, I certainly wouldn't complain about the heat, although I'd hate it. I choose to live where the weather suits my preferences, and if I were to choose to live somewhere I hated, why would I feel I had the right to dump all over everybody else, rain on their parade if you will, and make them regret my own choices?

OK, so people have reasons to live in those parts of the country where there is a real winter: family, job, whatever. But it's still their choice to stay, whatever their reason, we always have a choice.

Quit trying to ruin MY lovely winter happiness, just because YOU are miserable, and I will promise not to whine to you about the heat and humidity of summer while you enjoy your beaches and your boats. Deal?

Speaking of Low Carb...

...tonight we're trying out the Magic Pizza Crust recipe I saw on YouTube. It is in the oven with the toppings now and should be ready any minute. It LOOKS great and SMELLS great, but who knows how it will taste, that is the important part after all right?

I'm still, by most accounts, morbidly obese. And I plan to stay that way. I've lost nearly 100 lbs., but what it has done to my body - UGH! I'm already sagging everywhere and have so much hanging flesh that I can't stand to look in a mirror. I even had my husband take the full-length mirror off the back of the shower door! The chances that I'd ever be able to have surgery to remove the excess skin, were I to get to a "thin" weight, are nil. So I've decided that where I am is where I will stay. I still eat low carb because it is the healthiest way to eat...but I adapt my plan so that I won't lose any more.

How do I do that? Well, when I was losing quickly, I was eating 5% of my calories from carbs, 20% of my calories from protein, and 75% of my calories from fats, and I had omitted ALL grains, even though my issues were probably only with wheat. I did average 2500-3000 calories a day but I lost rapidly - 90# in 5 months. To maintain my weight where I am, I change the ratios and don't force the fats into my diet like I used to. I also allow a few (minimal) grain products, such as low carb tortillas, into my diet a couple of times a week. It works.

All that said, however, I want to mention that I am now up by 23#. The last few months I have had some serious health issues, and haven't been the one doing the shopping and cooking. My husband is a great cook but we have eaten more carbs that in the last 4+ years while I was sick. In addition, hospital food on a "heart healthy diet" is about 75% carbs! Ugh...

So at the moment I'm working on getting back down to the weight where I was comfortable, even though it was 100# over where my doctor wants me to be. And that's why I will stay there.

By the way, I've now had some pizza made with the MPC as referenced above. Good, but too salty. I wonder if I replaced half the parmesan cheese with protein powder?...

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

The above verse is from Matthew 10:33.

I see Christians who, when they're with non-Christians, easily fall into their habits. Their language starts to change as they add a swear word here and there, they laugh at worldly things that go against God's will, etc. I have often wondered how, if we Christians are so easily swayed in such simple circumstances, we could stand against a much larger stronger force against the Lord? What if we all found ourselves in a terrorist prison camp where they attempt to force us to deny Jesus? These are things that happen daily in other parts of the world. If I can't stand against the worldly things I run across every day, how would I stand against that?

I pray daily that my heart be filled with the Word, and that I will remain steadfast at all times and in all situations.

Obsessing About Praline Bacon

Someone mentioned it on a yahoogroup today, so I looked up a few recipes, and now that I've read them I MUST HAVE SOME! Bacon is of course a staple of the way I eat, as are pecans...and I have some SF chili powder at hand. But brown sugar...hmm...obviously way too carby for me. I've used a couple of different subs: Diabetisweet is one, and Sugar Twin is the other. I've used both and find the Diabetisweet to be preferable but of course that's a personal opinion and about worth what you just paid for it.

Anyway, I need to find out if either of these products would get all melt-y and caramel-y so as to hold the pecan bits together and adhere the topping to the bacon, as real brown sugar does. I will get back to you on that, as soon as I find out - either from someone wiser than me about such things, or from my own experience.

Meanwhile I need to find a way to keep the drool out of my keyboard.