The Home Exchange Experiment (aka - how to travel for free!)

I've been bitten by the travel bug... I actually think it happened in utero because I came into this world trying to figure out how I could get out of the particular location I found myself in. I could live on the road and be completely happy - thus the appeal of my job! However, outside of traveling for work, there is one big problem with wanting to travel - the cost.

Thus the brilliant idea of doing a home exchange! We love our home and feel it really does offer a lot to people who want to experience the desert. My dream has always been to go to Paris - and not just for a quick visit, but long enough to acclimate to the environment and just soak in the culture and the language. I did some research on home exchanges, including watching the movie "The Holiday" and we decided to take a chance and list our home on HomeExchange.com. Essentially, you list your home and include information about yourself. The idea is not just to switch homes but actually develop friendships with the people you are exchanging with. Think personal ads but we're swapping houses instead of dating! There's something so beautiful to me about the concept of ultimate trust and friendship in this age of deception and fraud.

I was very excited about putting up our posting and both D and I agree that it would be fun to just entertain any offers we may get. Think: Sure, you want our home and we'll go to Tahiti?? I think we can hook that up! LOL. But first course of business was finding an exchange in Paris. Luckily, there are a lot of Parisians who want to travel. :-)

I excitedly wrote out post, gathered pictures, and pushed the submit button! Voila! Next step was to find appropriate exchanges in Paris. You are allowed to save profiles in Your Favorites and then send a note to those that you marked, up to 25 per day. I sent out my first 25 and waited....

By the next morning, we had received 10 responses. All very, very nice, but none looking for an exchange in Arizona. Although one in particular touched my heart. It seems that the family's teenage daughter has been diagnosed with leukemia and is undergoing chemo. The lady was so sweet, though, despite this situation she offered to do a "hospitality" exchange, where D and I could stay with them in their spare bedroom. It really touched me and I'm making sure to include their daughter in my prayers. What a horrible thing for any mother to experience.

I was getting a little discouraged (I know... it had been a whole 24 hours! Impatient, you think??) and then it happened! We got a response from a young professional couple who live in the 15th arrondissement in a cute little flat. They have a baby and are excited to visit Arizona. We've had a few email exchanges, including exchanging pictures, and it appears to be a great match!

To sweeten the vacation experience, we stumbled upon another opportunity. There is a Transatlantic cruise that is available for purchase using our VCA barter dollars. Given that we have a healthy balance in our barter account, we could more than cover the entire cost of the cruise (thanks to our huge Valentine's day order!!). Interestingly enough, the cruise sets sail from Rome exactly during the time period we wanted to be in Europe. Add two weeks on to the vacation.... no out of pocket! (other than our taxes and port fees!!).

So it's shaping up like this: We use our free companion flight vouchers round-trip from PHX to New York. Buy a one-way ticket from NY to Paris (and I think I'll have enough miles we can get my flight for free on a Star Alliance carrier). Two weeks in Paris, take the train to Rome, a few nights in Rome, and then sail home on the cruise!

I've started brushing up on my French using Rosetta Stone and I'm looking forward to practicing on our new friends - but could only muster a "bonjour" this morning (the only other thing I seem to be able to say is "I'm a doctor" or "the dog is white" - tough trying to fit that into conversation).

Now next challenge: finding care for the dogs while we're gone... this could be a tricky one!

Happy thoughts...

Many times throughout the day today I found myself appreciating all of the incredible blessings in my life:

1. I have a job that is not a job at all, but a passion! I am a key contributor to other's success - does it really get much better than that? It is so incredible to bring something positive to someone's life, to see hope and excitement replace stress and despair. A kind word, a few minutes of dedicated time, a touch on the shoulder... all little things but I see how big of an impact it can have. I genuinely care about all of my students and I hope that they can always see that and feel that. And it goes both ways. I have yet to have a class and not have someone leave an indelible mark on my life. I cherish the experience and am so grateful that I have been able to align my God-given gifts with a career.
2. My husband, my Strong Tower. I treasure our love, our relationship, our marriage, and our future and most importantly, our present. Valentine's Day was a great example of how lucky I am. He made "plans" for us for Saturday and kept it as a surprise for me. It was so fun all week to think about what the weekend would bring. Which really made my unexpected layover in Denver on Friday night that much more disappointing. By the time I arrived and submitted the paperwork to find my lost luggage, it was mid-morning and I was exhausted. But it didn't ruin the day... even though we put the "plan" on-hold (YAY! We are going to the Science Center next week) he still surprised me with a hand-made card with a great poem and a framed 8x10 of my favorite picture of the girls from our Christmas trip to Prescott. AND I walked in to an absolutely immaculate house!!! Does it get any better??
3. My girls. I got to visit with Brookie for a little while this morning before leaving for work. It was nice to start my day with her. I'm treasuring all of the time we have before she leaves this summer. I talked with Brit on the way home and I'm so proud of her - she won Employee of the Quarter!! She gets a paid vacation day and a reserved parking spot!! And then Miss Brandy called me tonight and filled me in on her class and life. I love watching them blossom into incredible young women and I'm filled with excitement at the thought of the lives they have in front of them! They have so much to experience and I will always be thankful for everything they bring to my life!
4. My friends. For someone who often says I don't have many friends, they seem to be playing an awfully big role in my life lately and I'm so blessed with how many friends I truly have. Kim and I spent some time talking this morning about life and kids and the future. Maria and I talked this evening and my new treasure: talking with Wendy on IM. It's incredible how much we have in common and what a wonderful friendship that has been rekindled. We've known each other for almost 35 years! It seems impossible. Wendy is a beautiful light in a world that is sometimes dominated by darkness. We're really hoping it works out that she can come out for a visit in March.
5. My family. I'm SO excited that we will have Abby and Lexi for an entire week in March!!! I'm really looking forward to having two little ones around the house and I'm so thankful that Brooke and Jason are entrusting us with them!
6. My puppies. I know, it probably sounds silly, but there's something so comforting to the soul to have creatures that give you totally unconditional love. They bring me so much happiness (despite the shedding and digging and barking....lol)

I'm pleased to report that I think my ankle is healing (knock on wood!!). I'm going to start doing some yoga this weekend and maybe take some walks - see how it feels. I can't wait to be hiking again! (and given that my weight loss has stalled... I definitely need the exercise!).

A quote that I came across today about forgiving ourselves when we stray off-course and focusing on each new day:

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with...high a spirit."

Denver!

Just a quick update...
Denver is going really well - I have a small class - just 7 students, but they are all great. There is a genuine desire to all achieve their PMP certification within the next few months. It's so awesome to have a group of motivated learners! My first class that's actually running a bit behind schedule, so I've adjusted the class length to come in 30 minutes earlier. Thankfully all of the participants are very flexible.

On the Atkins front, still doing great and surprisingly not very tempted. I had a late night last night, so I got a bacon cheeseburger and cup of broccoli cheese soup to go. Even though I ordered it with no bread, no fries, they included them. But it was easy to pull the bun off and didn't even want the fries. (wow! what has happened to me??!!). Still no sugar - can't believe it!!! 2 1/2 weeks with no sugar - completely unheard of. I can't monitor my weight here, but my assumption is that a few more pounds might be coming off.

Exciting news on the HRT withdrawal - I think the worst of the hot flashes are over, my mood is definitely WAY better, and I think I can officially say I'm off HRT! :-) This is so awesome - both for my long term health and for our bank account!!!!

Not so good news: my ankle. The pain still hadn't improved yesterday and I actually jammed it getting out of my car and it was surprisingly painful. Finally broke down and went to Urgent Care - they were awesome! I thought worse case scenario was a broken foot and a cast. But found out that worse case scenario was actually torn ligaments that won't heal on their own. And that's what it appears to be. I'm supposed to get in for an MRI immediately and see an orthopaedic surgeon ASAP. :-( ($$$$$$$$$$$). But we'll get through it - I want it and need it fixed and strong - we have a lot of hikes coming up!

Thanking Desert Breeze

I love my husband with all of my heart and all of my soul. He is my "strong tower". But the most amazing thing about our marriage is that was built upon the right foundation. A solid foundation based on the Bible and God's plan. Before we got engaged, we attended the marriage enrichment class at Desert Breeze, and to this day, we utilize the tools and information that was provided in that class.

I love being able to talk to my husband when I'm upset, frustrated, or irrational and it doesn't ever escalate. Instead, it's an open honest sharing of our perspectives, apologies for any wounds, and a plan to get us through the situation. There is always a good result as we continue to grow and learn about each other and our marriage.

And now I'm in Denver and missing him deeply....

I'm so thankful to Desert Breeze for creating such an amazing environment to learn His word.

Boy am I cranky....

The term "hot flash" is a bit deceiving. It's not a flash. Not at all... flash would indicate "brief" or "quick"... but in reality they're more like hot waves. Big, thunderous, suffocating, crashing waves. Thursday was about the worse day and I thanked God repeatedly for creating the man who created the side-by-side freezer/fridge. Nothing feels better when overcome by the hot wave than to plunge your entire body inside the freezer. And given my underwhelming height of 5'2", I fit perfectly. Hot waves during the day have turned to night sweats, which actually have me desiring a cold room with the fan on (normally I'm bundled up under layers of blankets and pjs!). But there's good news in all of this: 1. Using positive imagery, I'm convincing myself that the sweat that is pouring out of me is melted fat and thus I'm getting thinner by the minute! 2. It seems as though the peaks of the flashes are diminishing and it's more of a regular state of overheated, so I think that means they're leveling out and 3. Thanking God once again that He gave me the wisdom to do this when it's not 120 degrees out. :-)

The other somewhat negative... ok, scratch that... the other very negative part of HRT withdrawal is the mood swings. Just ask D. He can't wait to put me on that plane for Denver tomorrow. I wake up in the foulest mood and I hate the world. Just angry and mean. And everything is an irritant. This is complicated right now by the fact that I'm so thoroughly fed up and disgusted with this whole ankle situation that I want to scream. This is the kind of foul mood that you can see you're in, but you're trapped in it. And when you think about snapping yourself out, that makes you even angrier. So I'll just keep praying and hopefully snap out of it soon.

So I'm looking for ways to counter-balance this anger, because quite honestly, life is WAY too short to be pissed off. And there is so much beauty in this world that you miss when you have wrapped yourself in a shroud of darkness. Guaranteed that eventually you come to your senses and you want to kick yourself for not realizing it all along.

With that thought in mind, some happy thoughts:
I'm totally excited that today I get to babysit my "granddaughter" Hailee for a few hours!! There's nothing that soothes the soul faster than a baby! Also, I leave for Denver tomorrow morning and I'm looking forward to the trip and the class. It's a new client and I'm looking forward to knocking their socks off!

We're also on Day 13 of the induction and I'm excited to say I've lost 6 pounds. I'm even more excited given the fact that I was only able to exercise for the first few days of the plan. I still have a ways to go... I tried on my absolutely favorite skinny jeans today and they're still not buttonable (is that a word?). But I'll pull them out again next week and I'm sure they will fit even better! D and I are going to keep going on induction for another two weeks given that we're both doing great on it, minimal cravings, and we're seeing results. It will be a little tricky given that I'm in class for the next two weeks, but I'll make it work.

And here's the big dream... I SO want to spend a few weeks in France this fall doing a home exchange. Interestingly enough, there's a cruise that goes from Rome to NY during that time frame that we could purchase with our VCA Barter Dollars (No cash!!). How amazing would that be?? A couple of weeks in France followed by a two-week cruise back home? And we have free companion tickets from TMobile that we could use for the domestic portion of the airfare, so we're basically just looking at one-way airfare from NY to Paris. A 3-4 week vacation for the price of one domestic ticket and two one-way tickets. No lodging expenses, no food on the cruise... And it even works with my training schedule. Chances it's going to happen? Probably slim to none, but it gives me something to work for and look forward to...

Quitting two vices at the same time...

I have two vices. Well, actually, I have many vices... but two really big ones: sugar and Premarin. Both are really good....but really bad for me. So in the ultimate test of self-discipline, I'm giving them both up. At the same time. It's kind of like ripping a band-aid off quickly... except that this is a really big band-aid and it's taking a long time to rip off!

But before I start sounding all big and noble, my motivations were not health-based, rather financially based. (the health benefits are just a HUGE positive side-effect). You may be wondering how giving up sugar could have financial motivations - pretty simple - I have a rule: I will not buy clothes in a bigger size than I currently own. This can be a tough rule to uphold when your butt is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. When it comes to the point when you're wearing the same pair of jeans every day, simply because they haven't been in the dryer for awhile, they're stretched out, and you can still button them, there's a problem. Thus, the Atkins induction for two weeks (of which I am now on day 10!). I love sugar - specifically in the form of cake, cookies, and ice cream. Love it. I crave it. I love dessert. I somehow can't manage to ever eat the last bite of my lunch or dinner, but yet always have room for dessert. (hmmmm....wonder why my clothes don't fit...)

Now the other vice: Premarin. I've been taking it every day for almost 9 years... although they now recommend that women only take it for no more than 3 years. Risks: blood clots and breast cancer. Benefits: No hot flashes and no menopausal mood swings. Silly, I know. Most people would think that's an easy choice... however, if you've never experienced a hot flash (picture: your head trapped in a blazing furnace), it's hard to explain. So while I know I should have done this much sooner, I finally had the kick in the pants that I needed: no prescription coverage. While I'm thrilled to be out of Corporate America, a beautiful perk was great health insurance which covered the majority of the cost. It's hard to justify spending more than $100/month to avoid hot flashes. So I'm doing it.... finally...

If I had a choice, sugar or estrogen, I think I'd take the estrogen! ;-)

Ah... one of my great loves!

Bookstores. I love them. I absolutely, truly love them. It's my idea of heaven.

However... real life doesn't allow for a lot of time for visiting bookstores and the majority of my book purchases are done on Amazon.com. I forgot how much I loved the brick and mortar store.

When I was young, there was a WaldenBooks in the Maine Mall. Most of the girls my age would head to the clothing stores... not me. WaldenBooks was my first stop and my last stop with every visit. And today, bringing together books and coffee?! What a brilliant idea!!

As mentioned above, most of my book purchases are done online, but I needed a certain book today for training material development, so we went to Borders. I'm not sure what it is, but there's something almost magical about being surrounded by all of that information. I want to just stay there all day... or maybe a week.... or month... I wish we could have spent more time there, sipping coffee, perusing.

I used to read books voraciously, finishing at least 3 or 4 a week. Now it seems our time is filled with the Internet, tv, etc. (of course, growing up we didn't have cable and one of our three channels didn't come in very well - no wonder I was always reading!). I'm setting a goal to read at least 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes at night to try and get through my list of books that I want to read. I'm starting with Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Still a no-go on the cardio or hiking, but I was able to wear a shoe for the first time today! Progress! Every time I see "our" mountain, the big one, I'm just itching to go hiking again. I'm going to look through my book "Hiking Arizona" and start scheduling some good hikes and backpacking trips. Gotta be ready - August and RMNP will be here before we know it.

Day Eight - Ketosis!

Just a quick update because I'm beat tonight...

Great news: Got the HUGE order complete. It was down to the last minute, literally, but it's out the door and the client loves everything (and already ordered more!)

On the other business, we've got a number of big opportunities in front of us. There's definitely no shortage of work and D and I will be working under tight deadlines more than not over the next few months. We are so blessed!

On the diet front, still 100% on food, no desire to cheat whatsoever. I actually don't even feel like I'm dieting. I've lost 4 pounds and more than 5% body fat. :-) Only 4 more pounds to my goal weight! I am definitely in ketosis, with that lovely taste in my mouth, but I'll take the taste! Glad to know my body is responding.

I'm really disappointed, though, about not being able to work out. We were on such a roll and this ankle thing is a huge inconvenience. I really need to be not only doing my weights but also cardio... :-( Hopefully a few more days of rest and it will be back to normal.

Time to Make the Products....

Still working on the products for the big order due on Monday and I would say I'm about 2/3 complete - even with working yesterday from 3am - 10pm (and having Brandy help me for awhile). So the possibility of attending the super bowl party today is looking pretty slim - such a bummer. What are the chances of the Cardinals being in the Super Bowl??? But I'm going to work my butt off and see where we end up.

Eating plan - still 100% - have not exceeded my calorie goal or my carbs for a week and I'm plenty satisfied. I really do not feel like I'm dieting at all... which is great! (I hate to diet!!). Today might be tough if we do go to the party - I'm sure there will be lots of really tempting food. But one more week - I'm making progress and don't want to stop that progress, especially since I can't work out right now (which really sucks by the way!).

So after 6 days, I've lost 3 pounds and about 6% of my body fat! I wish the weight was more, but I'm really pleased with the body fat %.

Ok - back to working on product! :-)