Kripaya

 Another week is flying by. I had thought the days would pass more slowly once I retired. Instead they are flying by even faster. I do find that I am quite busy and much more physically active now which probably helps. I can now spread out my household chores and yard work across the week instead of trying to get it all done on the weekend. I have tackled over half of the projects I had on my list. I still have a large landscaping project to get to, but I am waiting for cooler weather and a trip to Waco for supplies. 

I am still watching the Aurora Borealis forecasts, hoping to catch a strong showing. Fairbanks or Yellowknife, NWT are my best bets. But weather and aurora forecasts just don't seem to want to align. Flights and hotels are also a detail that has to work out. I keep watching and hoping.

Since returning from Colorado, I have really been doing great with getting to the gym or going hiking. On Sunday I hit a goal that I was aiming to get to in the next month or so. I did a full hour/3177 steps on the stairmaster plus an hour on the treadmill. It felt great. I then went hiking on Monday at Mother Neff State Park and completed a 3.28 mile hike. It was a beautiful morning and I got started early before it warmed up. Tuesday and Wednesday, I was feeling my energy start to drain and I was having a bit of back pain. I still went to the gym both days but cut back on the stairmaster. I think I may take a day off today. 17 days without a break, I think one is due!

I have completed the first two chapters on my TEFL course. It is so easy and at the pace I was going I would complete it in just a few weeks. So I have slowed down and just trying to do a chapter a week instead of one a hour. I am trying to spend more time on my Nepali course instead. I thnk it might be starting to sink in as I was watching show on HBO while working out at the gym yesterday. "The Pitt", set in a Hospital Emergency Room. They had a seriously injured woman come in and they couldn't understand her and could not figure out what language she was speaking. She kept repeating Kripaya, kripaya.... Please, please - in Nepali. I knew!! They did eventually figure it out. 

Please - Kripaya

Thank you very much - Dherai Dhanyvada

Retirement Updates

 I am now in my 4th week of retirement. It still feels a bit surreal. It is still sinking in that I do not have to go back to work. I guess I am still trying to get my daily rhythm. I spent my first week getting ready for my trip to Colorado. The second week I spent in Colorado. Thursday of my third week and I have started my project list. First up was a solar clothes dryer, aka a clothesline in my back garden. I have it completed. 

Colorado was fantastic! The weather was perfect for hiking. Our Air BnB  apartment was really nice and the location right on the main street in Manitou Springs was perfect. The bedrooms were on the back side so they were quiet. 

Our first hike was to Cheyenne Canon Park, where the trail was Daniels Pass to Mount Muscoco - 4 miles, with 1,040 ft. of altitude gain. I really enjoyed the hike and the views were well worth it.  

Wednesday morning I set my alarm for 4 am. I started up the incline by 5 am hoping to be to the top for the sunrise. I made it and did it 45 minutes faster than last year. As I started back down I had to decide if I would go all the way and attempt a second climb or partial climb later in the day or just hop back on the trail at the 1800 step bail out and go back up about 900 steps to the summit and then all the way back down the Barr trail.This is what I did... I was questioning my life choices at one point, but once it was accomplished my confidence to take on the Inca Trail was encouraging. 

Our final hike was our favorite hike from last year - The Crags Trail in Pike National Forest. It is a moderately challenging hike due mostly to the first mile being uphill, followed by a mile of near flat and then a half mile uphill to the summit. Elevations from over 9000 ft to 10,780 ft. Oh, but those views at the top! We got surprised by the cold when we arrived, as it was 29f. It was 48 in Manitou Springs and we were not prepared for it to be as cold as it was. Once we got moving, we warmed up. So it wasn't too bad after the first mile.

We spent our last day driving the scenic route to Denver. We were hoping the aspens would be as pretty as they were last year, but unfortunately, they are changing a bit later this year.  We arrived in Denver earlier in the day than expected so we paid a visit to the Denver Zoo. We really enjoyed it. Afterwards, we went to lunch at a local Ethiopian Restaurant before heading to the airport for our flight home. The flight was delayed a bit so I crashed on Fantu's couch before driving home on Saturday morning.

I spent part of my weekend watching YouTube videos of the Inca Trail. I wavered a bit but when I looked at how much I had improved from last year on these hikes and knowing that I have five months to keep training at a more intensive pace, I decided to go for it and booked the trek for next April.  So Monday morning I paid my deposit, completed my forms and now I sit back and wait until the end of the month to get confirmation once the permits are purchased on the 29th release date. I went with Alpaca Expeditions as they are the highest rated, most trustworthy and are a Peruvian-owned and operated company. Their groups are a little larger than I would have liked and they hike a further distance on day two than some of the others (which will be a challenge for me). But with larger groups, I can hope there will be other people at my skill level so I won't be left behind!

I think I am going to enjoy my retirement. 

Surreal

 It is Thursday. I just checked my watch to confirm. It is wonderful living each day without having to look forward to the weekend. I am settling into a routine, which was something I had thought about and planned before retirement. I watch a few minutes of news when I wake up, just to get the weather forecast. I then do my yoga, make my coffee, and then sit out on the deck to drink it. I then refill the bird feeders, water plants and pick any ripe veggies I have. I tend to have a wonder around the yard, pulling weeds or pruning any plants that need it. On Tuesday, I pruned my front hedge, mowed the yard, and then did the trimming and edging. This took most of the morning and I replaced my afternoon workout with this. I took a nap instead. What a luxury to take a nap! It all still feels a bit surreal though knowing I don't have to ever go back to work. 

I do spend about an hour on the computer at some point during the day. Emails, social media, Nepali language lesson, and then of course this blog. After my upcoming Colorado trip I will start my TEFL certification course (online) and that will add about an additional hour a day online. I will also start some landscaping projects and a whole list of chores I have been putting off. My tent needs cleaning and some repairs. It took a beating from the wind in Big Bend this past February and one of the tie-down fasteners tore loose. I also need to go through my camping gear and get it organized and re-packed before my November trip to Guadalupe Mountain N.P. 

My fitness workouts are going really well. I did an hour on the stairmaster on Sunday. Full workouts Saturday and Monday. Yesterday I concentrated on the treadmill - 4 miles total with nearly 3 miles at 15% incline. Today will be the full workout and I'm planning tomorrow to do an hour on the stairmaster. 

The weather is looking good for Colorado and I am getting mentally prepared to do a double ascent of the Manitou Incline in one day. I'm feeling mostly confident, but I know it will be a challenge. The plan is to start the first hike at 4:30 am and catch the sunrise at the top. Once we descend, we will take a break, get something to eat then go back up starting by 10:00 am. Success will mean I can confidently book my Inca trail trek for next April. 

Wish me luck!

Like a kid waiting for Christmas

 Three days, 4 hours and counting down. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. I'm spending my work hours just wrapping things up. I'm sending all new requests to other people that will be either temporarily or permanently taking on my duties. It's a bit of a mess as no one knows what is going on and who will be doing what. My position as it is now, is being eliminated. No surprise there as the title and job duty change was made just to push me out of here a bit sooner. My position is being transferred downtown and while it will still do some of my current duties it is going to be the Executive Assistant to the Director of Marketing ( the b***ch that pushed me out). The replacement starts next week. She will get no training from me, and I don't think anyone else here really knows what all I do and how to do it to show her. But you know what? It's not my problem! 

I was chatting online with Alpaca Expeditions earlier. I needed to confirm how they handle solo travelers. They only charge an additional $30 for a single occupancy of the tent. Very doable! I will need to book before the end of the month as the Inca Trail permits are released in October for 2026. April isn't the busiest month but since I might need to be flexible on my dates I wanted to get it in early. Once I have confirmation then I can start looking at flights. I had a glance at them today and the flight plus two nights hotel was right around $1000.00. 

I am wanting to wait until after I return from Colorado to book this just in case my attempts to to a double on the Manitou Incline are a total bust, then I will know I need to look into the Lares trek or just a overnight Inca trail trek. My goal though is of course the 4-day Inca Trail Trek.

I only had a normal 2-day weekend this past one, so I didn't get three workouts in like I had been the previous five weeks. Saturday was my usual Stairmaster, Treadmill, Rower. On Sunday I just did a full hour on the Stairmaster. That was just over 3000 steps.  Starting this weekend and going forward it gets serious. Seven days a week at the gym or on the trails. No excuses. It will be a challenge as I will have to increase my calorie and protein intake. I have been looking at some changes and additions to my diet. Over the past month my weight drops a few pounds on the weekends after my workouts and then increases back up a few pounds during the week. Right now I swing between 115 - 118 lbs. I really need to stay there or even gain a few pounds before I go to Nepal. The EBC trek burns a lot of calories and the altitude can suppress the appetite so most people lose quite a bit of weight. 

So I guess this will be my last pre-retirement post. Woo hoo hoo! 

Time is slowing down...

 One more week. I hope it goes faster than this past week has. I only had a four-day work-week but it feels like I've been here for six. The days are dragging, I just sit and dream about walking out of here and creating a new beginning. Living life on my terms. I am so beyond ready. 

I am ready to take my workouts to the next level. I have hikes planned that will challenge me and are harder and longer than any I have ever done. I am going to travel to places that I want to see and do things I want to do... solo (well my daughter might join me occasionally). 

I am getting excited again about my trips to Peru and Nepal. Confidence is returning and the self-doubt and nerves are abating.  will be stepping well outside my comfort zone for both of those trips, but I am confident that they will be amazing adventures and experiences. I also realized that in exactly one year I will be on my way to Nepal. It has been eleven months since I committed to my volunteer position in Nepal. It has passed by quite quickly. I'm sure the next twelve months will fly by. 

This past weekends workouts were good. I had three days due to the holiday so I really pushed myself. 

Saturday  - 1 hour Stairmaster (3000+ steps) 40 minutes treadmill, 20 minutes rower

Sunday - 1 hour and 30 minutes treadmill ( 1 hour at 15%) 10 minutes rower

Monday - 40 minutes Stairmaster, 1 hour treadmill, 20 minutes rower.

I had wanted to go hiking on Monday, but heavy rains on Sunday meant the trails would be slick and muddy. 

Impatiently waiting... one more week.

Breathe in... Breathe out...

 Two weeks.... two weeks from today and I will work my last day. Two weeks from today I will put this sinking ship, shit-show, dumpster fire of a workplace behind me. I am beyond ready. The stress and drama of this place has worn me out this week. I am sitting in a darkened office today listening to meditation music trying to get this migraine to go away. I am not having much luck. four more hours and then a three day weekend begins. 

Breathe in.... breathe out...

I saw a post on Facebook that the construction project in Big Bend National Park that was scheduled to close down the Chisos Basin section of the park this year has been delayed until next year. I immediately went online and booked five nights at the Chisos Basin campground in February. I had regretted not hiking the 12 mile South Rim trail when I was there this past winter. So I am returning to take it on along with the other trails in the basin plus a few others that I had skipped. I wasn't feeling confident enough to do a 12 mile hike then, but I am now. It has over a 2000 ft altitude gain and is longer in distance than any of the daily hikes on both the Inca trail and EBC. This will give me three challenging hiking trips in the next few months prior to going to Peru. I will of course be doing a lot of local hikes in between these three.  Oh I cannot wait to get on the trails. 

Breathe in... breathe out... 

There is a saying that I'm sure most of you have heard, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". I can honestly say I'm not sure that has ever really been relatable to my life. Maybe when something major has occurred that forced me to make changes or inspired me to pursue a path that I had dreamed of. But the way things are going lately at work and the decisions I have made, well it seems that it's time has come. I was just cruising through my days counting down to my retirement in January. I knew what to expect each day when I came into work. Then out of the blue our department was reassigned from Parks and Rec to Communications and Marketing. I immediately had a bad feeling that I would be pushed out. When meeting with the new management team I stressed that I only had seven months left until I would retire with the hope that they would leave me alone. I guess that was wishful thinking on my part. They did at first as the Operations Manager position was vacant and they needed me to help run the facility and then help get a new manger up-to-speed once she started. Well it only took a month after she started for the shit to hit the fan. They knew exactly what to do to make me miserable and get me out the door even sooner. I was so lucky that within a week of the start of this crap I received confirmation of my retirement benefits and income. It was more than expected. It made retiring now totally doable. I would have just given a two week notice, but I didn't want to let down my co-workers just as we were entering a really busy period. So I decided to stay through one last huge event. I was going to gain so much by leaving in September instead of January. This gave me the whole of Autumn to go camping, hiking and daily trips to the gym. The daily negative drama that goes on in the office will be a thing of the past. I hope that the migraines (they recently started back up) will cease once I get away from the stress of this hell-hole. I have a list of projects to tackle around my home that I won't get bored any-time soon. My list of planned hikes grows by the day. I have so much more time to get in shape for Peru and Nepal my confidence has soared. 

Breathe in.... Breathe out...

Oh and drink some lemonade!

Looking forward

 Summer is winding down. I am so looking forward to cooler weather and knowing that I will be able to get out and hike without dying of heat stroke. Compared to the past three years this was a mild summer. Just a handful of days did the temperature hit 100f. We have had regular rain so that everything is still green. Usually by August the fields and roadsides are brown, and the soil dry and cracked. The humidity though has been a killer and as pushed the heat indexes up over 100 most days. The first cool fronts are starting to arrive, but they only bring the temperatures down a few degrees. It won't be long though until we start to see some drops that bring the days down to a pleasant "I wanna be outside" kind of day.

I have been looking at hiking trails that are within a easy drive to my house. I few I can make day trips out of, and some I can do an overnight camping trip. I plan on getting out on the trails at least once a week, with an overnight once a month (or more). I still plan on intense gym workouts on all the other days. So, speaking of the gym and workouts - I had a great weekend. Friday I did a full hour on the stair-master, 3010 steps, followed by 2 miles on the treadmill with 1.5 miles of that at 15% incline. I finished up the workout with 15 minutes on the rower. On Saturday I focused on the treadmill. Ninety minutes total with 55 minutes at 15% incline. I then did 30 minutes on the rower. I was feeling great on Sunday so I went for my full workout. 2000 steps on the stair-master, 3 miles on the treadmill with 1.5 miles of that at 15% and then 30 minutes on the rower. Sunday's total workout time was 2 hours and 10 minutes - my longest yet.  I was really tired by bedtime and a little bit sore, but I am fully recovered today. 

Peru is now seven months away and if I'm going to do the Inca trail I will need to get it booked by September 30th. I am also just over a year away from Nepal. I have to say I am getting a bit nervous about both trips. I am quite a bit older now than I was when I traveled to Ethiopia. I also had family with me on that trip That was ten years ago. It has been nine years since I last travelled internationally. I am not looking forward to those long flights. I have been looking into breaking up the flights to and from Nepal with a multi-day layover in Istanbul on the way over and then Singapore on the return flight home. I keep second guessing myself though about doing this, and wonder if it will make the trip even more stressful. I would love to see both of those cities and this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. But I would be adding additional days and expense to the trip. I also worry a bit about safety in both of those cities. I still have plenty of time to research it and decide. 

I've another three day weekend coming up - Labor day. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will be good for at least a hike at Mother Neff one day. Retirement is getting so close.... they are conducting interviews today for my replacement. As soon as they start (if it's before I leave) I plan on stepping aside and just be there to guide them as they learn. It's kind of odd though as quite a bit of what I will have to show them will  be changing in the next three months as new software comes online and then the catering and bars will be taken over by an outside vendor.  But it's best they are here to learn from the start rather than come in during the middle of all the changes. I am so glad I will not be here for it, hopefully I'll just be on a mountain somewhere!