Nov 30, 2013

Safari @ The Natural Bridges Wildlife Ranch

On the way home from our 3 days in San Antonio,
 we stopped for a couple of hours to drive through this wildlife ranch.
Kinda like a little safari where the animals come eat out of your hand - out of Amelie's hand.

There were quite a few cute characters!
Our favorites were the zebras!
And the baby giraffe was adorable!
 And the Crazy Emu or Ostrich who tried to eat our car!



Healthy Living Heritage

Good tasty food is a guilty pleasure of mine.
I love good food.

I've always been interested in healthy living, and have strived to make it my lifestyle.

It started early in my youth, having a fit active hard working father, and a mother who created wonderful tasty healthy meals from whole foods - a big portion of which were home grown and raised.
One way I knew she loved us kids was by her diligent dedication
in feeding us and making such wonderful food.
She would often ask me what I wanted to eat and a few days later,
there would be the requested dish for dinner!

We always had:

* Regular meals as a family

* A vegetable garden & fruit trees - I would often sometimes help plant, weed, 
water, pick, cut and help can our goodies.
My favorite caned good would be the cherries from our Cherry tree or the plums...

* Chickens
 I loved collecting the fresh eggs as a kid!
And lets not talk about how much I loved the oven roasted young chickens from heaven where a few of us 4 kids would fight for the golden delicious drumsticks!

* Ducks
The baby ducklings were too adorable!

* Rabbits
 So cute as babies, which I was careful not to get too attached to as they ended up in a
delicious stew on my dinner plate!

* And the occasional goat
Fresh goat cheese, which I never ate as a kid, I soooo regret it now!

Let's face it, French cooking and food is the best on the planet!
We were not "rich" as to money but "rich" as to food goodness! 
Our physical needs were always met, I never had to go to bed hungry.
I feel so blessed to have had such examples in my early years.
And blessed to have grown up in France.

Merci Maman et Papa!

I strive to pass on a little bit of this way of living to my kids.
It hasn't been without challenges.
We had dinner every night as a family and I am saddened that this tradition has been mostly lost...
SometimesI think that I have failed in so many ways...
I feel sad to think that this healthy heritage from my parents will be lost.
But there is always hope... Especially as you kids get older.

Also I've had some picky eaters - you know who you are!
Amelie has been my try-everything-eat-salad-and-fruit kid from the time she was a baby!

There are other food influences in our home that have not been cultured in quite the
same way in their upbringing. 
[Food 'snobness' intended]

I find the American way of eating not the best to say the least.
And yes, a lot of it has influenced our eating as it is often fast, instant and convenient.

I hope my Kids - you reading this? - will see some value in what I have tried to teach them and feed them. Even if it's later on in life.

My philosophy has been.
Try it. If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. 
But try it again later on, then again and again. 
One day you may like it.
Partake of Mother Earth's goodness!

 I was a little picky as a child too - for french standards - and now regret not eating all the wonderful things my maman would make.

My New Fitness Routine and Why I Exercise


For the past 2 years I've been doing Zumba 3 times a week and LOVING it!
Even though, I've been modifying any high impact dance moves, so it's not hard on the knees,
I still, unfortunately, the past few months, have started feeling some pain in my left knee.
Anyway I decided to stop for a while.

The challenge is to find something I enjoy doing.
I have to love it, if it feels to much like a chore, I won't do it.

So of course, I had to rethink my fitness routine.
Because I can't just do nothing as I know how important it is to stay active and fit, to keep my one and ONLY body, and mind, functioning properly.
I feel very grateful and blessed to have a body that in itself is an amazing wonder.
A gift from God.

 I don't like pain, and want to, at all cost, prevent any health issues I can.
I have to watch my cholesterol levels, as high cholesterol runs in my family,
and a recent blood test showed I am borderline high.
I also like eating what I want.
I like fitting in my clothes, and feeling attractive to my Hubby.
Bottom line: It keeps me feeling good, healthy and happy.
Also, being a Libra or in French a "Balance";
I like to feel evenly 'balanced'.

A Happy Body = A Happy Mind = A Happier Life

So Mike and I joined an affordable Gym on October 1st after trying it for a week.

I am now doing Yoga with a great teacher, and have discovered Body Flow and Piyo - which are all lower impact workouts.
I go almost every day to one of those classes, except Sunday of course...
Mike comes with me on Saturdays to Piyo with Elmer - who kicks our behinds and makes us sweat. 
It's our little Fitness date! 
I avoid watching him or listening to him grunt during the workout because it distracts me-
I tend to want to laugh, sorry Honey!

I LOVE it all!
 I've even learned some Ti Chi in Body Flow and like it.

And the best part of it all is that I have seen great results and feel GREAT in my body!
I've definitely gotten stronger and tightened up all over, especially those areas that tend to get loose with age.
Oh, and no more knee pain...


Nov 29, 2013

The San Antonio Temple

We visited The San Antonio Temple while there.
I was very impressed by it. 
The windows are all stained glass and are beautiful scenes of trees.
I love trees...
I went around it with Mike's phone and took too many pictures of them all.
Sorry the pictures are not that great!
Next time I come here, I want to go inside.

Have I mentioned I love San Antonio? 
One more reason why...

Nov 28, 2013

Shark's Cove

Here I got to touch a dolphin in the open viewing basin.

I LOVE aquariums, I stayed here a long time watching the fishies while Amelie coerced Mike into going on more roller coaster rides! Poor Mike he was starting to not feel so great!

I was sad that there were no Jelly fish display!
You would expect that from Sea World.

I would rather go to a nice Aquarium and learn about the ocean creatures than come again to Sea World.
Or better yet, snorkel with them in their natural habitat!

The huge Shark tank was cool though.
Loved the clown fish and the Sea horses!


Thanksgiving at Sea World

Since we got some passes for Sea world this past summer, we had decided to come back and do the shows during the less busy season.

I thought that Thanksgiving day would be just the perfect day!

All Americans are otherwise engaged.
Men are lounging around watching football.
Women are slaving in the kitchen cooking the traditional Turkey meal.
They then eat until their stomachs almost explode.
They must eat for 2 days so crazy people can then go freeze to death at some ungodly hours of the night or early morning to get a once in a life time deal during Black Friday that has gotten so ridiculous!

Mike was doubting me!

But once again, the wife was right!
No lines, no where.
Front row seats to every show.  
All you can ride attractions with 0 to 5mn wait time!
And again the Perfect weather!

So we left Thursday morning around 8:30 and got there around noon And stayed until 6-7pm.



The Roller coaster Amelie went on and on and on and on while I was waiting for her!
I kept looking for her to come out with the other people.
But she never did!
I knew she was on it, only because I could see her picture come up in the picture booth display.
Her, sitting in different carts, and pulling different faces!
What a little Turkey!
I finally had to go get her right as she came off the train...
(picture below)

It was getting darker, colder and Mike was waiting for us in the car
because he got tired and needed to rest.


Azul the Beluga and dolphin Show.

PS: I have since watch a documentary on sea World and the treatment of the killer whales
 and will not be going to Sea World again.
These gentile giants are not supposed to live in captivity...