Vacation time again!

One month from today I will be riding with my sister to the beach! The family vacation which includes me, my 2 sisters, one brother in law that no one can stand, ( he usually comes with A Speedo...eewwww!) the parents, 2 of my sisters friends that we love and one friend of mine that we love! (hopefully anyway...the Wench has been in South America traveling for 6 months !)

The house is big and beautiful and slap on the beach. A pool and hot tub on the ground floor deck overlooking the ocean.

I have been going with my family on vacation for 5 years now. This is the 6th ( duhh!) and each year since Ive been going I have gained at least 10 lbs during the 9 days we are there. How this is possible I have no idea.The first year I went was the first year that I gained any weight back from my big loss and I was mortified!

In the years that followed I gained the 10 lbs on vacation and would struggle the whole year to get it off. It never came off, so every year I have gotten 10 lbs heavier thanks to a great time of eating and drinking and basically being a total slug.

My family are big eaters and drinkers and it seems like vacation on the beach just lends itself to going whole hog...pun intended...

This year however, since I have begun my new life at the gym I will be taking full advantage of the little home gym in the basement.

Hopefully this will at least hold off on any gaining of weight while I'm there. My goal is to work out every day in the morning before we get started on our daily overindulgence's.

Our whole family is filled with overindulgence. Its like if you ask for a sandwich with a little turkey on it, you get a loaf of bread stuffed with half a turkey!!

There is food everywhere...and not much of it is healthy stuff. Well that's not really true. Were big eaters but we like our food made well with the best ingredients.

Like last year I made homemade buckwheat pancakes with fresh blueberries and maple syrup for one of our family breakfasts. Of course along with that we had eggs, bacon, grits and toast...and maybe another pork product as well...ugh..I get full just thinking about it!! My little fat free sugar free yogurt with berries for breakfast pales in comparison !!

Its hard not to want to create fabulous cuisine in a fabulous kitchen though. I'm really looking forward to cooking up something nice in this baby!! I love cooking and I love it even more in a

nice kitchen. My little rinky dink kitchen is great for me at home but my inner chef longs for a huge expanse of granite counter tops and a massive Viking stove with all the trimmings!! Eh, maybe someday.

I do pretty well in my little kitchen I must say.

In any case, I intend to enjoy it all. Sun, food, family and much wine ( or Miller Lite as the case may be) but keep up with the fitness routine in an attempt to not come back like a bloated puffer fish!!

I have to say vacation with the family, including the extended family members that come with us is something I look forward to all year. When I first started going I used to drive myself down to the gulf so I could escape back home if I wanted to. I did too. Each year I stayed a little longer and last year i was there the full 9 days for the first time. I also opted to drive down with my sister so i was kind of trapped but I'm glad I did.

I am so blessed to have such a family and friends as Ive said so many times, but I guess you cant say something like that enough.

I cant wait to dig my toes in the sand!! Its funny too that the beach is the ONLY place Ive ever worn a bathing suit in public. Somehow when I'm there I don't care as much. Oh the thoughts are still there.

Are they looking? Who's out on the beach today? Anyone under 30 and less than 200 lbs and I'm not going out!!

But I do go out, and I always love it. In fact sometimes I actually forget how big I am long enough to imagine a life without all that.

Ive often wondered if I moved to the beach if Id still feel that way, or if the magical quality would dissolve?

Is it an illusion created by the fact that its a different world for us all for 9 days and when you go back to your life it all comes back?

Maybe I will try and carry that feeling home with me this time.

Ahh...the beach....