Oh, The Temptation!

Hmmmmm.....Brownies. Is there anything better in this world? I don't think so. Now, there may be things as good, but certainly not better. Currently, I am on a mission, quest or maybe a beat you in the ground contest (okay, that may be a bit harsh) to lose some weight. How am I doing this (not by eating brownies!) you might ask? Well, eating healthy (thanks W.W.) and exercising each day. Not fun, not easy, but it is happening. So, how do these brownies figure in to this equation? Well, we are having a Evening Relief Society meeting (women's church meeting) tonight and I passed around sign ups for brownies. We did not have quite enough people sign up so I am making two pans of them. Oh, my house smells delicious! One pan a double chocolate batch and the other mint. hmmmmm......heaven, but it feels like I am in a very different place! Now, you might say that all things are okay in moderation. That might be true, but I have never been able to do brownies in moderation. I could eat this whole pan of brownies in one day, by myself. (don't judge!) I know that I will be coming home with leftovers and would like to let my kids and husband sample.........but I am not sure I can stand the temptation! Why, oh why do brownies have to be so delicious?

She Is Different Than I

Last April we were up in the mountains camping. It was FREEZING cold. While we were fighting with the wind to keep standing upright we saw a couple come walking in to the campground with a hiking pack on each back. We talked to them for a few minutes and found out that they were going on a 2650 mile hike from the border of Mexico up in to Canada. Yikes! We watched them set up their little, itty, bitty tent, eat a small meal and climb in to their tent to brave out the wind, clouds and rain. The next morning I was in the bathroom trying to help my kids shower and the lady, Cindy, came in. We talked for a bit and it was easy to recognize some major differences between us. First of all, I would NEVER walk that far, on purpose, for fun. She also talked about how it didn't bother her to go so long without showering (a big NO in my mind) among other things. She was really nice and we had a good visit. She finished her showering (much faster than I and mine), gave me a 'business' card to follow her trek and off she and her husband went in to the 'cloud sitting on top of you' day.

So, I went on to her blog and have followed it and her over the last year. I have enjoyed reading about her life, but I now know for certain we are totally different. If she is tired she doesn't care if million ants are climbing all over her feet. For me, I could not be tired enough to not care! That would never be a 'I don't care' moment.

Cindy and her husband live kind of like nomads. For a few years they did not have a home. They lived with other people that they met on line through a 'share your home' type of thing. She actually gave me some information on it so that we could join. Basically, you open your house, yard, whatever to people who belong to this group to come and stay with you for how ever long they need to. You have the option to do the same with them. Nice for them, but so not me. Needless to say, we did not join. Her husband's job is as a professional gambler. Really. He is heading off to Vegas now to start the super bowl gambling and then they will be living in Vegas for 3 to 4 months for some other type of gambling. He is big in to math and I guess does quite a good job at it. They ended up buying a ranch to open it up for people traveling around.

Other differences? She is a soy milk, crazy healthy food person. Me? Not so much! I love real milk. I do like healthy food, but I am more than happy to eat something that is processed. I will eat things non organic and I am betting that Cindy is not the same. I will wear high heel shoes and dress up. She doesn't really like that at all. No dressing up and totally casual all of the time. She is also in to roller derby. Now, I think that would be fun, but there is no way I could do it. She is on a team and does really well. How fun is that? It totally fits her personality.

When we met she expressed her views about our border laws and the Border Patrol. That was quite funny considering what James does for a living. lol She is very much the 'there is no worries about anything' and 'no wrong can happen'. I loved visiting with her. I love reading her blog. It is amazing to see how different we are, but great to know that you can be different but both still be great. It was an enriching encounter and still is as I follow her life. Does she know about or remember me? Probably not, seeing as how I am a silent blog stalker. I come, read, and go, but she makes my reading fun! So, thanks for the journey, Cindy!