i love bread too

By now, you've probably seen the Weight Watchers commercial that's little more than Oprah saying, over and over again, that she lost weight and still ate bread. Amazing! Who knew you could eat things you like AS PART OF A HEALTHY DIET?!

Obviously this commercial annoys me a bit, but it does bring up a few good points. For starters, what year is it that we still think bread is so unhealthy (apologies to people with Celiac)? When I started working back in 1998, my boss at the time was obsessed with the Atkins diet. I worked at a hot dog/ice cream shack during the summers, and every day I watched him pile a few hot dogs up with chili and cheese and call it "healthy" because he skipped the bun. Even as a teen, I knew that wasn't quite right. There's a reason bread is at the foundation of the food pyramid. Like many other foods when eaten in moderation, it's good for you!

I. LOVE. BREAD.

The other thing that bothers me is the idea that you can't eat certain things AT ALL if you're trying to lose weight. The problem with that assumption is this: If you cut out bread entirely in order to lose weight, one of a few things is probably going to happen. Maybe you'll start missing bead so much that you'll go off the deep-end and find yourself on a bread bender. Believe me, I've been there after completely cutting other things out of my diet (several times while on Weight Watchers). Or you'll reach your goal weight and decide to go back to your old bread-eating ways and wonder why you're starting to gain weight again.

In this second example, this applies to everything you used to eat, but stopped eating just to lose weight fast. This is pretty much what happened to me every.single.time I did Weight Watchers. I was extremely restrictive and cut every "bad" food out that I could, only to reach my goal weight and start eating the same way that I used to. That doesn't work, and it's not sustainable for the long-term. So why not just admit that you like bread and eat it in moderation as part of a healthy diet?

For the past few years I've learned the secret to being healthy in a way that you can keep up for the rest of your life (though it does take a little work). Don't "diet;" change your lifestyle, and stick with it. Easier said than done, I know. Find healthy foods that you like, and eat those. Stop eating processed crap and pay attention to your portions. And if you want to splurge a little? By all means, go for it. I don't deprive myself of anything that I really want (although I do think pretty hard about how much I really want it). Yes, my weight still goes up and down (and it's currently on the "up" side because I started splurging more and more last year), but I'm more likely to stick to a healthy meal plan if I feel like I still get to eat the things I really like from time to time. 

2016 Frosty Footrace 5k Race Recap

Yesterday was the Frosty Footrace 5k, which was: 1) my first race since November 2014, 2) my first 5k since August of that year, and 3) my first time running my new hometown race!

Sometime around Christmas or so, we got the Round Lake Area Park District winter catalog in the mail and it had the Frosty Footrace on the cover. At the time, I wasn't sure if I would be even close to 5k shape by the end of February, since I had been pretty sluggish and inactive for the better part of 2015. But still, I kept Frosty in the back of my mind because it was a cheap, local race, and seemed like a good way to push myself to get back into shape. During the last week of January I decided to start training for the race and made up a 5-week training plan (and subsequently got the stomach flu the following day, because that's what always seems to happen when I train for things). I logged about 35 miles over 13 training runs during that period of time, in addition to keeping up with my strength work and taking Kim's boxing class 4 more times.

Going into the race, I had a few pretty simple goals in mind. The first was to have fun. The second was to run the entire thing. My third goal was a very loose time goal of 40 minutes, since that's what I had been logging in my training runs. Pretty doable I thought (start small, right?), but I had no idea that there would be 20 mph winds during the race, nor that it would be so very hilly (which is stupid, since everything out here is hilly!). Kim posted an elevation chart in her Frosty recap, if you're curious. Those hills were no joke! But more on that later.

Because this race is in the winter, when it would normally be pretty cold, it has an 11am start time. Terry and I were down in the city on Saturday night, so I was glad for the late start in that regard, but starting that late in the morning ended up giving me so much time to freak out about the race. I was also anxious because I wasn't pre-registered, and had never done race day registration before. Being used to big races in the city where everything is a logistical nightmare, I had no idea how easy this would be. I drove 5 minutes to the race site, parked right out front, didn't have to wait in line, and was registered within 10 minutes of leaving the house. Sweet! I went back to my car to hang out for a while, since I still had 45 minutes until race time.

Not long after, I saw Kim, her husband (who took all of the pictures in this post), and Rachel walking in, so I went to say hi to them, which totally calmed my nerves. The time before the race seemed to pass quickly, and before I knew it, we were lining up to start! Although the race was gun-timed, I dropped to the middle of the pack, not wanting to get in the way of the speedier runners.

At 11:00 we were off! I seemed to pick a perfect place to start the race, since everyone was at about the same pace as me. But once we turned the first corner out of the parking lot, there was the first of many hills. Most of the people I was running with slowed to a walk. If I had been doing this race even a few months ago, I admittedly would have been walking too. But with a couple months of hill training under my belt, I kept pushing up the hills. I passed so many people going up the hills! And not just walkers, there were a few people running too, and I flew by them! Since I'm usually the one getting passed, this was a huge confidence boost.

As the race continued on there were more hills that were pretty much comparable with my neighborhood's hills. As I was approaching the 2 mile mark, the wind really picked up. It definitely slowed me down, but I kept on pushing. Not long after hitting 2 miles, the race goes near the finish line. I saw Rachel finish, and waved to her and Kim. I was totally focused on running and listening to music, so I didn't notice Kim running toward me. She asked if I needed company to finish the race. Um yes, please! She joined me right as the race entered the most challenging hills. Because why wouldn't you throw those in for the last mile?

Flying by my cheering squad

As we got closer to the finish, Rachel was running toward us, coming to help run me in to the finish. The hills finally let up and I was able to pick up some speed again. As we reached the last tenth mile, they dropped to the side to let me finish. I don't know how I was able to do it, but something just clicked and I gunned it, sprinting for the finish. This was the fastest, strongest finish I've ever had in a race. This makes me think I could have pushed a little harder during the rest of the race, but I wanted to conserve energy because of all of the hills. Either way, it felt really damn good to fly toward the finisher chute. Finishing this race so strong reminded me of exactly why I got into racing in the first place. It feels so good and exhilarating to run a good race!

I finished in 39:52, so just 8 seconds ahead of my time goal. Although nowhere near a PR, this was also not a PW (that honor belongs to the 2011 Hot Chocolate 5k, which I didn't train for at all, and run/walked my way into a 48 minute finish). I finished about 50 seconds slower than the 2012 Ravenswood Run 5k, which was the first race I ever actually trained for. I think that's a good one to compare this effort to since my training for both races was pretty similar. What's different about this race is that I'm about 35 pounds heavier now than I was then, and The Ravenswood Run isn't hilly at all. I think this bodes pretty well for future races if I can find some flat courses, and as I start losing more weight and getting into better shape.

little by little

It's taken me a while, but I'm finally starting to get back to the fit, healthy person I was a couple of years ago. If I re-read some of my old posts from 2012 as I was starting to get in shape, losing weight, and adopting a healthier lifestyle, it's definitely disheartening that I let all of that hard work kind of fall to the wayside last year. It feels like every time I work really hard to get down to a healthy weight I tell myself this is the last time, and it never seems to stick. And it takes getting back up to my highest weight ever to give me the kick in the pants that I need to do something about it.

In September, I found myself at an all-time high weight. About 15 pounds higher than my old all-time high weight, when I started working out with a trainer in late 2011. 2012 Anne is shaking her head at me, giving me a huge "WTF????" As it always does, the weight snuck up on me. Except that I had to keep buying new clothes a size up. So it shouldn't have been a huge surprise, but I tend to find myself in denial about weight-related things a lot. I wasn't even weighing myself for a while because I just didn't want to know.

Even knowing that my weight had gotten so out of control last fall, I couldn't seem to get into a good, healthy groove. I'd work out for a few days, feel good about it, but then something would come up that would prevent me from really getting into the habit of doing it regularly. This attempt to start running again failed after a couple of weeks because I just couldn't stick with it (enter excuses such as work, shitty weather, life, etc.). I just didn't want it enough.

But as 2016 began, I turned a corner and am finally (for real this time, guys, I swear) getting back on track. After months of inviting me to return to her group fitness classes, I finally gave in and took Kim's fitness boxing class. I kept finding reasons to shoot her down, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered why I wasn't going. Was I afraid of being so grossly out of shape that I couldn't keep up? Heck, even when I was in my best shape, Kim's classes were challenging! And if I was afraid, what better environment to dive back into fitness in than by taking a class taught by a friend? So on January 2nd I went to class, kicked some ass, and started to feel like me again.

I'm boxing my friend Melanie over on the left in the bottom picture
(pictures from Kim)

I've since gone to 3 of Kim's boxing classes, and have a few more on my calendar (thanks to the 10-class punch card I purchased). After nearly a year and a half without a group fitness class, I forgot how awesome that environment is, and how motivating it is for me. Working out with a bunch of really strong, fit women made me want to be like that again too, so it's made me continue working out in between classes.

I'm also finally starting to run again. I had been doing occasional run intervals on the treadmill for a little while. Then a couple of weeks ago when we had one of those rare warm winter days, I ran the 1.6 mile neighborhood loop without much trouble. It felt awesome and exhilarating! I decided to train for my town's 5k at the end of February, and yesterday actually ran a full 5k again for the first time since I don't know when.

Aforementioned warm, sunny day

The other thing that's different from all of my previous attempts to get back into shape over the past year is that, by sticking with it and eating better (mostly by skipping seconds and limiting my portion sizes), I'm actually seeing results! I'm feeling better and more fit each time I work out, and to date I've lost 11.4 pounds. I still have another 40 to go (yikes), but if I can actually stay on track this time, I think I'll get there.

Yes, Overweight People Work Out Too!

I'm sure you've all seen the Women's Running cover this month, which features a plus-sized runner. As an often plus-sized person who has found pretty much all forms of exercise intimidating at some point in my life (even dating back to grade school gym class, ugh), I do think it's awesome to finally acknowledge that plus-sized people can and do exercise too.

The editor-in-chief, Jessica Sebor, said as much:

"There's a stereotype that all runners are skinny, and that's just not the case," Sebor said. "Runners come in all shapes and sizes. You can go [to] any race finish line, from a 5K to a marathon, and see that. It was important for us to celebrate that. I think that every woman goes to the magazine rack sometimes and feels like she can't see herself in the cover images. We wanted our readers to feel like they could see themselves in our cover." {source}

And I am happy to finally see someone who looks "like me" gracing the cover of a fitness magazine, or occasionally modeling clothes for some of the online retailers I shop at (not many, mind you, but some at least). But I also think it's a little sad that this is big, breaking news. A magazine having a plus-sized woman on their cover shouldn't be a "powerful statement," but in our society, it is. If we just accepted our bodies--no matter the shape or size--in the first place, this kind of thing wouldn't be a big deal.

And it's this lack of overall acceptance that makes some people think they shouldn't run or be active in the first place:

"Some women believe that since they have curves they can’t run or shouldn’t run. Running is for every body anytime." {source}

I remember being so nervous the first time I went for a run around my old neighborhood. Would people see me and know I'm not a runner because I don't have a "runner's body?" Except that if I'm running, I am a runner. And surely people at the gym must have thought I didn't belong there when I first started working out because I wasn't already ripped. I even had the same thought the first few times I swam laps at a Park District pool - these high school-aged lifeguards are going to know I have no clue what I'm doing and probably laugh at my horrible form because I don't look like the typical swimmer. But I quickly got past feeling self-conscious and kept doing all of these things because I enjoyed them. Who cares if I'm a little heavier than the person on the treadmill next to me, or if I don't have a six-pack like someone else in my gym class? Why can't we all just be comfortable in our own skin?

It's not loving our bodies for what they are that also makes so many of us double and triple check photos of ourselves before posting online, because someone may notice what we perceive to be our flaws. Oh no, if I post a picture of myself in a sleeveless shirt, people are going to notice right away that I have arms that aren't super-toned! Do I wish my arms were more toned, like they used to be? Yes, of course I do. But that's on me to change. And chances are most people aren't going to notice or care about my arms, because I know I don't care about anyone else's arms.

*Gasp* please don't look at my arms, stomach or thighs!
Or do, whatever, IDGAF

I guess what I'm getting at here is that anyone at any shape or size can work out, run, wear sleeveless tops, etc. if they'd just stop worrying so much about what others think and love their bodies the way that they are, not the way that they want them to be. Maybe if more of us started doing this it wouldn't be so inspiring or news-making to feature a plus-sized runner on a magazine cover.

Five Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago

Yet again, I'm borrowing post ideas from others. I was inspired by Erica's post of five things she was doing 10 years ago, and how things have changed. Because the last 10 years covers my mid-20's through early-30's, they've inevitably been full of a lot of change.

1. I was living in Chicago. I moved to Chicago in June of 2004, so I had been here for about a year in 2005 (yay, math!). I fell in love with Chicago instantly, and still consider it the greatest city in the world. Of course, what's different now is that I've moved out of the city and am planning to move away from Illinois in the near future. That's definitely not something I would have guessed 10 years ago, but I really had no idea where life would take me!

Me and my black hair (why, past Anne, WHY???) in 2004

2. I was living by myself for the first time. I was originally living with my high school BFF, Jessie, when I moved here. But within a year she moved back to Ohio for a boy to go back to school, leaving me on my own for the first time in my life. It was hard at first, especially since I didn't have any furniture, money, or real clue about how to live on my own, but I think this was such a valuable experience. I ended up living on my own for 3 years, and although it was tough and a little lonely at times, I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I learned so much in those years! I became really good at being independent and self-sufficient, which has definitely served me well (and also made it hard for me to let anyone in for a long time, but that's probably another post). I think living alone is something everyone should do at some point in their lives, just to know that they can.

My first apartment building: Ridge Avenue in Edgewater, Chicago

3. I was working for a big, suburban corporation. In 2005 I had already been in the job that I thought would be temporary for about a year. I always wanted to find a job downtown because my commute was so horrible, and because working downtown just seemed like it'd be so cool. That obviously never happened since I'm coming up on my 11 year anniversary with my company. So.... yeah. Part of me still wishes I could have had the downtown experience while living in the city, but there's some perks to working for the same company for a while. I get more vacation time than I would if I were starting somewhere new, I make my own hours, work from home when I want (and am going to be 100% virtual in a few months), and mostly don't give a f*ck. I have seniority over a lot of people I work with, which can be helpful at times (even if it does make me feel a little old or like a "lifer").

In the office in 2005 and 2015 (note the old-school computer monitor on the left)

4. I didn't know anyone in Chicago. One thing that's dramatically different is that 10 years ago, I didn't really know anyone in Chicago. I had made a couple friends through work (which I still do, you know, since I recently married my work BFF) but spent most of my time on my own, exploring the city. I think that's one reason I love the city of Chicago so much - for a while there, it was all I had (and it is my longest relationship to date!). But I'm also lucky to have eventually made a lot of really awesome friends here. Of course, knowing so many wonderful people makes it all that much harder to move away, but I'll have plenty of friends to visit whenever I'm back in the Midwest!

5. I wasn't taking care of my health and well-being. At all. 24 year-old Anne didn't have a clue. I was doing Weight Watchers on and off (but restricting myself way too much), drinking pretty regularly, working constantly, sleeping very little, and never exercised. My only "health" goal was to keep my weight in check, which I did, but not in a healthy way. There's a lot more to this, but I just didn't care to make myself and my health the priority that it should always be. This eventually caught up with me as I gained and lost significant amounts of weight several times, and had borderline high cholesterol and was at risk for diabetes before I even turned 30.

At the end of 2011 my gym was offering a personal training special so I signed up, met my trainer, Katy, and changed my entire mindset (and life, really). Thanks to Katy, I finally learned what I should be doing to be healthy in a sustainable way: eat right and exercise. It sounds so simple, but this eluded me for much of the past decade, as I'm sure it does many others. I've scaled back a bit on my exercising and gained a little weight back over the past year, but I've been finding my way back on track, slowly but surely. I can still hear the trainers from my old gym in Chicago encouraging me (or yelling at me to keep going, ha!) when I do some old workout routines, so the lessons I learned have definitely stuck with me! I think this is the biggest and most important change for me from 2005 to now, and taking care of myself and eventually making myself and my own happiness a priority has driven a lot of decisions that have ultimately made my life a lot better.

Despite all the weight issues, I was definitely not lacking confidence in 2005

What were you up to 10 years ago?

I wish that I knew all I know now when I was younger

I loved Erica's post with Tips for My Younger Self this week (and Emily's follow-up post). And since, lately, this blog is just a lot of posts inspired by other bloggers, I wanted to join in the reflective fun. I'll be turning 34 next month, and although I do still consider myself to be pretty young, I've learned a lot since finishing school and growing into an adult.

Don’t worry about what other people think; just be yourself. I think this is the most important thing I could ever tell a younger version of me, or anyone else, really. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of you, so stop worrying about it or comparing yourself to others. And if someone wants you to be anyone other than who you are, you don’t need them. I've lost myself a few times over the years, and in hindsight, it’s pissed me off that I didn't have the confidence to just be me.

Gift from Mom and Carrie

Don’t be afraid to change your life or take a risk. I’m no stranger to taking risks or just totally uprooting my life, but I’ll admit, with a lot of the most recent changes that I made, it took me a lot of time (and, if you know me, over-analysis) to work up the conviction and courage to do it. I knew that I was unhappy, but doing something like getting divorced seemed like a pretty big leap to take. Was I being selfish? Crazy? Overreacting? Asking too much? Thinking that the grass is greener? The answer to all of these questions is “no,” but big decisions are bound to bring a lot of self-doubt. Making a change is hard, but if it’s the right thing to do – if you really believe you’ll be happier away from your current situation – it’s worth the temporary discomfort and inconveniences.

Always remember just how awesome you are and how awesome you can be. I lost this for a really long time. It’s not that I wasn't confident in myself or in my abilities, but I have at times somehow forgotten that I deserve better than what life was giving me. I think this is a reminder that we all need from time to time, and I’m really lucky to have constant reminders of it now.

"Complacent" isn't good enough. Never settle. It’s so easy to fall into a comfortable routine or situation, and we all do it. This isn't necessarily bad, but you should always ask yourself if you’re happy, or if you want more. If you’re happy, great! If not, find a way to get there. It doesn't always have to involve a huge life change; you may just need a minor tweak. But it’s always good to evaluate this on a regular basis.

Never give up, you’re stronger than you think. I don’t think there’s an area in my life where I haven’t been able to apply this. I've gone from being sedentary and obese to being able to run half-marathons, kick butt in HIIT classes, swim laps and even dead-lift well over 100 pounds. In my career, I worked my way up from a temporary admin with a 3 month contract and no experience to a senior project manager with nothing but hard work and determination. I've been able to start over and re-invent myself a few times, even when the odds seemed totally against me (which people definitely told me at the time!).

 

Let go of anger, it’s not worth it. It’s just not. I've wasted so much time over the years (and yes, even recently) being angry about things that are in the past, out of my control, or not that important in the grand scheme of things. All I've ever gotten from being angry is stress, so what’s the point? On that same token…

Forgive yourself. We all make mistakes, but the only way to move on to better situations is to forgive yourself and let it go.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If your friend or family member was in trouble and needed your help, you’d do everything you could, right? Then why do so many of us feel like we can’t ask for help when we need it? I ended up in Chicago in the first place by taking my high school friends up on an offer to sleep on an air mattress in their spare room while I looked for a job. I’m so thankful that they were willing to help me out like that, because it led to a whole new life.

Not an air mattress, but totally on par with our decor

Don’t forget about your family. I've been guilty of this a lot over the years, and it wasn't really until recently – with a lot of perspective from Carrie – that I realized just how important they are. Carrie lost her own parents, but always took the time to let my parents know that she was thinking about them. She’d call them regularly, send them cards here and there, or pick up little gifts that made her think of them. I always just assumed that my family knew that I love them and think about them, but honestly, people don’t know that unless you tell them or show them in some way.

With my parents and Carrie in 2012

Be smart about money. Of all of the life choices I've made, or situations I've found myself in, debt is probably the longest lasting. I've had a pretty significant amount of debt since I moved to Chicago in 2004, living many of those years paycheck-to-paycheck, obsessively accounting for every single penny (thanks, Excel!). In my early years here, I often did have to choose between groceries and doing anything fun at all (thankfully my office used to give us free food, so I could get away with skimping on groceries a little more back then!). I didn't view credit cards as being “real money” until it was too late and I had dug myself into hole after hole of debt. I've been working nearly half my life and have nothing to show for it, which is a pretty sad realization. I’m extremely happy to say that as of mid-June, my debt will be totally gone. But it certainly took a long time, a lot of help, and some pretty aggressive penny pinching to free myself of it, and it’s the one poor decision that’s been the hardest to shake.

Learn something and move on. The nice thing about life is that we’re always able to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try again. What’s even better is if you can do that and learn something in the process, in hopes of not making the same mistake again.

What would you tell your younger self?

Washington State, Revisited

This past weekend I took my 4th trip to the West Coast in as many months. Apparently the Left Coast, especially the Pacific Northwest, is my favorite. I visited Washington State for the first time ever in December, spending a long weekend in Seattle. This most recent trip had a bit of a sad undertone - my parents, aunt, and gentleman friend T. and I were there for Carrie's memorial service. Carrie didn't want anything formal, so the weekend was a chance for those of us who knew and loved her to get together at one of her favorite places - Ocean Shores, WA (a place not far from where she grew up, and the town where my brother was living when they met) -  to celebrate her life.

For as meaningful and emotional as the week that I spent in California before Carrie passed away was, this past weekend ranks up there in terms of significant trips. If it had been for anyone else, the weekend may have been sad and somber, but in the spirit of Carrie's sense of adventure and love for travel, T. and I decided to make the best of our time in Washington.

We flew into Seattle bright and early on Friday morning. We rented a car for the 3 hour trip to Ocean Shores, and agreed to pick my aunt and dad up from the airport too, since my brother and mom were driving up from California. Everyone's flights landed a few hours apart (8:30, 11 and 2), so we had some time to kill. After grabbing some breakfast, we went back to SeaTac to pick up my aunt and took her down to the Pike Market. You know, now that T. and I have visited Seattle once, we know our way around pretty well. If you don't count the accidental 3 mile round trip walk from the parking garage to the Market. But it was a nice day and my aunt had never been to Seattle, so obviously we were making sure she could see the city. Wasn't that considerate?

I think I need to go to the market anytime I'm in Seattle. There's so many tasty things there! I wanted to pick up some hybrid apples that we had there in December and can't find anywhere else (unless you, readers, know where I can get Opal apples in the Midwest? No?). It was awesome being there during the spring time since there were beautiful fresh flowers at just about every other stand.

We eventually made our way over to Ocean Shores in a nice mess of rain, traffic, rain and more traffic. It rained pretty much non-stop on Friday night, which made me wonder how Carrie's beach memorial service would go, but I'll get to that. On Saturday morning, T. and I headed to the beach to try to take a walk. Unfortunately it was only 40 degrees, windy and constantly threatening to storm, so we weren't out long. But it was pretty.

A faint rainbow

T. the shadow man

Carrie's wake and memorial were in the afternoon. Something I didn't really expect was that so many of her friends and family that I had never met already knew me! Some said that Carrie had told them all about me, but a lot of people were saying they recognized me from the Lung Run fundraising pages over the years, or even from Facebook. Talking to so many people that Carrie knew was really neat, because she truly touched so many lives. Everyone she met became a friend, and she had such a strong and positive impact on so many people. She was obviously an extraordinary person.

After the wake we all paraded out to the beach for a simple ceremony to scatter some of Carrie's ashes. I got to walk my canine BFF, Lucky, over to the beach. I miss having dogs, so I'm glad Lucky is always willing to hang out with me. He's 4 years old but still acts like a crazy puppy, so I ran him around to tire him out. Which did nothing but amp him up more and wear me out.

There were several dozen of Carrie's favorite roses - yellow and pink - that everyone threw out into the ocean to remember her. It was unlike any other ceremony I've been to, and was beautiful. And, somehow, the weather was just perfect. Sunny, not too windy and not too cold.

That night, about 30 of us had dinner together at Carrie's favorite restaurant in town. There was a slide show full of pictures of her, and my brother gave a really nice eulogy. I had just met a lot of the people at dinner that day, but everyone felt like family because of our common tie to Carrie. I think she would love knowing that so many people were coming together for her and bonding over her.

On Sunday morning we had plans to have brunch at the nearby casino with everyone, but first T. and I drove an hour north to Olympic National Park and hiked through a rain forest. I say that like it's no big deal, like we just hike through rain forests here in the Midwest all the time. But seriously, it was really cool!

Driving with the sunrise

Lake Quinalt

Driving back to Ocean Shores

I love everything I've seen in Washington and am excited to be able to visit it a lot more often once I live out that way. The air is so fresh, and it's so green and lush there! Of course, that's because it rains all the time (that doesn't really seem to be a myth). And I'm happy to have had a few days in a beautiful place to remember and celebrate an amazing person. I wished she had been there so I could tell her all about my and T's adventures exploring the area, but I think she was in spirit.