Shrinking Natalie

I have not been globe-trotting. I have not been sick. I was not locked up in jail. Nor did I break all my fingers in a freak fly fishing accident.

So, why in the hell, do you ask, have I neglected this blog?

I do not have a good excuse. I have been delinquent; enjoying the summer with friends and family. The weather has been gorgeous here so I have seized the opportunity to:

• shop at the Farmer's Market
• go for long walks
• bike around my neighborhood
• eat leisurely on my deck with my husband
• go to the movies
• hike
• meet friends for alfresco lunches
• cook huge, healthy, inventive meals
  

Basically, enjoying life! Which means I find myself in front of the computer a little less these days. Does anyone else experience this in the summer time? It must be something ingrained in us from childhood. When that last school bell rings in June, we all lose focus a little bit. We all just want to curl up under a tree in the summer heat and daydream all afternoon.

But losing focus has not equaled going off-track. I have found it far easier to eat healthy this summer with all the wonderfully fresh produce available. I have taken to biking to our local Farmer's Market (10 miles round-trip) on Sunday mornings to pick-up something fresh for Sunday dinner. Yesterday I made Garlic Balsamic Beef Kebabs (beef, bell peppers, zucchini, & onion), fresh corn on the cob, and broccoli cheddar couscous.

And I do have to say, I am enjoying maintenance and that little extra cushion you have when it comes to tracking your food. When things pop-up like a sunset trip to Robek's for a smoothie, with the windows down in the Mustang, I don't feel guilty.

I finally have a feeling of peace. Who knows if its the summer lulling my senses, but I am happy with my life. I am confident in myself and my ability to maintain. For the first time in a long-time, I am not obsessing about my weight every minute of everyday. Could it be true? Have I beaten the monster I have wrestled with my whole life into submission? Sure feels like it. Sure feels like I am finally living life as I was meant to.

So, I apologize if my new found sense of peace drags me away from this computer screen a little more often.