Where's Annie?

Wow!

The time has flown and I find I haven't blogged in a while.

Time to catch up!

Summer was wonderful in my new house, 

but when the days began growing cold, 

and my bones began to ache, 

I knew I needed a change.

I called my friend Joe and said,

 "You going to the desert this year?"

He said "yes!"

I made him a deal he couldn't refuse. 

I agreed to drive and pay for the gasoline 

in exchange for him letting me stay in the little sunroom this winter. 

We had a hell of a drive in sheeting rain.

It was crazy!

We could barely see most of the way.

We saw several overturned cars and trucks.

People were driving too fast

and hydroplaning on the standing water!

We pulled into Hanford exhausted,

having driven straight through.

It was about a 14 hour trip.

I was happy to see my mom - she's doing well.

 We spent about 3 nights in Hanford.

I needed to visit my Aunt Vena, who just turned 98 this year.

I also had to collect some DNA from my Aunt Jean, her sister, 

so I could trace the family tree a bit more.

Then we were off to Desert Hot Springs to rest and relax.

I love this little place in the desert.

And I don't mind sharing space with Joe;

we've been friends for many years.

The park model has a regular bedroom where he lives,

but along the side, he's built a small sunroom.

It's a lovely little room with a bed and a desk.

 I share it with the washing machine and a few tools, 

but that's ok with me. 

And now, I have a plan!

As some of you know, 

I returned from the Camino last year

 only to experience a strange case of tendonitis in my ankle 

AFTER my return. 

I have been seeing my chiropractor regularly 

and the ankle is healing… slowly. 

 But the downside was 

that I've been unable to walk any distance at all.

That combined with sharing my house with three men 

who eat ice cream every night, 

and my lack of self-control, 

has led to a HUGE weight gain. 

I look in the mirror and say,

 "How did this happen?!"

Following the weight gain, 

and most likely because of it, 

my gallbladder began to complain.

Uh-oh!

So, I have a plan.

Here in the desert, there is nothing to do 

but write, exercise, and enjoy the sunshine.

I've decided to concentrate on my health and writing.

In order to create accountability, 

I'm going to blog my plan right here:

Writing and Genealogy

My writing will concentrate on my own family stories.

Several of my students have asked for a biography, 

so that will be one focus.

Also, I have many stories and interviews 

I have collected from the old folks in my family.

I need to get them written and in a safe place.

That will happen here.

Mixed in with those will be stories from the Camino.

Weight.

Morning - Fat Burning Workout by Joyce Vedral.

I've used this workout successfully in the past

 and hope to lose 5-10 pounds per month.

Afternoon - Walk

I began last night with only 10 minutes. 

I will increase 5 minutes each day as long as my ankle holds up. 

I hope to build up the strength slowly and not aggravate it.

Evening - Yoga

There are several nice bedtime yoga routines on You-Tube.

Last night I did this one and slept like a log!

http://youtu.be/k8kpMCVrFwo

Health.

I have ordered the herbs I need 

to do a complete kidney and gall-bladder cleanse.

I will begin as soon as the herbs arrive.

The kidney cleanse takes 13 days, 

after which I will do the gall-bladder cleanse.

The last time I did this cleanse, maybe 7 years ago,

 I released several hundred gallstones.

In the meantime, 

I'm eating healthy food, 

watching calories and fat, 

exercising,

and drinking lots of water.

I feel less bloated already.

Camino

We have two Camino trips planned this year.

The Best of Both will be led by Joe and it is nearly full.

We are also doing a Ladies Only trip, 

which will be led by Robin Lieberman.

You can read more about both 

at our Anniewalker's Camino website:

Anniewalkers Camino

We originally had three trips planned, 

but the Ebola scare mixed with economic woes 

apparently frightened some folks off 

and people cancelled to the point we had to drop one trip. 

It was a shame, really, because I feel flying is very safe 

and Spain is one of the safest places in the world. 

I'm much more comfortable walking alone in Spain 

than most places in the USA.

Will I walk this year?

At this point, I'm going to say no.

I need a year to rest and recover from this tendonitis injury.

But I'll be ready to walk in 2016 for sure!

So there it is in a nutshell.

If you're interested in walking the Camino, 

and would like to go with a small group, please get in touch. 

We also offer a KickStart program which is very affordable. 

With Kickstart, I give you all the information you need to plan your trip, 

and am available for email, telephone, 

and face-to-face Gmail or Skype chat.

For those of you planning your trip, I'm excited for you!

Please keep me in your prayers.

I REALLY want to walk next year!

Love,

Annie