Discover a New World of Romance with Christine Columbus

  Suddenly 62. My teeth have grayed. My skin wrinkled. My muscle churned to fat.   My regret, unfortunately it isn’t that I exercised more, it’s that I no longer write.

Today January 12, 2019.  A number of people were posting look how I aged.  The included their first profile pic and their last on facebook. So, I will include a pic from my first blog post and my last blog post.  Although the newest pic will be from my other site...RVWife.com I switched from blogger to wordpress because I had high hopes of writing about my experiences as a full-timer RVer, workamper and volunteer and had heard or read that wordpress was a friendlier format for professionals. I’m not sure if it was the format of wordpress or my own personal expectations...but I am not having as much fun blogging.  I believe I am 47 or 48. And this is me at 59 3/4 When I look at the two pictures the first thing I think is...it’s a good thing I can write, because I am not very good at taking photos. 

A year ago, we left Waukee IA with everything we owned packed in the back of our truck...   And now we are packing up our truck once again and leaving Rockaway Beach, OR...It seems we really didn't need everything ... and we donated or sold things along our way... And of course we also purchased new things...like a 24' camper.

When my son was four, I told him. “Five more minutes.” “Who’s minutes?” He asked. As I stood at the kitchen sink, with warm suds dripping from my fingertips, I explained. “Everyone’s minutes are the same. They all have 60 seconds…” “No,” he muttered. “They are not the same.” “Time is the same. Everyone has twenty-four hours in a day--” His head shook his little tow head. “No. They’re not. When you say, ‘five minutes before bed.’ Those are my minutes and they’re fast. And when you say, ‘I’ll be there in five minutes.’ Those are your slow minutes. Who’s minutes mine or yours’s?” When I look back, I am beginning to think he was right. The only way I could have possible managed to raise two children, work full-time, maintain a house, attend numerous activities and write was I had slow minutes.  Now I’m 56 and retired,  people say, "what do you do all day?" "I walk the dog, do up a few dishes, sometimes write." They look at me like my son d

I silently chanted, ears over hips, hips over heels, shoulders down and back as I walked the beach with the sun shinning and the temperatures nearing 50.   As the sand crunched beneath my hiking boots, my body elongated and I stood taller with each step.  Which could only mean my poor posture is a result of a colder climate (MN & WI) wind (IA) and lack of sun. When the temperatures dip below 40 degrees (with or without a wind chill factors) my shoulders hike high enough to keep my earlobes warm. After 50 plus years of living in Minnesota and trying to acclimate my body to cold/frigid temperatures, my body caved in, literally.  My shoulders, back and neck are rounded.  This was survival and my body's way to protect my heart from freezing. I know there are Minnesotans who drive with their convertible tops down year round, wear shorts and sun bath when temperatures rise above freezing.  But, I was never one of them. I didn’t discard my jacket or tur

As forgiving as a woman in love - is the attitude I have adopted for losing 20 pounds and writing a NYT Best Seller. A woman in love only sees what she wants to see, which means, I had a very successful week.  One night instead of microwave popcorn, I made a large bowl of air popped popcorn and used a packet of TrueLime for seasoning. Am I awesome, or what. Besides demonstrating self control, I showed I am capable of change. I also did two sets of arm exercises with an 8 pound bar.  Bring out the balloons and the party horns, things are getting better every day. I already forgot about the free samples of candy at Costco,  the two glasses of IPA at the bar, and the Pinot Noir. Never mind the naysayers. I know this time will be different. I will be in the 20 percent of people who manage to lose weight and keep it off. And this week I will also add bladder control exercises because when I get to the nursing home, I don’t want to wear absorbent undergarments. 

My fitbit app recorded 109,000 steps, my fitness pal app congratulated me for recording my food intake,  my vision board greeted me every time I opened my refrigerator door, I used positive affirmations, worked on posture with a  posture zone app and I gained 4/10 of a pound.   I am now up 1.4 lbs since January 1, 2016.  Which would be great, if my goal was to gain weight.  In the past, PTTF, (prior to turning fifty) dieting and exercise were easy.  All I had to do was eat less and exercise and I'd lose weight.  PTTF, I had a Diet Muse.  She presided over my spoon and fork stopping my forward progress, 'y ou're full. You don't crave or want any more to eat  or drink .'  How I feel looking at the scale. She'd whisper in my ear in the wee hours of the morning,  ' get up so you have time to exercise before work.' Why, oh why, did my Diet Muse desert me now?  Maybe this week I will look for an app to find my missing Diet M