Staycation - Good For Body and Soul!

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't blogged in a little while. The first few days were not by choice...I had to get a new modem and then catch up on my other work first. But the last three days were definitely by choice.

I desperately needed a vacation, but there are no funds in the budget to get away from it all. So it was time for a "staycation"...having a holiday at or near home to recharge when you can't afford a big trip. I made a conscious decision not to log on to the computer for three days, not even to write. You see, if I had turned it on to write, I would have been tempted to check my mail or social networking sites. The whole idea was to relax and enjoy the time without distractions, so I could be refreshed when it was time to get back to business. Since I don't have a Blackberry or iPhone, there was no tempatation in that department.

We never ventured far from home...we swam every day, went on long walks, and watched movies. I got to spend some uninterrupted time reading as well. I stuck to healthy foods except for one treat - ice cream on Sunday evening. I still drank plenty of water, especially with all of the time spent outdoors exercising.

The plan worked...I am now recharged and ready to tackle more writing and other ventures, plus I didn't wind up gaining any weight on this little vacation. In fact, I lost a little over a pound! How often do we go on any type of vacation and lose weight, unless it's at a spa or weight loss retreat? Not too often!

I highly recommend a staycation to all of you...even more so if you can't afford a regular vacation. With the stresses of life we all need to unplug and refresh our souls, so we can be more productive in the long run. Besides, we all need to enjoy ourselves now and then!

My Smoky Mountain Vacation!

It was soooooo nice to get away for 3 days and relax. I've been really busy which is wonderful, but we all need a little break every now and then. My husband, son, and I spent the weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains, staying at their waterpark Wilderness at the Smokies. We all really needed this vacation. It's been a rough year, and even though my husband has started his new job we still have a lot of catching up on bills to do. This was our first real vacation in 4 years, and we enjoyed every minute even though we wish it could have been longer.

I always say that I really should have been born south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I love all things Southern, and I enjoyed being able to have grits and as much REAL sweet tea as I could hold. We also had dinner at a great place called Bennett's in Pigeon Forge...amazing BBQ for the tummy and plenty of old blues music for the soul. If you are anywhere near this area I would highly recommend eating there. You will not be sorry! We spent a lot of time at the waterpark, both indoors and outdoors, and just had a great time as we let go of our worries for the weekend. It was a computer free trip, which made it even more relaxing. We are already planning on going back there sometime soon and staying longer, so we can have time to visit Dollywood and all of the other attractions that look so interesting. The budget could only handle a short trip this time, but now we can plan out a longer visit for when our finances are ready.

Now it's back to the regular schedule, and school starts next week so we're getting ready for that as well. It's also back to healthier eating for me...because while it's nice to be able to enjoy all of the great foods on vacation, after a while your body tells you to take a break from the rich fare. All in moderation, so now it's time to balance out my vacation menu with more of the nutritious stuff. Got to take care of my body...it's the only one I've got!

Back From a Well-Needed Mini Vacation!

Ahh...had a wonderful 3-day vacation in the Smoky Mountains. I'll tell you more about it later, because now I have to start getting everything ready for back-to-school with my son! Today's going to be a busy day...this is just a quick post to remind you that I'll be blogging about Huge tonight, so don't forget to tune in. Also, the Dance Your Ass Off Semifinals are tonight, and I'll be covering that as well. Have a wonderful day and I'll blog you later! :o)