Real Summer Is Hard To Come By 'Round Here

I gotta tell ya, guys. I'm doing pretty well. I've been really regimented in my eating for the past couple of weeks, with the exception of a couple of splurge meals over the weekend (including some amazing ice cream from the famous "Fenton's Creamery"). I've kept my caloric intake down to under at least 900 per day. That's a lot better in comparison to what I was taking in over the last few months. I'm not having as much trouble controlling myself lately and I'm so grateful for that. When I do well one day, I'm motivated to do even better the next. All about that cycle. And I just had a really nom omelette for lunch that I'd like to share:
-1 cup egg beaters
-3 slices 98% fat free ham
-1 slice reduced fat medium cheddar cheese
-spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cook over medium/low heat
-pour in egg, let cook until mostly hardened, flip over 
-place the ham on top, then tear cheese into strips and place over ham to kind of even out the surface area of the cheese
-fold in half, flip after about a minute
-let sit another minute, until cheese is melted. Add salt if desired. Enjoy!
-205 calories! Very filling without bloating you.

Anyway, so I decided that I'm going to take a little mini-vacay this weekend to the beach. The boy is out of town this week and weekend, I'm off Saturday and Sunday, I have nothing to do and nowhere to be, so I decided to get outta town for a bit. I gotta tell ya, I'm really excited. I booked a really cheap (as in like $50 cheap lol) hotel room for Saturday night and I'm really looking forward to being completely by myself for 2 days. And not mention, spend some time at the beach!!! I'm going down to the Santa Cruz area which is about an hour and a half away. Not too far, but far enough to make a real get away out of it. I just wanna do something different, spend some time alone, get some sun, hear the waves of the Pacific, stay somewhere that I don't have to clean up after myself... :) I just need it. 

Now that I've finally gotten my car back (hallelujah, a couple of weeks ago) thanks to family members helping out, I don't feel so trapped anymore. I don't have to stay home when I don't go to Oakland for the weekend. I can get out and continue exploring California. I feel free again! I'm not saying I'm gonna go crazy and run my poor Fiona to death, but I'm certainly going to take advantage of the fact that I can come and go as I please once again. Another thing that's kind of fixed itself is my homesickness. Of course I miss my family and friends, but it's not quite as achy as it was soon after my family left here almost a month ago. I've now been here for 4 months and it's finally kind of set in that this is my life. This isn't some prolonged vacation, this is my reality now. But that's still kind of hard to wrap my head around. I'm certainly happy with how everything has turned out and I'm grateful that my reality is such a positive one!

The one thing that I never thought I would miss has really started getting to me. I miss Summer in Alabama. Crazy, yeah? Yes. It just doesn't get hot here. And when it does, there's always a cool breeze to be found. Sounds like paradise, but it's really not when you grew up in 100 degree heat with 90% humidity. Yes, I miss the heat. I miss the sounds of the season: crickets, cicadas, frogs, all of those wonderful sounds. I have actually started sleeping with a sound app on my phone that plays those sounds for me. It's incredibly soothing for this Southern girl. I miss daytime rainstorms and thunder storms. I know you're thinking, 'am I reading the right blog? Is this actually Rachel writing this?' Yes, you read that correctly, I miss rain. I miss thunder, I miss the sound of it. I especially miss those late afternoon rainstorms that come out of nowhere. *Sigh*. I'm actually hoping for rain when I'm home in August! I know, right?! Who am I?! But seriously, just one day of hard rain would be heaven for me. When it rains here, it only lasts for about a half an hour at most. And when I say rain, I really mean drizzle. I doesn't rain hard ever. I hear you guys are sick of the rain, but seriously, don't take it for granted. 

So, the point of this post is to tell you that I'm happy. I'm happy with the people in my life, my job, my home, just the situation as a whole. I'm on the up and up with my weight loss journey and I'm proud of myself for righting my wrongs. My mood is good, my sleeping is good, my energy is up, and I'm feeling smiley :) I hope your lives are just as positive as mine at the moment and, as always, thanks for stickin' with me :D