Oh so lost

In preparation for a road trip, I decided to update the maps on my GPS. It did not go well.

 

I learned that I needed to connect my GPS unit to my computer. I would have bet my life I did not have this cord so I tried my camera cord. This did not work. Luckily (ha!) I was able to find the proper cord.

 

So, I started the update. Things seemed to going well....until it stalled partway through. I figured it was some kind of glitch, so I tried again. I followed all instructions and power cycled the unit.

 

When I turned it on, a lovely warning came up about there being no navigational maps on the device.  UM, WTF? Isn’t a GPS unit an electronic map?! should there not be maps ON the unit?

 

So, I swore a lot. And I plugged it back into my computer and was informed the unit was up to date. Um, no jerkface. There were no maps on it. IT WAS NOT UP TO DATE. I was pretty sure the world had not exploded, so there should be maps on it.

 

I decided to go to the troubleshooting section of the company's website....to find a message that the site was down for maintenance. Um, what?!

Eventually I fixed it and came out of this experience knowing one of four things to be true:

1. technology hates me
2. that you should not wait until the day before you leave to plan for your trip
3. that cast iron frying pans can also be used as little sledgehammers
4. and that planning for this trip was pointless, since we messed up the navigation anyway. And we were rewarded by sitting in traffic for over an hour (unnecessarily).

Our 9.5 hour trip took 12. I quit.

The food at the Resort

Some of the best food I have *ever* eaten was served at the Rendezvous Resort in St. Lucia. There was always vegetarian options at meals and at snack times. They weren't always vegan or dairy-free, but, for the most part, I was able to find options to meet my needs.


I did make honest mistakes occasionally. For example, I didn't read all of the ingredients in my favourite drink for the first couple of days. I had skimmed over the 'milk' part and then wondered why I had headaches those days. Once I figured that out, I transitioned to an almost-as-good tropical drink choice. However, it seemed that I most frequently consumed water which was noticed by guests and staff alike. This resulted in one guest guessing that I was an addictions counsellor and in staff automatically bringing me a water when they served my husband a beer.

Back to the food....we really enjoyed the buffet options. There was always so much choice that we had mixed feelings when the buffet became an a-la-carte. The food served on a-la-carte meals was always excellent but there was (understandably) less choice.

We went to the super-fancy restaurant once. Prior to this, I met with the chef to discuss my food issues and he informed that he would prepare a special menu and to let staff know upon arrival. I felt like a pain in the ass with this and my husband thought I would have issues since I wouldn't have control over the food. He underestimates me. It was nice to put my trust in someone else and be surprised with my meal. And the staff....they were amazing. I was approached by multiple members of the wait staff to make sure I was enjoying my meal. And these were genuine inquiries so it made me feel like less of a pain in the ass because I was able to rave about how awesome the food was.


All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this vacation. St Lucia is beautiful. The resort is fantastic, and the staff were amazing. We were waited on hand and foot. If we wanted to be lazy, we had beach bar service without getting up. And there were so many fun activities to enjoy (volleyball, beach bowling, archery, walks, bike rides, yoga, snorkeling, etc etc etc). There were no issues finding shade or food to eat. We've decided that we will go back someday and we encourage anyone to check out this resort.

What I got out of St. Lucia

This was the first trip my husband and I have taken in 9 years that did not involve a trip to our hometown. It was long overdue and in celebration of being married ten years. (If you can do any type of math you will realize that the above does not add up. We took our honeymoon a year after we were married).

A lot has changed in my life in the past year and I anticipate more changes to come. But, if we stick to the past & present...Just in becoming vegetarian I have expanded my horizons. Now, I:

• eat vegetables
• try new things, like eggplant, chickpeas, tahini, etc
• weigh a little bit less
• and (vow to) exercise a little more

St Lucia continued some of these trends. In my first two days, I ate very well. I avoided all things dairy for the most part. I had been unintentionally consuming dairy in a beverage because I failed to read the ingredients properly (and was thus very confused as to why I was experiencing dairy-related headaches).

Cream of Leek Soup

Banana BBQ Sauce

I tried new foods which included Banana BBQ sauce, breadfruit, cream of leek soup (which I now plan to veganize and this is especially noteworthy because I'm not a soup person) and a variety of fruit that I either didn't like or don't remember. Unfortunately, my commitment to being dairy-free wavered as the vacation progressed (mostly at dessert time).

Our resort was pretty health-conscious so I hoped to exercise a little bit. However, after participating in a bike ride into town, I experienced heat rash and kept things low-key to lessen my suffering. I did manage to visit the gym, by which I mean I had it pointed out to me on a guided tour of the resort. And I think I saw it another time when we went hunting for the gift shop.

I wasn't totally lazy though. I walked around the resort (primarily to get from point A to B) and had a bunch of hills to climb on a day tour we took. And I caved and went tubing with somewhat disastrous results which left me with a bruised ego and some very sore arms.

The rest of the trip was spent relaxing, reading, and socializing. I have returned home mostly refreshed. I feel more likely to tackle some creative projects. Back in February I sought out knitted Christmas gift requests, which I haven't actually started. I'm feeling the knitting vibe again so (hopefully) this means I won't be rushing to complete everything days before Christmas. And I'm feeling more incentive to get scrapbooking (for the trip and for my niece).

It's not just about feeling refreshed though. Some time away from technology was a good thing. Yes, I did check my email daily but I was otherwise disconnected. I think sometimes we spend so much time trying to fill our days with entertainment that we miss out on truly enjoying the little things. I hope to break some bad habits with our return home.

And the other thing....Everyone we met in St Lucia was so friendly. As an introverted person, this was a bit overwhelming sometimes. However, it was also very nice. It serves as a nice lesson to be less guarded and more social/adventurous.

Whether I am successful or unsuccessful and implementing these themes into my life, it is a win-win situation. If I keep my commitment to these changes, my life will be more balanced and fulfilling. And if I'm unsuccessful, it must mean that I will need to go back to St. Lucia for a refresher course.

tijya in the tropics

You may have noticed that things were quiet around these parts for the past little bit....well, I abandoned you to spend a week in beautiful St. Lucia. Before my departure, I had planned to have posts scheduled so you wouldn't miss my absence. Unfortunately, I'm not as organized as I pretend to be.

I'm home now and trying to readjust to the real world. For example, I should be making my standard bean salad and mock tuna salad. I should also start marinating my portabella mushroom that I plan to eat for supper and should at least consider tackling vacation laundry. I opted for none-of-the-above.

When we told people that we were going to St Lucia, they responded with appropriate 'oohs' and the occasional, 'wow, it will be really hot!' And it was very hot. Technically, I should likely vacation at a Canadian cottage since the climate is more suited to my preferences.

It is 71 degrees Fahrenheit in my house and I'm wearing a sweater. But at 87.8 degrees (or 109.4 with humidity) I got heat rash and became super lethargic. And really, tropical locations don't work with my fair skin. I can get a sunburn in the shade and take careful precaution to stay safe. I am happy to report that I only experienced a minor sunburn and that I was not the palest person there. The heat rash was the most annoying consequence as it limited some activities but relaxing on the beach is ok too.

The next few posts will be about my trip. I haven't typed out my thoughts (yet) but I will likely blog about our return to Canada, the food in St Lucia, and maybe some comments about the resort. And then eventually, things will return to normal and you will read about my not-so-exciting life. Like right now, which consists of the end of procrastination and the beginning of kitchen stuff. In a minute.

Eight months in

So, I've been a vegetarian for eight months. And right now, it's a bit harder than it has been before. I'm finding that I am having more cravings. I've figured out that the cravings are likely stemming from not eating with nutrition in mind. Between work stress, unemployment stress, and being busy, being healthy slid off my priority list.

And you know what happens then? You feel like crap and make poor choices because you feel like crap. Then the cycle continues (no worries, by poor choices I mean dairy). Being healthy takes work.

Weeks ago I got on a green smoothie kick. But we ran out of greens. So I stuck with fruit. And then we ran out of fruit...so my smoothie became (essentially) a protein iced coffee. Is it good? Yes. Healthy? Not so much.

It was a slow and steady downward spiral. I don't want to be in that spiral. I started getting back on track by preparing a bean salad and mock tuna. This gave me more filling snacks and lunches...and my supper was usually healthy.

I do need to return to being dairy-free though. Dairy definitely triggers my migraines. And these migraines bring on whole new migraine symptoms that I had never before experienced. But the thing with dairy is that it's addictive so I can't typically handle a little bit and stay on track.

Right now the idea of eating cheese grosses me out, so that is a step in the right direction. One foot in front of the other.

Wrapping up

I'm a bit behind in my posts these days. My favourite little person has been keeping me very busy. I had planned to do my blogging while she naps but today is the first time I've been able to follow through with this plan.

I have made very little in the past couple of weeks. It's been ridiculously hot. Who wants to cook in weather like that? Luckily, I have loved ones that won't let me starve.

At one point it was 106 degrees outside. Definitely gross if you are doing anything other than lounging.

(Some) Stuff I Ate

Grilled Veggies

Avocado Fries (they were good!)



Black Bean Brownies (the ones
I could never master) and Coconut
 Ice Cream (very very good, but not
 made by me.

Grilled Eggplant

I have nothing planning for stuff to eat. I've spent 99% of my time away from home and I eat what I've been offered. If this keeps up, I may move in. ;)

 

In the Rest of my Life

• My garden got weeded. See the before and after pictures below (not pictured is the part they didn't get to. Turns out my gardeners wussed out.)
• We went to an-almost-local market and melted. I hope to go back when it's cooler.
• I'm reading the same books, so nothing new on that front.
• On my radar for someday: Apple Nachos and Vegan Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Ice Cream
• Coming up: I have no clue.

Playing Fort with my favourite
little person. Can you see her?

Before

After





Mess making

This morning was rough. I would start one chore and then quickly get distracted by something else. After doing this for a while, I realized I needed some caffeine. I opted to make an iced coffee/protein smoothie.

1. I attached the base to the jar of the blender
2. I added ice
3. I noticed the ice did not occupy much space in the blender
4. I added almond milk
5. And as the almond milk pooled beneath the blender, I realized that I did not attach the blades before attaching the base. So, essentially there was a huge hole in my blender planning.