Rather than posting a book review today, I thought instead I'd share a little about what's been going on with me personally, not that it's anything earth-shattering. I'll also share what I've been reading lately. In the last few months I've wanted to read a lot, so I've gotten over the lull I'd been in before. But before I get into that, I want to share a few other things first.
As some of you may know, I relocated to Columbus from Cincinnati in late March where all my family lives. Since getting settled into a routine here, I find myself so content. More content, actually, than I've been in a long time. Even in Florida, where I spent most of my life. Central Ohio is so beautiful, the weather is terrific in the Spring and Summer but the best part is being able to spend time with my family members and get to know them in a way I was never able to before, living so far away. My cousins who were little when I moved away in 1979 now have kids of their own and I've been spending time with them and it has been wonderful. I'm so thankful for this time. My little cousin, Alyssa, who turns 11 soon, loves to come spend the day and go to the pool. I've loved forming a relationship with her while she's still not too grown up. I love my apartment - it suits me perfectly. It's a loft-like apartment, upstairs with both front and back balconies. The book looks over the back yard of my building with some woods and beyond that lies a golf course.I can't actually see the golf course (except in winter) but I hear the golfers that are probably 50' or so from the treeline. It's so lovely and secluded back there. Everytime my aunt comes over, the first place she goes is to the back balcony 'because it's just so pretty out here'. There's a huge weeping willow tree out there that I love. Many mornings I take my coffee out and read and enjoy the quiet. My mom lives in the next building over around the corner and with my white cane I can go back and forth on my own. (These days there's not many places I can go on my own) On cloudy days I can see much better than when the sun is bright. My friend, Brenda, got me a beautiful sunflower door wreath as a housewarming gift and it really show up against the dark green of my front door, making my apartment easier for me to find on my own.
Another thing I'm really excited about is the life style I've adapted since moving here. Back in November of 2016 I had an appointment with a cardiologist for an anuual check-up. Along with finding out for the first time that I was born with my heart on the wrong side of my body, I also was deveasted when I stepped on the scales! I knew I had to make a change. I knew I hadn't felt well, but I thought it was the stress and worry of having to move again, but deep inside I knew I needed to lose weight. My sleep apnea had also returned. I couldn't make it through one night without waking up a few times choking and gasping for air. I've had that enough to know that if I lose weight I don't suffer from that dreadful condition.
So in March, as soon as a got settled here in Columbus, I drastically changed what I was eating. And I love it. I've lost 15.4 pounds and I haven't starved myself and I feel SO much better. Sleep Apnea is gone, I don't feel sluggish and run down anymore and people are noticing the change. I'm about half-way to my overall goal and I'm feeling very good about it. I've tried Weight Watchers in the past with some success, but I've realized that particular method doesn't work for rme. Instead, I've changed how and what I eat and it's not a temporary fix. I cut sugar and pasta/potatoes out of my diet all together. I also switched to almond milk about two years ago. I've always had issues with some dairy products. I still have an occasional soft-boiled egg, Greek yogurt and Swiss cheese, but that is about all the dairy I have. I eat a high protein, low carb diet and that works best for me. I'm not starving myself, in fact, I eat every two to three hours, including snacking on protein bars or hummus. I also drink a ton of water and eat a lot of fruit. I've added Matcha green tea powder to my diet as well. I did some research on it and was amazed at the health benefits. There are too many to name here, but the most important for me is the antioxidant benefit in supporting the red blood cells that feed my retinas. That is the main problem for me with RP, so if it can prolong my sight by destroying toxins in my blood, I'm all in. I already consume a large amount of antioxidants but Matcha is the super power of them all. I put a teaspoon of Matcha in my green smoothies and my Greek yogurt smoothies. On those days, Since adding Matcha to my breakfast smoothies, I've cut back considerably on my coffee intake. The caffeine you get from Matcha is much different than coffee. That said, I still love my coffee! I don't eat hardly any red meat, which is really nothing new for me. I eat mainly salmon, fish, chicken, beans, chickpeas and lots of veggies. For me, this way of eating is something I can live with for the rest of my life and I don't have to count points. For the most part I'm really strict with myself, but I do allow a few glasses of wine or a cocktail on the weekends. I'm not losing weight fast, but I'm losing it in a way that works for me and will stay off in the long term. I'm super motivated and every time I step on the scale it motivates me even more.
That turned out to be a longer topic than I planned, so please forgive me. I'm just so happy I've found my collarbone again and I'm back to only one chin! Ha! Now, on the the books. My computer has been acting up and not allowing me to upload photos lately, so I won't be able to add any book images of covers in this post. I've really had the readig bug lately so I've got about four books going. Two on Kindle and 2 audios. I'm finally reading an author I've heard so much about but never read any of his work. I'm halfway through LONG WAY GONE by Charles Martin. the book came out last year and so far I'm really ejoying it. I like his writing style and I'm totally hooked on the story. It takes place in Colorado mainly, a state I don't really know much about, and he is providing some very interesting facts along the way. I'm also continuing the Louise Penny mystery series, Three Pines, also called The Chief Inspector Armond Gamache Series. I'm on book six right now and though I'm only a third of the way, I can tell it's going to be one of my favorites so far. It's called BURY YOUR DEAD. Penny is such an intellectual writer, in my opinion and I really love that about her.
I'm currently listening to an autobiograchy of Eric Clapton called CLAPTON. It's not a new release, in fact, it's about 10 years old, but as a life-long fan on his music, I'm learning a lot about him. Unfortunately, he does not narrate the book, which I wasn't surprised. He doesn't seem to me to be the type to do that. Simon Vance is the carrator, and, as you probably know, he is fantastic. That is what sold me on the audio version. I'm also just starting A MAN CALLED OVE by Frekrik Backman. Another author I'm looking forward to trying soon is Ruth Ware. THE LYING GAME is getting rave reviews and I'm new to her as well. Also, I picked up ROUND HOUSE as a Kindle Daily Deal a few weeks ago and I'm anxious to get started with it. It is so mice to be excited about reading again. I can't help but think that my health or lack of good health had something to do with my slump in reading this last year. Now that I'm back on track with my health, the urge to read is bounding!
I apologize for the length of this post. I rarely get so personal here on the blog but I felt compelled to share and I hope it wasn't too much for you readers. Thanks so much for visiting and do stop by again! Happy Sunday!
