Really Great Weekend (by Susan)

This weekend was one of those weekends when you just abandon all chores and have fun.  Our typical weekend is full of things like laundry, food shopping, plumbing and home improvement, yard work, etc., etc. - all the activities required just to keep the infrastructure going.  George and I have wondered how we have so much to do now that the kids are gone and we only have ourselves to take care of.  How do two people pile up so much laundry, eat so much food, and make such a big mess?    But this weekend we didn't do ANY chores (except one load of laundry and one trip to the grocery store and one sink install).  We went to a friend's wedding yesterday, and it was a truly joyous occasion.  The bride and groom both had smiles so big that they just lit up the church.   And of course their joy just translated into everyone having a great time.  Isn't that why we all love weddings - because they make us remember that beautiful sense of love and connection? 

Today we went on a big bike ride with some other good friends of ours.  It was a gorgeous afternoon.  The temperature was in the high 60's and low 70', with that soft spring sunshine that makes everything look a little golden.   The trees are finally leafing out around here, and many of the woody shrubs like forsythia and sand cherries are starting to blossom.   The bike path started in Windsor, a small community off of I-25 between Erie and Fort Colling.   It wound across the prairies east of I-25 along the Cache La Poudre River all the way to Greely (about 15 miles one way).  The river is not very big and it is slow-moving along the stretch we rode.  It is lined with low shrubs and cottonwoods, and is dotted with little lakes.   All the farms along there made me remember that many people originally came out to Colorado to farm as well as to ranch.

After the ride we went out to dinner awith our friends at P.F. Changs in beautiful downtown Windsor.  We had no problem finding delicious vegan entrees (coconut curry vegetable, veggie lettuce wraps, spring rolls).  We are finding it easier and easier to eat vegan food.  In most restaurants you can find something on the menu that you can eat.  And I, for one, am starting to feel GREAT!  My energy has come back!  I have heard that you can go through a period of feeling bad because you are "de-toxifying" when you stop eating animal products and maybe that is what happened to me.  I am also limiting the amount of soy that I eat, and that is making me feel better, too.  It's really hard not to eat soy when you are eating vegan food, but I try to limit it to only once every few days.  I switched from soy milk to almond milk (Almond Breeze is the tastiest) and that also has helped.  I notice if I eat to much soy my mouth starts to tingle - kind of weird.

George was feeling great today and did well on the bike ride.  I am coming to treasure these weekends before he has to have chemo again on Monday.  We just concentrated on enjoying life and having fun.  The laundry can wait until tomorrow!