I Dream of Sand

What an awesome day to be at Topsail Island!   We celebrated my husband's birthday with a family cook-out at our place at the beach. I made a big oriental-themed salad as a low calorie side to go with the traditional cook-out fare.   I used fresh romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges, cukes, red bell pepper, and wonton strips that had 35 calories per two tablespoons. Add in some light sesame ginger dressing, and it was a hit!

After avoiding the most delicious cake on the earth, Momma's chocolate cheesecake, it was time to hit the beach with the family.  Our house is on the sound, but we also have property directly across the street on the beach, which is where we have a  walk-over deck.  The driveway is long and I am ashamed to admit that I have spent the past few summers holed up in the beach house because walking over to the beach was difficult for me. I remember taking a lot of naps while everyone else headed to the beach.  Those were probably some of the most sad moments of my life, because I love the beach and felt just awful watching life go on around me.  On the rare occasions that I huffed and puffed my way up the driveway, I would sit at the table under the umbrella and never venture out onto the sand, because that entailed walking down the stairs and into the sinking sand.   I remember sitting up there last summer, having a heart to heart with my Momma where I told her how much I wanted to lose weight, but how impossible it seemed.  I had no hope at all.  Little did I know that in a few months, I was about to set out on this journey that is leading me to all of my dreams.

Today, walking back and forth to the beach was no problem at all, and then came one of the best rewards so far on this journey: getting my toes back in the sand and into the water. Last summer I dreamed of being "normal".  Today I was. Last summer I told my Momma I didn't think I could ever do what I'm doing now.  Today when she came out to the walk-over, I waved to her from down on the beach and saw the pride in her smile.  When I first started working out with Jeff in September, coming off one of the most inactive summers of my life, I told him my dream was to run down the beach.   Today I walked the beach.  I'm that much closer to my dream!

On the walkover with the hubby.  

On the sands of Topsail Island with my brother and sister.