So, as I said before, my health is my inspiration for losing weight.  Last week, I talked about how I need to get myself going again, and this week I definitely became more inspired because on Friday, Steve and I had our yearly medical exam.  We saw a nurse practitioner, and that's fine with me because nurse practitioners are often much more thorough and engaged than medical doctors, who seem to feel that performing regular exams is beneath their education level.  It worked out great because they took me first, and then they took Steve.  Next, we went downstairs and got all our blood work completed.  My blood work turned out really well except for the kidney function numbers, which are somewhat concerning and the keto diet is the likely culprit.  After researching what causes these high numbers, keto is the most likely problem, with dehydration and an overconsumption of proteins a common concern.  So I immediately set out to try to remedy the likelihood of dehydration and intend to dramatically reduce my protein intake by moving to a primarily vegetarian diet for the next few weeks.  I began using an electrolyte drink daily that might help with hydration.  It is a lemon and vinegar smoothie made with spinach, arugula, and kale, all complex carbs that support kidney function.  I'll back off the protein and integrate some really substantial vegetable dishes for my meals in addition to the arugula and spinach smoothie.  I've made a delicious eggplant Pharda dish as a start and will pick up some salads from the local deli.  I've also decided to use lots more spinach as sides and in dips.  I'll get another round of blood work in a few months, and hopefully, my numbers will improve.  Here's to my health!  And also, I am grateful that I have a blessed life where I am able to focus on my health as others in the world are trying to simply survive.  I am truly grateful for those who died serving our country on this Memorial Day.  It is because of these brave men and women that I am secure.  God bless America.

     ​Right now, I feel like I need some inspiration.  I don't know why but I'm not keeping myself focused on weight loss.  However, I still have twenty pounds to lose, so I need to work through this and keep going.  I'm wondering what might help, and I've decided to change things up slightly.  To this end, we went to a Thai restaurant and ordered Curry on Friday, but it was sweet and disappointing.  This is surprising because restaurants in White Rock must be competitive to last.  People must like this food on the sweet side, or it wouldn't still be in business.   I also bought some truly delicious "Keto Bars," but I think they are throwing a wrench into my gradual weight loss.  In fact, my weight is creeping up for the first time in months.  Consequently, I realize that I can only eat what I make to know exactly what the ingredients are and exclude all other processed foods.  Also, I may need to dispense with my yummy crackers and cheese and reduce my wine intake again.  If I exceed my parameters, I want to do it with worthwhile foods like foods from our Cilantro Indian Food restaurant, which continues to top our restaurant list.  Also, I have added to my exercise routine, including a leg press and stair stepper.   I do three sets of 12-leg presses five days a week.  I'm also using the stair stepper two days a week, but it is so hard for me to do!  I worked myself up to three minutes.  Yes!  I'm only using the stair stepper for three minutes, and it's exhausting!  So I'm going to keep working with the stair stepper and see if I can build up my time on the machine without getting out of breath.  I'm doing it Tuesdays and Thursdays and work with free weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I started the Am/Pm yoga again this week.  I was not very committed to it over the past few months, but I think that it will help me set my intention each day.  So here's to me becoming inspired again.  I'm my own worst enemy, but I am also my own best friend, so I have to keep myself in check.  I intend to meet my weight loss goal, and I'm excited to do it!

     We arrived at Birch Bay on Thursday and were very happy to get home. The good news is that I did not gain any weight on the trip. However, I did not lose any either, so I will start working a little harder on that. While I was visiting BVI, I did less exercising, so I'm sure that impacted my progress. However, I maintained my keto diet using foods popular on these islands, including delicious oxtail curry, jerk chicken, and other local favorites that were readily available. The trip is lengthy, beginning with a ferry ride from Road Town to St. Thomas. Of course, we had to take another COVID test prior to departure. We did not know that we also needed to complete an online form before boarding the ferry, so we scrambled to get that done. It was unnecessarily complicated, and a charming young man at the terminal helped me with obscure questions like the ferry number and other items that did not apply at all but required an answer. We had to upload an image of the vaccine card and the document proving a negative test result, and then a green scan demonstrating that all's well with your health is returned. This scan admits you to the ferry and ultimately into St. Thomas. Mine came through right away, but it took three tries to get Steve's green scan. The ferry people let him through with a pending result, but he received a bright red decline from St. Thomas by the time we boarded and settled in. With every decline, he nearly fainted, so I took over. It took three attempts, but he received his green scan just before the ferry docked in St. Thomas. He needs me. We had several hours to kill in St. Thomas before flying to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The taxi group at the terminal keeps luggage as long as you use their taxi service to get around the place. We took advantage of that because we planned to use a taxi for several trips. Leaving our luggage behind, we enjoyed an excellent breakfast at the Petite Pump Room located over the ferry terminal and sporting a lovely view of the bay. After breakfast, we took a taxi to the Pirate Museum and saw some remarkable artifacts from area shipwrecks. There were some fantastic water vessels dating back to the first century A.D., meaning seafaring people navigated these islands centuries earlier than I ever realized. We walked back to the ferry terminal from the museum, so I managed to get all of my steps and cardio. Then we took the taxi to the airport after retrieving our luggage. We were three hours early, which was a very good thing because the lines were long. It took two hours to get through customs and then security. We only had a thirty-minute wait before boarding the plane. When we arrived in Fort Lauderdale, we had barely enough time to grab a salad and then take the long ride to Las Vegas. Thankfully, Steve broke our trip up a little by arranging an overnight stay at the Luxor. The Luxor is our go-to place if trapped in Vegas because it is convenient to the airport with clean and comfortable rooms. Also, it has an excellent buffet for every meal. After traveling all day, we were exhausted and slept very well. We hit the breakfast buffet that morning, and I had a western omelet and lots of veggies. Then we headed to the airport and caught our plane to Bellingham. We were home by Thursday afternoon and very happy about it! While we enjoyed our trip very much and had great success with everything, there is no place like home!

     We're heading to the island where Steve's ancestors were enslaved at one point by the British. It's shocking to read about their conditions, and it is crucial to remember how they suffered. However, our visit is about compensation for all that, even though there is no justice for those who spent their lives laboring as chattel from birth to death.  Still, we're looking forward to our visit because Steve will reconnect with friends from years past, and check on the half-acre of property he is entitled to as a belonger and descendant of these poor enslaved people.  We're also looking forward to many other things available on this island. Snorkeling is fabulous, as are the views, the bright turquoise water, the beautiful sugar-like white sand, and the people. The people living on Anegada are lovely, and some are Steve's distant relatives. Nevertheless, they are connected and always happy to reunite. We're also looking forward to a fabulous meal of fresh conch and lobster, two foods the island is famous for, and both are perfectly acceptable for maintaining keto. We will spend the day there, beginning at five in the morning and ending at six-thirty when the ferry returns from Anegada to Road Town, BVI. I'll write more after we arrive on Anegada and provide details about food, folks, and fun!
   Update: We made it and are very excited to be here! We're driving around looking at properties that Steve might be able to claim as a belonger. So far, we've seen a property in Pometo Point. However, Steve and Jake think that might be problematic because of global warming with eroding beaches and flooding. Therefore we are coming around to the other side of the island of Anegada and looking at a piece of property that is also available.  It might be much better. However, there's no electricity out here. Of course, in Anegada, as with Tortola and Virgin Gorda and all the BVI's water comes to the home through a cistern. Also, now with Elon Musk and his companies, it's possible to use a combination of solar and power packs to keep everything up and running. So we're going to keep this in mind! In the end, it's very, very exciting even though the opportunity was created on the backs of centuries of ancestral slaves. The next order of business will be to hunt down lobster and conch. I'm also interested in going into the village and seeing what's there first, and then if we are unable to find fresh lobster, we'll shift our search to other restaurants in the area. We found lobster and conch at the Big Bamboo!  Delicious!  Oh, by the way, the front end fell off of our rental car, but Steve put it back on! Appears a possible scam but unworkable because Steve is competent.  However, our most significant success today was finding fresh whole lobster at the Big Bamboo restaurant in Loblolly Bay. Delicious and keto all the way!

          It's Sunday and we’re on the last leg of our trip to the British Virgin Islands and OMG!  This trip is like having a baby.  After a few years, you tend to forget what a nightmare it is, so, you do it again and UGH!!  We are fortunate to stay at my sister-in-law’s place on Tortola.  It is a gorgeous space with fabulous views of Brewer’s Bay.  This is the first time we’ve stayed in Tortola.  We visited about twenty years ago, and spent our time on Anegada where Steve’s family on his mother’s side is from.  Steve is working on getting property there, because as a belonger he is entitled to a half acre, and hopes to finalize his ownership on this trip.  I am facing the unknown relative to my keto diet.  I’m able to maintain my keto while traveling from airport to airport, but once we arrive on Tortola, I’m not sure what food awaits.  I was told to send a grocery list, and did, so we’ll see how it all shakes out.  It will be interesting in any case.  Steve plans to dive for lobster.  I'm a little concerned about than because he overestimates his current strength, completely ignoring the fact that he's approaching seventy, with diminished stamina and endurance.  In the meantime, we know those who successfully dive for lobster and hope to dine on that as well as conch.  We plan to eat chicken in between this fabulous cuisine.
     Update:  We arrived following a few harrowing experiences, one of which was the requirement for COVID testing.  In the end, they did the testing at customs and it was easy and practically free, so I'm happy with how it worked out.  We were exhausted due to our cheap red-eye flight, and very grateful to get to the house already stocked with food from a list I sent last week.  The caretakers of my sister-in-law's house where we're staying set everything up for us.  We are so blessed!  Consequently, I prepared breakfast for dinner last night, and we headed to bed in a room overlooking beautiful Brewer's Bay in Tortola, BVI and with ocean breezes wafting over us all night long.  What a difference a day makes!   ​We're having a perfectly lovely time already and it is just the middle of our first day here.  I found wonderful keto meal items at the grocery store near our house.  The chicken and beef curry is delicious and the price is definitely right.  So, we'll make choices from Bobby's grocery store when I don't get cooking done.  I'll add pictures of these items throughout the week, and we'll subsidize the meals with my old favorite, slaw and vegetable quiche.  Until next time, have a great week!