Severing Stories (y2w31)

I am back from Mexico, revived, refreshed, and ready to go!

It was a great trip with some of my favorite people. I am grateful for friends who were willing to travel with me to celebrate my birthday.

I mean, look at us…

The gallery is just 20 of my favorite photos. Collectively, we took nearly 300!

I did exactly what I wanted to do in Mexico… a whole lot of nothing. I didn’t bring workout clothes. I didn’t run on the beach. I didn’t stress about my diet, my protein intake, or how much alcohol I drank. I didn’t even worry about how I looked in a bathing suit.

I just existed.

And it was glorious!

I chose the iguana shot as the featured image for this post because The Husband and I noticed so many of them at the resort were missing their tails, just like the one in the photo. So we did what we do and went down an iguana rabbit hole, learning about them.

Did you know iguanas can voluntarily detach their tails if they’re threatened? It’s a defense mechanism called autotomy that allows them to escape predators and live another day, which is fascinating in and of itself. Then we learned they spend months regrowing it, but it isn’t an exact replacement. It comes back a little different, a little more rigid, but still functional.

I mean, if that’s not a metaphor for turning 50, I don’t know what is.

I am not becoming someone new at 50. I am severing the stories I told myself that kept me from becoming who I could be.

Anyway, let me run through my goals and check in with myself.

2026 Goal Tracking

Cooking/Food

#SaladTime

Revised Goal: 5 Big Salads a Week ❌

I can’t say I met this one while away, BUT I picked up my greens today and enjoyed a big salad for dinner. So that ❌ will be a ✅ next week for sure!

Weekly Soup/Stew/Prep

Goal: Once a Week ❌ (On hold for the Summer)

This one may be on hold, but I am making stock from some chicken bones I grilled today.

Sourdough

Goal: Once a Week ✅

I baked my first loaf today since being back!

This is the second whole grain loaf I made, and I’m getting good at it! I will definitely be sharing more details about this one soon.

Homemade Pasta

Goal: Once a Month

• January 1/9 ✅
• February 2/15 ✅
• March 3/1 ✅
• April 4/18 ✅
• May 5/14 ✅
• June ❌
• July

I am going to TRY to make some pasta on Friday just so I don’t have two red checks in a row. These are the little things that keep me going. I like the challenge of it!

Evan in the Kitchen

Goal: Once a Week ❌ Retired
Revised Goal: Weekly Teen Sanity Check-In

He flourished while we were gone. I’m glad he was able to get some independence. He had to reach out to Grandma for a ride to work. And then his brother, and he did. He made it to work without us. Fed himself a diet of ramen and mac & cheese and was his normal smart-ass, silly self when we got back.

Fitness/Weightlifting

Olympic Lifting Training
Handstands/Pull Ups/Jump Rope

Well, I took a total rest week, which made coach happy, but I am ready to get back to training tomorrow.

Actually, I can’t wait.

Hikes

• Goal: Twice a month
  • January 1/3, 1/15, 1/23 ✅
  • February ❌
  • March 3/21, 3/28 ✅
  • April 4/3, 4/12 ✅
  • May 5/9, 5/24 ✅
  • June 6/6, 6/21 ✅
  • July 7/12

I’m going to have to squeeze one in the next few days to catch this one. I’m so glad I am doing this check-in! I would have totally forgotten.

Hot Yoga

• Goal: Twice a month
  • January 1/4, 1/11, 1/18  ✅ 
  • February 2/1 ❌
  • March 3/1, 3/15, 3/22, 3/29 ✅ 
  • April 4/12, 4/18, 4/25 ✅ 
  • May 5/9, 5/23, 5/30 ✅ 
  • June 6/6, 6/27 ✅ 
  • July 7/18 ❌

I am putting the ❌ in now. There’s no way I’m going to make it before the end of the month. I’ll pick this one back up in August.

Pickleball

The itch is real! I have been looking at the league schedule.

Creative/Other Pursuits

Music/Painting

Not since I’ve been back, but I’m planning on it. I have a few cards I need to paint. 🙂

I DID pick up the guitar yesterday, and it was fun.

Acting Class/Drum Lessons

Acting classes are over. I’m so glad I did it! I challenged myself to take one, and I ended up taking four!

I already had an appreciation for actors, but wow… now even more so. It is such a skill. I’ll stay with cheesy food videos, thank you very much!

I’ve got five months to make a drum lesson happen!

Spanish

I attempted to speak more Spanish on this trip than ever before! I am so proud of myself, even though I am horrible at it.

My favorite interaction of the trip was when our transport driver asked us if we were ready when heading out of the airport and I said, without skipping a beat, “Estoy listo!” It was the first time a Spanish phrase immediately popped into my head.

Alcohol Reduction

• Goal: No more than two days of drinking a month.
  • January 1/1, 1/31 ✅
  • February 2/1, 2/21 ✅
  • March 3/21 ✅
  • April 4/1, 4/2, 4/18 ❌
  • May 5/16, 5/23 ✅
  • June 6/20, 6/?? ✅
  • July 7/11, 7/22-7/27 ❌

I enjoyed the open bar at the resort and have NO REGERTS! lol

Looking Ahead

I am looking forward to getting back into a groove now that my birthday week-off is behind me. It was a nice break, but I thrive on routine, and I’m starting to miss it now. For me, that is a sign of a vacation well done.

Hope you are well!