Another visit to Route 66

I just returned from a 4-day whirlwind trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I went to visit my friend Maria for her birthday - I had to pack an extra duffel bag to carry gifts. We did nothing but shop the entire time I was there, so not only was my huge duffel bag packed with new clothes, but also a new bag she gave me, a pink Seattle oversized tote that I ended up taking as carry-on on the return trip and lugging it around the airport and practically throwing my back out!

I lost 3 pounds during the trip. We concentrated on eating properly, altho we should have eaten more snacks. I had "altitude sickness" symptoms on Friday and at 4 in the afternoon had to drop everything to go home and lie down before I threw up. I had woken up with a headache and sore throat and being out all day shopping and with the noise and color just finally overwhelmed me and I felt like I was going to be sick right in the middle of the grocery store. Albuqerque is at about 5,000 feet (a "mile high" city), and is desert so it is super dry. Couldn't be more foreign to a sea-level humidity-loving Seattleite! I managed to come home before getting so dried out I had a bloody nose.

Aside from that little bout, which after a one hour nap I felt good as new, it was OBSCENE how much shopping we did. Great clearance sales everywhere. I also was able to fit into jeans two sizes smaller than what it is in my closet now, altho they usually are still too big in the thighs. The last day I was there we walked along old Route 66 on "Nob Hill". Not much of a hill but lots of neat shops. Couldn't see the "Nob" part of the real estate, either.

So the scale officially reads the lowest number ever since starting my lifestyle change in October. I cleared a bunch of things out of my closet last night to make room for the new clothes and Steve took two big bags of clothes to the donation bin up at the college by our house for me this morning.

Sandia Mountains surrounding Albuquerque, NM
We'll be in Portland this weekend for the Blue Man Group show and our fancy night at the 5th Avenue Suites. I am looking forward to parading Sophia around Portland. She has a new pink hoodie sweatshirt I bought in NM. I took her to work with me yesterday, since I was going to be running around a lot, and we had 3 walks! I started in Renton, went up to 145th and Aurora, and since I had to drop stuff off in Newcastle on the way back, I crossed Lk WA on 520 and picked up Steve for lunch. Sophia and I walked at Fort Dent Park (Tukwila), Bitter Lake Reservoir Green Space (Seattle) and Lake Boren Park (Newcastle).

I finally received the paperwork I needed from the online school I took my real estate course from, so now I can schedule my exam! My boss is happy.

It's cold out! If you're going to be out walking, don't forget your hat!