Spending the day among the Flowers
So I woke up this morning ready to start the day anew. Ahhh...I love that it's an option. I started my day with water and breakfast...and some 80's music to get me moving.
Today was my day at the Philadelphia Flower Show. YEAH! I love flowers. I really do. I am that girl who will literally stop and smell the flowers as I am passing by.
I wanted to be smart about my day, especially considering yesterday's epic failure. So last night I packed my lunch. I worked until noon so instead of stopping somewhere on my way or waiting until I got to the Convention Center, I ate my lunch at my desk: cheese stick, carrots, low-fat yogurt, and reduced fat peanut butter and banana on whole grain bread. I also made sure that I drank a full 40 oz of water before I left for the day. That was playing with fire considering I would be in pee trouble if I got stuck in traffic.
For my clothes I wanted to be comfortable, but I still had to wear something decent for work. I put on a pair of my favorite jeans. And I kid you not, they were a little snugger. Now I know that a couple days of eating right and a long distance run tomorrow will put me back on track, but I'm mad. Why did I do that to myself? I don't want to have to work harder to make up for poor decisions. I want to make the right decisions in the first place!
I can't wear sneakers to work, but I packed a pair to change into when I am done. Of course I was in my car when I realized that I got side tracked before I picked up a pair of socks too. DOH! Originally I thought "Oh well I will just pick a pair up at Walmart when I go there right after work." Not so fast missy! Think this through. I have a pair of sneakers in my locker at work and in my trunk so that I am never without them as an excuse. So I used one of them. Good Girl! I also packed a sweatshirt to change in to after work. I was anticipating a cold walk from the car to the Show and since it's a flower show I was also anticipating a cool temperature inside.
So now in preparation for walking around I swapped out pocketbooks. I switched to a canvas cross body bag to relieve the stress on my shoulder. I also brought the minimum (although that included two cameras). I didn't want the day spoiled because my shoulders hurt. In my bag I was also prepared with a bottle of water and a protein bar in case I got hungry.
I wasn't planning on staying all night, but I also didn't want to leave and get caught up in Rush Hour traffic for no reason. But, I had to consider dinner. I also needed to plan ahead because tomorrow is a long distance run night and I want to have that dinner ready to just heat up and eat.
Okay, so those were all of my preparations and plans. So how did I do?
Well I got there around 1pm. I decided to wait in the lobby for part of my party. When I walked in they said they were parking. So what would I do to pass the time? Pull out my study flashcards of course! WOO WOO. It wasn't long before they arrived and we headed in.
The theme of the show this year is "Brilliant!" It's a British theme. And I have to say, I have always dreamed of going to England. I love English movies, tv shows, books...my family is from England and I feel certain that I was supposed to be born in London. One day I will get there....in the meantime I will enjoy these flowers.
The main attraction as you first walk in is a Big Ben replica. It was pretty spectacular. I loved everything that I saw. The first pictures I took were of the daffodils. That's always the first sign of Spring! Sure it was inside at a flower show, but it counts in my book!
Some highlights of the day were the human statue, the London Fog display (fountains and umbrellas), the Orchids, the sunflowers, the rose gardens, and the yellow submarine. But, my two favorites were the Crown Jewel display which was all out of flowers...lots of beautiful red roses...and of course the tulips (which are my favorite flower).
I was doing well until we started walking the parameter...that's where the refreshments were. I could smell the fried foods...argh. I had eaten. I was not hungry...until I smelled food. So I got out my water bottle. I told myself that if I didn't buy any food there then I was allowed to buy myself some flowers. That was my incentive. I will say that I did see that they had pita chips and hummus. So yeah for that. If I was going to cave, that would have been my treat. When I couldn't take it any longer, I got out my protein bar. That held me for a little bit.
Eventually I had seen almost every display and time was creeping up. If I still lived at the old place it would not have been such a drive home, but that's not the case. And so as it approached 4pm I ran over to buy my flowers. I had originally thought I would get some pretty roses, but I could not take my eyes off of the orchids. And so that was my treat to myself. And oh they are gorgeous.
I was sad to leave, but I did make it home long before I normally would. I ate my dinner, packed my lunch, and prepared my dinner for tomorrow. I'm in great shape. And if I can log off here in a moment I can do a little studying before The Biggest Loser comes on.
I was there for 3 hours and was walking around the whole time. I was happy that I had prepared myself ahead of time. I was also happy that it wasn't the Former Fat Girl lugging around all of the extra weight. I didn't sit down at all. This would have been hard on the Former Fat Girl. Her back would hurt. Her feet would hurt. She would enjoy the flowers, but her body would be miserable. It's so nice to be able to enjoy these days now without feeling drained.
I will be posting some of my pictures to facebook and instagram this week so make sure to check them out. They are stunning!
Have a Blessed Night.
Don't forget my Fundraising for Autism Research:
https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jennifer-henderson-6/RNRUSA13
****Please note****
If you feel like you are alone on your journey and you just need some encouragement I am here for you! Shoot me an email and I will do my best to check in on you or give you the words of support you need several times a week. The journey is so much easier if you have support.
jhendersonfit@gmail.com
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