Life is a Beach!

Larry and I have been spending a lot of our evenings taking walks on the beach.   One reason is that I'm working hard at getting in better shape.  Since getting my FitBit in January, I've been tracking how many steps I take each day and watching what I eat in a concentrated effort to lose some unwanted pounds.   

I've been heavy for many years, a combination of sedentary jobs and genetics.  (I have my grandmother's shape!) Then, the first year of our mission I put on even more pounds.  (New Zealand had fabulous ice cream, cheeses and hot meat pies!  Also there was all that island food on our travels.)   Now I am determined to reverse that trend.

While size and weight are the easy things to measure, what I'm really working on is my overall health.  I want to increase my strength and stamina.  I want to improve balance.  I'm feeling so much stronger spiritually these days.  Next I want to do a better job of honoring the body that houses my spirit.  Taking a walk ever day is part of that goal.

Besides wanting the exercise, our long evening walks are a great way for Larry and I to unwind and connect at the end of the day.  I love the way this mission has brought us so much closer.   We've always had a good marriage based on kindness and mutual respect.  Over the time we have been serving together though, we've grown so much more deeply connected emotionally and spiritually. We've shared so much and relied on each other in ways we never had to before.  It's amazing how our trust and intimacy has grown from these experiences.

Beyond that, however, we are very aware that we don't have a lot longer to go before we head back to land-locked Idaho.   We will deeply miss living by the ocean.   Both of us love the time we spend by the sea.