Will Holy Week Ever End? Saturday & Sunday, Days 30 & 31

Saturday I officially hit the 30-day mark in my "New Dawn" project, but I found myself too busy to even sit down and process my thoughts or write about my progress. In the spirit of celebrating Easter in Placencia, and keeping the "Holy Week" party going, we had spontaneously invited some friends over for a grilling feast on Easter Sunday, and I had a ton of work to do to get things ready for our guests to arrive. 

I spent the first half of the day on Saturday in a cooking frenzy, making ahead everything I could. Then I spent the rest of the day sweeping, washing floors, scrubbing the kitchen & bathrooms, changing sheets, doing laundry, and getting the outdoor kitchen and our "UnderWhere?" Bar cleaned up. Since many weight-loss articles I have read claim that sweeping, dusting, and mopping floors burns calories, I decided all the cleaning would have to count as my exercise for the day. I simply didn't have time for anything else, and the number of times I ran up and down the stairs getting things done had added up to a lot, I was sure!

Sunday was hot but gorgeous (again), and we got the party started a little early when some friends showed up with some delicious chilled mimosas. Then the feast was on! Dear hubby was in charge of the grill, basting and cooking up pound after pound of juicy chicken. It turned into a real party when more and more people just kept showing up with more delicious food. In addition to about ten or twelve pounds of barbecued chicken, we ended up with grilled pork chops, "naked" wings, hot dogs, potato salad, cajun deviled eggs, toasted ciabatta bread, coleslaw, pasta salad, steamed broccoli & carrots, spanish rice, watermelon, and a fresh key lime pie complete with Cool Whip! 

It was a feast fit for a king, and everyone definitely ate like royalty. Except for me, believe it or not! I was actually a "good" girl! 

I chose a little of each of the rice, coleslaw, veggies, watermelon, a couple deviled eggs, and ciabatta bread. But I was mindful of my choices, and kept the portions small. And even though I don't eat chicken (unless it's boneless, skinless, and sauceless), I didn't overindulge in any one other thing either. I sampled a little of each thing I wanted, but I wasn't overly full, and still felt happy and satisfied. And luckily for me, since I don't care for key lime pie, I wasn't even tempted by the beautiful dessert, even though dear hubby and "E" said it was delicious. 

I can't say that I did any specific exercise on Sunday, but since it was technically Sunday Funday in addition to being a holiday, I decided to let myself off the hook. I did allow myself a couple of mimosas, and one rum drink with watermelon juice, but I spaced them out throughout the entire afternoon and evening instead of guzzling them hand over fist like I did on Friday. And at the end of the day, I considered the number of trips I made up and down the stairs, and all the steps I took while tending to our guests, and decided they would at least help balance out the empty calories. 

I have a lot of thoughts about reaching the end of my 30-day project, but I will have to share them with you tomorrow and the next day, because even though it's a Monday, there is still one more day left to celebrate Easter (at least in Placencia)!  See you then!