Yesterday a few of us met up and went for a morning hike. It was a beautiful, cool LA morning. We hiked up to the Griffith Observatory. We were laughing so much as we asked someone to take our picture he asked us if we were from here.

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We talked about the ExMo Challenge. Shannon is looking mighty amazing if I do say so myself.

We talked about how this week we(Shannon and myself) did drink again, hesitantly and with some fear.

I know I don’t want to get back into the habit of nightly wine drinking but with this onslaught of heat I must say wine tastes pretty good to me.

I’m still working out hard and eating more protein, so I’m staying the course. But it’s a real issue trying to figure out how much alcohol you will allow or our able to stop/start back into your life.

On Friday I lost my iPhone.

I had a very good day without it.

I actually didn’t want to find it, at least not fast.

I thought about actually getting rid of it and going to a phone that just allows calls. I do like the iPhone for travel though.

So…my next ExMoChallenge will be iPhone related.

When Benny, my oldest, was little I didn’t have one, I simply checked my emails when he napped. My new goal is to not carry around my iPhone. I will use it when the kids are napping or at night or of course if I’m without them and NOT driving. Never when driving. 

As soon as I found my phone I felt my mind split again.

I felt the kids clamoring for my attention.

I’m so sick of that feeling. I’m tired of reading about news that scares me and leaves me almost immobilized constantly.

So, here we go, a break from the iPhone. A much needed break.

I don’t need to catch every single beautiful moment on camera.

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OK, OK, you get the picture.

I need to capture their eye contact.

I also would rather have real time with humans. I’m kind of lonely, that’s another post though. And please don’t consider stalking me, I’m not THAT lonely. But I long for the image of these two older Iowa women who I watched sit on their patio and talk every day I last visited Des Moines, about 5 years ago.

I only saw the back of their gray heads but I was envious. So I need to work on building a porch, installing a swing and making and deepening friendships with people, in the flesh.

Love to hear from any of you that are challenging yourselves in different ways. Drop us a line if you have time.