Back from the Coast....

Back again from my little trip.  Had a really good time....hotel was nice, great bed....enjoyed seeing the Monterey Aquarium, especially the huge tank with all the big fish....whole schools of sharks, barracuda, rays, what looked like thousands of bonitos, a gigantic sunfish.....the tank looked several stories deep, with a glass wall you could be right up next to as the fish swam mere inches from your nose...I could have stood there for hours.... It was fun running about doing the tourist thing...ate lunch at "Bubba Gump Shrimp co."  This was the first one I had been to...based on the movie "forrest Gump", one of my favorite movies of all time .  The tables had signs that could be changed back and forth from "Run Forrest Run" to "Stop Forrest Stop" depending on if you wanted your server to stop by your table.  Food was really yummy.  The server came by and asked trivia questions about the movie from time to time...there were exhibits of clothing, etc. used in the movie.  I guess this is part of a chain....but it was good and I enjoyed it! Drove down the Coast Highway and stopped off a couple of times....once at Big Sur to check out this place called Nepenthe I like....a restaurant with gorgeous views of the mountains running to the sea for miles in both directions.  Stopped off just north of San Simeon at this place you can see the Elephant Seal colony on their beach. Hearst Castle was enjoyable....beautiful location, loved the indoor and outdoor pools...but it made me think a lot about how a person can have all that luxury and still not be happy.  You could live in that gorgeous mansion and not have peace and contentment by any means.  I am still trying to recover financially from my gambling....don't have much right now....but I am enjoying life ANYWAY.  One of the things that was so bad about gambling is that it took so much time and energy away from living life HAPPILY....living life with an awareness of values, honesty, and not having to be ashamed or hide things (like gambling losses). Even though chances of me living in extreme luxury the rest of my life are  verrrrrry slim, I think I can take up my life from this point and make the most of it.  As long as I stay away from gambling, my life can be great...if I keep focused on what is really important, like my family, friends, and staying true to my values, pursuing "healthy" interests... Like Suzi says...here's to living our "best " life....and just for today, I will not gamble.Love, dianne