My Wardrobe, Myself

Photography Interlude: Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach

Debbie Roes

August 12, 2016

NOTE: This post was originally published on my previous blog, Recovering Shopaholic.

As I wrote in my last post, this past Monday was my fiftieth birthday. Many people have parties to mark this momentous occasion, and I was lucky enough to enjoy such a celebration with some dear friends during my recent trip to Texas. I will also celebrate with family in a few weeks when I travel to Lake Tahoe. But when it came down to the actual day, I opted to spend it in a low-key way with my wonderful husband.

We actually extended our celebration to two days in that we ate lunch at my favorite restaurant on the last day of my 40’s and saw the new Star Trek movie (fast fact – the TV series premiered in 1966 , the year I was born!).

Enjoying lunch at my favorite restaurant on the last day of my forties.

Hello 50! and August 2016 Balance Goal Update

Debbie Roes

36 comments

August 8, 2016

NOTE: This post was originally published on my previous blog, Recovering Shopaholic.

As I write this, it’s just three days before my 50^th birthday and this post will go live on the big day. I can’t believe it’s almost here! As it has gotten closer and I’ve had other things on my mind, I’ve become less stressed about moving into a new decade and more accepting of it. As many people say, it’s only a number, plus it’s better than the alternative!

Birthday Reflections

It’s hard to think that I probably have less of my life in front of me than behind me and that perhaps my best days are in my past, but I’m trying to develop a more positive perspective on it. I don’t know what the future holds and many people have told me that they are happier and even healthier in their later years. Plus, as my husband says, on my 50^th birthday I will be just one day older than the day before! He loved turning 50 and it didn’t bother him at all, so maybe I need to follow his example.

I’ll share more thoughts about my birthday after it has passed, as well as what I want for myself in this new decade of my life. But today I’d like to give you an update on how I’m doing with my theme for 2016, balance. My last balance update was about two months ago, so I feel it’s time for another one, as these reviews help to keep my yearly theme top of mind (and hopefully remind you of your goals and where you are with them as well). Rather than go through all of my balance goals one by one, I will instead share my wins from the past two months, as well as my challenges.

Gray Hair Transition – Three Months and Counting…

Debbie Roes

41 comments

August 5, 2016

NOTE: This post was originally published on my previous blog, Recovering Shopaholic.

It’s been two months since I last gave an update on how I’m doing with my gray hair transition, so I thought it’s high time that I chime in on how that project is going for me. As a reminder and for those who are new to the blog, I colored my hair for the last time on April 20^th. I initially wrote about my issues with my hair back in May, at which time I had not yet made the commitment to transition to my natural color. A price increase at my salon and a friend who had taken the plunge to go gray led me to consider my options and it wasn’t long before I put both feet firmly in the camp of baring my silver roots.

Gray hair can be beautiful!

The Decision

I decided to stop coloring my hair for several reasons. For one, I was getting my roots touched up every four weeks and they really needed it after just two weeks. I was only happy with my hair color about half the time, and even then I didn’t love the way it looked. It was expensive and time-consuming, plus I had become increasingly chemically sensitive and worried about the impact such frequent hair coloring was having on my health. As time went on, there were more factors in favor of stopping the hair dyeing than there were on the side of continuing it. It was primarily my vanity and sheer habit that were keeping it going for me.

Photography Interlude – Point Loma Fishing Harbor

Debbie Roes

9 comments

July 22, 2016

NOTE: This post was originally published on my previous blog, Recovering Shopaholic.

In my two most recent “photography interludes,” I shared two of my favorite walking locations, Shelter Island and La Playa. In addition to those two picturesque locales, there are a couple of other places where I enjoy walking and taking photos. In today’s post, I’m going to introduce you to the fishing harbor in Point Loma, which is a short walk from where I live.

About the Point Loma Fishing Harbor

The Point Loma fishing harbor is located on the San Diego Bay and is home to three major fishing charter boat companies: H&M Landing, Point Loma Sportfishing, and Fisherman’s Landing. These companies not only take fisherman out for single or multi-day fishing trips, they also offer whale watching excursions during the migration seasons for the gray and blue whales. The harbor is also home to the famous Point Loma Seafoods, which opened its doors to the public back in 1963 and is both a fresh fish market and a popular restaurant.

Outdoor dining on the patio and by the water and Point Loma Seafoods.

Photography Interlude – La Playa

Debbie Roes

12 comments

June 13, 2016

NOTE: This post was originally published on my previous blog, Recovering Shopaholic.

It’s been almost two months since I published my last “photography interlude,” so it’s high time for another one. Back in April, I shared one of my favorite places to walk, Shelter Island, which is less than a mile down the road from where I live. Today, I want to share another beloved walking locale, La Playa, which is also very close to my home.

La Playa, Point Loma

About La Playa

La Playa, Spanish for “the beach,” is a Bayfront neighborhood in the Point Loma community of San Diego that is bordered by the San Diego Bay and across a channel from Shelter Island. Naval Base Point Loma is located at the south end of La Playa. The La Playa neighborhood includes some of the most expensive homes in San Diego, as well as San Diego Yacht Club and Southwestern Yacht Club. Some of the Bayfront homes have private piers for docking small boats.