Too Much of a Good Thing

Alaska is called The Land of the Midnight Sun. On June 21st, the longest day of the year, there is quite the celebration in Fairbanks. They shut down the main downtown roads for a street fair that closes at midnight. There is a baseball game that starts at 10pm and finishes without turning on the lights. There is also a Midnight Sun Run that starts at 10pm and usually has thousands of participants, some from the lower 48 that come to celebrate with the locals.

This year, the Summer Solstice in Fairbanks recorded a

sunrise time of 2:58am and

sunset at 12:48am (yes, 22 hours of light).

On the flip side, the Winter Solstice, December 21st, in Fairbanks recorded a

sunrise time of 10:59am and

sunset at 2:40pm (3 hours of light).

This winter was a tough one for me in Seattle. Lots of cold and snow for here. I wrestled with the worst spring fever I had experienced since leaving Alaska. I prayed desperately for sun, in any form. Fast forward to July and I spent a week in Fairbanks with nothing BUT sun. Sun at midnight, sun at 4am, sun to wake up my son at 1am, SUN! I was thankful for my first dark night back home.

On the same thread, I spent many Weight Watcher "good" days longing for foods I shouldn't eat - in abundance. While on vacation in Fairbanks, I enjoyed it all - in abundance. I have a mother-in-law that can really cook and I certainly didn't want to waste a single thing. I ate until I didn't feel good. I gained 9 pounds. Ouch!

My first day back at the gym yesterday felt amazing. Writing in my food journal and tracking my points felt great. I feel like myself again.

What I learned - from the Fairbanks sun and the Fairbanks food - is that TRULY, you can have too much of a good thing.