The Power of Fresh Air Makes for A Lovely Weekend

This past weekend -- simple as it was -- really filled my bucket, as my niece would say. It started with a spontaneous call from Chris on my way home from work on Friday, asking if I fancied happy hour at local, authentic little British pub.  There was no arm twisting needed here, so we met up and sat in the pub garden in the sunshine, grateful for the consistent, cool breeze.

Weekend Stress-Reliever

After a very stressful week at work, I retreated to the mountains for some stress-relieving hiking therapy, not one but two days straight!  And it was just what the doctor ordered.  

Saturday, I set off early to meet a friend up in a super cute mountain town called Evergreen, only to sit in traffic for an hour and a half longer than necessary due to an accident.  But I plugged on, and was so glad that I did.  We picked a random trail and ended up climbing to the top of a mountain.  For real.

Sunday, Chris and I headed up for an afternoon in the mountains, enjoying this beautiful mountain road, when we turned the corner to see a motorcycle wipe out in the gravel on the side of the road.  Chris hopped out, along with a few others that were driving past, and lifted the motorcycle off of the couple who were still trapped underneath it.  Luckily they were both okay, though the same cannot be said for the bike, but still scary to see.  

We eventually carried on towards our destination: Mount Evans.  Just as we reached the entrance to Mount Evans road, we realized we were super low on gas and would probably not make it up the mountain and have enough gas to get us back down to the nearest gas station (though we did seriously consider coasting!). So we parked up and went for a hike around Echo Lake, figuring we would catch Mount Evans views another time.  We spent some time around Echo Lake this past winter, cross country skiing, but it was our first time up there in the summer and it was equally as beautiful in the summer sun as it was covered in three feet of snow.

Here it is in the winter...

And this past weekend...

We discovered a really cool trail, with beautiful views all along the way.  And I have to say, there really is nothing like the camaraderie and friendliness found on hiking trails.  It puts a little spring in your step.

(side note: all photos taken on Sunday are courtesy of hubs. I forgot my phone.  :)

Oh, and Saturday night we enjoyed a sunset dinner at the lake.  Stunning.  So grateful that we live so close to this beauty.

What did you do this weekend?  What is your cure for stressful weeks?

30-Day Challenge: Bikram Yoga - Final Update!

Well, I did it!  I completed 30 classes in 30 27 days!  I have to say, it feels really good to reach the finish line of this challenge.  I am so proud of myself for sticking it out and completing what I set out to do.  And I may or may not have shed a tear as I laid down for my final savasana of the challenge.

It has also inspired me to do another challenge.  Not necessarily the physical sort, but something that I can tackle over 30 days that I might not otherwise do.  Stay tuned... I'm sure there will be another challenge in the near future.

Rounding out my challenge updates, I began to notice another cyst forming in my bad knee over the past week or so.  Discouraging, of course, but I still managed to do every yoga class since it started to form. And I am hopeful that it won't lead to a stiff and swollen knee by bursting yet again.  I have been careful not to overdo it.  I have also noticed increased flexibility (though still laughable by most standards), better form and depth in all of the postures, and slightly better balance.  I hope to continue with Bikram 3-4 mornings per week, and perhaps return to Dailey Method on the weekends since it is much nearer to home.

It occurred to me yesterday that three of the past 27 days included: 9 hours at work, 1 hour commuting and 3 hours of yoga!  Phew!

Here are the final 5 postures in the series.

 22.  Ustrasana  (Camel Posture)

This posture is by far the hardest for me.  I can do it outside of the heated room, but as soon as I try it in 105-degree heat, I get nauseous and dizzy.  Even thirty days in!  It is the biggest back bend of the series. The teachers often say the whole class is a warm-up for this pose and the Rabbit pose.  That is one LONG warm-up!  This posture, is however, very beneficial for the body.  It creates maximum compression of the spine, which stimulates the nervous system.  It improves flexibility of the neck and spine, relieves back ache and helps degenerative spinal problems.  By stretching the abdominal organs, it helps digestion and also stretches the throat, thyroid and parathyroid glands.

23.  Sasangasana  (Rabbit Posture)

The biggest back bend is followed by the biggest forward bend.  Maximum extension of the spine increases mobility and elasticity and does the same for the back muscles.  It expedites the feeding of the nervous system with fresh blood and oxygen.  This pose relieves tension in the neck, back and shoulders, and helps alleviate colds, sinus problems and chronic tonsillitis.  Compression of the thyroid and parathyroid glands rejuvenates these glands.  Rabbit is also therapeutic for insomnia, diabetes and depression.

24.  Janushirasana and Paschimotthanasana  (Head to knee pose and stretching pose)

This pose is excellent for the immune and lymphatic systems, increases circulation to the liver, pancreas, thyroid, thymus and intestines.  It improves digestion and is good for allergies and arthritis.

25.  Ardha-Matsyendrasana  (Spine Twisting Posture)

This is the only posture that twists the spine from top to bottom which increases circulation to all the spinal nerves, veins and tissues, and improves elasticity of the spine.  It helps to relieve lower back pain and prevents slipped discs, rheumatism of the spine, scoliosis and arthritis.

26.  Kapalbhati in Vajrasana  (Blowing in Firm Pose)

This pose improves digestion and circulation and increases elasticity of the lungs with every forceful exhale.  You generate prana and push out every ounce of carbon dioxide, replacing it with life-giving oxygen.  It also helps to increase abdominal organs and increases circulation to them.  Bonus: it also stimulates the digestive system!

Keeping myself honest, here are all of my check-ins from my 30 classes!  Feels so good to look through all of these and know that I accomplished my goal!

Happy Friday!!  I am looking forward to my first day off in 27 days!  Sleeping in, here I come!

Snowshoeing Fun

On Sunday, Chris and I carved out some time from our afternoon to go for a beautiful drive up in the mountains.  Oh, and we decided to throw our snowshoes in for good measure.  The destination we had in mind, ended up having weather much like that of a warm Spring day, which also meant no snow.  So we carried on a bit further, and finally came across enough snow to break out the snowshoes.  

It was my first time, so it took a bit of adjusting to the "duck walk" that I felt like I was doing.  But once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it!  It was another big reminder that my lungs haven't had much of a workout the past 6 months, due to my knee, but inspiring to get out and brush out my cobweb-filled lungs.  Filling them with fresh, mountain air couldn't feel better!

Overall, it was a very nice and active weekend.  I was, of course up and right back at it yesterday morning for another early morning yoga session, and have now hit the 30% completion mark with today's class.  A very good feeling! Another update coming later this week on that front.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are having a great week so far!

I Need a 30-Day Challenge in My Life

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like I need to challenge myself to push through the not-so-good times.  For some reason, I just haven't been myself lately.  I honestly told Chris last night that the only way I can describe it is that I feel like an alien has taken over my mind and body.  Sounds silly, but I honestly have struggled to get back to feeling like myself.  I know that there is one thing that is likely to help above all others, but when I am not feeling so great, I struggle to make it a routine in my week.

What is it, you ask?  Exercise.  

Since I am limited (still) on what I can do, physically, I am turning back to Bikram yoga for this challenge. Starting Sunday (because we have friends in town this weekend), 30 Bikram yoga classes in 30 days.  It might seem extreme, but it is very doable and I feel like I need a reason to get up and go every day.  And a challenge to tell myself that I can commit and follow through.  You see, I often give up on things when I lose motivation, and that is a difficult habit to break.  So, I am telling you this so that you can help keep me accountable!  I will post an update on my progress twice a week, and be honest about if I have missed any days (though that is allowed, if I double up and do two classes another day - eek!).  

So here we go.  Sunday March 9th through Monday April 7th. Complete 30 classes.

Wish me luck!

When Life Gets Boring

Okay, so this is a place of honesty, and thus, I feel the need to share about the in-between times of life, full disclosure. Typically when the blog gets quiet it is because I feel like I have nothing fun, exciting or insightful to share.  I mean, who wants to hear about the fact that I went to work, endured horrible traffic on the commute home, and spent my evening doing nothing useful?  Not even myself, that's who.

Bear with me, I had a cup of coffee this morning (I rarely drink caffeine!), and feel compelled to share and discuss the more low-key aspects of our week.  However boring they might be.  Are you glued to the screen yet with my "hook?"  

The truth is, although we certainly enjoy our adventures and active lives (so much!), the in-between times are really no different to anyone else's.  And yet, equally as important, right?  Enjoying and appreciating the quiet times is an art form, and one that we shouldn't miss out on.  This is something I hope to get better at.

So, how did our week shake out, you ask?  Okay, maybe that was me asking...  

Sunday, Chris managed to get up snowboarding with some friends for the first time this season.  I am still not cleared for such intense activity, and sadly my boarding days might be over, so I was really glad he found some friends to get up with.  But while he was away, how would I entertain myself?!  

Well, I decided to paint our entire first floor, that's how.  Ha!  I was so tired of the bland, dark beige that was there when we moved into the house last year, that I woke up bright and early ready to start the big project! (Full before and after coming soon!)  I think I painted for 9 hours straight on Sunday, and I was definitely feeling it on Monday morning.  I had to wait for Chris to get home to use the ladder (he didn't give me the nickname, Clumsy Clogs for nothing, my friend...).

The paint is gray, but looks almost white on the color swatch at Home Depot.  When I put it on the walls, it turns out it looks almost blue, which I was ecstatic about!  It really brightens up the back room (kitchen and family room), which is where we spend the most time, so we were pretty stoked about that.  Now if only I can convince Chris to let me paint the kitchen cabinets white...

Anyway, back to our week.  Monday was a holiday so we decided to head outside for a walk and lunch at a new restaurant.  We were lucky enough to have a beautiful week of warm sunshine (Sunday was over 70 degrees!), so it was really nice to get outdoors.  I also spent some time refinishing a beautiful china hutch that we got on craigslist for $50 (a steal!).  It will go in the front room, and I am SUPER excited to see how it turns out! (before and after coming soon...)

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty low-key, Chris and I have both been busy with work stuff, so we spent some time on our laptops while simultaneously catching up on The Americans (before season 2 starts next week!), and enjoying some tasty vegetarian tacos.  

Thursday, I made a decision to jump back into fitness with gusto.  That's right, I said gusto.  I have been feeling in a bit of a funk lately, about several things really, and I knew the one thing that would help me shake that off was exercise. Although I am still having to be super careful with me knee (it keeps swelling back up), I decided to jump back into Bikram Yoga.  For those of you not familiar, it is yoga in a room that is heated to 105 degrees.  Sounds completely horrible, sweaty and miserable, but I swear to you it works wonders.  Not only do you get an amazing physical workout, but you also experience this incredible feeling of positivity and happiness when you leave that room.  I don't know if it is the detoxifying, or maybe the fact that you turn a little delusional from the heat, but whatever it is... I am hooked on Bikram once again!  

Last night, I literally fell into bed at 9:00pm (this is nothing new, I always go to bed early), and slept like a rock all night.  I am stiff and sore this morning, but I am going back to the yoga studio for more this afternoon.  Call me crazy...

This weekend, Chris surprised me with a little getaway as my birthday present, so I will share stories and photos of our adventures sometime next week.  

In the meantime, have a lovely weekend and take time to smell the roses! Hey, I did...

Our Thanksgiving - 2013

Well, it was a really truly enjoyable Thanksgiving.  Chris and I went to Washington last weekend, so we got to spend the four day-long weekend at home.  A surprisingly enjoyable one at that!

We made a mad dash for the grocery store on Wednesday night to get ingredients for a tasty vegetarian dinner on Thursday.  Our creation turned out quite nicely.

Of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving if we didn't have pumpkin pie...

We decided to go for a Thanksgiving walk before dinner, and really enjoyed the fresh air.  I have been struggling with a pretty frustrating knee injury, so hikes were out of the question.  But the walk was just right.

Friday we busted out the Christmas cheer and did our very first holiday decorating since we bought our house.  Turns out Christmas decorations are quite expensive, but we plan on adding more next year!  Apologies in advance if my blog takes a detour down candy cane lane this next month.  I LOVE holiday cheer, and all things festive!

The final result of our decorating efforts.

Saturday we returned to the land of adulthood and did some much needed cleaning, scrubbing and laundry around the house.  In the process, we began brainstorming DIY ideas for our little breakfast nook in the kitchen.  Here is what it looks like currently.

And this is what we think we would like to do with it.  Our hope is that it will add to the charm as well as seating!

We rewarded ourselves with an afternoon walk at a beautiful park, offering breath-taking views of the mountains.

{ I was using this photo to play with the aperture, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out! }

Saturday night, we were feeling quite lazy but decided to force ourselves to get out for a little date night.  We ended up in a really cozy little pub for a dinner of shared appetizers, followed by live music at a nearby bar. The band?  Ah-mazing!  They were doing all sorts of 80s, 90s and 00s covers.  And were amazingly talented.  We had a really great night.

With one more day, we decided to make the most of our Sunday together.  I went shopping for the family we adopted for the holidays in the morning, before we headed up to the mountains.  Lucky us, we found an incredible meadow for a lovely walk.

{ side note: Chris lost his glove on our Thursday walk, and was convinced that it would still be on the side of the road where we parked for that walk.  I was skeptical, but was pleasantly surprised when it was still there 3 days later!  We had a good laugh about that. }

Overall, it was such a great relaxing weekend.  It has been a while since I felt fully 'recharged,' but I am glad that the feeling came by Sunday afternoon.  I went back to work yesterday with a definite spring in my step. Now if only I could kick this knee injury before this weekend - we are expecting snow this week and girlfriend needs some cross country skiing in her life.  

Hope all you Yanks enjoyed your Thanksgiving just as much as we did.  Now only three weeks until Christmas!