Good Day

-walked to work and didn't freeze
-had yummy tomato fennel fish soup for lunch
-went for a run
-studied A Course in Miracles with a great group of women
-had some kettle chips salt and pepper chips

Must take melatonin and hit the hay! Hope your day was as fabulous as mine!

Cookin' Fool!

My kitchen smells yummy!

I've been a busy girl tonight:
-planned my *first* yoga class for the Eating Disorders Program for tomorrow night
-made tomato fennel fish stew
-made veggie pizza
-crock pot is cooking a chicken taco soup

Into the pot went (in this order):
-onion
-celery (2 stalks)
-garlic (2 cloves)
-orange pepper
-Epicure taco seasoning (~3 tsp)
-chili powder (~2 tsp)
-can of niblet corn, drained
-can of white navy beans, drained and rinsed well
-two bone-in chili pepper chicken breasts from Costco
-can of diced tomatoes (not drained)

The lid is on and it's turned on low. By morning, I'll have a yummy chicken taco soup! I'll just have to take the bird out, shred it, give the rest a good mix, add the bird back in and VOILA!

I'll let you know how it all tastes.

I'm working straight through till Friday (thank goodness for days off) and then the weekend, too. I know that I will need to have healthy, hearty food to get me through the week.

This week is going to be great, though! How come?
-Teaching tomorrow night.
-A Course in Miracles group meets tomorrow. So excited that I came across this--I went to a vision board workshop yesterday (OMIGOD, so AMAZING!!) and the facilitator mentioned it.
-Anusara 'All you need is love' class on Wednesday and tea with my yogi friends beforehand
-Sparkly bits covered on Thursday
-Off on Friday but am going to another yoga class and fulfilling my commitment that I made in yesterday's workshop
-Work Saturday, Christmas party Saturday night
-Work Sunday.
-Rest Monday.
-Work Tuesday evening.
-Leave for Hawaii on THURSDAY!!

Hmmm....guess I'll have to fit some running in there somewhere. I wasn't able to fit in my 20 miler (32K) but I can certainly get some solid running in during the week.

Whew! I'm going to bed.

Tomato Fennel Fish Stew

From this month's Chatelaine.

Fish stew

Make it. I used basa because my Safeway didn't have haddock or tilapia that wasn't coated in a mystery sauce or deep fried.

It's easy, quick and tasty on a cold winter night!

Last Week

Was a little crazy.

I said good-bye to this man:


It was freaking cold. And then the tranny in my mom's vehicle acted up as my brother was driving home from Edmonton. A rescue mission (by me, of course) was launched and I met them in Red Deer. It was freaking cold. The next day my mom, brother and I were on our way back to Red Deer to get Grandpa from the funeral home when we got a flat tire. Did I mention it was -41C before the wind chill? Yeah, freaking cold. Thank goodness for amazing neighbours! Funeral day: just as cold. Oh, and the rental vehicle didn't have a snow brush or a block heater!

Yeah...and family drama just to round things out!

Nerm and I are pretty happy it's just us right now.

Back to Reality

Back to work this morning. Ugh. I'd rather be sleeping....

Be back later.

Blogging Hiatus

Taking a break while I head home for a few days. My grandpa passed away yesterday morning so my world's been pretty topsy turvy.

I should be back Thursday...

Shanti om.

Now I remember...

Why I chose to wear my hiking boots to work all last winter instead of these:



While they are super warm, cozy even, these boots ain't made for walkin'!

I have a huge blister on the back of my left heel (higher though, more like where my calf meets Achilles tendon) which made the 21+ blocks I had to walk today more than a little painful. They are also HEAVY.

I did not walk anywhere today, I CLUNKED.

From now on, dear Joan of Arctic boots, you are relegated to car rides, ski-dooing and short treks. As cute as you are, it pains me to write this: No more daily walks to work for you!

WOWSA!

I haven't been for a massage in months. I knew this. I should have been prepared for the pain I was about to endure.

I feel like I was in a fight this afternoon. I did not win.

Take away lesson: get a massage at least once a month!

Oy.

Knitting Fool

So yesterday the only reason I got dressed was to head to my LYS (local yarn store), MakeOne. I had made a mistake on my Entrelac scarf and wasn't exactly sure what to do about it. I had a good idea that it would involve ripping it out and starting that block again and I wasn't brave enough to try it on my own.

I braved the great outdoors (snow and -20C wind chills) and made nice with Calgary Transit. Yeaaaaaaah...I remember now why I quit the job that required me to spend so much time on the bus. It was cold, slow and I missed my connection. "Oooh, lucky me," I think. I've got time to go get a reduced fat eggnog chai latte!

Which would have be FAN-FREAKING-TABULOUS had the girl not put COFFEE in it!!

*spats out vile coffee concoction*

And the amazing customer service that I received when I pointed out the error of her ways (my cup was marked correctly, after all) was enough to almost spoil my afternoon. But soon I was back on the bus (and oh, the people watching opportunities!) heading to Bridgeland.

I arrived and Alana soon had me sorted out. I had intended to go to the store anyway, since Tuesdays are their 'knit night'. I just liked leaving during daylight hours instead of in the dark. Oh, how I love the short November days!

Alas, five hours and a ball of beautiful Noro Silk Garden yarn later, I returned home. Today the only thing I'll be getting dressed for is dinner with Cath followed by an Anusara Inspired yoga class!

Update: OK, I lied. I went out to 'get the stink blew off' as my dad used to say. Took out the garbage, compost and swept my deck and the back walk. Then I thought I'd go for a little walk...trudge is more like it, risking life and limb due to the inch thick ice layer hidden beneath the inches of snow. I made it 1.3K (in all) and had worked up a good sweat so called it a day. Ma Nature, I don't know what we did to deserve such a crappy summer and then to have winter thrust upon us this way! All I know is that I'm glad to be heading to Hawaii in 23 days (EEEEEK!) but I'm more than a little worried about my 32K I have to run this week! Enough already!

Long Slow Monday?

I had grand plans to run my 16K yesterday after my yoga workshop finished. After two and half days melting in a hot yoga studio however, my pitta constitution was spent. I came home and sat firmly on my ass, catching up on Coronation Street and cuddling with my Nerm.

That means today I have a two hour-ish run ahead of me today...like now. I scheduled a physio appointment for this afternoon so I need to get out there. I'd also like to beat the rain/snow that's on it's way!

Weekend & run recap to follow!

Tonight's the Night!

I did it!!


(photo from www.yogajournal.com)

Adho Mukha Vrksasana (handstand) was MINE tonight! It was brief, and I had a spotter, but I DID it. And I did it more than once to prove it wasn't chance. All summer Sonya and I have been working on it. I bought a handstand dvd. I have fallen. I got back up.

But tonight, Judy had us go into the pose in an entirely different way than we'd been approaching it. And it worked like a charm!

On another note...is it wrong that I've been eating carrots solely as a vehicle to get this:

to my mouth? I wonder...they're yummy carrots from the farmer's market if that makes it any better...

Whirlwind of Activity

Hello!

I had a super busy, great day! I had coffee with an old co-worker who's moved on to bigger and better things in the company and is in town on a big project. It was great to catch up with her!

Then I connected with M and we hit the mall running. A quick stop in Chapters (and almost $50 later) and I emerged. Stops at the Bay, Ricki's, RW&CO, the post office, Lulu and Sephora rounded out our evening. We high-fived when we walked out of Lulu without having opened our wallets.

I got to hear a race report for the half marathon she just did. I think all of these races are in our future. An all girls race? Sign me up!

Then I made a very yummy batch of African Stew. My friend Lisa Q. introduced me to this fabulous vegetarian concoction of chickpeas, brown rice (I used quick cooking barley), sweet potato, onion, garlic, peanut butter and kale. Served up with a wedge of lemon (or lime) and some hot sauce and it's to. die. for! If I wasn't so lazy, I'd post the recipe. But now I just want to clean up the kitchen so it's not such a disaster to wake up to in the morning, do my physio and hit the hay.

How was your day?

Weekend Review

Saturday:
-Farmer's Market. Check.
-Coffee. Check.
-Winterstart 5 miler (8K). Check.
-Food and drink (more calories consumed than burned). Check.

Sunday:
-10.6km with friend (who amazes me--she's diabetic and runs marathons. Talk about needing to know about carbs!). Check.
-Starbucks: reduced fat eggnog chai. *sigh* There is a God! Check.
-Lunch at the Grizzly Paw in Canmore. Check. I may have also done some birthday shopping for my brother: Colon Cleaner Hot Sauce.
-10.2km on my own in the sunshine when I got home. Check.

Now:
Dinner's cooking (thank goodness for a convection oven!) and I'm catching up and trying to get excited about work in the morning. =)

Hope you had a grand weekend, I did!

TGIF!

Wowsa! What a week! Too many 6 am shifts for this early bird. I worked evenings tonight though which meant I got to sleep in (well, if you call sleeping till 0630h sleeping in).

I did realize though, that I am booked every weekend from now until the second weekend of 2011. And every weekend in March, the month all about me!

This weekend:
-Farmer's Market for baby carrots from Beck's at Innisfail Growers & Honey crisp apples
-Perhaps a coffee with the girls (still not sure on that one)
-Head to Banff for Winterstart 5 miler
-21K Sunday morning
-NAP Sunday afternoon

Guess I should go to bed since I'll be so busy!

Oh, and great yoga news! I met with the Recreational Therapist in charge of the Eating Disorders Program that runs at 2 hospitals in the city (one for kids, one for adults). I'm going to be teaching yoga on Monday nights!! I'm really excited about it. Yoga has transformed/saved/changed my life so I hope that I'll be able to share my passion with these patients. We're waiting (since Oct. 4, but who's counting) for a criminal records check to come back and occupational health to determine if I really have had a measles shot (hello, MMR in Grade 9?) and the chicken pox (yep, 1980--grade one. I remember it quite vividly!). Once they clear me, we're good to go!

Namaste.