What I've Been Up To...

Jan. 27: Went for a run, went to work

Jan. 28: Yoga, coffee with yoga friends, went to work, then Brewsters for a few (and hot wings and nachos) after work

Jan. 29: Slept in (see Jan. 28, above. I'm too old to stay out past 1 a.m.!), went to yoga, went to Farmer's Market, went bowling

Today (Jan. 30): SKIING! I went with a co-worker, her boyfriend, and my yogi friend, Carole. It was cold, but no wind (until you got to the very top). There was LOTS of snow which made the day fabulous. Because it was cold, the snow was kind of slow and sticky (you know it's bad when I say it's too slow. Yes, me, the one who needs to embrace speed more!). But I shredded slopes I've never done before and many of them were labeled with a black diamond instead of the safe, blue square. I only bit it once (unless you count the wipeout on the slippery bathroom floor, then it was twice) but the powder softens the landing. I found myself in the trees more than once (not always on purpose, either) but managed to swoosh my way down to the bottom. Skiing with these guys pushed me past my comfort zone and I liked it!!

I'm also now on Day 7 of my meditation challenge. I love it!!

Must go soak this tired body now and hit the hay. I have to work in the morning, then teach yoga tomorrow night.

Happy Weekend!

It's Official!

1. Going to Hamilton to run the Around the Bay 30K road race March 27. Flights are booked!

2. I've found my running mojo--just got in from a little jaunt around my 'hood. 4.13km 32 min 327 calories. I felt pretty good, but must find my inhaler...it's around here somewhere....

3. My Monday night yoga girls ROCK! I just got some great feedback on my classes. I heart them all.

4. Day 3 of the Chopra Centre Winter Meditation Challenge is under my belt. It's all good. Shanti Om.

5. Mother Nature is in a good mood--the sun is shining, the sky is blue and it's freaking beautiful out there. Perfect weather for a run. Not so perfect to have to go to work inside...

Where to begin....

It's been a weird week for me. Friday marked five years since my dad died. Yikes. Sometimes it seems like only yesterday....but so much has changed in my life in the past five years. It's a little overwhelming and I've been trying to figure it all out...

I went skiing with my cousin and his girl friend yesterday. Louise wasn't the greatest: iffy snow on my favourite run, busy, and poor visibility. But I was skiing and not working, so really, how bad was it?

Anyway, I need to get dressed--the morning has gotten away from me and I have to be at work in two hours. Nothing on my to-do list has yet to be crossed off, so I'd better get moving!

Not Much Going on Here...

I work this weekend. Boo.

But I am going to a soiree this evening where I will only know the guest of honour...which means a fabulous opportunity to meet new people!

And tomorrow, Farmer's Market (more soup!), then work. Maybe a run, depends on how early I get up.

And Monday: SNOW DAY!! Again.

=)

Snow Day, Part III

Had a great day at Sunshine, although the full moon made it's presence well known:

a) they overbooked the bus. Fortunately, I had a seat. Seriously though, don't kids now days have to attend school? From the conversations I overheard, they shouldn't be missing school days!

b) only 3 lifts were open. There was some sort of 'issue' and there were only 6 ski patrollers on the mountain today. It was OK for me, except I had to share my favourite runs with more people than I normally would. And I got a $20 off coupon...next time's gonna be cheap!

c) literally saw the moon this morning (and tonight on the way home, too, but it was partially obscured by some clouds). It was HUGE and bright and beautiful. La lune!

d) hot chocolate and booze costs different amounts depending on where you buy it. In the main lodge on the first floor, bailey's and hot chocolate: $10.95. Yes, you read that right. It was delicious!! At the bottom of the gondola, hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps: $7.50. One for the road! Yum!! Definitely where I'll be stopping from now on.

I also discovered the importance of eating well on the hill. Yesterday we had greasy cafeteria food (cheeseburger, fries and gravy pour moi, chili cheese fries for Doug). We both crashed later. Today, I packed a good lunch: tuna salad on whole wheat, carrots and hummus, strawberries. No late afternoon sugar crash. This is good to know. I may have devoured a package of cheddar cheese pretzel pieces when I got home though. =P

But I have a HUGE Greek salad in the fridge to feed me for the week to come.

Now I must go soak my tired body. My quads were pretty angry with me today for the intense workouts two days in a row. But I had fun playing in the powder! Wheeeeee!

SNOW Day, part II

Had a great day on the slopes with Dougie. He got me down a black run in one piece (and even though I threatened his life, I didn't do it!) and I must admit, I had a huge grin on my face afterwards! Nary a wipeout to be had today. And the only green run was the last one of the day--my quads were screaming at me and I wanted to end the day wipeout free. =)

Heading to Sunshine tomorrow while the skiing is good...

Off to soak these tired muscles and hit the hay. Why is it easier to get up at 6 am to go skiing than it is to go work?

SNOW Day!!

Heading to Lake Louise tomorrow with my fave cousin, Dougie. I was going to take the bus and go to Sunshine by my lonesome, but who's gonna turn down a chance to go with others instead?! Not me!

Just checked in with my official ski guide (that'd be Fred, my bro) and he assures me that if I stick to the blues, I'll be fine.

It should be interesting if nothing else--Dougie's a boarder (gasp! the horror!) and I'm a skier...stay tuned!

Maybe I'll take another snow day on Wednesday and go to Sunshine anyway! As Fred said, "Never pass up a snow day."

Sunday Reflections

*sigh*

I've had a great few days! Friday morning yoga was great--lots and lots of down dog. Coffee afterwards and I utilized incredible will power to walk past Cobs Bakery. Tea with my cousin followed and then I came home and finished knitting my scarf.

Saturday dawned bright and early (I woke at 4, not my choice). Carol and I headed down to the Kingsland Farmer's Market. I picked up some soups from Primal Grounds: creamy vegetable with blue cheese (AMAZING) and pumpkin chai (haven't tried it yet). I also bought some lovely goat's milk chai. I should've bought more. I grew up on goat's milk (and we had our own cute little goats, although I'm the only one who thinks/remembers them as cute) because I had nasty skin reactions whenever I drank cow's milk. I also bought some saskatoon syrup for my buttermilk pancakes (that I've yet to make). The last purchase was a bottle of mead (honey wine) from the place my yogi-friend Lisette works at. Lisette and I did our teacher training together and she brought some of the first batches of mead for us to try at our potlucks.

Brunch at Diner Deluxe followed (nary a veggie in sight, but oh, so tasty!). The hashbrowns were divine. And seriously, a hashbrown defines a breakfast place.

Yoga class focused on back bends. Danurasana (bow) was intense and beautiful! I loved it!

The late afternoon was spent with another yogi friend as we went to a baby shower for the baby we watched grow during our teacher training! We came home with goody bags of Greek meatballs and tzatziki. We love Trina's hubby! He's a good cooker.

Today was a pretty lazy morning, followed by a 2-hour kula practice at the yoga studio. It was intense (think timed down dogs, headstand and handstand...) although the poses were basics. 13 half moons (one per side x 2 sides x 13 full moons per year = 26 half moons). Egad!! Even with a good soak in the claw foot, I'm not sure I'll be able to walk well tomorrow.

Dinner is leftover sweet potato black bean burrito filling (I ran out of tortillas so I've made the rest into burgers. A big pot of cherry tea is brewed and on the to-do list for tonight is planning tomorrow's yoga class. I think I'll use the fact that's it's Martin Luther King day and go from there...

Hope you've had a great weekend!

Whoo hoo!

I heart Fridays! Why, you ask? Let me count the ways!

1. Yoga with Judy, followed by coffee at Starbucks. Is there any better way to start a weekend?

2. Scale was down 3.8 from last week!

3. Coffee with my cousin that I haven't seen for over a year, but we catch up on Facebook every once in awhile. It's just good to reconnect in person, ya know?

4. Knitting! I'm almost done the scarf I started in October (I worked on it last night) and I'm almost ready to tackle the next project: a matching toque. I need to learn some new skills though, namely knitting in the round. I foresee a visit to my local yarn store!

5. I don't have to be back at work till 0700h next Thursday! There will be skiing. There will be yoga. There will be coffee. There will be knitting. There will be Farmer's Market. There will be other things that aren't quite as fun, but still need to be done (taxes, thank you cards, a funeral, Belated Happy Holiday cards, laundry, you know the drill).

Happy Friday!

Is it Friday yet?

Hmpf! Didn't think so. But tomorrow's my Friday, so I just need to get through till then!

Last night I met with my Course in Miracles group. My take-home message: If your life is only a seven, it's 'cause you're only showing up as a seven! It was a lovely evening of good company, good tea and spiritual nurturing. Just whatchya need in this frigid cold we're engulfed in! Did I mention it's currently -33*C with the windchill?? (Good thing the forecast for the weekend in the mountains is good--I need to hit the slopes--Sunshine's got a schwack of snow since I was there last Monday. I'm planning on going on Sunday and Tuesday, & maybe Wednesday too--we'll see how my quads are feeling.)

Wasn't sure what to have for dinner tonight, so instead of wandering the aisles of Safeway aimlessly, I hopped on the bus and headed to Sunterra. There I gathered ingredients for a Greek salad and got some Mediterranean stuffed chicken breasts. After unloading the dishwasher so that I could reload it again, I started to work on the salad:

-cooked a cup of quinoa
-chopped a red and a yellow pepper
-chopped a cuke & a pint of cherry tomatoes
-chopped 1/4 of a red onion

Made a dressing with:
-3 TB EVOO
-3 TB Epicure Greek Salad Dressing
- red wine vinegar, lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, crushed

Toss it all together and let it sit at room temp to let the flavours meld. Mmmmmm! Make it a complete meal by adding a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas.

Now I'm going to clean up my kitchen, pack lunch for tomorrow, make a pot of herbal tea, roll out my yoga mat and have a quiet, restorative practice. Afterwards, I do believe a soak in the tub with my new book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is in order!

Flyin' by!

Time, that is! I had a lovely jammie day with Nerm on Sunday, worked then taught yoga yesterday and worked, then went to my Course in Miracles group tonight. Did I mention that I've been up since 4? Oh, and there was a yoga practice in there each day, too!

Must get some zzzzz's soon, though!

To Ski or Not to Ski?

That is the question for tomorrow.

Pros:
-It's currently snowing at Sunshine Village AND they've had 25 cm in the last 3 days!
-It's supposed to snow tomorrow, too.
-It's skiing!
-I have the $$ to pay for a lift ticket.
-I wouldn't have to drive (that's why God invented the Sunshine Coach)
-They make a tasty hot chocolate and peppermint Schnapps in the lodge by the fire...


Cons:
-The wind chill is brutal out there and on the mountain, it's even worse.
-I'm physically tired--my yoga practice has been pretty intense for the past two weeks.
-I need to plan my class for Monday night.
-Did I mention it's cold out there?
-I haven't had a day where I did nothing since before I left on vacation (I think Dec. 6 was kind of laid back...)


Verdict:
I'm going to stay home and have a jammie day with Nerm. It's supposed to keep snowing all week, so I'll go next weekend instead! AND, I get more than a few days off, so I'll go more than once!

2011--The Year of Awesomeness

This post was totally inspired by my yoga class this morning with Brian and last week's series with Judy. Today we spent an hour and a half celebrating our awesomeness (and focusing on our foundations and level one syllabus poses (except powerful pose, that's the only level two pose we did). It was an AMAZING class!!

Resolutions imply that we're not good enough (or thin enough or fast enough or whatever). This year, I'm focusing on the fact that I. AM. AWESOME. JUST. THE. WAY. I. AM.

Last week in Judy's week long series, we talked about making changes (you know, "be the change you want to see in the world" ~Gandhi). First, there was gratitude for what we already have in our lives. Then we set the foundations for change so that we could navigate the twists and turns life throws at us. We got perspective (things look different when you're upside down!). We reinforced our own personal strength. Then there was faith, hope and all that jazz. We ended the week with a celebration of us.

So why not carry this theme through the rest of the year? After Brian's class this morning, I knew I wouldn't be making any resolutions.

How am I going to celebrate my awesomeness this year? Well, here's a list:

*Continue my yoga practice. I've practiced every day since Sunday, December 26, 2010. My personal practice helps inspire my teaching and I'll continue to teach with the Eating Disorders program. Karma is a good thing.

*Study with more teachers. I'm taking classes on Fridays with Judy and Saturdays with Caroline. I'm going to attend workshops with Patrick Creelman, Noah Maze and Desiree Rumbaugh. I'm attending a retreat in March with Judy and Nora. Sonya and I will have yoga play dates. My kula rocks!!

*Run! I'm registered for Around the Bay in March and I'm aiming for a fall marathon. Location TBA.

*Nurture my spirituality. I love my Course in Miracles group that I've found on Tuesday nights! I'm also attending a seminar in Vancouver that features Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson and Geneen Roth. I'm also enrolled in the Chopra Centre's Winter Mediation Challenge.

*Gain financial freedom. I'm changing my work schedule to work more evenings and weekends. The additional shift differential adds up to 2 extra shifts...without actually working 2 extra days! I'll pay off my debts and save for awesomeness celebrations (and a new house for me and Nerm!).

*Celebrate nature. Skiing, hiking, and just drinking in the beauty that Mother Nature surrounds me with daily. I live in an amazing part of this country and I will enjoy it as much as I can.

*Celebrate with my friends! To start, Michelle is graduating from Medical school in May and I get to go with her to the big par-tay. It's formal attire and I forsee a new party dress in my future!

This year is off to an amazing start already! I can't wait to see what else unfolds in the next 358 days!

Shanti om.

2010 Goals Revisited

1. Return to my goal weight. Hmm…not quite. But I did lose almost 9 inches! It’s not just about the scale. And I’m back to tracking what goes in my mouth. I know that’s what works for me.

2. I will run:
Around the Bay on March 28--DONE
Windemere Marathon (all 26.2 miles) on May 12—didn’t register (yoga training interfered)
the Underwear Affair on June 5—DONE (and $1355 raised, to boot!)
Melissa's on September 25--DONE
the Honolulu Marathon (December 12) again—DONE
I also threw in a trail race just for fun. 4 outta 5 is pretty good in my books!

3. I'll continue to embrace the clean eating and 100 mile diet lifestyles. Make my own meals. Buy local. Grow what I can. Less processed food. More veggies. Less meat. Absolutely! Although there may be some Synder’s of Hanover pretzel thingys in my pantry. Otherwise everything else in my house requires some sort of prep before you can eat it!

4. I will continue my education. No French classes, but I became a yoga teacher! I’ve also had the opportunity to study with advanced Anusara teacher, Noah Maze, and my teacher from Vancouver, Kate.

5. Travel. Let’s see. There was Hamilton, Banff, Canmore, and Honolulu. Not bad.

6. Yoga. Still not quite a daily habit, but definitely more frequently. My practice has flourished and I continue to grow, expand and lead with my heart on my mat each day I come to it. And I love how my practice has evolved this year!! I teach a restorative practice for in-patients of the Eating Disorders program at a hospital in the city. I'm a member of an amazing yoga family in this city. I cherish these relationships as I learn how to be a better teacher and student from each one.

7. I will also spend more time in the mountains. Yep, although there wasn’t much skiing after the x-country sprained thumb incident. Not much downhill either, except for right before Christmas. Or hiking. But I hung out and breathed fresh mountain air on more than one occasion!

8. 10 pushups & 30 crunches before bed. Yeah….totally forgot about this one!

9. I will host a Sunday dinner at least once every two months. Didn’t forget about it, but didn’t make it happen, either.

10. Live each day to the fullest. Embrace each day as though it's my last. Laugh out loud. Every day. Absolutely.

Happy New Year!

May this year be filled with love, happiness, joy, grace and adventure. I'll be back later--all sweaty from a fan-FREAKING-tastic yoga class with Judy (celebrating Shiva) and have to leave for work in a half hour.

2011 is off to a great start and I can't wait to see what it has in store for me!

=)