Guess what I did yesterday?

Friday's class was also backbends so I've been a backbending goddess this weekend! My back body is feeling it, too.

Friday afternoon we took birthday cake to my Grandma's and celebrated 83 years. Afterwards, mom and I met up with my cousin and her hubby for an impromptu photo shoot (all those people on the street are wondering who I am) and a yummy Thai dinner at The King & I.

Saturday morning brought a quick grocery trip, another yoga class (see photo above) and then a potluck with Julie.

This morning dawned bright and early and I headed out to cheer on my friends running the Calgary Marathon (Carol) and Half Marathon (April and Kari). Good thing I went a little early or I would have missed April and Kari completely!

The rest of my day is going to be great: Farmer's Market (both of 'em), a visit to Grandma's and then a BBQ on my patio! There may even be some knitting thrown in for good luck.

Mouse is running in Ottawa this morning and I've been sending her speedy vibes! Go, Mouse, go!!

What's my next running goal: H-woman is now Registered
for Niagara Falls International Marathon.

Eeeek! Let the training begin...

Egad! Time Flies!

What's been going on in my world? Well, I worked 5 days last week (this is big for a 4 day/week girl) so that my co-worker could go to his BIL's wedding in India. It wasn't too bad--4 day shifts then an evening. My mom arrived on Thursday so there has been lots going on! For example:

-trips to Costco & Superstore to restock old Mother Hubbard's bare cupboards
-calling the police to remove sleeping homeless man from my parking spot on Friday night
-noodles
-filing (and preparing income tax documents to send to the accountant)
-yoga (Friday morning, Saturday and Sunday afternoon)
-trips to the Farmer's Market where I ran into my third cousin (small world)
-Pizza in the 'hood with my grandma
-laundry (the bane of my existence)

Yesterday I hit the slopes with my yogi friend Carole, her hubby,Joe, and their friend, Bill. We left early and got to Sunshine in time to get rock star parking. They'd had 38cm in the past 3 days so we were itching to play in some powder! It was great skiing! My favourite run, Tin Can Alley, got the best of me (not quite an epic wipe out, but enough to get snow where it was slightly uncomfortable!) so I had to go back and show it who was boss. We headed down through the trees and played in some powder...wheeeee!

Then we were going to show the boys the li'l black diamond run Carole and I discovered the last time we were there, but it was cold and windy and the snow sucked at the top of the Angel chair. So we headed to Standish, where they proceeded to push me (in a good way) to where I'd never been before. Now, the last time we were there, I was proud of myself for attempting the blue runs (Big and Little Bunkers). Yesterday we did not only the blue runs, but they had me going down the moguls under the chairlift! It wasn't overly graceful, but I got down (without falling, I might add) and I turned (I know how to turn. I know how to turn. I know how to turn.) more than once!

After lunch we headed to Goat's Eye. I love the snow below the tree line! Up top though--icky--icy, hard, windy and not much fun. But below the tree line is another story altogether. My quivering quads declared they needed a break, so I sat a run out and then we went back for a final run on Standish before skiing out.

Best Valentine's Day EVER!! I'm going back tomorrow--'cause I can!

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.

=)

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!

Fly-By Post

Whew! Where has December gone?! Oh right, I've been away for most of it. =)

Got home last Friday after a horrific day of travel: my airport shuttle didn't show up (had to take a cab $50 USD), my flight was delayed 3 hours, my bag was overweight ($75 USD later) I got an aisle seat (beside an old guy who got up a lot) and then, the last straw: my neck pillow had a hole! I did eventually make it home and swept out just as quickly to get my hair done (whacked more than a few inches off and covered up the sparkly bits) and then headed to physio.

Saturday, I went for a run! It felt great! That night I went with some friends to Loose Moose's "A Christmoose Carol". OMIGOD, I almost peed my pants! Loads of fun.

Sunday we headed to the mountains to our lovely home for the week, the Falconcrest Lodge. My bro picked well! Our suites were lovely.

Shopped in Banff on Monday, dinner at the Banff Springs.

Skied Lake Louise on Tuesday (icy, no snow and what was there was all man made) on my NEW SKIS! Let's just say I got a sweet deal: last year's demos, new bindings and tuned up and ready to go for what it would cost me to rent skis for the week. Stacy and I shared a lesson with Pete from New Zealand which was a good refresher. Fondue at the Grizzly House in Banff. Yum.

We headed to Sunshine on Wednesday and I was almost in tears before we started. The boots I was using (Stacy's old ones--she and my bro got new ones on Monday) were hurting my shins. I made it till just after lunch and then called it a day. Went back to town that night to buy boots that didn't hurt me. Dinner at the Grizzly Paw in Canmore.

Thursday: back to Sunshine for a fun filled day of skiing. I skied from 9 till 2:15 with no pain! But my quads were screaming at me, "You b&$#*h! We ran a marathon a week ago and now we're skiing?!" I listened to them. I had the most spectacular crash of anyone in the family and do you think my brother had his helmet cam on? NO. But it was great, really, it was! Dinner at the French Quarter in Canmore. Yum.

Friday: back to the city to see "A Christmas Carol". Dinner at the Keg, then back to family's hotel room for drinks, cards and dice.

Saturday: Santa arrived at Auntie's house! I made breakfast then we headed to Grandma's for dinner with the extended family. Back to family's hotel room for more drinks, games (Scrabble, anyone?) and The Big Bang Theory (there was a marathon on the comedy channel yesterday).

Today: Boxing Day shopping at 7. Drop of Stacy, grab my skis from their car, said a quick goodbye and then yoga at 9:30.

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...

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.

Long Turkey Weekend

Saturday: yoga
Sunday: 23K run
Monday: Turkey

And perhaps a trip to the farmer's market in there somewhere, too.

Nighty-night

I had a sore, scratchy throat that got worse as the day progressed. My coffee date with a friend got postponed till next week, so I headed to Sunterra to pick up some fresh (and LOCAL) fruit and OJ. Cinnamon buns (ooey, gooey, sticky cinnamon buns) may have also made it into my backpack.

They are for breakfast on Saturday morning, apres weigh in.

While on the bus to the store, I texted Carol:

Sore, scratchy throat. Noodles?

So off we went to our favourite noodle house for beef sate pho with extra veggies and lots of green tea. Mmmmmmmmm......

Had a good visit on the phone with my mom and also confirmed with my doctor friend that, yes, it IS possible to get strep throat (it's at work) even though I've had a tonsillectomy. Doctor's orders: wash your hands!!

And now I'm going to go to bed and catch some zzzzz's.

A lovely quote from my yoga teacher:

The descending current manifests as the individual. The liberating current connects the individual to the universal. The place in the middle is our heart.