28 and Grateful

In no particular order, 28 aspects of my life for which I am so grateful now that I'm 28!

1. Our adorable, hilarious, cuddly "kitten" who is really a cat but is so small we can call him a kitten forever.

My name is Scout and I sit in hats.

2. Cougar Town, my most recent (and perhaps most ridiculous) favorite silly sitcom.

3. My husband's adventurous side, which brought us to salsa dancing lessons last night. We weren't too bad!

4. Being back on the workout wagon. After my ten-plus days off to let my back heal, I was able to work out all week, and yesterday Terry and I ran four miles together! This evening after Terry gets home from work we're tackling a Deck of Cards workout.

5. Surprise schedule changes. Terry was originally supposed to be out of town for our anniversary and my birthday. Some scheduling changes resulted in a complete 180: we got to spend our anniversary and my birthday together, and now Terry leaves on Wednesday. My parents are taking care of Scout for a few days while I hang out with Ter, then I'll go back up to help my parents pack while Terry's in Buffalo. Hey, more time together? I'll take it!

6. Social media in the summer. Scrolling through my different feeds, I love seeing all the engagements, weddings, baby announcements, new jobs, big moves, travels, and exciting adventures in my friends' and families' lives. I can't help but feel excited for everyone!

7. My parents, who are watching Scout for a few days, despite the fact that they have to pack and move out of their house in a week. I miss the little guy, but I'm glad he's having a blast running around and jumping on all the boxes!

8. The chance to explore the world. Terry and I have made travel a priority in our lives, and I'm so grateful for the places we've been and the places we're going. Our third trip to Europe is only 42 days away!

9. Gorgeous floral greetings at the airport.

10. Cute downtown neighborhoods. Terry and I currently live walking-distance to some fantastic restaurants and tons of people watching. When we move to a more permanent location, we hope to find a similar area where we can walk to local shops, cafes, restaurants, and other activities.

11. HGTV. Need I say more?

12. Great friends. I'm so grateful for the sweet texts, calls, and messages on my birthday. I'm terrible about remembering birthdays, let alone acknowledging them, so I'm always impressed and humbled when friends go out of their way to make me feel special.

13. California weather. My mom and I chatted the other day about how unextreme (not a word, but I'm going with it) California weather is. Southern and Northern California have generally mild, predictable weather, no tornadoes or extreme temperatures. But of course that also means that we would likely have a rough time trying to live anywhere with snow or crazy weather!

14. The little squirrel in our backyard who entertains Scout and who seemed pretty upset when he realized Scout's not home! Terry sent me this photo when the squirrel woke him up, presumably pouting about the lack of a kitten to play with (through the door, of course).

15. Mojitos. I looooove mojitos.

16. Our new phones! We've had them for a few weeks, and they are much faster and more efficient than our old ones. We have the Samsung Galaxy 4, and thank goodness!

17. Breakfast. I don't know what my favorite meal of the day is, but breakfast is definitely in the top three. :-) Yesterday's breakfast at the farmer's market:

18. Buzzfeed.

19. Trader Joe's. The checkout guy there recognized us yesterday and asked where we'd been--he hadn't seen us in a few weeks. Who knew we were regulars?

20. Fresh sheets and clean laundry. I'm making it happen today and can't wait to snuggle into those fresh linens!

21. This apron, a gift from Terry for my birthday:

22. Tea. That morning "cuppa" just gives me a little bit of joy to look forward to each day! We use Irish Breakfast, but Terry also bought me some black tea from London for my birthday. We add a splash of milk and about a teaspoon of pure maple syrup. It's perfect!

23. Regaining my flexibility. It's on my list, but it took my back pain to force me to truly focus on stretching more each day. I really hope I will continue to make it a priority, because it feels SOOOOO good!

24. Julia Child. Wasn't she amazing? Completely unconventional, she made such an impact on the world of cooking. My mom and I took a "Celebrating Julia Child" cooking class this weekend through Sur la Table and had a blast! It was my mother's day gift to my mom, and we learned a ton and loved the meal.

Potatoes Anna

Coq au vin

25. My bed. While I've been staying at my parents' house I have to sleep on a not-so-great mattress and a terrible pillow, so my bed feels glooooorious.

26. Bookstores. We end up in bookstores almost everywhere we go. I love wandering through the aisles, checking out various editions of old books. I even read a whole book in a bookstore once. Not a bad way to spend a day.

In Paris

27. Simple, quick, surprisingly delicious meals, like BLTAs.

28. My incredible husband. He makes me so happy every day.

Visiting My Hometown

Today turned out to be much busier than yesterday. I started out with some kitten cuddles. 

Then I headed out for a lovely run. I haven't run in a few weeks because my back has been achin', but today I felt fantastic and decided to try it. I ran 3.25 miles with plenty of walking breaks, and I felt terrific the entire time! I stretched plenty afterward and plan to stretch again before bed tonight.

Next up: my haircut! My sister-in-law, Ashley, is the greatest stylist ever. She has cut and colored my hair and even styled my hair for my wedding. 

Here I am checking out her handiwork for the first time. :-) 

Whenever I'm in the Bay Area and in need of a hair cut, I try to make it up to see this lovely lady. Today she even took me to lunch for an early birthday treat!

We had a blast catching up, though the visits are never long enough. 

Next I dropped off my wedding gown at the bridal shop where I purchased it, J'aime Bridal in Pleasanton. When I walked in, Jaime (the owner, who actually picked out my dress for me) remembered me immediately and said, "Oh my gosh, I have to show you your picture! You're on the wall!" I couldn't believe it, but sure enough, she chose a photo from our wedding to put up in her shop!

(Photo by Rhee Bevere)

And here are some more photos of my dress, because that's always fun:

(Thank you for indulging me.)

I dropped off the dress and veil so they could clean and preserve it (only took two years...), and I'll get it back in about a month or so. Meanwhile, I'm still amazed at the level of customer service from this small but incredible shop. If you're a Bay Area bride, I highly recommend it!

The final stop of the day was the park in my hometown with my parents to see East Bay Mudd perform. They were fantastic! It felt like the entire crowd was up dancing, and the music kept me singing all evening. We also enjoyed pizza, wine, and running into a few local friends!

Yep, that's me hanging out alone with my cake while my parents dance in the background. I'm super cool. 

Off to bed--Mom's taking me to two tough classes at the gym tomorrow. Part of me feels like I'm at some sort of week-long fitness retreat instead of just visiting my parents. Have a great Friday!

What are your favorite hometown activities? Does it feel strange to visit (if you moved away)?

Fitness Instructor Musts and WIAW

Today's adventures began with a boot camp class at the gym. My mom and I took a different boot camp class on Monday, and unfortunately today's just wasn't quite as good. I thought the workout itself felt just as challenging as the one on Monday, but it lacked the energy and fun I enjoyed on Monday.

The difference between the two classes--and the fact that I almost never take fitness classes since I don't belong to a gym--made me wonder about what makes an instructor awesome. Here's my list:

• Well-planned and thoughtfully set up classes. Equipment should be ready to go when the class starts (get the participants to help if they've arrived early and are willing), and participants shouldn't have to step over each other to get to the next station, if applicable. Essentially, the setup should make sense for how the class will proceed. I love it when yoga teachers help make sure everyone has enough room around their mat.
  
• An awesome workout. I guess this part's obvious, but the instructor should know what he or she is doing in terms of the actual workout. Whether it's yoga or Zumba or a circuit class, the best classes (in my experience) are the ones that work the body in a balanced way, employ a variety of exercises to engage a range of muscles, and don't make me feel bored!
  
• Solid flow. Moving from the warm up to the meat of the workout to the cool down should feel natural and should be very clear. I love when instructors announce what's happening next so I can mentally prepare for it. Also, we shouldn't have a ton of lag time between workouts, except during rests.
  
• Clear communication. My favorite instructors are the ones who explain what body parts we should be working, give cues on form, discuss the length of each set (we're doing 50-second intervals with 30 seconds of rest, or we're doing 10 reps here). In other words, how should I be feeling and how long will I be feeling it? :-) Also, providing modifications is key!
  
• Great energy. Between music, enthusiastic encouragement, and terrific exercises, instructors use all types of methods of boosting the energy in the room. To be fair, the participants can (and should!) respond back with more energy, but it all starts with the teacher!

That list aligns almost exactly with what I believe it takes to be a good (classroom) teacher. Shocking, right? A good lesson plan, solid prep, clear instructions, moving seamlessly from one activity to the next, and the teacher setting a good tone for the class. Hopefully if I become a fitness instructor someday I can incorporate all these qualities!

(I tried to find a fun fitness meme to throw in here...no luck. They're all pretty bad. Let me know if you see any good ones.)

And now for today's meals. I've been at my parents' house this week, so I have access to some foods I don't normally buy while also trying to introduce some of "my" foods to my parents.

Breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios, honey dew melon, raspberries, and tea

Lunch: whole wheat pita "sandwich" with hummus, cucumber, avocado, and Havarti cheese

Evening snack: A handful or two of popcorn and wine

Dinner: spinach salad with bacon, mushrooms, cranberries, and poppyseed dressing

My contribution to the meal: an eggplant and zucchini "lasagna" with a side of whole wheat spaghetti, enjoyed with another glass of wine :-) 

And for dessert: chocolate coconut milk ice cream while playing Scattergories! 

Off to bed; tomorrow's a busy one. Hope you had a wonderful Wednesday!

What qualities make a terrific fitness instructor?

Lately

Loving this little guy

And missing this big guy

Could he be more handsome?

Excited about our Europe trip, where we'll be joining my parents for a few days in Switzerland and Austria

Photo from our honeymoon in London

Thankful to be able to work out again. After almost two weeks off, I have joined my mom at the gym and taken a few long walks, which makes my body so happy! Tomorrow Mom and I are trying out a boot camp class, and I'll be designing a little weight routine for after the class. I'm still stretching plenty (though not as much as I was last week, which I regret).

Stressed about life decisions. While I know I could be in a worse position, being unemployed is a scary, anxiety-ridden choice. Here's hoping it'll all turn out okay!

Loving America's Test Kitchen. My dad told me about this KQED (PBS) show, and I'm going to be obsessed by the end of the week. The show chooses a recipe or theme for the week (breakfast foods, for example, or croissants). The breakfast show goes through how to make scrambled eggs--but it details the science of eggs and how they are heated--and also touches on 10 different toasters and how they tested the best one. Since I love baking but don't understand too much about the science of it, the details of what works and what doesn't, I find this show fascinating! (I will say, this show doesn't focus at all on health or nutrition--they focus instead on taste or convenience or even texture. But it's still interesting, entertaining, and educational!)

Excited for whatever is next. Terry and I have some big changes in the offing, and I'm eager to see where it all takes us. A new job? A new place to live? Lots of possibilities!

What have you been up to lately? 

Delta Weekend

Since Terry is leaving tomorrow for a business trip, I've spent every spare moment squeezing in some time with him. He'll be gone for quite awhile, and even though I get to visit him, I'm always sad when he's away for such a long time. Luckily I'll spend the rest of this week with my parents and then I leave to see Terry on Monday for a whole week!

This weekend we drove up to the Bay Area to see my parents. Poor Scout was a champ on the long drive, even through lots of traffic. He cuddled up with us while we worked on some crosswords!

Then, on Saturday, we drove to the delta with my parents and one of my best friends, Jenn. The weekend was filled with great food and drinks, fun games, paddleboarding and paddleboating, and skiing. Jenn used to ski as a kid and popped right up on her first try in the water! It was the easiest "lesson" we've ever taught. Terry learned to ski a few years ago and is already awesome. And the rest of the weekend was pure relaxation.

World's most uncomfortable hammock chair?

Catching up on Royal Baby news!

Back at home, we have spent some mellow time together, mostly revolving around food.

Last night's dinner

Today's lunch at The Counter with some of our friends 

I hope you're having a fantastic week so far!

Back, Back, Back It Up

Well, after about 10 days I finally have at least a pretty good idea of what's going on with my body! Hooray! My brilliant and generous physical therapist friend Heidi helped me out with an exam and thinks I have a herniated disc. I thought I was too young for back problems (wishful thinking), but apparently they are rather common for people my age.

Heidi helped me understand more about the problem and how to start reducing the pain. She pointed out that flexion (bending forward) exacerbates the issue and showed me that I should bend from the hips with a neutral spine--every time I bend!

What not to do!

Just in the few hours since I saw her, I'm realizing exactly how much I lean forward and how tough it's going to be to change my habit of rounding my back. And of course, sitting with poor posture (especially in my low back) is also part of the problem.

So now I'm working on bending from the hips with a neutral spine and using a small support behind my lower back when I sit. I'm also going to continue taking it easy on exercise--especially strength training--until I'm feeling significantly better. I'm so grateful to Heidi for her help, and already I feel more informed about small ways to avoid this pain in the future.

One potential obstacle for pain management in the coming weeks will be the amount of traveling we have planned. Tomorrow Terry and I will drive up to see my parents for a few days, and the following week I'll be flying to Upstate New York, where Terry will be staying for a business trip. The long car rides and plane rides will certainly be a challenge, but hopefully Heidi's tips will help.

Meanwhile, this week has been all about packing, preparing, cleaning, and getting excited for the trip(s)! My parents are moving out of their current home, which makes me a little sad but mostly excited for them. They get to design their dream home, and I already can't wait to enjoy many years and family milestones there! While I'm up north, I'm sure I'll get to help with packing, sorting through 27 years of boxes and clothes and closets, and cleaning. Lots of good memories to pack up!

Happy Friday to you!