30 Days of Yoga

I am on day 3 of 30 Days of Yoga. I haven't really felt any changes in my body, but I can feel my body begin to meld back into the poses; like "ah, welcome home old friend, it's been a while." I really love yoga and the way it is both graceful and challenging. For me, the main challenge comes from within, my inner voice that says no. One of my favorite yoga shirts says: "Nothing stands in my way, but me." My mom hates the shirt, but that's because it once was a white shirt and now it is not so white any more.

The first night, I was very excited the my brother joined me for "Ripped: Yoga with Weights." His comment was, "this is like, actually hard." I asked him if he'd ever do yoga with me again, he said "maybe." That is huge coming from someone that has always said yoga was too easy for him to try. Day 2, I did bedtime yoga and restorative poses are always so amazing! I was zenned out and ready for bed! Today, I've managed to piece together a practice: A warm up and Sun As on break one, Sun B on break 2, after work and before book club, I got in the rest of my Sun Salutations. I'm going to do a few more poses before bed.

I think more importantly, than the physical, is the emotional transformation I'm hoping to have. I've heard a couple good sermons and I started a new Bible study this week. I want to fall in love, and who better to fall in love with than my Savior.  One of the quotes for the study, Finding I Am, really stood out to me today: "Those answers and the easing of that ache aren't the source of finally becoming fully satisfied. They aren't. And you believing this lie is a scheme of Satan to keep you in an unsatisfied place. I've been in an unsatisfied place for a long time now. I'm ready to turn to my Savior, Jesus, to fully satisfy.

Get Back Into Gear!

Wow.  It has been a while again.  Last weekend, I was house sitting out in the country and there was no Internet!  Yikes.  It's ok, I'm a semi-Luddite. You could lock me in a cabin with no computer, cell phone, or Internet, and I'd be fine...as long as I had books and paper to write :) 

Health:  I have been horrible lately.  I have been giving into every craving lately :(  Every day I do so well and then BAM.  I'm down the rabbit trail and then I'm saying:  "I'll start new tomorrow."  And then tomorrow I give in too.  I think I really need to start planning more.  I also need to get into a situation that I can control food around me better.  While I was house sitting, they had dishes of Three Musketeers sitting around and you know I started popping those.  Yesterday, I did so well until I got home from work, super hungry; I looked in the fridge and there was nothing healthy to eat and then I looked over at the pizza sitting on the table - you know it, I went in and had 3 slices.  I'm such an emotional eater too.  And the thing is, I will recognize it as emotion eating and still give in!  My workouts have been about the same too.  I have been trying to get up in the morning and get yoga in before work, but 5am is so freaking early.  I've only managed to get a full hour in before work once.  That was also the first full day we spent rearranging stuff at work.  The last two weeks have been a lot of heavy lifting and moving, so by the time I get home I am exhausted and working out is like the last thing that I want to do.  So this is me being accountable.  I need a kick in the butt and get motivated again.

Relationships:  I miss my husband.  I want him here now.  I also want my dogs here.  I miss them all so much.  I miss my little family!  I just need a house to buy or a place to rent that allows three pits.

Career: I really love the products my new job puts out.  All of our formulas can work for dogs, cats, and even humans.  We human grade herbs and products in the supplements we make for animals.  I don't know about you, but I totally think that my dogs are worth it.  I may even get some microflora plus for me too!  It's better than most human probiotics on the market - it's got probiotics, prebiotics (that feed the probiotics), and digestive enzymes that help your stomach process your food, and herbs for healthy digestion.  You can buy our formulas at many retailers, even online.

Pitching a Tent

This last weekend I had a first - I slept in a tent that I set up all by myself!  I've slept in a tent before; however, I think the last time I did I was 12.  I don't remember how the tents got put up or taken down.  I don't remember much other than my cousins peeing on the fire (boys!) and my Scottish relative saying he was a "balding Scot" while trying to say the shower was "scalding hot." 

I was at the Gentlemen of the Road (*I noticed today that the GOTR of Gentlemen of the Road is the same as the Girls on the Run*) Dixon Stopover and I purchased a tent.  It wasn't my first tent purchase, the previous one had to be sold before I moved to France.  I didn't even get to pitch that tent.  I had gotten it for a road trip with my friend; alas, my throat started to swell with an abscess right before our trip.  We had to cancel our explore the northwest and Canada trip due to illness.  Silly body!

I thought I'd be spending this weekend in a cabin - turns out I might be in my tent again.  At least my nephew will love crawling around in it!  So two weekends in a tent for me - I'm not that sad about it.  I had a great experience and there is something very empowering about being able to do something all by yourself.  I didn't have one of those tents where you basically take it out of the bag and it pops out into a villa.  Me, a couple of poles, a tent, and a set of instructions later: behold a dwelling!  I had brought a flexible lock that enabled me to at least lock the doors to my tent.  If anyone had really wanted any of the stuff in there, they could have easily just slit the thing to pieces; however, my recent friends (I parked next to them at the Stopover and they ended up living a town away and in my college town) and I stored our stuff in my tent (I had plenty of room in my 4 person tent).  My friends had several instruments they felt safer leaving in my locked tent.  I slept next to bagpipes, a banjo, and a violin.  It got so cold at night that I could see my breath!  I had to huddle down into my sleeping bag and zip up my hoodie. 

I expect to be cold at night up north as well.  I might have a cuddler this time though, a little nephew that is practically a furnace - he likes to cuddle too!  I am excited for this weekend and all the wonderful people I will get to spend not enough time visiting.  I need to go finish cleaning and packing! Bonne Nuit!!!!