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Holiday Weekend

It was a glorious holiday weekend, which I decided to take off after tequila derailed my good intentions Saturday night. Honestly, I had a lot of emotions swirling in my head. This July 4th was my first Independence Day as a military mother. Truly, I have always loved the patriotism and fireworks that come with the fourth. Naturally, it was more poignant since my son now serves. Unfortunately, I found some of the inane drivel on Facebook disheartening. While I understand things are not perfect here, to say that there is nothing to celebrate, is an insult to the men and women who have defended our freedom since we declared it in 1776. In fact, if I was wealthy, I’d pay for the plane ticket to leave, but alas I’m not wealthy so they’ll have to leave on their own volition.

Anyway, we had a really good fourth of July. We spent the morning just relaxing around the house with the puppies. After lunch, I dropped Goalielocks off at his friend’s house to hangout social distancing style. Meanwhile, my Hubby and the Mayor headed over to our neighbor’s for a BBQ. Once I got back from Boca, I headed over to there as well. Not to worry my friends, this BBQ was outside with ample room for social distancing. We also enjoyed enough margaritas to kill any virus, bacteria or parasitic infection once could encounter in Florida. The decision to imbibe was made somewhat impetuously, but the night was fun.

Sunday was a lazy day. Neither of us felt like doing anything, so we binge-watched the Jeffrey Epstein documentary on Netflix. If we didn’t feel sick to our stomach before, we certainly did after watching the documentary. We haven’t even finished it yet, so I can’t imagine how much worse it is going to get. In 2005, we relocated to Palm Beach County. As the Epstein story started to leak out, it was obvious that there was a major issue there. I mean, in what world is it acceptable for a fifteen-year-old to massage a naked middle-aged man. Right?!? The fact that it’s 2020 and justice hasn’t been served makes me sick. Hopefully, Ms. Maxwell will sing before she ends up dead in her cell.

Last night, we headed to Boca to have dinner and game night with Mel’s family. Naturally, we were missing Jake and her mom. We began our evening with yummy grilled chicken, some veggies, chips, and a cookie cake. Yum! Afterward, we played some games, which were a lot of fun. Goalielocks and the Mayor love playing Jackbox. We played two games on the system. The first was one where you have to finish a sentence or describe something. People then vote for the best response. In the end, Goalielocks won that game. The second game was a murder mystery trivia game and I won that. It’s a lot of fun.

Afterward, we headed to Aunt Kathy’s house to play “Murder.” What’s “Murder” you ask, it’s a hyped-up version hide and seek. One player is the murderer, one or two are a sheriff and the other are prospective victims. First let me say, my night vision sucks. Naturally, I didn’t excel at a game that relies on a night vision. Perhaps the best moment of the night was when Mel, my hubby and I all ended up in the same hiding spot. We were trying so hard not to laugh, but we were failing miserably. In the end, my hubby was the murderer that round. Consequently, Mel and I were eliminated immediately. And by immediately, I mean instantaneously to the game beginning.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*I worked!

*I recovered from the holiday weekend.

*Gentle Flow with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 8 BBG 2.0 day 1 legs and yoga

*And now I’m off to bed early!

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Clueless

Clueless: classic 90s movie or adjective describing 99% of Facebook users? It really could be either. Since I’m in a good mood after a productive day, however, I’m all about the classic movie. When I first saw the movie, I shopped at Contempo and owned the As If shirt showing in the window. Nevertheless, I hadn’t yet read Jane Austen in any capacity let alone Emma on which the movie is based. Now I’ve read all of Jane Austen’s writings and loved them all. On this matter, I may disagree with Charlotte Bronte: who argued Austen was not great as she was no poet. At any rate, the movie is a complete classic that brings back great memories of my freshmen year.

Before I got to chill and enjoy Clueless in solitude (Goalielocks has been cleaning upstairs, while the Mayor and the hubby were at the rink.) I had an incredibly busy day. My morning started with my BBG ab workout, which went right into my yoga class. Admittedly, my BBG ab workout took more time this morning because I had a workout partner for the last circuit. Unfortunately, Anakin is not the best workout partner. He loves to crawl under me when I’m in tabletop, downward dog, plank, mountain climbers, etc. Additionally, he likes to give kisses and lick people’s ears, which doesn’t work too well when you’re wearing air pods. Surprisingly, I still managed to be on time for my yoga class, which was awesome.

I had only a few minutes in between my yoga class and teacher training. Consequently, it was a mad dash to reheat leftovers for lunch and brew some coffee. Unfortunately, I was not quick enough in my mad dash and ended up being a few minutes tardy. Today’s class focused on anatomy again, which I really enjoy. It’s always nice to put a name to the things that hurt. I kid, I kid. Truly, it is important to understand the structure of the body if you’re going to be teaching yoga. This is key to understanding the poses and helping prevent injuries. Honestly, the training went super fast.

Tonight we had an amazing dinner courtesy of Hello Fresh and Chef me. I cooked Szechuan pork and green bean stir fry. First of all, I should say that the meal was really easy to cook and was done within thirty minutes. Second of all, it wasn’t too hot spice wise, which made it perfect for me. Initially, I picked this meal out with the Mayor in mind. He likes a spicy and sweet flavor palate, but boy was I wrong. My boy has a strong streak of stubbornness in him these days. Consequently, he hates everything associated with Hello Fresh and Blue Apron. In fact, he found tonight’s meal repugnant. As for the rest of us, we were anxious to get seconds. The joys of parenting are boundless, especially at mealtime.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte.

*Gentle Flow with Jennifer from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin! It turned out super cute!

*I watched Clueless on Hulu while the boys were at hockey.

*I am relaxing on the couch watching Rick & Morty free of the stinky flatus of my boys.

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 7 BBG 2.0 day 5 abs and yoga.

*This month it will be a year from my layoff from KHE. It is an anniversary I look forward to celebrating.

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Great News

So let me set the scene for you. It’s just after 10:00 am EST and I’m thirty minutes into a dreamy yin yoga class with Jen. When out the blue, my phone illuminates with a Facetime call from my boy. Ordinarily, we don’t hear from him during the week, especially during the workday. Naturally, I had to take the call. Fortunately, I was taking the class via Zoom and was already muted. While Jen worked us into a new pose, I chatted with my son. The great news was that he passed and was being promoted! As I sat in my pose, I could hardly contain my excitement. Honestly, I wanted to get up dance, but since Jen was recording the Zoom session I figured better not make a fool of myself.

At the moment, I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. As I looked at him with great pride, I could see a tremendous weight had also been removed his shoulder. When you think about it, it’s an extraordinary accomplishment. Nearly seven months ago, he left our home for basic training. Today he completed an industry-leading certification! Moreover, he didn’t have to spend one penny to earn it. In fact, he got paid! Perhaps the best part of all of this is that he’s where he belongs. He loves his new role and is beyond excited about his future. As his mom, I couldn’t be more proud.

After I hung up the phone, I quickly sent an update to our family’s group text thread. My heart was bursting with so much pride, I could have done 100 vinyasas back to back. Alas, I was in a yin class, so that would have been pretty obnoxious. Quickly, I refocused on the class as I meditated on his big success. Never in my imagination did I imagine he’d end up in his current career field. I’m glad, however, that he took good advice looking to the service instead of focusing on college. This way he’ll get an education and stay debt-free. By the time we got to Shavasana, I was an emotional puddle of pride and joy. Truly, tears of joy streamed down the side of my cheeks as I relaxed into the pose.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte.

*Yin Yoga with Jennifer from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin! It turned out super cute!

*I am relaxing on the couch watching Rick & Morty free of the stinky flatus of my boys.

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 7 BBG 2.0 day 3 cardio and yoga.

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Better Today

I’m happy to report I’m feeling better today after heading to bed at 8:30 last night. My throat isn’t really sore anymore, but I’m tired. However, I’m pretty sure constant fatigue is just part of being a mom. In fact, my family was quite confused when I opted to go to be so early. It took a minute to fall asleep, but I slept really well. Nonetheless, I was relieved when I woke up feeling much better than when I had gone to bed.

Naturally, I did get some reading in before ultimately going to sleep yesterday. finished The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell. Truly, this book was absolutely amazing. If you are a fan of the Bronte sisters, you need to read this book. If you’re looking for a story of perseverance in the face of heartbreak, this book is for you. Moreover, if you’re looking for some literary smack talk, aka Jane Austen isn’t that great, this is the book for you. Finally, Gaskell does a great job of using Bronte’s own words via letters to paint the picture.

As I read her biography, I was in awe of the constant and total heartbreak faced by the Bronte family. Since I’ve read most of her novels, I recognized some places and characters from their real-life companions. In fact, I loved Villette. The fact that Lucy Snowe was an ode to her sister Emily is both poignant and touching. As a woman, it was interesting following the struggle of the three sisters to get published under their male aliases of Acton, Currer, and Ellis Bell. They felt if they published the books in their own names, the critics and the public would be distracted by their sex. In fact, all of England was up in arms trying to decipher who Currer Bell could be after the success of Jane Eyre. Fortunately, Charlotte was able to enjoy her success. Sadly, success came posthumously to both Anne and Emily Bronte.

Today was a super busy day. I started my day behind the eight ball. In fact, I was ten minutes late for my yoga class. Oddly, I thought the class started at 10:15 am instead of 10:00 am. Whoops! Fortunately, I didn’t miss too much of the class. Monica’s vinyasa class is always vigorous! Amazingly, I leave her vinyasa class feeling both energized and calm. Truly, it’s hard to explain that state of being. I should tell you that this was my first Tuesday morning Vinyasa class. I usually go to the 11:30 gentle flow class, but I had a conflict today.

Fortunately, my morning got brighter when I saw two of my friends leaving class. Kaye has been a part of my yoga journey for years, but I don’t get to see her enough anymore. My other friend Amy, who was in my chair yoga training, was there too. It’s always good to see friendly faces! As I headed home, I called my folks to see how they’re doing. Minnesota, much like Florida, is sweltering hot and humid. They’ve been getting some rain, while it’s been bone dry here. Unfortunately, the Saharan dust storm has been keeping us dry. I’m hoping that the weather pattern doesn’t do a full 180 turn for the holiday weekend.

The afternoon I spent being productive and taking care of stuff around the house. I’m excited to say I got everything done on my checklist today. Moreover, I got my run in this afternoon. The first five minutes were tough, but the rest went pretty well. I’m still on season 5 of Curb. Honestly, I don’t know if I could get through my run without Larry David. In fact, I was so caught up in Curb that I extended my cooldown by ten minutes. Whoops! As always, I went through my post-run stretch routine. Finally, I cooked up some one-pot chicken and udon noodles courtesy of Blue Apron. It was super easy to make and very tasty!

Before I leave you for the evening, I have some prayers requests for three young gentlemen. Each of these kids has played with Goalielocks over the years and they and their families mean the world to us. Theses boys have been through so much collectively over the past few years that none of this seems fair. I don’t remember experiencing anything similar in my youth. Yet, these kids persevere and support each other in amazing ways.

Please keep Goaleilcocks’ teammate Cole in your prayers as he embarks on his twentieth week of chemo. It has been a marathon of treatment for Cole and his family. They could really use your prayers for Cole’s healing, support of their family and strength for all of them. In Arizona, Jorden, a former teammate continues to recover from devastating injuries sustained in his ATV accident. Please pray for his continued recovery and for strength for his family. Finally, Lucas, Goalielocks’ teammate, was admitted to ICU today due to diabetic keto acidosis. His condition is stabilized, but Type 1 diabetes is a beast. Please pray for his continued recovery, stabilization of the disease and continued management of it. Please also keep his family in your prayers.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte.

*Vinyasa with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*I am still sick of all the windbags on Facebook.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin! It turned out super cute!

*I avoided the zoo that is Publix by ordering groceries via Shipt.

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 7 BBG 2.0 day 2 cardio and yoga

*And now I feel better today!

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Off to Bed Early

Well I’m off to bed early since I’m not feeling fantastic. Clearly, the Saharan dust isn’t agreeing with me and my allergies. I did log my workout today, but it was a fight to get through yoga. My body is just exhausted and maybe fighting something off it could be a a cold or an autoimmune flare. Or I could have just worn myself out.

Today started in the most Monday of beginnings. Anakin had a blow out in his crate early this morning. Honestly, it was not a great way to start the day. Needless to say, I was feeling a bit salty about the mess I had to clean up. Obviously, I needed some coffee on board before I could confront that mess. So Anakin and I went to Dunkin for coffee and Donuts.


Afterwards, I started the work of cleaning out Anakin’s crate. Fortunately, we have a high pressure hose that worked perfectly for cleaning out the crate. Thankfully, my Mayor helped by changing out the puppy pad, vacuuming the floor and mopping the impacted area. Once I finished the cleaning, I was able to finally enjoy my coffee.

The rest of the day was spent dreaming of foreign vistas and ports. There are so many places I’d like to visit once the world opens up again. Moreover, there are so many people that I want to visit and see. First and foremost, I cannot wait to see my airmen!!! Hopefully, I’ll be able to see him before the summer is over. I’d also like to see my family in Minnesota sometime soon. What is the first place you want to visit once the world reopens?

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read the The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*Gentle Flow with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*I am still sick of all the windbags on Facebook.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 7 BBG 2.0 day 1 legs and yoga

*And now I’m off to bed early!

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Hazy and Lazy Sunday

Today was a hazy and lazy Sunday. The best kind of Sunday there is outside of the hazy part. Unfortunately, the Saharan dust has left our skies a bit hazy. Fortunately, the Saharan dust does bring good tidings as it plays a vital role in fertilizing our hemisphere notably the Amazon rainforest. Truly, the earth is amazing, but I’m sure you didn’t come to my blog for an earth science lesson. As for me, I was slightly less productive than the fertile dust storm. I woke up feeling a bit under the weather. My throat was sore and there was a little pressure in my sinuses. Oh, the joy of being an allergy suffering. Nonetheless, I succeeded in turning this hazy and lazy Sunday into a productive one.

Yesterday, I took a total rest day. Consequently, today I doubled up my workouts. For the first time, I took Jen’s Vinyasa class. It was great. Since I wasn’t feeling great, it was a little tougher than it probably would have been normally. We did a lot of ab work, so I’m sure I’m going to be feeling it tomorrow. Importantly, I opted to take the class from home via Zoom since I wasn’t feeling 100%. Sharing is definitely not caring during these pandemic days. Throughout the class, I could hear Anakin barking at my door trying to get in. Eventually, he was able to sneak in. Anakin loves when I’m practicing yoga on my mat. Particularly, he likes to kiss my face while I’m in yoga poses. Today we perfected the Anakin supported wheel pose. Needless to say, it was pretty cute.

Afterward, the hubby headed to Home Depot to pick up a new microwave. Our old microwave bit the dust last night after fourteen years of good service. While he shopped the aisles, I shopped from home. Since I had a sore throat, I skipped out going to the store. The dogs and I chilled on the couch and enjoyed the best nature programs Hulu had to offer. Meanwhile, both boys actually did their chores. Thankfully, the microwave was easy for the hubby to install. I’m so glad to have a microwave in working order. After all, it’s hard to make nachos without one. I did order the hubby some additional steaks to grill at dinner with our Blue Apron fajitas, so we would have ample steak. Additionally, I got the dogs some ice cream. Lastly, instead of buying us all candy to share, I bought some gluten-free frosting to “share.”


The hubby made his way outside to clean the patio after installing the microwave. He did an awesome job on the patio on both of our cars. Since I’m asthmatic and heat-sensitive, I did not help with the outside chores. Instead, I logged my run on the treadmill. Initially, I wasn’t sure I’d make it through the whole run since I wasn’t feeling 100%. Undoubtedly, it was starting to feel like a futile effort for the first five minutes of the run. Unsurprisingly, once I got past the first five minutes of the run, I hit my stride and felt good. Well, as good as you can feel while running on a treadmill after eating too much frosting. Truly, I felt a lot better after the run. Before I went to start dinner, I went through my post-run stretch routine.

Anakin and Athena enjoying their ice cream

My hubby and I teamed up to make dinner. He had started it as I finished my run, so I grated the cheese and sauteed the onions and peppers. Per the recipe, the steaks were to be cooked in the pan. Instead, we opted to grill the steaks. This proved to be a great decision because the steaks tasted amazing. As for the filler, the pickled cabbage and cucumber was a great addition. They provided a great contrast to the sauteed vegetables and grilled steaks. All in all, it was an awesome meal. I was completely full after two fajitas. Clearly, we will be ordering this meal again. Perhaps the best part of dinner was when the Mayor got caught sneaking steak into his “cheese wrap.” He is a professed steak hater, so he was trying to hide that he had added steak to his wrap.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read the The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*Vinyasa with Jen from Open Hearth Yoga Studio

*Facetime with Jake! The best part of my week!

*Oh man, I may have melted in the Florida heat today, while struggling to breathe with the Saharan dust storm.

*I am so sick of all the windbags on Facebook.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 7 cardio (run) and yoga

*I took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Take It Easy

Take it easy is exactly what I did today. And yes, I sang the Eagles song while typing it. Just as I’m sure you did. While I slept great last night, I was really tired today. Consequently, I took a complete rest day and even skipped yoga. Alas, don’t be concerned I’ll be going to yoga tomorrow. Also, I’ll be logging my third tempo run of the week. The extra day of recovery between the third and the fourth run has really helped. Sadly, it wasn’t all rest and relaxation today. I had to run to Kohl’s to drop off my Amazon returns and get Zachary some new pants. Since the pandemic started, he has grown out of every single pair of pants that he owns. Now he hasn’t been willing to own this fact until my hubby and I forced the issue.

Today marked the first time since the pandemic started that I’ve stepped foot inside a Kohl’s store. They only had one side of doors opened and it wasn’t super crowded, but there was a long line at customer service. While I dropped off my Amazon returns, the Mayor went to pick out some new pants. Apparently, he is planning on crossing a river as he insisted on picking out mediums that were far too short for him. Finally, I had enough as my encouragement seemed to fall on deaf ears. I insisted he put all the mediums back and only pick out large or extra-large. Eventually, he relented and put back all the smaller sized clothing items. Of course, I managed to pick out a few pairs of workout pants with pockets. As you may know, you can never have too many pairs of yoga pants with pockets.

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out with Goalielocks and the Mayor and binge-watching Space Force on Netflix. Naturally, I managed to be somewhat productive as I finished all the laundry, which was great. As for Space Force, I found it to be quite funny. I loved the scenes where the leaders of each branch of service talked around a table in DC. The banter and jokes were super funny. Understandably, it is funnier if you have some military background or understanding of military culture. If you don’t, it may not be so funny. Nonetheless, I’m excited to see how the series develops over the forthcoming season. Obviously, once we finished Space Force, we switched back to the Office.

This evening I took the boys to a skate for local referees. There were only a handful of people there, but it was a great opportunity for them to work on their skating. Fortunately, the boys had a great time and are looking forward to the next skate. It was nice to be back at the rink for the hour. We ran into several people, which was fun. Honestly, it was just nice to be out of the house. My hubby ordered some pizzas from our local Italian restaurant while we were at the rink, so I didn’t have to cook. As we headed home, we all remarked on how hazy the Saharan sand has made the sky and how it altered the sun’s appearance. This happens every year, but some years the dust cloud is more prominent than others.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read the The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*Oh man, I may have melted in the Florida heat today, while struggling to breathe with the Saharan dust storm.

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*I was dreaming of cerulean bays all day long from the comfort of my couch.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 6 rest day

*I took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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All Business Today

I was all business today from the moment I got up to the moment I just sat down. Every moment was productive and helped me get closer to my goals. I started my day with my coffee a cursory of social media, the news, and the financial markets. Of course, I had a blast taking the puppies out at usual. Since Anakin snapped one of our leashes yesterday, I was adventurous and let Maya go out off-leash. Naturally, I also enjoyed some Michael Scott moments in the background as I drank my coffee. Since I had a new yoga class today at 11:30 am, I had to start my BBG workout by 10:30. This way I could have a small snack in between BBG and yoga. Consequently, I tried to finish my coffee by 9:30 am, so it would have an hour to settle before I started working out.

The BBG arm workout kicked my butt today. I don’t know what it is with lay down half burpees or half burpees in general, but they are the paragon of misery. Aside from the half burpees, the workout was quite enjoyable. Comparatively, it featured a lot more ab work than the previous arm day workouts. Clearly, I will never complain about ab work. In fact, one day I dream that my glorious ab muscles will reappear out from the layer of cold protection currently hiding them. If only my thyroid or lack thereof wasn’t such a pain in the ass. On a high note, I did 90 pushups. The plank jacks and squat and presses also went pretty well. If I could find 12 lb or 15 lb dumbbells, I’d up my weight. However, I have yet to find a store that currently has weights in stock.

Between BBG and yoga, I enjoyed some almonds and a banana. Today was the first day of the Slow Flow class with Ava at Open Heart, so I definitely wanted to support the studio. I attended online, which is such a great and convenient option. The slow flow class is seventy-five minutes long. In terms of difficulty, it is between a gentle flow and vinyasa class. Honestly, it’s a perfect mid-week class to add to my practice. Truly, it was a bit difficult since I had just finished working out, but it was a great flow. We even practiced crow, which I love. One thing I love about the different teachers is the creativity of their flow. Additionally, this is helpful to me as a student of yoga teacher training. Consequently, I will be adding this class to my regular repertoire as it really fits my needs as a student.

Afterward, I grabbed a quick lunch of leftovers. Last night I cooked seared chicken with peach salsa courtesy of Blue Apron. Since the rice included vegetables, there were plenty of leftovers for me to enjoy. Thankfully, the leftovers tasted just as good as they did yesterday. I am loving these meal kits! I relaxed on the couch for awhile enjoying my afternoon coffee in anticipation of my interview at 3:30 pm. The interview went really well. It was with a start-up company out of Utah doing sales. While it is a commission only job, the opportunity is intriguing. One thing that is both exciting and scary is that the company was founded in January and there are only five employees. I guess that’s the thing about a start-up there’s a high risk to reward ratio. If it pays off, it will really pay off.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Wednesday if I didn’t get my HIIT run in this afternoon. Thankfully, Larry David and season 5 of Curb were there to get me through it. I amped it up this week from 15 minutes of intervals to 20 minutes. There may have been a bit of a celebration on my treadmill after that last interval. Naturally, I also include a five-minute walking warm-up and a thirteen-minute cooldown. This way I lessen the risk for injury or re-injury. Additionally, since the sprinting tends to be harder on my hip flexors, I spent more time stretching them during my post-workout stretch routine. Hopefully, they’ll be in great shape for my run tomorrow.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read the The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*Slow Flow with Ava from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*I may have melted in the Florida heat today.

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*I was all business today from morning to evening

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*We had our first Purple Stride planning call tonight! I’ll be sharing information soon.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 3 arms and HIIT run

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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What If?

What if you stopped procrastinating or focusing on things that no longer serve you? A year ago, I was unhappy, unhealthy, and stuck in a job that no longer served me. I was scared to walk away afraid to walk away despite my doctor’s orders. Honestly, I knew in my heart that she was right. My job was killing me! Naturally, my response to here was that unless she was going to pay my bills, I was going to stay in my current role. Flash forward a month and they laid me off. It was the liberation I longed for. Yes, I miss my friends and colleagues, but the role no longer suited me. Now here we are a year later and the sky has not fallen. Well, it hasn’t fallen due to me being laid off last year.

Since I left my role, I have spent a lot of time with my family. In fact, I will always remember the last 12 months with a mixture of happiness, contentment, and sadness. I say sadness because my son has left the nest permanently even though he’s where he belongs. Clearly, it’s a bittersweet event in a parent’s life. If I had been working, I would have missed out on some great times with my eldest child. In the fall, we took an amazing trip back to Minnesota for him to visit all of our family. Certainly, this trip was one of the best trips of my life. What if I was still working and unable to take him to Minnesota? I can’t even imagine the weight of regret that I would currently be carrying.

I guess the theme of this blog is stopping asking what if and start asking why not. Honestly, I stayed in a horribly unhealthy role because of fear. I was afraid that if I left, the sky would fall. And then, by god’s providence, I was laid-off. Thankfully, they gave me an escape out of that role. Fortunately, the sky did not fall. In fact, I found myself starting to feel normal, and dare I say healthy again. If I had stayed and continue to ask what if, I would have lost everything. Sure I may have lost in the short term, but there can be no doubt in the long term I won. The point is don’t be afraid to “take a leap” especially if you’re in a situation that’s damaging your overall health.

Yesterday I posted a picture of myself doing a headstand during Saturday’s vinyasa class. When I restarted my yoga practice eight months ago, I never imagined I would come so far so soon. Initially, I restarted my practice as a means of reducing my autoimmune symptoms. Fortunately, I found an incredible studio, Open Heart Yoga Studio, that has the perfect lineup of classes and teachers. Over the months, I’ve not only gotten stronger, but my pain is gone. Unfortunately, thyroid issues can lead to frozen shoulders as well as bone and muscle loss. Throughout my entire journey, my teachers have guided me through my objectives and as a consequence, I’ve gotten really strong. As my dear friend and teacher Monica always says, “small steps lead to big changes.” She couldn’t be more right, my friends! If you’re looking for a change in your life, know that it doesn’t need to start with a giant leap, but perhaps with a small step in the direction of your dreams.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Slept through my alarm for over 2 hours. I guess my body needed the rest!

*Gentle Yoga for a Healthy Back with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*Lamented my lack of craft skills as I folded the quilt my grandma made us.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*I cooked seared chicken with peach salsa and red rice. This was another great Blue Apron meal.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 2 run Forest run!!!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Twenty-One and Father’s Day

Twenty-one and Father’s Day are the two big milestones we’re celebrating today. Of course, I’m also celebrating the fact that 21 years ago I was blessed to become a mother. Motherhood is an extraordinary gift, but being a mom to Jake goes beyond any earthly blessing I’ve ever received. When he was born, we were kids ourselves. He’s been our ride and die from day one. How lucky are we? Now he’s grown up and carving out an amazing future for himself in the military. Sadly, we’re not able to be with him today due to COVID19, but we’re together in spirit. Jake had wanted to share his first legal beer in the US with his dad, but the timing was a bit off. Fortunately, Jake was able to drink a beer with his dad while we were in Norway.

For twenty-one years Jake has been the center of our universe. I remember the day he arrived as if it was yesterday. My doctor was on vacation during the 38th week of my pregnancy. She made me promise that I would not go into labor until after 5:00 pm on June 20th. Fortunately, Jake and I were very compliant patients and my water broke at 1:10 am on the 21st. I figured that I’d end up needed a c-section like my mom, so you can imagine my surprise when he was born later that morning. From the minute he arrived, he was so sweet and loving. I was lucky that he was my first baby because he was so easy. Actually, his brothers are lucky that he was such an easy baby. If he had been like them as a baby, Jake may have ended up being an only child.

Jake’s First Day of Kindergarten
Last hug before Jake left for BMT

Jake changed our whole family’s world in ways that we never could have anticipated. You always have a certain perspective of your parents and then you become a parent and that perspective changes. Then you get to see them as grandparents, which is an awesome role. Jake was blessed with six grandparents, five great grandparents, and a great great grandmother when he was born. He was also blessed with aunts and uncles that have played a pivotal role in his life. In fact, they still play a pivotal role in his life. He was also blessed to spend a lot of time with his Great Grandma T as she babysat him while I was in school. To this day, they remain thick as thieves. Their relationship is a special gift.

My Parents’ Birthday greeting for Jake

Naturally, we were sad we couldn’t be there to celebrate his golden birthday with him. I assure you, however, that we’ll celebrate his birthday and his accomplishments when we see him again. When will that be you ask, I don’t know. He’s still in tech school and from there will move on to his base. Due to COVID, there are some regulations on the troops’ movements, so we’re playing it by ear. It’s a bit insane. Fortunately, my time as a hockey mom has prepared me well for my role as a military mom. I’m sure once he’s operational and traveling, my iteration of military mom will be quite similar to me as a goalie mom. If I had to guess, there will be some high anxiety and stressful moments. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to see him. It’s been great to see his awakening and call to a higher purpose.

While he was busy being awesome in the Air Force, my hubby was spending his Father’s Day working. Since he was working, the boys and I hung out around home with the puppies. I changed my routine a bit, so I went to yoga yesterday instead of today. Consequently, I ran today instead of running yesterday, which gave me an additional day of rest. Naturally, I watched Curb throughout the workout. Fortunately, it was my favorite Curb episode where he accidentally puts the condom on backwards. It is absolutely ridiculously funny. Thankfully, the extra day of rest minimized pain in the foot and maximized my performance. The fun when really well. Originally, I had hoped to run outside this weekend, but with a dew point at 80 that wasn’t going to happen.

After the run, we cleaned up a bit and made sure we had beer and steaks ready for dinner. I made roasted purple onions and potato wedges to go along with homemade cheeseburgers. This was another Blue Apron meal kit dinner and it was awesome. The recipe was easy to follow and mighty tasty. While I worked on the burgers, the hubby fired up the grill for the steaks I had bought. This was the easiest way to ensure that the hubby and Goalielocks would have enough red meat to leave them satiated. Meanwhile, the Mayor continues to be picking and unwilling to try new foods. Goalielocks and the Mayor have undergone a complete role reversal on this issue. Just when my picky eater starts to be an adventurous eater, my adventurous eater decides to be a picky eater. I can’t win to lose.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Gentle Flow with Jenn at Open Heart Yoga

*Thought of ways to incorporate the word cove into my blog.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Watched a ripple in a puddle

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 7 run!!!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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