Another Two From the List

Due to my busy fitness filled day, I was also happy to cross two items off my 50 by 50 list.

This morning on my way to FitFest, and after running a couple quick morning errands, I knew I needed a coffee to fuel me. So I hit the Starbucks drive-thru. I could see the girl sitting behind me, she was young, her car was definitely used … so I said to myself, maybe today should be the day I cross of the buy the coffee for someone behind me item. I hope she liked it (she got a coffee and a pasty I’m guessing based on the total … either that or a big coffee.) I also hope she returns the favor to someone else someday.

And of course, since I took a spin class, I can take that right off the list. No more need for me to talk about that (but my bum is still hurting …)

Since I’m always on the journey to incorporate more wellness into my life … when I found out about the first annual Minneapolis FitFest, I knew I wanted to check it out. A full day of exercise classes, health seminars and an expo filled of fitness-focused vendors … sounded like an ideal day.

My friend GF and I signed up and made our plan of attack. We decided to get there so that we could check out the expo before our first class. Since this was the first annual FitFest, I’ll give them a little leeway on the expo. It was okay, but was probably the one part of the whole Fest that needs the most improvement for next year. The had a good number of vendors, but I guess I was just expecting a little more. And when I re-read the brochure tonight, I was surprised to see that some of the tables were supposed to have more demos and interaction.

Then we were off to our first fitness class … my very first spin class. Holy buckets. I don’t think I knew what to expect. It was definitely a good sweaty workout. My legs were burning at the end and she did add some presses (which my uncoordinated self struggled with a bit) … but the biggest thing I’ll walk away with … my sore butt. I forgot how much your bum hurts when you haven’t been on a bicycle seat in a while … and no more was that more evident then in our next class.

Right after spin, we had a Vinyasa Yoga class. It was led by Chris Freytag. She’s kind of a big thing in the fitness world, so I was excited to take a class from her. Um, yeah, if my legs weren’t burning after spin, she took care of that. Since I do yoga pretty much every day now (but not quite ready to cross it off my 50 by 50 list) it was nice to do some different flows.  But after those two classes, GF and I were ready for lunch.

Lunch was provided by Agra Culture. It was a nice little salad and gluten-free sandwich. Filling, but I was starved at that point so needed the food. Only to get prepped for my last exercise class of the day. It was a circuit class that was taught by a good ol’ colleague of mine. That was kind of fun, because it gave me extra motivation (and let’s be honest, I was pretty dog-tired at this point.) And any muscle that hadn’t been worked out earlier in the day … well, it was taken off in that circuit class. But I did find a push-up that I really enjoyed doing and may need to add to my regular regime.

GF and I ended our day with one of the seminars. It was focused on the autoimmune protocol and their strict elimination diet. It was led by Stephanie March and Stephanie Meyer, two local food celebrities. It was nice to hear Stephanie Meyer’s journey and what led her to this way of eating … and then she shared a recipe of a cauliflower salad (of course we got samples) that I am definitely going to have to add to our summer eating repertoire. Healthy and delicious. And since my boys already love cauliflower … it’s a no brainer.

So from 9 to 4:30, I got to spend the day focused on myself and fitness and well-being with a friend. It was a special treat. Of course, I’ll be paying for it tomorrow … I’m just hoping I’ll be able to move.

The Room Reveal

So, we started with this:

I’ll affectionately call it Brothel Burgundy. I am amazed we kept it as our bedroom color for 9 years. But I am probably more amazed that it was ever used in the first place. It was definitely a thick coat of nasty, semi-glossy, early 90’s flashback. That’s what it was. I knew I wanted the very opposite of this for what our bedroom should feel like. I wanted a more sophisticated, “grown up” look for our room. Because that’s me and D … sophisticated grownups, right?

So, after carefully selected a “greige” that seemed soothing and would translate into a more meditative feel for my room, I knew I was set. I also had the spur of the moment to make the wall with our windows an accent color. I love doing stripes, or adding interesting texture to the walls. So, one accent wall it was. Then, O and DI selected a window covering that pulled all the colors in the room together:

Totally different. Now, I have a more zen-like bedroom, and it just feels so much better. And … I can cross off another item on my 50 by 50 list!!! To finish painting all the rooms in my house. Technically, two of our bathrooms are not painted … but I don’t have any intention of painting them. And the reason I put this item on the list was to eliminate excuses of painting my bedroom and repainting the living room. Mission accomplished and I am so very happy with the results. Now, I’m sure D and I will have another project to tackle in the near enough future.

From Warm to Cool

D and I take forever to agree on anything for our house. I wish I were joking, but it takes us years (yes, literally years) to agree on something as simple as what color to pain our walls. So, nine years ago, I painted our living room a lovely lush pumpkin color. It was a really beautiful, almost terracotta color. With wonderful brown accents, the room glowed with warmth.

Fast forward six years, and we finally agree on a color for our kitchen. Alas, here’s the tricky part … we have a cathedral ceiling, so the color of our kitchen matters because the top of the kitchen shares a wall with our living room. Unfortunately, the light blue we liked for our kitchen didn’t really mesh with the pumpkin. Now, two years later, I finally took it upon myself to repaint the living room a blue with a hint of gray in it.

Changing the tone of a room from a warm color to a cool tone really changes the entire space. It’s almost unsettling how different the room feels. Now to tackle the last room in the house, which will also get a warm to cool makeover. Our master bedroom … it will go from a deep maroon (thank you previous owners –  not) to a cool gray with a darker gray accent wall. I’m quite excited for the makeover. And that one I’ll capture some photos to post.

The Golem and The Jinni

I just finished the most lovely book. It’s one that I read thanks to one of those book lists. You know, something like “20 best books of summer you’re not reading yet.” Or something like that.

It’s mystical and beautiful and touches on a range of emotions. It takes place at the turn of the century and follows two characters. One is a Golem named Chava … and while I’ve known about Golem’s this book helps you really understand them. The other main character is a Jinni (not to be confused with Genie) named Ahmad. There are many other wonderful, colorful characters sprinkled throughout. As I read it, the book came to life in my mind and I could envision all the scenes and characters so brightly. I highly recommend it if you want to get lost in a book for a week, this is one to curl up with a good glass of wine with.

Idyllic Days

Today was one of those delightful days. The weather was perfect, just warm enough in the sun and slightly chilly in the breeze.

K has a soccer tournament all weekend, so two games today and one tomorrow. The first game was the same time as my running class, so I didn’t get to watch it. But, my mom game down to watch the game and she kept Oliver company during the game.

Running class once again pushed me … which is a good thing. I realize that I like how classes push you to try things you wouldn’t normally do … and this class is pretty low pressure. The other ladies are friendly (some are quite chatty, but I appreciate their energy) and the instructor provides tips and tricks throughout. And … like any workout, I find the exhausted feeling at the end exhilarating. I think I have my eye on my next endeavor since this class ends after next week … there’s a crossfit gym in the area and a coworker of mine is trying out their boot camp right now. Her enthusiasm has me close to convinced I may need to give it a go.

So, after my running class I returned home and we took my mom out to lunch to a nearby restaurant called Paleos. Yes, a paleo restaurant. Since both my mom and I eat gluten-free, it was nice to go to a restaurant where everything was gluten-free. And the food was great, they use a lot of herbs and spices so everything was layered in flavor. I had a Portobello burger, with a roasted sweet potato, and would definitely eat it again. My mom ate this lovely avocado Benedict, D and steak and eggs (which is so not like him) and K had a maple-glazed pork chop. O ordered scrambled eggs and bacon … and let’s just say he ate his bacon and the apples in his fruit cup.

After lunch, we returned home and took care of a few things, then it was off to game number 2. I love to watch K play … as long as I know he’s enjoying the sport. D and I are always telling him if it ever quits being fun, he has to let us know. I hope he feels that he can. At the sports center, there was also an adult hockey tournament going on … which meant a lot of crazy. The parking lots were like navigating through dangerous waters … and adults were tailgating in campers. Clearly this hockey tournament was serious business. Fortunately, tomorrow’s game is the fields the farthest away so, we’ll park in a different lot.

Ah, summer soccer season and craziness has begun!

The Simplest Pleasures

Today is an idyllic day in Minnesota. The weather is perfection, not too hot, sunny and beckoning everyone to get outside. So, after my running training class (which, yes, I totally tripped on my own feet today during some side shuffle turns and bit it!) I offered to take my boys to the state park that’s a couple miles away.

Thanks to our spring break hiking adventure, the boys are now quite game to go on “hikes” in parks. The local park is great … but it’s quite a bit hilly – as in constant rolling hills. Paired with that the boys haven’t acclimated to summer weather, they decided to take more of a meander through the trails than anything with real speed. But we got a good 1.75 miles in … which included a mid-way stop at an actual park with swings, slides and such (and where they miraculously got a burst of energy …)

After the trek, we stopped at the local ice cream shop. Just in time. A massive crowd arrived right as we were finishing up our order (and they only had one person working in the shop … on a glorious Saturday, not sure how they planned it.)

I enjoyed the time with my boys so much, just savoring each minute … that I didn’t even stop to take a picture. Instead I just reveled in our non-electronic enjoyment of each other’s company. If this is the preview to summer, I’ll take it!