Weekend Recap

Friday Night
Secret Yogi party at mi casa with 9 fellow yoga friends / teachers. I made my brownie pops, we exchanged gifts over yummy food, fine, and lovely conversation... We partied till midnight :) Fun times with really wonderful people.


Saturday Morning
Gymnastics at Qi with the husband and friends... I am becoming more and more comfortable in this class. Still sore, but I love it!!


Saturday Lunch
Pho with Justin and Rokha at our favorite pho place in Denver. It's a Saturday tradition pho sho...


Saturday Afternoon
Free for all... Chilled out after a crazy week!!


Saturday Night
We went to Ashley's (yogi friend) birthday party... Rock Theme... I was channelling my inner Blondie, sans blonde hair! We danced, I drank a total of one half of beer, and we practiced yoga... Good times :)


Sunday
Worked a bit. Blah... It's nice to be back home now hanging out with my boys before the short work week begins!! 


Hope you had an Amazing weekend,
R

Good Friends, Yoga, & Squash

This weekend, my best friend Christin and her boyfriend, Mike, came into town to visit. We did a lot of yoga, a lot of walking, and lots of site seeing! Christin and Mike and the hubs attended my first yoga class ever - part of my Seva project - at Qi Edgewater. This was incredibly exciting and comforting to have them in town for this first-time type of weekend.

For my first class, I had my students donate oatmeal to the charity of my choice. I had 8 friends attend the event, and I was super psyched about this because the studio was truly filled!! Being my first class, I was most definitely a bit nervous so I went a lot faster than I thought I was going. I ended up teaching class with 20 minutes to spare! Holy Cow!! My friends who attended gave me wonderful criticism that was super helpful for my class I taught this morning. I really enjoyed having my friends as well as fellow teacher-trainers in my class!!

The rest of the weekend, we focused on Colorado beer for Mike and fun times downtown for all. Saturday evening, we walked Lodo and grabbed pizza at Buenos Aires. Later, we ended up meeting Mike's friends at Rock Bottom. From there, we went to Wynkoop and goofed around. Christin ordered a soda and I ordered a Shirley Temple.
YUM!

Sunday morning, we cooked breakfast and drank coffee as needed! We hiked around the lake by our house with Baci and then walked back to my house to get ready for the Rockies vs. Dodgers game. This game was a lot of fun  - especially went we started walking around (innings 3 and on). Justin ran into a friend and we had a blast checking out the rock pile and just being silly...

Later on, we walked around downtown, took photos, and then decided to head home for a bit of a rest!! We all became super hungry at some point and headed to the Highlands for tons of SUSHI!! I ate as though I had never eaten before and we had a blast :) After returning home, we hung out in the basement and decided to play Dance Dance Revolution. We formed teams and became super competitive - but kept it fun!! What a fun workout!!! After playing till midnight, we called it night...

This morning I woke up thinking "I get to teach today!". Today, I had 3 students and I actually didn't mind it. I made a strong effort to show a lot of the alignment to my students, but I avoided chataranga dandasana as my wrist was feeling a little tender. This time around, I slowed my pace - especially during Sun B. I really allowed the students to inhale their leg high from the inner thigh - to really feel the extension from the inner thigh the to the heel. I themed off of the breath and how we can do ANYTHING we want to do in this world as long as we continue to breathe through it!! I chose this as my theme because during Saturday's class, I didn't feel as though many of the students were breathing or were guiding their bodies with inhales and exhales. From this, I knew I needed to accentuate this essential part of the yoga practice. Class went really well I thought. We ended with a five minute savasanah and I was told my class was 100% improved from Saturday's class!!

Whoohoo!!

Today we goofed around and I took Christin and Mike to Great Divide Brewing Co. for a beer tasting. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the airport!! I miss them all ready - what a blast we have had all weekend :)

This evening.... Justin and I decided it was time to start working with our 6+ huge squash... Justin sauteed veggies while I baked the squash... Summer Squash Bread and Summer Squash Choc Chip Muffins and mini loaves!! We still have more squash to cook - so this week should be super interesting and fun!!

MEMORIES I DON'T WANNA FORGET!

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Red Furry Earmuffs on the top of a 14er.. YES!

ShelleBelle + I

Backpacking with Amelia-Badelia

Resting with my Honey

Rockies Game with Meg + Daniel + HOT Chocolate!

Auburn Football with a Gator in an Auburn Jersey, LOVE IT!

Ultimate Frisbee, how I miss thee!

My FLA Gals... Do we ever stop talking (or laughing for that matter) ?!

Getting Cheeky at the Cheeky Monk

Not sure.. but this is me in a nutshell.

TN Chickadees!

Halloween.. Or maybe this was just a typical night out?

Definitely need some Ali time!

Rest in Peace, Muffin. I love you Peanut!

OPEN YOUR EYES

"It's marvelous what you can see when you open your eyes." -Unknown

This weekend was pretty eye-opening for me. But, first a little summary of the weekend...

My sister-in-law came into town as did one of my husband's friends. It was nice having a large group staying at our house all weekend. So, we headed out Friday night to Udi's in Arvada an then hit up a Comedy Show in Denver. We saw at least five comedians and the headliner we came to find out from a joke in his performance... is from my hometown and went to my high school !! What a crazy coincidence!! My sister and I totally freaked out and of course met the guy after his show. We then headed to the Convention Center to show one of our friends the Big Blue Bear. He needed to see it as one of the comedians mentioned some Denver inside jokes and just didn't get it... (He's new to the area). So, this is why we had to visit the bear. At 12AM :)

Saturday morning, I headed out to a C2 class at Corepower Yoga. It was absolutely incredible and made me think even further about Yoga Teacher Training - something I have been wanting to commit to for a few months now. When you experience a class that is so cleansing, spiritual, and just down right difficult AND fun at the same time, you just feel GOOD.

Later on, I met up with everyone and we headed to REI and Wilderness Exchange.. After visiting those two favorite spots, we walked around the Platte River area and ended up heading to Amendment XXI for wine tasting. We discovered some fabulous French wines including Domaine de la Fouguette's Cuveé Rosée d' Aurore - my sister and sister-in-law both purchased a bottle each of this libation :) Highly recommended Rosée!!

On Saturday night, we had a nice dinner at Elway's and just made it a relaxing night in general - the food coma following Elway's was mostly why we decided to take it easy. I was glad we didn't stay out too late anyways as I had a yoga date with some friends early Sunday morning.

Sunday morning, took a beginner's yoga class at Qi Denver with my sister Diana and some friends. I was really excited to take the class. I don't mind taking a beginner's yoga class every now and then. There is nothing wrong with going back to the basics for an hour and remembering the importance alignment, breathing technique. All of the ladies enjoyed it so much and will be taking advantage of their free week!!

Later on we headed to the Farmer's Market at City Park and congratulated some of the half marathon and marathon finishers from the Colfax Marathon. I was kind of happy I forgot my wallet this time, but next weekend I will have to go with a budget in mind! There were just too many yummy things to pass up!! Vanilla Bread, Pumpkin Butter, F.R.O.G. dip (anyone remember what the acronym stood for?) This had nothing to do with frogs, it was just a fruit and spice-type dip. We had brunch at Annie's and my sister and I went a bit crazy over some of the cupcake shops per the usual.

And here is just a pictorial update on my little garden and herbs!! We have had a lot of rain and just crazy weather this past week so my flowers are still alive but they are hanging by a thread. The leaves still look good and healthy, but the blossoms are a bit wilted... Let's pray they stay strong and keep on growin'! We are thinking about throwing some butterfly bushes into the mix to add some height to the garden - I just adore them - Let me know your thoughts on this plant.

Have an AMAZING WEEK!!

IN 2010 - LET YOUR HEART WIN

Happy New Year!! A Happy, Happy 2010 to you all! 2009 was a good year, but it is time to look forward to all that is 2010. I wish you and yours an amazing year!

My Goals and Intentions for this year...

1) Marry my fiancé, the love of my life and my best friend ... "boyfriend" of 6 years on January 14, 2010.

2) Watch and enjoy a SUNSET at least once a week - thanking God for each day he has given me.

3) Run two or three half marathons and possibly a full marathon!

4) Keep in better touch with my friends and family across the nation.

5) Smile more.

6) Adopt a family during the 2010 Holiday Season and GIVE BACK.

7) Do more yoga on and off the mat; introduce others to the yoga I love so dearly.

8) Make every day mean the most and follow my bliss!!

Do not forget ... It is never too late to begin again. No choice is more able to change your life than the one you make today.

MAIBERRY FROZEN YOGURT

So, I am on a quest to find the best frozen yogurt in Colorado... My first stop: MAIBERRY. Their website may be found here . I went with my fiancé and his best friend on a whim. There was a long line, so we knew there was something good to be found in this place!!

via Maiberry's FB Page

As we started coming closer in line to view the menu and the display, we were in awe... Blueberries, raspberries, Cap'n Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Granola... etc. The fruit is super fresh.

Did I mention in addition to their yum fro-yo, they have impeccable interior design: bright colors to reflect their vibrant selection! This place will just bring a smile to your face.

via Maiberry's FB Page

I went for the vanilla with blueberry topping and coconut cream. Sounds like a weird mix, but it was quite fabulous.

The boys decided on vanilla fro-yo with blueberries and Fruity Pebbles. Gotta love the 25-year old boys and their love for Fruitie Pebbles!! Cute.

You will find all of this information on their site... I found out that their fro-yo is "Greek-Style Yogurt-based". "All-Natural", "Low-Fat",  "Low-Calorie" and it's DESSERT... And, lastly and most importantly, it is YUM IN THE TUM!!

Go get you some Maiberry !!

BACKPACKING

I discovered a new summer hobby this year. Yes, see above! I absolutely adore it. I discovered it in Jackson, WY... We drove up there to say with a good friend from college who was interning for Teton National Park for the summer.

Besides the backpacking, I also was able to reunite with some college friends which made the trip amazing!! My first roomate in a college (potluck) as well as a good friend from my major. Such sweethearts with big hearts.

My friend we were staying with had two large overnight packs and great hikes planned, so I was psyched.. I have done my share of 14ers in Colorado, but never had I hiked and camped and hiked, etc. We chose the Paintbrush Canyon Trail. We started at 1PM.. pretty late for a 9 mile hike into the Tetons... but we kept on truckin and saw beautiful views and met some nice people. The back country was unreal, so untouched and wild!

We stopped just a few times to get some nourishment and take in all the scenery... It took my breath away!

We were almost to the lake where we would camp for the night, and it was becoming pretty chilly. Soon, it began to hail. But I am talking about Dippin-Dot sized hail and nothing bigger! Thankfully! So, we decided no more stopping. It was already 7PM by then and we needed to get the lake and choose a site!

One new thing about the Tetons that I hadn't experienced in CO were the BEAR CANISTERS we had to carry all of our food in so we didn't lure the bears in. Very interesting addition to our packs... No, we did not get to see any bears this trip....

So back on subject, the hail began to slow down and we were almost at our site. Then. It. Began. To. SNOW! We knew this sort of thing was a possibility for our trip, but it just wasn't one of those things you think REALLY happens. Oh, but it did...

We made yummy pasta on our camping stove that evening after we pitched the tents. We were surrounded by a winter wonderland. Did I mention this happened in AUGUST?!

Needless to say, the hike was insane - in a good way. We woke up to white-powdered everything surrounded by blue skies. I felt like we were living in a snow globe. Then as we set off for more hiking, the sun shined down bright as we entered an open field and we saw one of the most beautiful sights! We were above the clouds...

I ended up purchasing a pack after this trip in the town of Jackson.. How could I not? Backpacking will definitely be a special part of my Spring/Summer next season!! =)