Days 155-158…back and better than ever!:)

 

Finally feeling better!!  I beat the dreaded flu with all natural remedies…lots of sleep and herbs and vitamins.  4 days later, and I’m back and better than I was before!  Added bonus is I had an excuse to eat lots of yummy feel good food, like my beloved pumpkin chocolate mash!

We had the most wonderful beautiful two warm days!  Almost 60 in RI in January!  I celebrated by painting outside at my favorite spot!

And the puppies loved having grass back for a few days!

Lounging in the sun makes us all SO happy!

If the weather stayed like this all year, I’d be perfectly happy!

I celebrated our second gorgeous day by going for a nice 3 mile run…it turned out a lot better than the run I attempted on Sunday before I was completely healed and had to stop four times.   This was a wonderful run just like the good old days!  Love getting my mileage back up…I hope we have a few nice days this winter like this so I can keep up with my running.  I love the Arc Trainer, but logging real miles is just so different.  I’m also signed up for at least one more half marathon this year! I need to get my mileage back to where it was.  I am seriously debating trying for a full marathon, but I dont know if my body is ready for that yet.  I am still getting my vitamin levels back to where they need to be and with my history of stress fractures, I don’t want to push myself too much.  Maybe just a few halfs to get my endurance where I like it, then try for a marathon next year…it would be fitting to run 26 miles at age 26, no? 

I just had to share one of my new favorite quotes…I need to make this into a painting for our house soon…

Also had to share this…I laughed out loud when I saw it…confusing those around me who don’t always appreciate good yoga humor.  It’s doubly amusing because hubby calls me T-Rex as a nickname…and I teach yoga…oooohhh the irony.

Two new art projects I’m working on…to go with the lavender theme in our room…the shutters are going to act as a picture frame of sorts and the flower picture may get a quote added to it…still a work in progress..

In other exciting news…my skin has finally cleared up!  No more painful ugly eczema!  What was the culprit?  Eggplant!  Seriously?  Yes…the same girl who is allergic to such gems as dairy, wheat, peanuts, kiwi, and honeydew melon, is also allergic to eggplant….oh joy.  But at least I figured it out and can wear my wedding rings again and actually use my hands:)

I am getting back into my awesome beast workout modes again…loving it!  Running, arc trainer, and some heavy duty lifting! 

I’m working on getting back to my personal bests for lifting and this week my stats are improving…still not where I was on some, but I’m proud none the less considering how weak I had gotten:

Leg press 150lbs, 20 reps

Deadlift and Squat 95lb, 12 reps

Unassisted bench press 65 lb, 12 reps

Clean and overhead press, 50 lb, 20 reps

Pulldown, 55 lbs

Biceps and Triceps, 15 lbs, 12 reps

Huge snow storm two days ago…as hard as I tried to stay positive, I couldn’t help but spend the morning looking up homes in SC and GA on Trulia…I found this amazing old farmstead by Charleston and almost booked my ticket and put in an offer sight unseen, but then hubby reminded me we have to wait til he gets home and his contract is up…so 5-6 more years of cold winters I guess….but at least I can dream and plan for our nice warm farm someday!

What have I been putting off?  Oh nothing, just my grad school graduation app….not that I’m not super excited to be done in the spring…I just think it’s so DUMB to have to pay $200 regardless of whether or not you are walking!  Sooo frustrating…don’t we pay enough to just go here?  Why does a piece of paper cost $200?

On a happy note…I LOVE new workout clothes…just taught ballet and am feeling fabulous:)

Day 2

Last night was a little hard, I’ll admit.  After the day died down, it was hard knowing the hubby wasn’t going to be coming home for the night.  The puppies were sad too…everytime they’d hear a car drive by they’d run to the window thinking ‘Dad’s home!’  I had to explain to them again that they weren’t going to see him until next summer…yeah yeah, I know, they are dogs, but I swear they understand English sometimes!

It was nice to be able to talk on the phone right before bedtime though.  After the pups and I got all snuggled up in our room, we actually had a restful night’s sleep and woke up ready to face the brand new day!  I am really glad I didn’t take any time off of teaching, because a nice vinyasa yoga class was EXACTLY how I wanted to start off my 300 days.

Our nice cozy yoga studio is my retreat…and with the rain last night, we got a little break from the super hot yoga classes we’ve been dealing with all summer.  Focusing on my breathing and the familiar, comforting practice of my Saturday class was a perfect start to my day.  I was able to think about my emotions and how I am in control of how I feel about different situations, how I can use my practice to help on the hard days and make the good days even better, and how I can channel my positive energy to keep things in perspective throughout the year.

Other accomplishments from day 2?  Two of my close friends came over, one for lunch and one for dinnertime.  It was nice to have company, as weekends are usually the times hubby and I spend most of the day together and go on fun adventures.  Having people to talk to and spend time with was great, and we were able to help each other with school, work, and scheduling plans for the year, too.

And an added bonus today?  Getting to talk with the hubby on Skype!  It was so great to see his face and get to have a nice conversation.  Now waiting for our nighttime call before bed!