Top 10

Nothing like waiting until the last minute. Here is my Top 10 Metro Restaurants List:

1. Miyabi 9
2. La Mie
3. Simon's
4. Alba
5. Centro
6. Tacos Andreas
7. Proof
8. Jethros
9. Hickory Park
10. Django

Newest Buy

I usually never find anything on the clearance rack at DSW but I struck shoe gold last week when I found these:


They reminded me a lot of a pair of shoes my friend Emily had bought at the market in Spain. I think I told her several times the day she wore them how much I liked them, so when I saw these the other day, I jumped at the chance of buying them.

30% off plus my $5 birthday coupon = a good deal on a fabulous new pair of shoes.

Hot Yoga

I have always been curious about what hot yoga was like and today I found out, by attending my first ever class. I was a little nervous, being that I had never done hot yoga before and also that it has been about 4 months since my last yoga class (yikes).

I walked into the studio, a room where the temperature is set at about 104 degrees, and laid my mat down in one of the open spots, which just happened to be by one of the heating fans (not the smartest move I've made) I got set up, stretched out a little, laid down, and tried to adapt to the sauna-like heat. Soon class began and the instructor greeted us and told us she would be taking it easy on us today, which I was happy to hear, figuring I would be able handle it no problem.

I was happy I was able to follow along for the most part without doing too much looking around to make sure I was positioned correctly, however, she did use more technical terms than I am used to. We first worked on our breathing and then went into sun salutations, and it intensified from there. It wasn't soon after class began that I started to sweat and before I knew it, it was pouring down my face, as if I were standing underneath running water or something. Putting it nicely, my entire body was "glowing." It was crazy. I don't think I've sweat that much since...maybe ever. Her idea of "easy" clearly is not in line with mine, so I did have to make a few adjustments and use a block for part of the session, but I had to keep in mind that it's better to adjust to keep good form than to try and appear more advanced. And I also have to remember in any yoga class I've been to, that no one is paying attention to me, and even if they are, they aren't there to judge me and what I can and cannot do.

Overall I would say my first hot yoga experience was a good one. A few bulleted thoughts:

*The fee was $15, which I wasn't super jazzed about. I am not sold enough to buy a package, but wouldn't rule out trying it out again sometime.
*If I were ever to go to hot yoga regularly, I would invest in a yoga towel. I brought a beach towel to place over my mat, which worked out okay, but there were a few times my towel bunched up and I had to readjust it.
*I would wear a sweatband or bandana as my headband to keep as much sweat out of my eyes as possible.
*I don't know if I would go so far as to say I went through a "natural detox" but I will admit, it did feel pretty great to sweat that much.
*As I said, although I am not a fan of the price, I would be willing to try out hot yoga again sometime. I think I would enjoy it more next time, knowing what exactly to expect, and next time I would make sure I'm more in yoga shape so I can take full advantage of the more experienced instructor's class.

And for your viewing pleasure, here is what I looked like post hot yoga class: (and yes I purposely left my face out)

Weekend Fun

Saturday I went to Cedar Falls to spend some time with my sister and her family. It was a beautiful morning for a drive. My mini chocolate donuts, fountain cherry coke, and ipod kept me entertained on the ride up.

Shortly after I arrived, we took advantage of the sunshine and blue skies by walking around the arboretum. They had some beautiful flower displays and a fun kids area that Regan thoroughly enjoyed playing in. The front of the arboretum had about 15 flower beds, all donated by different groups of people (some organizations, some families) and although most were beautiful, there was one horrible looking one that, ironically enough, was from the "Green Thumbs of Black Hawk County":



After dropping the girls off so they could nap, Katie and I went out to lunch and then, in a moment of nostalgia, walked around UNI's campus. We had so much fun walking by all our old buildings we often visited and talking through some of our memorable moments. It was also move-in weekend, so there was a lot of hustle and bustle going on around us and it was fun to see the incoming students buying their textbooks and getting acclimated with their new surroundings. We ended our "tour" by walking through the book store, and although I saw a lot of cute UNI apparel, I walked away empty handed.

The rest of the evening we spent relaxing, ordering pizza from the OP, and I took in as much time as I could with the girls - playing with Regan in her tent, reading her a bedtime story, and making Rachel laugh a lot, albeit by making fart-like noises, but laughing nonetheless. Hey, you're never too young (or old) for a good fart joke, right? :)

It is also worth mentioning that I tried out the Shake Weight (yep, my sister has one) and it is just as humorous to do as it is to watch someone do.

Sunday morning we went to church and then had breakfast at the Panther Pride cafe. And then it was time for me to head back home.

You can check out pictures from the weekend here.

Golden Oldies

To keep us entertained for about half of the mini road trip to Iowa City last week, Jake and I each made a playlist to share. The theme was "oldies" and was defined as anything you'd potentially hear on an oldies radio station.

I had so much fun making this playlist and had even more fun listening to it. There is just something about the music from the '50's to the '70's - most of the "upbeat" songs you can't help bop around, or at least tap your toes. It's just feel good music.

Here was my playlist:

1. Think - Aretha Franklin
2. Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding
3. Down in the Boondocks - Billy Joe Royal
4. Shake Your Tailfeather - The Blues Brothers
5. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher - Jackie Wilson
6. What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
7. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
8. You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry
9. The Joker - Steve Miller Band
10. Knock Three Times - Tony Orlando & Dawn
11. The Longest Time - Billy Joel
12. Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
13. Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
14. Ain't Too Proud to Beg - The Temptations
15. That'll Be the Day - Buddy Holly
16. On the Road Again - Willie Nelson

Check

I love making lists (of any kind) and love even more when I get to check things off of a list.

Yesterday morning I had made a list of about 10 things I needed to get done (without a specific need by date behind it) and I made the most of my free time after work and before volleyball to get over half of the things crossed off my list. Ahh, love that feeling of accomplishment, even if it's the most minute thing like, "return books to the library".

Message Bracelet

Usually I have a few ideas in mind whenever I am shopping for a gift for someone. This year, I wasn't set on any one idea for Les. While out shopping one afternoon, I walked into Blonde Genius with the intent of getting her a gift card, but on my way to the cash register, I came across the perfect gift, which is always a relief, especially when you aren't sure what you're looking for:


The message bracelet by Cynthia H. They are leather cuffs with inspirational words on them. It took me a while to decide which color/saying to go with but in the end I decided on the blush colored band with the words, "Keep the Faith". Much more personable than a gift card and I immediately thought of her upon seeing them.

I had never seen these before, so I did some research when I got home and found out that the artist, Cynthia Holvey, once a drug addict, designed these bracelets in celebration of her being 10 years sober. It's always encouraging to hear of a story of someone overcoming a hardship and turning into a success. (although I couldn't help but think how much cooler it would be if some of the profits would go towards a foundation related to drug abuse/rehab, but I couldn't find anything on that) Oh well, still a very cool idea and they definitely have caught my eye.

You can read more about Cynthia H Designs here.

BC '11

The 3rd annual Booze Cruise was this past Saturday and was once again successful. Although we were without 2 of our regular crew members (and missed them lots!), we still had a lot of fun.

I wasn't sure how the day was going to go when I got a phone call from Saylorville at 8 A.M. They called to tell me we couldn't boat because ours was broken. I panicked for about 30 seconds and then decided to call over to Big Creek to see if they had anything open and thankfully they did. Phew, crisis averted. Everyone met at the house, we packed up, and in true BC tradition, the boys rode in one car and the girls in the other, and we headed to Big Creek, with a pit stop at the Casey's in Polk City, another tradition of ours. Bobby played captain for the majority of the day and did a swell job. He looked like a professional as we sailed across the lake.

Some highlights include:
*Shot gunning a beer for the first time: My first attempt was a complete and utter failure. I was watching J-rod do it one way and Jake do it another...long story short, I got confused, most of it went all over Jake, and then I threw it overboard in a moment of frustration. My confidence was shaken but after a couple of hours and some positive encouragement, I decided it was time to try again, and that time was a true success.
*Jumping off the dock - We docked for a bit and all took turns doing jumps and flips.
*Les and I attempting to shove whole cupcakes in our mouths - a tradition we started on our maiden voyage. Stacy's cupcakes were a little too big so it took 2 delicious bites.

Booze Cruise is a day I look forward to every year. Such a fun way to spend the day - good food, good music, good friends = a great birthday celebration.

What's Goin On

Last post was July 25th?! Eek, where does the time go?

Let's see what's been going on:

*I golfed 18 holes a couple of weeks ago at Pleasantville (not to be confused with Pleasant Hill). Jake and I took on Stacy and Jared in our first ever golf outing. It was a great day to golf - a little warm, but thankfully the clouds hid the sun for most of the day. We played best ball off the tee, then best ball by partner after that. We played 9 holes and then took a break for lunch and then back on the course for another 9. (which was a great way to do it). It was a fun day and looking forward to another outing soon.

*I got to spend the majority of my Sunday with Les. We ran a few errands, made lunch, prepped for our meal drop-off, and played with Willy. It was a fun day and was happy to be spending 1 on 1 time with my roomie.

*Sunday night I played in my first ever slow-pitch softball game. Jake's team needed a sub and I reluctantly agreed when asked to fill in. I was so nervous, since I have never really played before. (I went to 1 softball practice in high school and after doing a miserable job at bat, decided the sport wasn't for me.) But it turned out to be a lot of fun. Everyone was so nice and I made contact with the ball every time I was at bat. And I even managed to score a run!

*Monday Jake and I went on a mini road trip to Iowa City for the Lissie concert. We first stopped for dinner at Oasis, a local falafel joint I've been wanting to try. We had planned on going before the wrestling meet we went to back in the winter, but lost track of time due to MegaTouch fun, so I was so excited to be eating there Monday. I had the Lamb pita sandwich and it was delicious. Can't wait to go back. Then onto the concert at Blue Moose. It was a small, intimate show, which is my favorite kind, and we were right up front to see Lissie put on an amazing show. It was a very late night, but I did get to sleep on the way home and it was definitely worth the 3 hours of sleep I got that night.

*Tuesday I celebrated my birthday and was definitely feeling the love. Lots of phone calls, texts, and facebook birthday wishes were sent my way all day. I had lunch with Lucas at South Union, got a cake pop from Stacy (yum!), and had some special visitors in the afternoon. My sister spent her 8th wedding anniversary with me and brought Regan along to celebrate my birthday, and even had homemade cupcakes in tow. (what a good sister, right?!) We went to the mall and I took Regan to Build-a-Bear (a belated birthday present for her) and then had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.

*And today after work, I headed East on I-80 for the second time this week and met my parents in Iowa City so they could take me out for a birthday dinner and a little shopping after.

So long story short, that's what's been going on lately :)