Nothing to say but "Ow."

This past weekend was really nice. I got a lot done - got my haircut, went to my parent's house for dinner (and it was DELICIOUS - thanks Mom and Paul!), got to see some of my other relatives, dyed my hair (goodbye, grays!) and did a lot of laundry. Yesterday I hit Loehmann's with a friend of mine (we both got some VERY cute things) and baked a batch of brownies (which were AMAZING) and cooked a healthy dinner from a new recipe. All in all, a great weekend!

Except for last night.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was thinking of taking a yoga class on Sunday morning - my first one. I decided to follow through, and I went to the class. I enjoyed it, even though it was a little tough (I'm not as in shape/flexible as I thought I was), but I felt really centered and focused when I was finished. I continued on with the rest of my day without incident, until the evening. I felt a small twinge in my middle back and thought, "That's odd - why is my back hurting? I only went to yoga today."

For the first time. DUH.

My middle back was so sore by the time I went to bed that I couldn't lay in my normal position because IT HURT TO BREATHE. Yes - that's right. I used muscles yesterday that I apparently haven't used in... NEVER. It was a very painful night and an unpleasant day today - I felt like I was moving at a snail's pace. At this moment, my back feels better, but my legs are starting to complain - I don't think I'm quite through the woods yet in terms of the pain.

However, I am not giving up. I've had a lot of problems with my back my whole life, and I'm hoping that this will finally give me the strength in my back that I've needed for so long. I also felt really calm and just good in general - a feeling I haven't had in a long time. So the pain is not discouraging me - in fact, it makes me hopeful. I'm using muscles that aren't normally utilized, which is a very good thing. I want to have the strongest back I can, and I think this is going to help me get there.

But in the meantime: ow.

Revelation.

I finally returned to my gym last night after a long absence. They've moved to a new location since I was there last, and it's such a big improvement over where they were before. There's more parking, more amenities, and a private group fitness room - hooray! I've decided to start taking more classes in order to mix up my fitness routine so I stay focused and interested. There's a spin class coming up on Wednesday afternoon, and tomorrow morning is an introduction to yoga class. I've been considering yoga for a long time now, so it was almost like a sign last night when I saw the class schedule. I'm looking forward to it - I'm hoping it will allow me to relax more and be more focused in general.

The most important thing I noticed last night was how great I felt once I was done with my workout. I felt toned and invigorated - in fact, I had a hard time coming down off of my high when I got home. I couldn't find enough things to do, I had so much energy. It hit me right then and there that no matter how I feel when I come home from work, I've got to exercise no matter what. Unless I'm ill or I have a broken limb, I'll be exercising at least every other day if not every day.

It was so easy for me to forget how great I feel once I'm finished, but now that I've got that feeling back again, I'm not letting it go.

Doggy Dash, here I come!

Cats get hiccups, too.

Chandler occasionally gets a little case of the hiccups every now and then. It usually happens right after he eats, and it never lasts for more than a couple of minutes. It's kind of cute, actually - but I'm sure he doesn't agree. Tonight he jumped up on the couch to sit next to me, and his hiccups started. R said, "I know how to get rid of those hiccups." He startled Chandler by shouting, and lo and behold - the hiccups went away! Apparently, fright gets rid of the hiccups in cats, too. I couldn't help but laugh, even though it wasn't the nicest thing to do.

And don't worry - Chandler is fine. It's not hard to scare him, the poor thing. Here's proof that he's OK:

He's plotting our deaths as we speak.

And Amber got jealous that I didn't want to take her picture, so here's a shot of her:

She'll come up with some reason to plot our deaths - probably because we don't take enough pictures of her. Such a diva.

Back at Square One.

I've decided to participate in this year's Doggy Dash, a fun run/walk to help raise money for the local SPCA chapter. Most of you who know me know that this is not my first run, so I should be well-prepared for it with as much as I exercise. Right? Well, I had the flu about a month and a half ago, and sadly, exercise has not been much of a priority since then. I had a discussion about this with a co-worker/friend today who said that a friend of hers is going through the same thing. What is it about the flu that takes all of your exercise motivation out of you? I imagine there's a flu bug out there somewhere that is just in KICK ASS shape because of how motivated it is.

I attempted running on my treadmill last night in order to start preparing, and I was only able to run a mile and a half at a very slow pace before I had to walk the remaining 1.5 miles. In fact, it's the pace I started running at a year and a half ago. So yes, I have some work to do. Thankfully, I've still got 2 whole months before the race, so that should be plenty of time. And I have to remind myself that it's not about how long it takes me to finish the race: it's about finishing. That, to me, is more of an accomplishment.

And just think! Come race day, I might be in better shape than that flu bug (wherever it is).

Mmmmm...vegetable volcano.

I went to Fresh Choice tonight with my best friend, who came up to visit her family for Easter. It was great catching up with her - it's been 3 months since we've seen each other, which seems almost impossible to me. How can 3 months have passed so quickly??

I was able to indulge in my most favorite thing at the restaurant- a great big pile of vegetables. After yesterday's gluttony, it felt really good to eat a big, healthy salad. Awhile back, I went to Fresh Choice for lunch with another friend of mine who brought along her son. When he saw my plate, he said "Wow - that looks like a vegetable volcano!" Thus, the inspiration for today's title.

The veggie volcano was everything I wanted it to be. And I had a small slice of pizza and a chocolate brownie to go with it. Because who can go to Fresh Choice and JUST eat salad? Not me.

I'm off to watch The Devil Wears Prada with R (my husband) - a perfect end to a pretty good day!

Thanks, Easter Bunny!!

This is officially my first post. It's a relatively warm night on Easter Sunday and my stomach is so full from the day's bounty that I feel like I could burst open at any moment. But it was a pretty great day! I still got to hunt for Easter eggs (at 31) and I still got Easter baskets (with Cadbury Creme Eggs...yum!). My grandmother fixed a delicious feast as usual - lamb, turkey, mashed potatoes, asparagus and crescent rolls, just to name some. And it wouldn't be Easter without my mom's Easter bread and Easter basket cake. Now you see why I am so full.

Alas, the weekend is now over - back to work tomorrow. This is probably the most boring post in the history of the world, but I'm attaching some photos of my cats to make it more interesting.

Happy Easter!!


Amber (my precious girl)

Chandler (my good boy)

I don't know why they either look possessed or drunk when I take their picture. I swear they're not either of those things. I gave them some catnip tonight, so that could have something to do with it.