Where do I even begin? It has been six months since my last post and quite a bit has changed! The biggest of which is that I enjoyed the most wonderful day of my life on November 21, 2009! Bo and I were finally married after six years of dating! The wedding was gorgeous, our friends and family flew in from all over the country to celebrate, and the honeymoon was a week of warm and sunny bliss. We chose
Cap Juluca, on Anguilla, as our honeymoon destination after months of research and contemplation. We knew we wanted a destination which would allow for water sports, excursions, luxurious treatment and service, while also answering the needs of two foodies! The restaurants on Anguilla took us completely by surprise. Each one, filled with it’s own unique atmosphere, was very different but also allowed us to taste some of the freshest red snapper, goat stew, and plenty of caribbean influenced dishes. I will definitely dedicate a post in the near future to our honeymoon food.
Since returning, we have been going non-stop with work, holiday parties, traveling back to our home in Georgia for Christmas, hosting Bo’s best friend for New Years, and now this weekend we have two friends coming into the city for their first taste of New York! Living in a “destination” city is definitely one of my favorite parts about New York City!
One of our big decisions upon returning was whether or not we’d finally join a “real gym.” My friend Lauren had been pestering me for the past three months to join
Equinox. She insisted we’d be able to work out together, motivate each other to leave our desks at a reasonable time, and get to spend quality time at the gym. The price tag was definitely hard to swallow, but in the end, Bo and I chose to join on December 31st! We were able to take advantage of their awesome New Year’s program which meant no initiation fees! Bo even received one free month since he “referred” me.
The gym has been incredible thus far. It has allowed Bo and I to finally enjoy classes together that challenge our bodies while also keeping our workout fresh. Last week, our first week as members, we enjoyed three spinning classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Each instructor has a very different motto for their class. For example, Dave M makes you happy you woke up and braved the cold for a 6:45 Monday morning workout. His motto is, “You have 23 other hours to recover so make this one your hardest.” His class pushes you with hill workouts, “dumbell sets”, and great music. Danielle, tomorrow’s instructor, has a more moderate paced class, but it serves as a wonderful recovery. In addition, she teaches a treadmill running class from 7:15-7:45 which i’m dying to try tomorrow. It combines speed and hills with the added benefit of having someone their to coach and inspire you. Last week I was amazed that over half our class joined her afterwards. I wonder if I can at least give it a try tomorrow? In addition to spinning, i’ve resolved to enjoy at least two yoga classes each week. Lauren and I were blessed with last Thursday’s Power Vinyasa class at 54th street. The teacher’s voice was young and calming but she also walked around during class ensuring that everyone was in the right posture. I yearn for teacher’s correction during class as that is the primary difference from using a DVD. On Saturday, I took a risk and enjoyed a yoga class on my own after my Equifit evaluation. I was intimidated when I saw people practicing headstands before class. While I enjoy yoga and hope to improve my practice this year, this bear is no Jenna from
Eat Live Run. But, I put my worries aside and left my thoughts on the door’s threshold. An hour later I had attempted crow, one leg at a time, been assisted into an inversion, and released the week’s tension with four bridge poses!
While I haven’t truly figured out what the role of this blog will be in my life, I have realized that I miss the community and the experience to capture my adventures. It will always include food adventures because as Julia Child’s character in
Julia and Julia said, “oh I eat so well!” In addition, I hope to capture some of the fitness experiences that a membership to both
Equinox and
New York Road Runners will allow this year.
So, that being said, i’m exhausted and have to be ready for another great spin class tomorrow morning. But, until then, if you have any thoughts or suggestions on returning to a blog please provide. As well, remember that i’ve been out of the blog world for 6 months and haven’t been reading during that time either. So if you’ve discovered a great new blog please send the site my way!
I’ve been fighting a headache and dull stomachache all day and am therefore hitting the sack early tonight. But, i’m excited because tomorrow morning I get to complete 9 miles with the one and only Dori! She and I are close to the same pace right now and enjoyed running the NYRR Gridiron 4 miler together two weeks ago. We decided that since we’re both training for the NYC Half Marathon (March 21st) enjoying our long runs together would make them more fun! I’m heading into the city around 7:15 tomorrow morning and then meeting she and Melissa for 5 miles before we head into Central Park for the NYRR Run for Haiti! This 4 miler is open to runners and walkers which means it will be a bit hectic and crazy. But, it’s for a great cause as 100% of the proceeds go to the Haiti Relief Fund. I’m hoping the event sells out as the entry fee was $40 per person and that would be over $400,000 raised!
