Five little updates on July

Well hello there, July 16th. Where have the last two weeks gone? Been busy soaking up the sun that finally came to Seattle – and as my GChat status says, “The summer sun makes me irresponsible.” Less time for blogging and computer playing, more time for outdoors, friends and barbecues. The best time of the year!

Life has been trucking along quite nicely these days – I’ve got a few little updates for you.

I finished my 30-day challenge – you can read my somewhat wrap-up thoughts here since they were the same for the last two weeks of the challenge. I was a couple days shy of the complete 30 days. It was tough to make it to class every day the last two weeks cause I became super burnt out. But for the most part, I did it! So, I’m back to boot camp a couple days a week, and hot yoga a couple days a week. I’m also walking to work now that the weather is nice! Two miles – 45 minutes of walking a day – so it’s been a great addition to my workouts.

Me putting the last star on the challenge board

My Fourth of July holiday weekend was one of the best ever. Choosing Lake Chelan over Seattle turned out to be the best decision I could have made since Seattle gifted everyone with grey skies and rain for the holiday. Meanwhile, I hung out in my bathing suit, drank BLs on the beach all day and finished the evening up with a crazy dance party boat ride to watch the Chelan city fireworks. Lots of funny pictures and memories of the weekend that, unfortunately, don’t belong on the Internet. Good times were had by all.

Left: All the girls at the beach. Center: Boating it. Right: Wine tasting on our way back.

My summer garden is rockin’ and rollin’. I had to upgrade my basil plant because I used it so much, I dried the first one out and killed it. So, I purchased a bigger and better one. I have basil for days! My favorite summertime dinner meal these days has been some whole wheat pasta tossed with olive oil, garlic, fresh mozerella, tomatoes and basil from my garden – finished with salt and pepper. Mmm. Someone told me our summers in Seattle don’t usually last long enough for peppers or strawberry plants, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed there. And I have a couple tiny green tomatoes that I’m watching with much love!

Caprese pasta - my summertime staple!

Turns out my work is sending me to New York City for the BlogHer 10 conference the first weekend of August. I’m super, duper excited and geeked out to meet so many bloggers and make some (hopefully) lifelong connections. I’ll get to hang out with Doniree for the first time, which I’m fantastically excited about. I feel like I’m the only 20-something blogger left in this world that doesn’t know her personally. I’ll also be hosting a fun Sex and the City walk through the city with a Kindle giveaway at the end. I think it’s going to be a fabulous, successful event, so that pushes my excitement that much further. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job? By the way – this will be the first time I’ll have visited NYC while 21 and over. Trouble to be had! NEW YORK…. These streets will make you feel brand new…Big lights will inspire you…Let’s hear it for New York, New York, NEW YORK.

Can you think of a better event?! Excited!

I’m heading over the mountain pass again this weekend for a bachelorette party for one of my high school girl friends – lots of longtime girls of mine will be there. I hang out with all 10 of them about twice a year, so this should be interesting and fun. We’re starting off with a night out in the tiny town our cabin is in, wearing ugly bridesmaid dresses. (Thank you, Goodwill, for mine). We’re also floating a river Saturday in intertubes and then heading back out in matching tie-dyed tank tops with nicknames on the back. Mine? G-Spot Je-Spot. Yeah. That’s right. High school nickname I can’t seem to freakin’ get ride of. (For no other reason than my name being Je Anna). Should have some fun stories and pictures to share with all of you. Happy weekend!

Currently Feeling: A little bit of a nervous belly.
Currently Anticipating: Relaxing this weekend in the sun before a SUPER busy work week next week. Time to recharge!
Currently Loving: The new Eminem CD. Seriously – it’s so good. He amazes me, and brings me back to memories in high school when I used to listen to his first CD, all at the same time.

30 Days: Update four (or Holly Go Lightly Does Yoga)

Yesterday marked my 15th day of yoga – I’m officially halfway through my 30-day challenge.

Not sure if I’m supposed to shout it from the rooftops, or be all Zen like. But, either way, I honestly feel amazing. (I’m going to speak a little bit more about yoga here than giving up consumerism because the later has been easier than the yoga).

I have to say – it’s been more like 15 classes of yoga, not days. Because as much as I hate to admit it, life happened a couple times. So, I’ve missed a couple days, going twice the next day to make up for it. (Totally acceptable according to the challenge “rules”). The trickiest part of the challenge has been just to make time for a yoga class every day. To schedule it before nighttime events, dinners or happy hours. To get up and go even when I’m hungover and feel like all I want to do is nap. To squeeze it in on my lunch, to run there in the middle of my day, shower, then run back to work. Speaking of showering – I have never showered so much in my life. Two showers a day, every day. And my skin has never been so clear. No joke. It’s so soft; it’s almost shocking. There’s something to be said about sweating out the toxins on a daily basis…it’s like instant $150 facials for free-ish.

A lot of people have asked me how I like hot yoga, and here’s what I say: the first nine days were a tug-o-war, a love/hate relationship with my body. I was hot as hell every class, a couple times feeling so uncomfortable that it was all I could do to sit in the class a minute longer. The last 20 minutes were agonizing as I mentally begged the teacher to open the door, questioned what the hell I was doing and why, and thought about how great the cool air was going to be when I left the god damn room. #$@%@

Then it was like a light switch day 10. No joke – as dorky as that sounds. Suddenly my body became a little bit more used to the heat, making each class more bearable. I challenged myself to personally let go of all the impatience I held in during the last half of class. I told myself to simply enjoy it. Just stretch. Just push yourself a little harder. Take each pose a little further. Just breathe.

And what emerged was a crazy, euphoric feeling that is INSANE, I tell you. Absolutely insane. I still have a bad, hot-as-hell, impatient class here and there, depending on my mood. But most days, I sail to class – hauling my yoga mat and pounding in flipflops to get there in time to reserve a spot next to the door, knowing that when I leave an hour and 15 minutes later, I’m going to feel like a million bucks.

It’s not even a question of IF I want to go. It’s no longer telling myself I HAVE.TO go because of the challenge. It’s turned into what time of day, and which class, I want to go to. And thinking about how great it’s going to be when I get back into that 104-degree room. (What the…?!)

It’s like hot yoga has turned me into Holly Go Lightly – which is just weird, I tell yah.

“Oh, golly, gee damn!”*

*”Holly Go Lightly” and quote is from this movie, if you’re not familiar

Currently Feeling: Hungry – but it’s 11p.m. Dangit! I’m never good at going to bed hungry. But that whole “don’t eat past 5p.m.” is a myth, no?
Currently Anticipating: Happy hour tomorrow at one of my favorite Ballard bars, and a salmon & wine dinner on Thursday at a friend’s new condo.
Currently Loving: Fage Greek yogurt – YUM. I’ve been trying all brands, and have thought about doing a mini review. More on that soon.

30 Days: Update three

Not to self: Eat before hot yoga (but apparently two hours before, to be safe). Had a bit of a queasy, weakling class last night that left be a bit panicky and now nervous to go back. I think eight hours without food, burning that many calories, is not a good combo. My bad.

On another note, I’ve completed seven straight days of yoga! Woot! I took off two pounds last week and my skin feels super clear. However, I’m still antsy as all hell during the last 20 minutes of class. It’s my goal this second week to try to let go of my impatience with my practice (it’s just so damn HOT). P.S. Didn’t that sound all official – “my practice.” I’m getting so yogi hippie.

Things I Wanted to Buy This Week But Couldn’t:

• Rad, matte fuchsia pink nail polish for $5.
• The Gratitude Journal app (which apparently Oprah swears by) that I read about on Mashable. Yes, I’ve cut myself off from iPhone apps too.
• A nifty salsa pot I saw at Trader Joe’s. It’s a pot full of all the herbs you need to make salsa!
• A $39 Pilates class on Groupon (yes, I’ve cut myself off from Groupon too).

I swear I’ll post about something else here soon.

Currently Feeling: Desperate for some summer weather – we’ve been drowning here in Seattle this past month.
Currently Anticipating: Starting a new book – I’m a little burnt out on the one I’m reading, but it’s a 500-pager, so taking awhile to finish!
Currently Loving: Caprese pasta with basil from my urban garden!

30 Days: Update two

Men are stinky. Like really, really stinky. I’m going to open a yoga studio that has women’s only classes cause man if it isn’t bad enough to be stuck in a room like sardines that you can’t breath in cause it’s 95 degrees plus, then it’s absolute hell to have to smell some big dude’s body odor for that hour, praying his sweat doesn’t drip on you, and OH.MY.GOD. did I tell you he FARTED. Like huge. Like next to me and then said, “Sorry!” and the class was silent. I don’t know who I felt more sorry for, me or that guy.

P.S. I’m never eating garlic fries at a baseball game again.

P.P.S. Money saved these last two days because I’m against CONSUMERISM and can’t buy anything:

• $59 on a yoga towel with special grippers on the bottom, so it sticks to your mat. I WANT!!
• $13.99 on the “Away We Go” soundtrack, which is my fav movie of 2009 and features music from Alexi Murdoch. One song came on my Pandora station yesterday, and I was all…”Oh my God, his voice is amazing. I need this soudtrack IMMEDIATELY cause then I’d be all calm, soothed and relaxed thinking about how life is great every day!”
• $69 on Tom’s (again). God damn these things. They just released the cutest wedges ever this week, which is much more my style than flats. AND they benefit starving children in Africa.

Currently Feeling: A little groggy from my 6am class today. I always think it’s a good idea to go home and go back to bed, but then I just feel groggy.
Currently Anticipating: SUPER fun weekend ahead – trying out Lark restaurant with the girls tonight, then heading to SAM Remix for Picasso/Warhol/Kurt Cobain exhibits. Tomorrow is a high school throwback kegger, and Paolo‘s wedding reception. Then Sunday a Mariner’s game! Woot!
Currently Needing: More yoga shorts, not pants. Man the pants are hot and stick to me. Love ‘em to lounge in, but not for hot yoga.

30 Days: Update

hot.power.vinyasa.yoga.is.f&*@ing.brutal

This is me with soaking wet hair, no makeup because it all ran off (post raccoon eyes),
sopped to the bone with sweat, wondering what in the HELL I’ve gotten myself into.

All I can say is I’m grateful I didn’t pass out.

One star up. 29 more to go.

30 Days

Hello June.

I’m starting you out by doing a challenge because, well, sometimes I’m a little crazy, but mostly I like to consistently challenge myself. So, I will be giving up my most beloved Sassy Fit for just one month to embark on finding my inner yogi.

A local yoga studio in Seattle, Urban Yoga Spa, is doing a 30-day yoga challenge in June. Basically, you can sign up to commit to three different levels. Level one is 20 days of yoga in June. Level two is 30 days. And level three is 30 days AND declaring one thing to give up during the challenge.

I’m going big or going home – level three all the way baby!

SO, I Jeanna Barrett, do hereby declare to give up…

CONSUMERISM

for the month of June.

Here’s the deal – I buy stuff. A lot of stuff. Like ice cream makers, and onion savers. And magazines. And eyeshadows, lip glosses and nail polish. Dresses to go out in, new leggings and boots, big earrings and dozens of bangles. Actually, more clothing, accessories and shoes than you could possibly imagine. I buy new furniture, water bottles, paintings, games, books, smelly soaps and wine glasses. I buy fancy candles, frames for my desk, Orchid plants…any little trinket “they” (people out to get me) put near the checkout stands. Sometimes when I’m bored, I’ll go to Ross or Target and just look for stuff to buy. Stuff, stuff, stuff.

Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing.

I thought about giving up consumerism for Lent. That never happened for one reason or the other. I continued to buy – then just before I received word on the yoga challenge, I read this post on Dooce.com about a woman who drew pictures of all the things she bought, every day, and posted them to her blog (eventually creating a book). A record in over consumption, I suppose.

Boy do I over consume.

So I’m detoxing – my wallet and my mind.

Today I’ve already saved:

• $12.95 on a Jack Johnson CD I thought I had to buy at Starbucks this morning (But I didn’t!)
• $48 + shipping on a pair of Tom’s I still feel like I can’t live without (God dammit they’re cute!)

That’s roughly ~ $70 richer. Seventy dollars that I’m transferring over to my savings. This is going to add up quick.

And tonight’s my first (hot-ish) Power Vinyasa class.

Wish me luck.

(And join me if you want!! Even if you’re a day or two late… leave a comment letting me know you’re on board, and I’ll create a little badge for your blog.)

Currently Feeling:A little nervous for my first class tonight – a Power Vinyasa to current pop and rock-n-roll music. I’m easing myself into HOT yoga (this one is at 95 degrees).
Currently Anticipating: Gathering all the photos from this weekend to share with you – SO much crazy fun.
Currently Loving: My new yoga bag that carries that mat on the bottom (hey – I bought it yesterday BEFORE June 1!)