back to basics

happy wednesday! it's the middle of the week - almost the weekend! i've been off on my days all week. yesterday was mine and hubby's anniversary and we celebrated by going out to this little italian restaurant we adore. i kept mentioning how i couldn't believe it was only monday - hubby was like "hello, how strong is that drink??" i absolutely had to have a french martini last night. what can i say? i'm a martini yogini.  it's kind of cool to feel a day behind. it means my weekend will get here even faster!

i've been going back to basics lately with food, exercise, yoga and life. over the weekend, i laced up my running sneakers and headed out with the hubs. we did a quick mile and it felt great. i had a short lived love affair with running last year but the brutally cold winter kept me indoors and once summer hit my schedule went haywire and i didn't make much time to fit in the miles.  this cooler, fall weather is just begging me to get out there and who am i to ignore mother nature? we had a blast and my love for running returned hardcore. i'm signing myself up for a local 5k event that's hosted in december. yes, it's always crazy cold, but the race's claim to fame is the hot chocolate awaiting you at the finish line.
score.
'nuff said.
so back to basic race training. and i'm pretty thrilled.

i've also been relishing in my home practice. i've taken it back to basics with my asana and pranayama and am practicing with more of a beginner's mind. i tend to want to always push ahead in my practice and get all sweaty in a vinyasa, but sometimes restorative and yin yoga just rock my world and i need to honor that slowness and deepness of practice. i'm exploring my practice from the inside out and taking my time.
i've also been busting butt in the kitchen lately. making super simple raw or vegan meals and making sure the hubs and i are nourished with whole foods that fuel us. he's been loving it and i'm finding it really fun to just discover new recipes and get busy baking. i haven't made the same meal twice in close to 3 weeks and i'm finding a love for things i never thought i would. white button mushrooms, butternut squash 'fries' and kale salads... nom nom nom.

vegan black bean burgers were on the dinner menu on monday. i made extra and have since crumbled one up over a kale salad.

i just finished a small batch of vegan pumpkin scones. my entire apartment smells like fall. um, how freakin' awesome! who needs candles when you have a stove and some organic canned pumpkin? these puppies are for after dinner tonight with some warmed cinnamon vanilla almond milk.

and hopefully i'll be enjoying that decadent treat in bed next to these

anniversary flowers from hubby!

and this

because who doesn't love to have a slumbering puggle next to their bed?

and if he's in his bed, that means i get my bed all to myself!

well.. at least until the hubby comes in.

have you ever felt the need to just take it down a notch and switch things up by going back to old routines, hobbies or practices?  do you find peace in returning to basics?  or do you thrive on pushing to the next level?

baby shower bliss

i had the best time helping host my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend. my precious nephew is making his debut in january and it was so much fun celebrating his upcoming arrival (and his mama!) on saturday. as you can imagine there were gifts galore, family fun and tons of food to enjoy including homemade carrot cake! everyone had a great time taking a baby quiz i made for the occasion and baby shower bingo. and by the time it came to a close i was absolutely beat! i didn't realize how much energy i had been dedicating to the party. hubby and i were hosting another party that night (a UFC fight night extravaganza) at our little abode so we ordered in some pizza and settled in while awaiting our next dose of company. needless to say, today has been quite the lazy day, with the exception of meeting a much loved friend at our local coffee house tonight. i managed to stay awake and alert until almost 3am!

since i haven't gotten a lot of yoga or running in i have a lot of pent up energy and have been feeling restless even though i'm exhausted. i'm so looking forward to getting a big mug of herbal tea and their vegan chocolate cake and indulging in much needed catching up - haven't seen this friend in many months! busy schedules put a kink in a lot of plans.

i'm super excited about thanksgiving this week and hubby having a long weekend. my weekend will be filled with teaching classes, taking classes, running, getting together with family and friends, birthday celebrations, endless glasses of vino, raw pecan pie, eggplant parm and time spent lounging in bed with books i'm desperate to catch up on.

i'm breathing easier just thinking about it! if i get my training in shape then i'll also be adding another 5k into the mix the weekend after this one. i've been loving my booked weekends! its so awesome to have something to look forward to all the time. and of course, countdown till new orleans take off is still going strong! almost exactly 2 months away!

run first ever 5k - check!

another thing to check off my list of goals! i ran my first 5k this weekend with my puggle, a girl i've been lucky enough to be friends with since middle school and her two pups! we had the best time! during one part of the run another runner went by us and shouted "keep going! you're almost there!" and i broke out into the biggest smile! everyone was so amazing and supportive. i fell in love more and more with each step i took.

i was definitely sore the next day, but the whole experience was so worth the sore knees, the sweat, the internal struggles to keep pushing when all i wanted to do was relax in bed... and i can't wait to do it again! i already found my next run - december 5th! that doesn't leave me a ton of time so i'm heading out tomorrow to start my training again. hopefully i can shave a few minutes off of my time. plus i'll be running sans pup so i'm sure that'll help me a little!

needless to say my body was craving (read: screaming) for some quality time on the mat today. at class we did leg stretches, deep breathing and tons of hip openers. much needed!

i have another very exciting weekend coming up and my week is filled with work for my non-profit, volunteering, yoga classes, training, baby shower prep and running lots of little errands to keep myself ahead of the game.

oh! and the hubby and i officially booked a trip to new orleans for january. and you know me - i've already started the countdown till take-off!

NEW stress and anxiety relief yoga class

so excited to announce... well, a few things!

1) i just started a new stress and anxiety relief candlelight yoga class at Harmony Yoga and Dance in wantagh. it's friday nights at 5:50pm. come check it out if you're around!

2) today is my two year wedding anniversary! i'm still finding it possible to fall more in love with my husband each day.

3) i *finally* got in a run this morning. a 1 mile tempo run to be exact. ok, so i won't be ready for the nyc marathon by the weekend, but hey, a mile's a mile!

on that note, i found a cute 5k to train for that includes your dog! how awesome is that! so puggle and i will step up our training and maybe we can hit that up when it comes to town in november. that makes me smile!

4) we're starting to send out SAVE THE DATES for Discover and Recover's january fundraiser - a kirtan with the fabulous Krishna Das! Don't know much about KD? check him out here: http://www.krishnadas.com/ I'll be posting about this like crazy because it's an event not to miss! January 9, 2010! great way to start off the new year!

i haven't had much more time to spend on my meditation practice this weekend since it was filled with anniversary fun, but i plan to get back to it this week. it's very eye-opening.