we got a little rain on saturday night.
this is what we found in the morning when we went out to walk to breakfast and the park.
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I am totally ga-ga over our rose bushes.
And over the fact that I can send posts from flickr. Verrrrrrrryyy handy!
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So without going too into detail, I recently turned down a job at another yoga studio (well, potential yoga studio - it's not open yet...). My loyalty and my hard work earned me a much needed and much deserved raise - yay!! It's a good raise. It will definitely cover the increase in rent we just took on with our new house.
But there's always the catch...
Last week I got a promotion! I am both thrilled and nervous about this - I haven't really dumped any major responsibilities off my plate, though I will soon get rid of the last albatross around my neck known as "accounting." So I am taking on a bit more responsibility and am now the "Program Director" for Golden Bridge. (My last title was a bit wordy - Creative Director/Teacher Training Director/Accounts Payable... it's nice to bring it down a notch.) My new position means that I am now overseeing all aspects of all events at Golden Bridge and Sada Simran and Sarab will work under me. (Zoinks!) It makes sense in a lot of ways... Gurmukh's travelling a lot, and Marlene's too busy to oversee the entire thing... And I've been frustrated lately that I, as the Creative Director, was not getting information for events until really late, was having to chase people around for the write-ups, etc. Now I get to set the standards and say when copy is due, etc etc. And also look at the overall picture to see if there are somethings that just don't make sense.
That part is exciting to me. And as I've started already on the path, I'm getting more excited. I realized yesterday we need a complete re-design on our Teacher Training page because we've added so many trainings (Boulder, India!) and I get to be the one who designs it! So cool!!!
But I'm also nervous because it's a lot more work. To be honest, I've kind of been coasting the past few months at work. With Teacher Training now almost done, I've been able to chill out a little... now things will ramp back up. But I realized yesterday that I'm excited about this promtion because it's a chance to prove to MYSELF what I can do. I'm (working on) letting go of worrying about if I'll be good enough or pleasing my bosses... (though obviously that's important).
Gurmukh said to me yesterday when we were talking about this, that I have to be much more pro-active, much stronger and more navel (more navel = more to the point, not taking no for an answer, etc) and that she thinks my work outs will help with that. I have to say I agree with that - working out has made me stronger - but I also know that I'm able to be stronger and to say what I think/need/feel because I am married to a man who not only loves that side of me, but encourages it in me. So I have learned to trust myself and my voice much more.
But there's always the catch...
Last week I got a promotion! I am both thrilled and nervous about this - I haven't really dumped any major responsibilities off my plate, though I will soon get rid of the last albatross around my neck known as "accounting." So I am taking on a bit more responsibility and am now the "Program Director" for Golden Bridge. (My last title was a bit wordy - Creative Director/Teacher Training Director/Accounts Payable... it's nice to bring it down a notch.) My new position means that I am now overseeing all aspects of all events at Golden Bridge and Sada Simran and Sarab will work under me. (Zoinks!) It makes sense in a lot of ways... Gurmukh's travelling a lot, and Marlene's too busy to oversee the entire thing... And I've been frustrated lately that I, as the Creative Director, was not getting information for events until really late, was having to chase people around for the write-ups, etc. Now I get to set the standards and say when copy is due, etc etc. And also look at the overall picture to see if there are somethings that just don't make sense.
That part is exciting to me. And as I've started already on the path, I'm getting more excited. I realized yesterday we need a complete re-design on our Teacher Training page because we've added so many trainings (Boulder, India!) and I get to be the one who designs it! So cool!!!
But I'm also nervous because it's a lot more work. To be honest, I've kind of been coasting the past few months at work. With Teacher Training now almost done, I've been able to chill out a little... now things will ramp back up. But I realized yesterday that I'm excited about this promtion because it's a chance to prove to MYSELF what I can do. I'm (working on) letting go of worrying about if I'll be good enough or pleasing my bosses... (though obviously that's important).
Gurmukh said to me yesterday when we were talking about this, that I have to be much more pro-active, much stronger and more navel (more navel = more to the point, not taking no for an answer, etc) and that she thinks my work outs will help with that. I have to say I agree with that - working out has made me stronger - but I also know that I'm able to be stronger and to say what I think/need/feel because I am married to a man who not only loves that side of me, but encourages it in me. So I have learned to trust myself and my voice much more.
We just got back from a lovely day in San Diego. Claudia and Sarah drove down with us and went to a family function, leaving Ajax and I to our own devices for a while...
Before you think all we did was take pictures of ourselves... we took pictures of other cool stuff too:
Nothing better than good friends coming to visit and giving us an excuse to get out and explore a little!!
Before you think all we did was take pictures of ourselves... we took pictures of other cool stuff too:
Nothing better than good friends coming to visit and giving us an excuse to get out and explore a little!!
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Yep, that's me... Just two weeks of workouts... Ain't I buff?
Marlene, SP and I have become little gym rats - well, maybe not so little, but we aspire to it. Spinning, strength-cardio training, core training... you name it, if the class is between 9 - 5, we are there.
To be honest, it's been a couple of weeks and the numbers on the (horrible evil) scale in the Wellness Center have done nothing to encourage me to continue, but yet, I am totally loving the whole experience.
Spinning is ridiculous - a bunch of people all lined up on stationary bikes and an almost unbearably perky instructor yelling at us to "Go go go! UP that hill!"
Um. What hill? There's no hill. There's no road. There's only the annoyingly skinny dancers in front of me who could not possibly be at their personal 10 in resistance and still be chatting like they are getting their nails done. Sometimes Jessica, the spinning instructor, tells us that she needs to work out extra hard because she went to The Griddle and she ate half a pancake. Now granted The Griddle's portions are stupid-big - seriously, we often DON'T go there because we just don't want that much food. But still... half a pancake? And for that we are all tortured?
Oh but I digress (what? me? digress?). The class is hard. Really hard. I am constantly watching the clock, thinking "how can only 5 minutes have passed???" But then on the last bit, I hit that magical rush. That amazing full body tingle that is almost orgasmic (but without all the moaning). I hit that and think "I can do this FOREVER! This is amazing! I love this!" And then I remember that feeling and that's what brings me back again.
Today, as I was in the strength-cardio class, doing tap-backs and corner-crosses on my step and generally getting my ass kicked by Rachelle the strength instructor (oh. Did I mention Rachelle is 7.5 months PREGNANT??) I started thinking about body image and perception. In spin class yesterday I got stuck in front of a mirror. Same in strength class last week. It was seriously distracting to keep looking up, think "Who's that girl?" and then realize it was me. My body, thanks to the medical miracle that's known as hormonal birth control, transformed over the last year and I gained more weight than I'd like to admit.
Now I'm off the evil hormones, getting my body back to it's "natural" state before I fill it up with a baby. And here's what I've noticed in the past 20 days: I have way more energy. I am excited to work out. I am craving vegetables and completely disinterested in meat. My sugar cravings are lower - not gone, but not super strong. I feel clearer and happier. I've got a stronger libido (sorry if that's TMI). Mostly I just feel a lot happier and more comfortable with my body.
So looking at myself in the mirror and NOT liking what I see was sort of a blow for me because I was feeling so good. But rather than give into the thoughts, I decided to see what it would be like to transform them. So each time I looked up in spin class yesterday and thought I saw huge hips, I would look down again and look back up with the intention of seeing hips that were slimming as I looked at them. I started to visualize fat dripping off me and pooling around the bike (gross I know, but it worked). I began to feel my muscles actually toning and getting stronger.
And this morning when that nasty little voice of doom started up again, I just kept thinking how happy I am to be able to move my body in this way and even if I never fit into a size 10 again, as long as I feel good about the way I take care of my body, then I will be fine.
Also SP says that they tweak the mirrors in the workout rooms to make you look fatter so you'll come back.
I like that theory too.
Yes folks, we have a skunk! As I was getting ready for bed last night I noticed an odd shadow run by the sliding glass door in our bedroom... at first just thought it was Buster's shadow, then I thought it was one of the neighborhood cats, but soon realized it wasn't! About the time I shrieked SKUNKSKUNKSKUNK!!! it stopped in its tracks and seems to shriek back HUMANHUMANHUMAN... CAT!!!And then it turned the other way and darted off, much to Buster's frustration!
So yes... we have a skunk. This will make outdoor nighttime activities... interesting.
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Wow - it's been a while. 3 months to the day to be exact. That's too long...
Too long to catch up so I'll put some up some photos instead... (seeing as the only people who read this already know what I've actually been up to).
Too long to catch up so I'll put some up some photos instead... (seeing as the only people who read this already know what I've actually been up to).
We went to San Francisco for Christmas.
Had a lovely dinner at Luna Park with Claudia and Sarah.
We saw Amara, Nick and Leslie!
We went to the Nutcracker with Tara, Jordan and Linda!
We were utterly charmed (again) by the cuteness that is Levi!
We went to the park with Erin, Levi, Tara, Jordan & Linda to see...
Linda's community project (one of many) - getting the community together to do these amazing mosaics in the local park.
Neat, huh?
We got to see Phillip too. He took us on a really cool tour of San Fransisco.
It was really cold that night, but really pretty out. Full moon too!
Got to see some wonderful friends, like Surly and Brian!
This was a lovely way to spend Christmas Eve!
And Christmas morning found us at Claudia and Sarah's house for brunch! (In the photo: Brian, Surly, Sarah, Claudia & Carla, Claudia's adorable sister).**************
Fast forward to January and Ben's birthday!
We went to Disneyland!
With Abby & Jimmy
They still had the Christmas (oh sorry, holiday) lights up.... Oh and it rained.
Obviously I am most upset about the rain.Maya came to play....
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And in February (after a couple of very annoying bouts with the flu for both of us) we MOVED!
Welcome to Mount Valentine - Silverlake edition.
My favorite room in the house - the kitchen!
Soon this will be the dining room and the big chair might go, but the writing desk, my writing desk, will stay.
The living room - so cozy!
Ben in The VIPER Lab: The Valentine Institute for Performance Enhancing Research Labratory.
The kittens love it here!
So much good sunshine in which to nap!
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March took us back up north to get Ben's furniture!
Fun on the U-Haul ramp.
Claudia and Sarah were once again our gracious hostesses... too short a visit though!
Back in LA - more furniture means easier entertaining!
St. Patty's day pie-making with SP
That's enough for now...