Wake Me Up When September Ends!

September has been a really long month already, and we still have one week to go! Lately I’ve been feeling like my weekends are one day too short, and everything ends up being a big blur. I think I try to fit too much in, to catch up on too much that I didn’t get to during the week, and it means I have fewer chances to just relax on the weekends.

One of my goals for the remaining months of this year is to get a grip on my grading – my workload has tripled, and I have to figure out a way to better deal with it. I am going to attack this just like I would working out – I may not WANT to do it, but I will feel so great when I’ve finished and nothing beats the sense of accomplishment that comes from a job well done. The fact is, I enjoy working out now, and while I’ll never love grading essays, I’m sure I can make it more bearable. The nice thing is, I can do them at home, still be with Sofi, and wear my comfiest clothes. If I’ve got to do something you don’t like, at least I can make it as enjoyable as possible. And I have lots of great music to keep me going. And maybe I can host a “grading night” with some colleagues to make it fun and social. So really, I just need to work out a schedule, put it into my iCal, and stick to it.

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Weekend Update

Friday

So I know that technically Friday isn’t the weekend, but some pretty exciting stuff happened on Saturday afternoon, so I just have to share. I’ve actually been debating about whether or not to share the news or to wait until after it happened to just report on the events, but I’m bursting with excitement, and it’s more my style to spill it.

I wrote a post last week about AdoraOm and how I was so excited for their site to be launched so I could buy some excellent plus-sized yoga/workout clothes. Well, their “curvy ambassador,” Danielle Line, contacted me and said a bunch of nice things about my blog, my writing, and my journey, but then she asked me if I was going to Love Your Body Day. I told her I live in the SF Bay Area, and she replied, “that’s not that far at all. You should come!” And right then and there it hit me – this is so out of character for me to do, but why not? I can drive to West Hollywood in 6 hours, and a day all about women’s empowerment and loving you for you sounds so fun. Plus, I’m sure there will be tons of swag, and who doesn’t like that? Then Danielle said that she would invite me as her personal attendee to the AdoraOm VIP Luncheon the following day. How cool is that? This is a great opportunity, and I’m really open to whatever they might want me to do – maybe even write about their products or try them out? (Putting it out there to manifest it).

I’ve booked the hotel room (which is right on Sunset Blvd!!), and the hotel has lots of great amenities including a pool and a gym, which I’ll be using. I also contacted Heidi to see if she wanted to meet up, which she does. Bonus – I get to meet a blogger that I admire in person! Not to mention that West Hollywood has great night life, and it’s right near Beverly Hills, so there will be excellent shopping too. Win, win, win.

The main reason I’m so excited is that I never do anything so spontaneous (if you can call something that’s a month away spontaneous). I don’t go on trips by myself, so it’s high time I did, don’t you think? I think the entire experience is going to be so much fun and I’m really looking forward to it!

Saturday

Every year I assign my classes the Letterfits project to go along with the Scarlet Letter unit, and every year the students’ letters sit in a pile on the counter until I give them back/recycle them. It’s sad, because they really do put a lot of effort into them, and the projects look great. This year, since I have so many students who completed the project, I decided it was time to get serious and hang them all up. And of course I called the master to help me do it. My amazing dad spent almost three hours with me early Saturday morning hanging up a bunch of projects in my classroom.

The photo doesn't do justice to how cool the letters look hanging in my room!

The rest of my Saturday was spent grading essays (see above). I wish I would have taken more time out and gone for a walk with Sofi or done some exercise, because I feel so much better on the days I do.

Later Saturday evening I got together with LMK, a former colleague and a good friend, whom I haven’t seen in over a year! Our schedules are so busy, and we each have a lot going on in our lives, but we both agreed that way too much time had passed. We went to a new (to us) Spanish/Latin American restaurant and had tapas. We made great choices, and my entire meal (including the wine) was 577 calories, which is excellent for a night out. While I don’t want to do it all the time, going out to eat is still completely doable with a low carb lifestyle.

The best thing is, LMK and I picked right up where we left off. She and I have so, so much in common, and she’s an example of the way I want to live my life at my goal weight. She’s incredibly fit, and recently started running in addition to her yoga practice. She had the goal to run a half marathon this year, so she joined the free run club at Lululemon, and she’s participating in two half marathons within two weeks – the Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Nike Women’s Marathon (she can’t wait to get the Tiffany pendant at the end). She’s a petite girl to begin with, but very weight conscious, and she keeps track of what she eats. Even though she’s small (a size 4 or 6?), she struggles with her weight as much as I do. Being so tiny, gaining 10 pounds is huge on her little frame, and she is very careful about the types of food she puts in her body. She shops at all the stores I can’t wait to fit into – Athropologie, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor Loft, Lululemon, etc. She’s just a cool chick, and I’m so glad that we reconnected. I want to make a point of keeping in touch with her (and some of my other friends) more often, because she’s such a positive role model for me.

Sunday

What a busy day! The morning started early with Puppy K for Sofi, which led to a quick trip to Unleashed to pick up a better grooming brush and some new dog food. It was SO hard to resist buying her a cute sweater or two, but I did.

This are of the yoga studio really makes me feel calm and serene.

Then I headed to yin yoga with another work colleague/friend.  As I mentioned last week, I’m really liking the mind/body connection I feel after taking the class. I feel really centered and good about myself.  Plus, the deep stretches are so good for my body.

I have quite a To Do list to accomplish before the end of the day:

• Organize around the house – wash & fold laundry, electric broom, straighten up.
• Take Sofi on a semi-soggy walk (it’s sort of lightly misting/sprinkling here).
• Grade essays – I am committing to spending at least 2 hours today grading.
• Make a healthy dinner – I’m thinking the stuffed mushrooms I bought the other day are going to be perfect for this strange, rainy weather we’re having today.
• At home facial – time for some Queen Helene Mint Julip Mud Masque.
• Watch all my Sunday shows:
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So I’d better end this and get to it!  I hope you had a fabulous weekend!

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