On “found” time

So this past weekend didn’t go as originally planned. You see, I was all set to spend a good 8 hours at barre n9ne in training for Pound – Rockout Workout, a training that was *supposed* to happen this winter but a certain blizzard kinda interfered. But after last week’s events, it proved not to be the safest of times to be traveling into Boston for our friends at Pound, so alas, training didn’t happen afterall.

…which lead to a whole bunch of  “found” time on Saturday. 

Both of my usual Saturday morning classes at barre n9ne were already subbed out. I was supposed to be training for Pound, afterall. So just like that — my Saturday was a clean slate, with absolutely no schedule, no agenda, no plans whatsoever.

The ‘old’ me would’ve whipped out my to-do list…or started an entirely fresh to-do list, and gone to town. You see, I think I’ve done a good bit of changing the past 8 months or so — I suddenly remembered this post: the one where I told myself to chill the eff out. And I remembered how anxious and upset I felt, how all up in my head with mind crazies galore I felt, how utterly strained and unhappy I felt. And I remembered how much I did *not* want to return to that ‘self’ again.

So lo and behold — Saturday became a free-for-all, a day where suddenly ‘found’ time became fun time versus productive time. 

It started with an awesome, but very challenging, run with the hubs. #TeamSutera reunited once again to tackle one of our favorite ‘long’ running routes from our very first half marathon training almost 4 years ago. The route is about 20 mins from our house so we drove to the starting point and parked our car — this after sleeping in, awaking to *no* alarm clock, something that happens very rarely at the Sutera Manor these days — and off we went.

We chugged along and man, it felt a lot more challenging…but in a very good, very ‘worked’ way, a way my body needed to feel. I admit that I battled my head a little bit at first, getting super frustrated that the run wasn’t one of those easy-breezy-could-run-forever runs. But then I remembered that sometimes you gotta work extra hard for the miles and let your body work. And after I gave myself that gut check reminder pep talk, I felt much better and chugged side-by-side with Scott.

It turned out to be an incredible run.

I think our smiles say it all — it was one of those cleansing, refreshing, replenishing runs. I think all of the emotion of the week needed to escape and the miles were our escape route. We ran along freshly-rained-on pavement and all around us it just felt clean, fresh and new. All of us in Boston needed that ‘fresh and new’ feeling, I do believe. And we got it on Friday night and into Saturday morning in more ways than one. (SO glad both bombers are no longer roaming the streets of Boston…so, so glad. 

Other than that run? Scott and I spent some time pitter-pattering (this is SO a “Scott” word haha) around the house before we stopped to watch the opener of the Bruins and then the Red Sox games…and watching both ceremonies where the city paid tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy but also the heroes, I cried. And cried. I couldn’t be more proud of this city, of Boston, our home. ❤

After wiping away those tears, we decided it was time to get out of the house for a bit. We wound up at one of our newfound favorite spots for an afternoon drink. They have ample seating at the bar and lots of TVs to watch the various Boston sporting events — and the pours there? They are generous to say the least, ha. 😉

It was an awesome break from reality — we chit chatted with our fellow bar-mates, and I even saw my boss there which was kinda funny. But mostly, we just took the time to get away from normalcy, using the ‘found’ time we had on our hands for fun, carefree time together.

So what’s my point here? (other than to blab on and on about how fabulous our Saturday wound up being??)

“Found” time is a gift. Use it wisely.

As recent events have shown us, life is so short, so fleeting and such a blessing. Live every single second of it. My vote? Let’s live a little more like the sentiment behind this Dove Promise message, hmm?

Remembering capabilities.

There’s something I’ve been mulling over the last couple of days.

Remembering capabilities. 

I started thinking about it during that solo run I took on Friday after teaching and continued thinking about it while teaching on Saturday and again while running with Scott on Sunday morning. (yayyy #teamsutera!)

My mind was whirring away while running this weekend — thinking about a few things. About how challenging both runs felt — man, running on the treadmill is just NOT the same as running outside. My body made sure to remind me of that this weekend. But that’s the thing — my body is capable of running whatever I want it to run, I just have to let it. Not get freaked out that my mileage is way down, or my endurance isn’t where it used to be, or whatever. Just simply remembering capabilities. This body carried me all 26.2 miles not too long ago — it can sure as hell get through the transition from winter/dreadmill running to spring/summer outdoor running, that’s for sure.

I also thought about capabilities as it relates to all forms of fitness.

…Of my husband pushing himself to work harder at Crossfit, to improve his strength and flexibility and endurance. Of figuring out just what his body is truly capable of — and then pushing for me. Something he’s been doing an awesome job of (proud wifey alert!).

…Of our clients at barre n9ne — who step up to that barre at all times of day or night and push themselves. To work harder, get lower, shake more. I can almost see it in some of them as they work through class — that moment when they think they can’t possibly hold onto the set any longer. I see them squeeze their eyes shut, and either push through or they literally hesitate when I say ‘push lower’ or ‘hang on, you are almost there.’ And it’s that moment between hesitation and remembering capabilities and pushing for it, that I LOVE to see so much in our clients. That moment where they allow the shake at the barre, they embrace it and just go for it. It makes my day when I see a client who maybe hasn’t gotten to that ‘shake point’ before, finally connect with their body in a new way and right before their eyes and mine, they are shaking away, working through that set, relying on their body and remembering their capabilities.

And finally, I’ve been thinking about capabilities as it relates to life in general.

Trusting yourself to go for it, whatever ‘it’ might be. Remembering that your path is set in front of you, yours for the taking, it’s just up to you whether or not you follow that path and truly go for it. And that’s sort of how I’m feeling lately — that this path of mine is shaping up quite beautifully and I guess I can’t say it enough — things are just good right now. And I know that kind of makes for some boring blog posts from me (a lot of the same theme!) but it’s all I got right now — life, my path, our path, kind of great.

And I know that partly has to do with remembering that I’m capable of creating the life that I want to live, my best life right now. Kind of a neat thing to put into words huh? Living your best life now, the one that yes, *you* are capable of living. 

So my advice to get there — to that best life now? Embrace that moment between hesitation and remembering capabilities — and go for it. Do not hesitate. Trust. And just go.

Working smart (despite the crazies)

I’m sitting here in bed, laptop propped on my lap and I’m facing one of those frustrating inner battles (or ‘mind crazies’ as my sis and I like to call them) — the battle where your head is trying to tell you one thing but your body is telling you something entirely different.

So: who do you listen to?

Your brain that’s telling you to go for it, stop being so cautious and just get that run in that you planned on?

Or…

Your body that’s telling you that a run is probably not the best of ideas. Your right knee is a little cranky. A run will do it no good.

But a run *would* do my brain good. My brain that keeps telling me to get moving, work for that sweat that I love so much and quit making excuses.

…but is a cranky knee an excuse?

Um, no.

This, my friends, is the one drawback to being so passionate about fitness — I sometimes want to push it too hard. Not because I think I need to or else I’ll gain 45 pounds in 24 hours. That’s not why I workout the way that I do. I workout because I love it, because it makes me happy and I feel so alive and energized because of it. Sure, the physical benefits aren’t too shabby either (let’s be real), but ultimately — I workout for wellness, and yes – for how it nourishes my soul, too.

Note to self: please work smart. Please ignore the mind crazies.

~~~~~

I’ve been reading a lot lately in bloggy land about this desire to push, push, push, no matter what. It’s called the #noexcuses mantra. It’s something I hadn’t really been paying all that much attention to until I read Carly’s post (thanks to Christine’s hat tip to her on Friday!) on the topic. I totally agree with Carly on this one — #noexcuses has become a crutch to allow bloggers to work too hard, push too much and workout when they should be resting. I mean, I’m all for getting out of your comfort zone, working hard for results and motivating others by leading by example. All about that.

What I’m NOT about? Working harder, not smarter. It’s just not worth it.

~~~~~

Another post that got me thinking — a LOT — is one from Heidi: If fitness is about health, why hurt yourself? I mean, the title of her post pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? WHY push to the point of injury? None of us are out there professionally competing or aiming for Olympic gold, so working *that* hard, to the point of injury or excessive fatigue is just doing more harm than good. I mean really, why are takes ourselves so seriously? Fitness should be fun, at least I think it should be. And fitness is most certainly *not* fun if it results in injury.

Thank you a million times over Heidi, I needed that reminder. So much.

~~~~~

Can you tell I just wrote this post essentially to 1) quiet my mind and 2) remember both why I workout and what my workout mantra is? (I’m so transparent, I know…ha)

So yes, this is me — reminding myself and all of you that working smart is so much more important than working harder. Always.

Patterns: a progress report

So apparently, it took a big ‘ol b*tch slap from Mother Nature to get me to truly step back and re-asses those patterns I talked about last week. You might remember that post — the one where I admit that I struggle to let go, to allow myself chill time, to turn off the go-go-go mentality I have.

Welp — this happened over the weekend:

Yup, totally snowed in from about noon on Friday until 4pm on Sunday when I broke free to teach a barre n9ne class (we wound up adding a few to the schedule on Sunday since we had to cancel Friday night and all Saturday classes.)

Once I heard the forecast for the blizzard, two things happened: first — I laughed at God’s sense of humor. Does He know how to force my hand or what? And then — I promised myself and my sister (and the hubs!) that I’d vow to DO LESS this weekend. To stop focusing on filling up all the free time I was suddenly granted with, and to start focusing on letting go and just being. Afterall, my weekend was originally going to be quite different had the storm not clobbered us. I had a full morning of classes at the studio planned for Saturday, a night out with friends on Saturday night and then a FULL DAY of training for Pound on Sunday (at a studio an hour-and-a-half away). So when I wound up not having ANY of those plans on my plate? You can imagine the internal battle that was *thisclose* to going off in my head.

But, I’m proud of myself, actually. I pushed down the urge to do all of the “need to do” items on my mental check list and focused on the “want to do” items, instead.

Like a pedicure with my sis, pre-blizzard on Friday (I took Friday off from work, originally to get sh*t done since I was feeling so stressy last week…again, can anyone else see God’s humor here?). Because pre-blizzard pedicures are *such* a necessity, am I right?? 😉

Like snuggling under blankets with Scott with a drink in hand (yep, ‘day’ drinking at it’s finest!), and reading a new book I picked up on Friday before the snow picked up.

Like playing in the snow like a bunch of teenagers, and feeling quite amazed at the beauty and power of the storm that surrounded us. Snow drifts taller than either of us, one of our cars totally snowed in and buried. And the tackle from Scott while I was attempting to shovel, it made me giggle like I haven’t giggled in awhile. Of course, I promptly returned the favor and tackled him back afterwards, but that’s besides the point. 😉

(Oh — and we also managed to pull off another #b9poseadaychallenge on Instagram, this time we called it the #b9poseadaysnowedin challenge where we asked clients to attempt their best pose while out in the snow. Here’s my attempt at glutes at the barre:)

Like drinking good wine, continuing our rummy war tradition (I continue to lose almost every time, btw), savoring a delicious snowed-in date night on Friday and another snowed-in date night on Saturday, complete with two movie rentals on-demand, lots of snuggling, and yep, lots of wine drinking (I mean really, what else is there to do in a snow storm??). 

Now. I’m not trying to paint a rosy picture here, I am not perfect. There were moments this weekend where my go-go-go side wanted to come out to play. I desperately pushed ‘her’ away. I didn’t want her to come out and ruin this chance to reset  my brain a little bit. But, yes — there were moments when I thought “I should go build some playlists for class” or “maybe I should wash the floors, they are looking a little messy from the snow.” But I promise you, the only productive thing I did this weekend was run on the treadmill and do some abs and I suppose you can count baking cookies and low fat brownie bites as ‘productive’ so sure, I’ll toss that into the list too.

But overall? If I’m giving myself a grade for this progress report of mine — I’d give myself a solid B. Not a C — that would be average and I feel I’ve done better than average with ample room to grow. And definitely not an “A” because as you can see, I definitely have work to do and am probably never going to be one of those truly laid-back types that can toss aside to-do lists completely.

But that’s ok.
It’s just not who I am.
I am me,  a perfectly imperfect me, at that.

Source: theclassywoman.blogspot.de via Jess on Pinterest

She believed she could.

I’ve seen this mantra floating around pinterest countless times, but for some reason, it popped into mind today:

Source: healthawakening.tumblr.com via Jess on Pinterest

After reading your comments on my post from Sunday night (I owe you all responses, promise I’ll get to them today!), I got to thinking about belief. And believing in myself more. But not in the traditional way you might think of ‘believing in yourself’ but more in the way of seeing yourself the way that others see you. I guess that’s what struck me about how you’ve all responded to my post, the one where I admit that I sometimes do a pretty sh*tty job of maintaining balance, and yes – cutting myself some slack now and then.

One of my best friends on the planet sent me some incredible words of encouragement over text last night. And one thing she said really stood out to me — the concept of not ‘allowing’ myself to let go. She’s right. I often don’t allow it. And it’s not because I don’t think I deserve to chill out, but I guess I hold a very high expectation of myself and never back down from that.

So in that regard, I guess it’s time to believe in me a little bit more. From the perspective of believing that my little corner of the world will not result in catastrophe if I let go…of patterns, of control, of habits. And believing that some change is good change — a concept I’ve always shared openly here: that change is scary but being a little ‘scared’ every day isn’t so bad. So I guess it’s time to step out of my little corner and allow myself to be afraid, but believe that ‘scary change’ like letting go, is actually a good thing, and not so scary afterall.

*****

Another way to consider belief? Believing that you might have an extra mile in you, an extra rep to lift, an extra set of abs to eek out. I haven’t been talking about my workouts lately but this morning? Well it was ‘me workout’ time — a rare treat these days (NOT that I mind, I looove teaching, remember? hehe…) and it was another one of those runs that seemed to go by a lot faster than I anticipated. And when my time was up, I figured ok – 6 miles is great. However. My legs weren’t altogether tired. I felt pretty darn good, actually. And I had the time since I was up so early today. So, I bumped up the pace again and got in another solid mile to round out my run at 7 miles (before 7am!) this morning. Talk about a needed sweatfest….and a good example of believing in your body, and not giving into habit, pattern or practice.

So there you have it, believe that you can. That’s my tidbit for ya’ll today. Apply it however you see fit. 🙂

Patterns

Have you ever thought about patterns in your day?

How you structure your free time?

What habits you fall into, without ever realizing it?

…yeah, neither did I.

Until my sister pointed it out to me while I was in the midst of what I thought was a brutal case of Sunday night blues.

Let’s backup for a sec. This weekend? Awesome. Needed in every single way. Lots of time spent at barre n9ne (my ‘happy place). A little bit of ‘me’ time spoiling myself silly at Lululemon on Saturday afternoon (keep an eye on instagram tomorrow, ha!). An incredible date night out with Scott, something we both needed so badly after the week we both had. A date night that was just so perfect, I can’t even put it into words…so I’m not going to even bother trying (sorry…). And then today. Much-needed family time with my grandparents who were visiting from Maine, my husband, my beautiful niece Isabel, my mom (aka ‘mimi’ according to Isabel) and my two sisters (and brothers-in-law).

But now? I find myself sitting here sad, blue, blue, blue and unable to shake it.

Sitting here on the couch while Scott is busy preparing his lesson plans for the week, I’m just sad. And I couldn’t put my finger on it, nor could I shake it off. So I texted Jo. Told her I was tempted to go run a few miles on the treadmill just to grab some endorphins (even though today is my rest day, a much-needed one, too). She promptly ‘tough loved’ some sense into me, even though I resisted it at first.

You see, she pointed something out for me that I wasn’t seeing clearly at all. The pattern, or habit, I fall into a LOT lately. Rather than embrace ‘me’ time or any sort of chill time and use it as actual chill time, I fill that time with as much productivity as I can. I guess I just look at that ‘me’ time as my time to catch up, or get ahead, of the things that I have a hard time controlling during the week. Like laundry. Or food prep for the week. Or cleaning. Or whatever I can get my paws on to keep me in control.

…there’s that word again: control.

I clearly don’t know how to let go of control. And I really have no idea how to use ‘me’ time for anything other than productivity, in an effort to stay in control of the chaos that my weeks become with all that I try (usually very successfully) to jam into it.

Sure, I thrive on being busy and filling my days. I LOVE how full and happy my life is right now. And yes, I do have good balance most of the time. But to say that I take my own advice that I am constantly giving all of you? To find balance, harness it, own it, and never let it go?

Welp, I fail at that sometimes. The balance thing. And it all goes back to that pattern thing. Or habit.

I don’t know how to let go, to not be in control all.the.time, to just be.
I promised myself I’d do more of that this year, that I’d simplify.

And I need to get back to that place — simplifying. Even if that means *not* using an hour of unexpected free time for something productive (like building a few new playlists for classes, something I am in dire need of doing…). And instead, pick up one of the countless magazines sitting in the magazine rack in the living room and – novel idea – read a magazine. Or literally just sit and listen to Scott typing away on his keyboard and…just be.

So this is me — being utterly honest and true — and admitting that I need to let go. Stop focusing on ‘getting ahead.’ Stop needing to be in control and overly productive all the time. Break the pattern. And start new ones: patterns that focus on embracing the GREAT life that I have, a life that I do not need to control down to the teeniest of details all the time.

…can I get a big ass cheers to that please?
<clink>

An open letter to you: on this holiday season

Hi there,

I thought I’d write you this letter, an ‘open letter,’ to urge you to embrace this holiday season. But not just the season itself, but the spirit behind the season. Stop focusing on how much weight you’re bound to gain from all of the holiday parties you’ve been invited to (or are hosting yourself). Stop worrying that your workouts are bound to suffer because you’ve got a more-full social calendar than normal. And please, don’t worry that the gifts you’ve chosen for loved ones will not be well-received: they are gifts from the heart, and that’s what matters most, not what’s physically in that box or gift bag.

Instead, focus on the spirit of the season itself: 

Embrace un-routine a little bit. If that means that you’ve got to rejigger your workout plans so you can enjoy the holiday party on a Thursday night (that you’d normally spend working out), so be it. Go ahead and set the alarm an hour earlier on Thursday morning and get your workout in early, before most of the rest of the world has even considered waking up. It may also mean learning to let go of a workout here and there (if you’re like me and very much love to stick to your normal workout routine no matter what!) and embracing the extra hour or two spent with family and friends instead (or with your husband snuggled in bed for an extra hour).

Focus on the celebration, not the sheer amount of food set forth at the next holiday party you attend. Instead of automatically bee-lining it over to the trays of food, take your time moseying around the room, making conversation, sipping on some champagne (it *is* a time for celebrating, yes?) and making memories with loved ones. This may fall into an ‘un-routine’ moment for you if you normally go straight for the food at a party (this used to be me too, I readily admit), and yes, it might take time to break that habit, but please – celebrate the small victories, this lifestyle isn’t about perfection, but striving for excellence.

Let go. Of stress. That the holiday party you throw will not be as perfect as you’d hoped (this is a note to self for me…). That your gifts will not be well-received. That you’re going to gain weight and completely fall off the workout bandwagon in the final two weeks of the year. Let go. Of all of that. And shift your focus. Celebrate all that this year has meant to you instead. And get excited for the promise and wonder of what the next year will bring.

And finally, just be. Be normal. Be yourself, who you’ve been this entire year and stop looking at the holidays as ‘that time where you wrecked all of your hard work.’ And start looking at it as one big, long celebration of this past year spent LIVING. 

Love,
Me

Source: us4.campaign-archive2.com via Jess on Pinterest

Embrace focus

Hi friends! I’ve been a little bit distant from this ‘home’ lately but I promise it’s for good reason.

 I’ve been doing my best to embrace focus. 

Focus on the right things in my days, not the minor annoyances and things out of my control.

Focus on staying healthy and fit, even though we’re in the throes of the holiday season where temptation abounds.

Focus on the experience of the holiday season, celebrating with family and friends, loved ones that make my world go ’round.

Focus on the two things I love most fitness-wise: running and barre n9ne. Running because I want to run, not because I need to run. Simply. Teaching as often as I can, and taking a class if I can fit that in too. And watching as the two work effortlessly together to give me the strongest mind and body I’ve ever had.

Focus on gratitude, a regular theme on this blog lately and in my personal life.

Focus on intention — living with intention, always. Working out with intention, always. Showing love through my actions and words, with intention.

So where am I going with this? I’m focused right now. On the right things. And it’s making for a very happy, peaceful, mindful life that I’m growing to love more and more by the day. It’s a happy place to be.

I’m embracing focus. 

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessie on Pinterest

*****

Editor’s Note: And if you want to hear more from me on focus as it relates to focus at the barre? Mosey on over to the barre n9ne studio blog for a peek at the guest blog I wrote there on how to get the most out of your barre workouts — and even if you aren’t into barre workouts per se, the idea behind focusing while doing ANY kind of workout is an important one. A point sometimes lost in the grand scheme of things. I hope you enjoy the post!

A fit slant on gratitude

Here’s the scene:

Alarm clock blares at 5:09am.
I roll over and smash the ‘snooze’ button as fast as I can. 
I lay there and think: “man, I am *so* exhausted.”
Scott snuggled up and got a little too cozy for my liking…making me want to drift right back to sleep.
But then I thought about just how close my little gym is to me: it’s literally a staircase away. 
I promptly got up, threw on my shorts, sports bra, tank and sneakers and was ready to go. 

#makeitcount 
#accountability

But what this morning’s workout *really* taught me?

To be grateful for the sheer fact that I literally have my workouts right at my fingertips. 
…not only do I have no excuse to skip that workout, but I am downright lucky to have such a luxury: a home gym complete with weights and a pull-up bar for Scott and a treadmill and TV for me. I fully realize that this is a luxury not to be taken for granted but sometimes, in the heat of the moment, in the height of a chaotic and busy but awesome week, I forget.

But not today. Today I am grateful. For a little thing like a treadmill and an episode of “Burn Notice” on-demand to keep me company for 5 (wicked sweaty) miles.

Now that I no longer work from home and have a commute to face most days, I have to work much harder to strike the right balance. Between teaching a lot more, a new work schedule that requires I manage my time better to get into the office when I need to and leave when I need to (most often to teach);  my ‘me’ workouts are fewer and farther between, something I’ve mentioned before. My run-time is sacred to me (as is the time I get to actually take a barre n9ne class here and there), albeit shorter, and now on the treadmill most days (‘cept for the weekends) — but I wouldn’t even have the luxury of run-time if I didn’t have that treadmill at home. I’m not a fan of running alone in the dark in the wee hours of the morning so running on the treadmill is where it’s at during the week. So I’ve learned to not only befriend the treadmill but to look forward to that me-time, that me-workout, and the luxury of doing it in my own home? A total blessing. 

So today I’m taking a moment to put a fit slant on gratitude.

It might sound like a miniscule thing to be grateful for but for someone who works hard to stay fit and LOVES working out, it means the world to me. (and trust me, there are loads more that I’m grateful for every single day beyond working out, I can promise you that!). Plus, I have so many loved ones in my life who simply do not have the luxury of a workout at their fingertips or the ability to fit one in whenever they want to, so I try very hard never to take for granted my schedule, my workouts, my time. It’s an invaluable thing — time — and I try to cherish it as much as I can.

And now I ask you: What are *you* grateful for today?

Don’t waste a second.

<Warning: this post is dripping with sap, proceed accordingly, hehe>

If I could sum up this weekend, it would be with this phrase in mind: Don’t waste a second.

Source: us4.campaign-archive2.com via Jess on Pinterest

You see, I used to hear that phrase, and I’d think that it meant living each day cramming as much into each hour, minute and second as I could possibly muster. But after reading this “Striking Truth” in my inbox last week, it’s been sitting in the back of my mind, just urging me to read, re-read and internalize those words. Because now that I’ve let that concept sit for a bit, I see an entirely new meaning to the phrase ‘don’t waste a second.‘

To me that phrase now signifies: making memories wherever and whenever possible.
…which is exactly what this weekend showed me. 

I kicked off the weekend celebrating what has been an incredible year for barre n9ne. The entire staff, plus Tanya (barre n9ne studio owner), went out to dinner to celebrate together. It was long overdue, and SUCH a fun night getting to finally catch up with everyone — and in ‘normal’ clothes vs. the workout gear we usually see eachother in! And I must say, we turned quite a few heads as we marched into Capital Grille, all twelve of us with Tanya in the lead. 😉

Saturday was spent catching up with the hubs — which we both really needed after another busy, busy, busy week (a ‘good’ busy though, not chaotic-omg-can’t-breathe busy…). 

We got into the holiday spirit with a picnic for two in the living room while we decorated our house for the holidays.

Whipped up some yummy lettuce wraps (shrimp for me; chicken for Scott) for dinner, with ample amounts of wine (no shame)…and salted caramel chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I nearly died after the first bite.  Oh yes, I *did* ‘commit to the cookie.‘ Holy yum. <—and yes, I found the recipe on pinterest, go me! 

And rounded out the weekend with a chilly but puketastically awesome run on Sunday morning after a lazy morning spent in bed first. No alarm clock the ENTIRE weekend — it’s a beautiful (and rare) thing at the Sutera Manor these days.

So what this weekend taught me? That even the simplest moments, the most unplanned moments, are often the most wonderful reminders of how important it is to make memories whenever possible. I know this is such a sappy thing to say but seriously, life is so so so short — we’re meant to enjoy our days, versus spend them competing with ourself to be as busy and as productive as possible everyday. What does productivity prove anyway? Why prove anything at all?

Don’t waste a second friends, ever.