Core Power!

My new workout obsession is Core Power Yoga...specifically, the Sculpt class. What is yoga sculpt, below is the official description, but basically it is 60 min of yoga, lifting, and a little dancing (pop/rap/etc music throughout the class)."CorePower Yoga Sculpt is a total body workout designed to tone and sculpt every major muscle group. Free weights serve as your own personal adjuster as you move through sun salutations and other yoga postures, enabling extra length and depth in each pose. This intense, but easy to follow program complements your regular yoga practice while pushing your strength and flexibility to new heights."I'm starting a month long program through the studio later this month called "Live Lean" - super excited about it, will keep you posted on what I think.They've got locations in Colorado, California, Oregon, Minnesota, and I've heard they are opening some in DC soon - you get the first week free so check it out!!!

Perfect (solo) Fall Sunday

With Kelly and Lynne out of town, I had the condo to myself this weekend and what a fantastic weekend it was. Saturday was spent cooking and singing/dancing, and Sunday started with the Bucktown 5K.Then home to plant the mums I had gotten on Saturday....
Then I cleaned the house...whew! Such hard work definitely deserves a reward....homebaked bread, wine, cheese, homemade peanut thai soup, and a colorful salad...yep that will do the trick!Oh...and though I was watching a lot of football while cleaning....such a great meal deserved a viewing of Planet Earth!
All that is missing is Kelly and Lynne!

Did you ever think if you're not happy it's because of you....

The title of this blog is a bit strange, but it is one of the lyrics of one of my favorite bands - Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers.

On Saturday night Rachel and I went to see Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers at Lincoln Hall - great venue for a concert! We had last seen SK6 as an opener for NeedtoBreathe back in March at the House of Blues - this time Sara and Sean Watkins (of Nickel Creek) opened for the Sixers. The Watkins were amazing, love jamming on the violin!
SK and the Sixers were full of energy as always and genuinely have a good time out there. They were loving Lincoln Hall and the crowd and played 2 encores much to our delight. Fun times...come back soon!!

Pizza Party

For our last night in Oaxaca, Jenny and Jannick threw a Pizza/Mexican Train Party and invited their friends Heather and Armando. We had a great time making homemade pizzas - yum!
Jannick got creative with the rolling pin...Sol bottle, perfecto!
And then the main event....Mexican Train Dominos! 15 dot set - YIKES!
For my fellow train fans...please note the slight adaption - when a double is played you can play off both sides of it (of course you still must satisfy it with one before moving on, but later you can play a second tile off the other side of the double) - love it!
ps - I won! But...truth be told, it was a very tight game, back and forth the whole night.

Temazcal

What is a Temazcal...

The Temazcal bath purifies your mind, body, and spirit in an extraordinary garden setting. Ancient ceremonies combine a cleansing sweat bath with herbs and flowers. Music and a soothing massage will renew and energize you.

Daron and I decided (on the strong recommendation of Jenny & Jannick) to go to a Temazcal on our last morning in Oaxaca. We arrived at a serene garden with a lovely woman who sat us down and explained what we were about to experience. 45 min in a hot steam hut - only big enough for 3 people - which included being "beat down" with a combination of 20 herbs, which smelled amazing.
This was followed by an hour long full body massage...in a word...amazing!!!

Hierve el Agua

Jenny and Jannick took a day off work, we rented a car, and we were off into the mountains - destination Hierve el Agua.
As with any Mexican adventure, we could not expect the journey to go off without a hitch. First, a car crash (or so we presume, we couldn't see that far up the road) which resulted in us taking a detour through the cornfields relying on the advise of local. Did I mention that locals always give you an answer...even if they don't know...apparently it is rude to say "I don't know" - so you can image we were a bit turned around for awhile!

Then...we were 4km away and there was a chain across the road. Typically there is a guy sitting there asking for a small toll to get past...he was not there. So...we parked and were off on a gorgeous hike!
Finally we arrived at our destination. "Hierve el Agua is a natural warm spring which contains air trying to escape, hence the name "Hierve el Agua"which means “the water boils”. The water is also full of minerals, so as it runs off of the edge of the nearby cliff, calcium carbonate and magnesium in the water create a petrified waterfall, and the sulfur ads nice yellow accents in places. There are only two such sites in the world, the other one is in Turkey."
It was gorgeous - like an infinity pool sweeping out with a vista of the rolling hills/mountains.
On the way back we stopped at a pueblita and I got an authentic woven wool rug. It took 2 months to weave, not to mention making and hand dying the wool. It looks great in my dining room - come see!

Monte Alban

We visited Monte Albán, one of the very first cities in the new world. Founded approximately 500 years before the birth of Christ, the city grew and dominated the valleys of Oaxaca up to 750 a.d. It was the capital of the ‘cloud people’, the Zapotecs, for over a millennium.It was a nice day and an impressive site - really large and pretty well preserved.