I got another job!

So now, in addition to spin three mornings a week, I am also teaching 2-3 yoga classes and 3-4 cardio classes (step and kickbox). I met with the GE director for Bally in Bloomington and St. Louis Park and she was SO super nice. She was just making changes in the schedule, so it was serendipity for sure. Also, the classes she had available work into my school schedule. I am so fortunate! I am so glad to be teaching yoga too. I was just feeling confident in my class after studying with Brenna in Madison, so I was even more upset to quit and move. However, now I can continue so I am very thankful to the stars.


I also am all set to start school. Being a research assistant is going to be awesome! I had no idea that I would get such an opportunity!


So, in all, I do miss Madison, my family and friends very much ... but I am very thankful for everything going so well.

We all (my whole family, except my brother) met up at my parent's cabin near Minoqua over the weekend. We had a great time!

My dad cooked out some fabulous meals. My mom made a scrumptious cake for my sister Tara's 25th birthday and we had a horseshoes tournament .. I was on the winning team, although I was not the star player by any stretch.

On Friday night, Al and I slept inside, but Saturday night we slept outside and when I awoke at 2 a.m. I opened the tent flap and said "AMAZING!" The sky had a million stars -- you forget what stars like that look like when you live in the city. I wanted to take a night hike, but there was no moon, so it was still pretty dark and Al was a scarey cat! (Yes, you were, Al!) It was awesome to lay awake and listen to the loons calling to one another.

So we are planning to again in September when the moon is full and the leaves are turning. We are going on a nighthike for sure!

We also got a newnickname for my sister Kelly -- Bigfoot. Hahaha.

I got a job!

OK, I have been dying the last week with moving and not teaching any classes. I mean, I was seriously dying - I could not sleep at night, I wanted to run 20 miles a day and do plyometrics for 2 hours. It was not good. Anyway .. so I found a gym FIVE MINUTES from my house and they hired me to teach three spin classes a week -- 6 a.m. -- my favorite time of day too! So, if for some reason you are in Shakopee, Minnesota .. come to Gold's Gym for 6 a.m. spin and let's dahit!

By the way, this gym took my breath away ... 100 brandnew cardio machines (Precor, which rocks!) The G.E. room is gorgeous -- huge with suspended floor -- and the cycling room is dark and cool -- all brand new bikes! I can't wait to start!

Suicide Walk

Good luck Kelly and Jodee who are partipating in the Out of the Darkness overnight walk in Chicago next week. It is to raise money for suicide prevention. It's a 20 mile walk overnight -- they are both working really hard to raise money, but have a ways to go. It's great they are doing this and bringing awareness to a topic that not many people want to talk about.

Adios Madison!

Tomorrow is our last full day in Madison. Our house is totally tore up -- boxes stacked everywhere. We basically have some frozen chicken and eggs and one frying pan left out ... We spent the weekend in Minnesota, closing on the new house and FRYING! It was over 100 degrees, which I thought was hilarious that my first day in that frigid state would be triple digits. Figures! Haha. Anyway, it still does not feel real that we are actually moving. We sat on our front porch for the last time tonight. We have an awesome porch that is hidden and private and we can look out and enjoy the summer -- even when it rains. The new house does not have a porch -- but it has an awesome backyard, which is huge and private.

So, now I am entering the whole new world of kitchen remodeling stuff. We didn't notice how dated the countertops were until after we moved in. It's amazing the different counter tops available! Granit ... corian ... silestone ... and it is not cheap either. Jeepers! Guess we will make sure our next house has good countertops before we buy it. Oh, and get this ... one of bathrooms is painted green and orange! WTF?! It's green with an orange stripe going around it ... Al calls it the Charlie Brown bathroom. I call it plain ugly! It's on "the list."

Meantime, we haven't been to any gyms, but we found a couple Lifetime Fitnesss closeby and also a Gold's Gym. I have to figure out if I am going to just join and be a member for now -- or if I will have time to pick up a few classes .... I am sure I would miss teaching way too much to stop, but it does sound nice to do my own program for a while. We shall see. The whole kitchen project may be more than enough to keep me busy for a while.

Anyway, tomorrow I plan to lift heavy at Supreme for the last time (how melodramatic, huh!?) Sometimes you just want to be sore from lifting and I haven't been in a while, so tomorrow is the day. Adieu.