the leftovers.

ever have those few leftover pictures on your camera you don't feel like posting about? or make something and forget to take pictures? or just feel like talking about random things from your week?

well, you'll understand today's post just fine.

ready for the randomness?

last week, i got a much needed haircut.
pardon my sour face/man's t-shirt/myspace pic.

i also made gluten-free breakfast bars for my little sister.

i used Karina's quinoa bar recipe, but i subbed nuts in for the fruit, thinking my sister would appreciate a little protein boost before swim practice.

from the pro herself.

fatal mistake, because she said they had NO flavor. my real challenge was finding a recipe that wouldn't crumble, though, and that was a success!

next time, i'll double the spices, and add dried fruit AND nuts.

and yesterday, i drove up to D.C. to visit the beautiful and crazy-talented Mo of Mo's Kitchen. have you read her blog? the recipes this girl tackles are baffling! i am humbled by her kitchen finesse :)

she recommended lunch at this cute local place, Sweet Leaf Cafe, and who am i to turn down a lunch date? i ordered the "Berry Leaf" Salad, which is "strawberries, almonds, cranberries, cucumbers, greens, and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette."

very tasty, but since i am the tasmanian devil, i require a bit more food. thankfully, i never leave the house without a car full of snacks!

Mo has the same medical issues that i struggle with, so we talked doctors for a while, then turned to more positive things - food, life, and Target!

um... she had never been to Target! i had to remedy this situation A.S.A.P.!

no joke, if i could pop a cot at Target and just camp out there, i would. it's my home away from home, and pretty much all my savings end up there (split with Trader Joe's, of course).

since i'm a grandma, it was time for me to head back to richmond. i really enjoyed my time in D.C., and can't wait to visit my sweet, new friend again. hang in there, girl!

about 4 hours of stop-and-go traffic later, i returned home, sweaty and hungry. if you've ever ridden in the car with me, you know how bad of a road-tripper i am... i hate the car. so as soon as i got in, i grabbed a snack, unpacked, and hit the treadmill to stretch out my cramped thighs.

and after the treadmill? um... i did... yoga (!!!).

Christie, i know i'm eating my words here, but can i make a confession?

i am a yoga convert.

let me explain - i HATED yoga. i've taken countless classes, all different types, and really tried to go in with an open mind... but each time, i ended up counting down the minutes until i was free. i hated every... S...L...O...W... second...

i thought it just wasn't for me, but after an especially painful fibro week, i was desperate. i caved in and tried some, "just to stretch," in my room after a run.

bingo.

i realized i was approaching it all wrong. i was trying to look at my practice like a workout... it had to be done for an hour, in a studio, with your game face on. serious business, this yoga thing. it was somewhere i challenged myself to be perfect, and couldn't be.

but yoga isn't about being perfect (like running). it's about bringing balance back into our crazy, hectic lives. it's about learning your center, your rhythm, and honoring your body.

and no one cares how long, how fast, or how often i practice when i'm alone, just honoring my body. i'm no jennifer aniston - just a girl doing the best i can with what i've got. it has become something i look forward to; something that balances out the intensity running brings to my life. and it feels soooooooooooooooo good after a long, hot, hungry car ride!

so if you haven't tried it yet, don't rush out to a studio or pop in a Slave-Driver-Jillian video just yet. how about trying a few poses on your own first, and seeing what you like? what feels good? what helps you just let go of the day? unwind?

i plan on hitting up a class here soon to expand my repitoire of postures, but there's nothing wrong with the basics. anything that works for you is perfect!

do you like yoga?

what does it do for you?

do you take classes?

HaPpY fRiDaY, y'AlL!

-rebekah