Only in Texas

This ad is for Senator John Cornyn (R) who is running for re-election in the fall. It is, well...you'll see. For one, it's only running in Texas yet it has made national news. I'm humiliated.

Big Bad John

20 days...and counting

Today will be the 20th day that we hit triple-digit temperatures in Austin. The average for the entire summer is 12. So much for that mild summer we had last year. Gone. Why do people feel it's necessary to run outside when it is over 100 degrees? That just seems dangerous to me. I suck it up and run on the treadmill during the summer because I just can't take it outside.

Speaking of the heat, I am making a change to my yoga practice. For the first time in years, I will not be purchasing a monthly unlimited pass at Bodhi in July. There are several reasons why, some of which I won't discuss here, but one is because I have been practicing heated power vinyasa for over four years now and I just need more out of my practice. I go to class and yes, I get a good workout, but that's not enough for me anymore. It was at one time. I want to learn different poses and it's very difficult to do that when you're sweating your ass off and your heart rate is sky high and you can barely breathe. I want to come out of a yoga class and feel inspired and I no longer feel that way when I leave most vinyasa classes. (Not all...it generally depends on the teacher.) I have been stuck in a comfort zone in vinyasa classes. It's time to get out.

Since Hannah has been teaching in the Anusara style, my practice has grown so much. Backbends have always come fairly naturally for me, but now they have just exploded. Other poses have as well, like handstands and other arm balances. I like going to her classes at Seventh Street because she teaches purely in the Anusara style, whereas at Bodhi she really can't because the students there expect a heated vinyasa class.

And it's not just about learning new poses. For me, it's also about being present both on and off the mat, about learning proper alignment so I don't hurt myself, about learning to be creative in and outside of my practice, about honoring my practice and myself, about being truthful with myself, and about so much more than just a good workout.

So, I purchased a class pass at Yoga Yoga and I will get the month of August free (Beat the Heat Summer Special!) because there are several Anusara teachers that I would like to practice with there. And I will continue to attend Hannah's classes at Seventh Street. That's not to say that I don't crave a power vinyasa class here and there, because I do, and Bodhi is my studio of choice. But for now, I plan to explore some of the other amazing yoga options that this town has to offer. I'll keep you posted on my journey.

Wedding pics

As promised...The last one is of my dad & me dancing.

The bride & me...with mimosas

My sister & me

Ma & Pa
Cody & me
My sister & our hubbies

Garden Veggies

We got back from Atlanta last night after a weekend filled with family, drinks, and lots and lots of food--all related to my cousin's wedding. We had a nice time. I need to go for a run and good Lord, someone get me to a yoga class quickly. From the kolaches we bought at the Czech Stop in West on the way to Dallas, to the Chinese food at the airport, to the pizza, to the lovely lunch and yummy champagne at the bridesmaids' luncheon, to the cajun food at the rehearsal dinner, to more pizza late-night after the rehearsal dinner and drinks at the hotel bar, to the surf and turf at the wedding reception, and to the many, many drinks all weekend long, I need a week filled with more fruits and vegetables and much less alcohol. I will post some pictures of the weekend soon.

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Do you know what's so great about having a garden...no salmonella from the tomatoes. Also, Cody cooks so many meals that he calls "garden meals". Just picks all the ingredients and then cooks them, with the exception of a few things. Everyone should have a garden. Although I will admit, I want nothing to do with it except to ask about it and occasionally go out there and look at it. I don't want to work in it. So if I weren't married to someone who likes to garden, I wouldn't have one either.

What would you pay?

I spent $60 on a yoga top the other day. I'm an idiot.

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We rented No Country for Old Men Saturday night. Didn't it win the Oscar for best picture? It was good, but weird. Javier Bardem's hair alone made him look frightening.

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We are flying out of Dallas tomorrow to Atlanta for my cousin's wedding. Why Dallas, you might ask. Because my sister lives there so we can spend the night with her and we got plane tickets for $183 a piece. It would have cost us more than double to fly out of Austin even with the cost of gas. Speaking of...


Beautiful.

Girl Power

Now that Top Chef is over, maybe I will be able to sleep on Wednesday nights. It comes on at 9:00 and I go to bed around 10:00 so I'm all wound up after the show. And of course I thought it would be a good idea to go to yoga at 6:30 this morning and no, I did not sleep well. However, I am very happy that Stephanie won--finally, a female Top Chef! If they had given it to Lisa, I had vowed to never watch again. Well, unless the two people that Cody knows get on next season's show. Then, I would have had to watch.

On a brighter note, the top 20 dancers on So You Think You Can Dance performed for the first time last night. I had to DVR it, so I'll watch tonight and then the results show comes on at 8:00. Summer television is awesome!

Update

I had my post-op visit today and everything came back normal from the D&C. All is well and hopefully, I will be pregnant again soon. If not, we'll have lots of fun trying, which is good considering that part of our marriage has been a no-no since this happened. Cody has been very patient, but is chomping at the bit, I'm sure.

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It is incredibly humid outside but I sucked it up and ran just over four miles this morning. I had to. I made a commitment to myself and dammit I was determined to keep it. I got back from running and all of my animals were just lying around on the couch as they often do. I yelled, "Yay! I did it!" They did not seem enthused. But they're so cute.

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Will wonders never cease? Hillary Clinton conceded and Barack Obama will be the Democratic presidential nominee! I am happy as a lark about this! He needs the young vote to win...no question about it. And while they have come out so far, they are not reliable historically. And when I say "they", I am obviously referring to my own generation.

Totally random

Cody and I love Top Chef. I was so disappointed with last night's episode that I honestly could not sleep after I got in bed. What is wrong with me? So, now I am super tired because I went to yoga at 6:30 this morning. I have no desire to go to spin class today. All I want to do is sleep. I think I'll sneak out of work early today, although it will be difficult. But I'm going to try.

Getting Ready

I had the D&C yesterday. All went well. My anesthesiologist was really cute. He came in and introduced himself and all I could think about was if my hair looked good. Forget the big-ass gown I had on that could have fit two of me inside.

Anyway, I was only in pain when I first woke up in recovery. I didn't want the nurse to put any pain medicine into my i.v. because I knew it would be strong and Cody hadn't gotten back yet. I wanted to be awake when he got there. But I was in pain. After he got there, she gave me two pills, one for anti-nauseau and the other was Demerol. I asked the nurse when I could eat. It was after 2:00 pm and I hadn't eaten since 9:30 the night before. She said I could eat when I got home but it needed to be light and bland. She left the room and I looked at Cody and said, "Uh uh. I'm hungry." So he took me to Whataburger. It was awesome. But before we got home that Demerol really kicked in. I don't know how people get addicted to pain pills. I guess those who do are people who don't care about being in control. I care. We got home and ate. While I was very slowly putting food into my mouth, I was deliberately trying to control my speech. I didn't want to sound like I was messed up, which I was.

So I ate and then slept for the rest of the day. I have not been in any pain and my bleeding has been very light. I go for my post-op visit next Monday. It seems weird that I've gone through all of this and I'm ready to start trying to get pregnant again. But I am. I'm ready. It's that simple.