Vacation

Well it's definitely been a while since my last post.  Sometimes I feel like I run out of things to say, so I don't just want to write a blog post for the sake of blogging.  I really like to use this as a way to keep in touch with family and friends, but I don't want to waste anyone's time by talking about the boring day-to-day stuff.  Fortunately, we've been pretty busy recently, so I have lots to talk about!

First, Billy and I took an anniversary vacation to Washington, D.C.  We've been married 4 years...I can't believe how the time has flown!  A lot has changed in just a few years...some of it has been wonderful, and some of it hasn't been so good, but we are so blessed to have each other to lean on.  I really don't deserve Billy...he is so kind-hearted and gentle.  I really couldn't ask for a more respectful and devoted husband.

So anyway, back to our trip...we had a great time.  The weekend flew by, but it was great to get out of town and have some time to ourselves.  We got to sleep in, which was AMAZING, and we also visited some fun places and went to some great restaurants.  We saw the Lincoln Memorial, went to the top of the Washington Monument, visited the National Zoo, and checked out the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum.  We ate out at two VERY fancy restaurants, which was new and different for both of us.  They were the kind of places that offered you options when you order water, like filtered, iced, or sparkling water.  One restaurant served us dessert with gold leafing on top....hilarious.  It was so fun, though.  Here are a few pictures... 

At the National Zoo

Going to our fancy dinner...this was in the hotel before we left

Stopping by the White House...very early in the morning!

Visiting the Lincoln Memorial...I had never been before!

 We also had a great hotel.  We stayed at The Madison, which was within walking distance from the National Mall and the White House.  It was a swanky hotel, with valet parking and all sorts of amenities.  My favorite was the Keurig machine in our room, with complementary tea and coffee!  Because we were in downtown D.C., we literally walked everywhere except to dinner.  I think we walked about 10 miles on our last day there, because of some poor planning on our part.  It's kind of a long story....

Four years ago, we visited D.C. for the day to celebrate Billy's birthday.  We visited the museums and saw some of the sights, and decided to go to the Washington Monument.  By the time we got there, the ticket booth had closed and they had stopped doing tours, and Billy was kinda bummed.  I promised that the next time we were in D.C., we would definitely make it a priority to go up in the monument.  So this trip, we decided to do it.  On Saturday, we walked over to the monument (about a mile from our hotel) but they had already given away all of the tickets for the day.  We were told that they sell out really fast, so we should get there at 8:00 the next morning.  So, Sunday morning, we got up at 6:45 and walked to the monument again.  We got there at about 7:45 (after stopping for coffee on the way), and there were already about 100 people waiting in line for tickets...and the booth didn't open until 8:30.  After waiting in a long line (and the drizzling rain), we finally got our tickets.  They were for the 11:00 tour that morning.  So we killed some time by going to the Lincoln Memorial before heading back to our hotel to shower, pack, and check out.  We checked out of our hotel, got our car from valet parking, and then started driving toward the monument.  That day, D.C. was hosting a triathlon, so they had blocked off all the streets in the National Mall area, so you couldn't get within a mile of the monument.  We drove around in circles forever before finding a parking spot on the street, and ended up walking almost 2 miles to the monument...in less than 15 minutes.  We raced like crazy to get there for our 11:00 tour, only to find out that it doesn't matter what time you show up, as long as you have a ticket.  So we got all out of breath and sweaty for nothing!  But we finally went in the monument.... =)

Because of all the walking in D.C., I got a boost in my weight loss this past week.  Typically, I've been losing about a pound a week on Weight Watchers.  Last week, I lost 3 pounds, which brought me down to my second weight goal of 143...so I've lost 16 pounds in a little less than 2 months!  I'm very happy with where I am right now, but I'm still going to try to lose a little more just to see where I can go with it.  But if I don't lose any more, I'm not going to complain...I'm very happy with where I am because I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight (actually, a little lower than that!).  Anyway, I'm thankful for Weight Watchers and how much it has influenced and changed my eating habits.  

That's all from me for now!

-Kristen

Bikram Yoga

I promised that if I tried it, I would write about Bikram yoga on here, so here it is!  

I tried it for the first time on Monday night.  There were some things that were expected, and others were unexpected.  First, I knew I would encounter a few...um..."unique individuals."  For example, there was one lady who didn't shave her legs...at all.  And the instructor (a guy) was basically wearing a Speedo, and nothing else.  A bit awkward....

I also thought I was prepared for the heat....I was SO wrong.  105 degrees is a lot hotter than you think, and when you factor in the humidity, it was insanely stifling in the room.  When I arrived, the instructor told me (since I was a first timer) that I only had to do two things: breathe and stay in the room.  He said if I needed to throw up, that I should leave the room, but otherwise I should try to stay.  I thought, "Hmm...that's interesting...can't be THAT bad."  Ha!


The lady next to me was so sweet.  She asked if anyone had ever told me about Bikram yoga before, and I told her no, that I had just read about it and decided to try it out.  She gave me "The Warning":  "Your first few times are horrible...you feel like it's the worst thing on Earth...then it gets better!"  I wasn't comforted by that at all, although I prepared myself for the worst, so that I wouldn't be surprised.  In hindsight, I'm really glad she warned me, because it made it so much easier for me to get through the class!


In this class, you practice deep breathing, stretching, and balancing poses for an hour and a half.  Some things were done standing, others sitting, and some lying down.  The instructor gives explicit instructions on how to do everything, and you can always watch the person in front of you if you're unsure.


Even though I had been warned, and the instructor told me not to push myself to do any of the poses, I had to give it a try.  I mean, I came to get a workout, right?


I gave everything a try.  Some things were easy for me, like balancing and stretching, and others were too difficult.  The things that were harder for me were the poses that required you to twist and contort your body and then balance.  I'm not coordinated enough to do that quite yet.  This is an example of one that was too advanced for me:

I am surprised to say that I actually enjoyed it!  I mean, the sweating I can do without....picture jumping into a pool fully dressed, and then trying to workout immediately afterward.  That's how sweaty I was.  It was really fun though, and wonderfully quiet.  After being at home all day with a loud and talkative baby, it was nice to just be in a quiet place without a lot of noise.


I know there are a lot of people out there who believe Christians shouldn't participate in yoga.  And I think that's fine if you believe that, and I'm certainly not out to convert anyone or convince them otherwise.  I think a lot depends on how the class is taught and who you participate with.  I would suggest to any Christians who want to try yoga to pray about it first, and just make sure that they have a discerning heart about it.  


For me, I prayed about it before deciding to try it, to make sure that I wasn't being disobedient to God in any way by going.  I also talked to Billy about it and got his opinion.  While I was in the class, I prayed that God would help me to focus on Him and just use that time to get some exercise and try something new.  And afterward, I praised God that He created my body, and that He made me stronger than I thought I was...that He enabled me to make it through the class without passing out or throwing up!  =)


I have to say that Bikram Yoga of Lynchburg is great!  There were no spiritual implications made at all, and we weren't even told to meditate or center ourselves or any of that weird, mystical stuff we normally associate with yoga.  It was a purely physical exercise class.  Now, of course, people can make yoga into a form of worship (Christian or otherwise), but that can be done with just about anything, I think.


Anyway, I really enjoyed it and I think I'll be going back (this week, anyway).  They offer a new student rate, where you pay $20 and you get a week of unlimited sessions.  After that, it gets a bit pricey, so I'm not sure yet if I'll be continuing with it after my first week or not.  It was a good experience, and I'm glad I did it!

Ready for a New Adventure....

Summer is here, and with it I have a lot of time on my hands.  Granted, I spend most of that time caring for Ellie, and whatever is leftover is used up by reading, surfing the Internet for interesting blogs, and watching my Harry Potter marathon (the library is great for borrowing DVDs for free!).  I'm feeling a little antsy today, so writing will probably help get it out of my system.

Billy just finished a motorcycle class this weekend and got his motorcycle driver's license, so now he's looking to buy a motorcycle.  It will be a good way for us to cut down on the amount of money we're spending on gas (compare 10 mpg in his truck to 40+ mpg on a motorcycle!).  We've discussed it extensively, and we've decided that this would be better for our family.  I'll still have my Jeep, which we drive all the time anyway if we go anywhere as a family, so the motorcycle would be primarily used for going to and from school/work (in the future).  When the weather is bad or too cold, either I can take Billy to school or he can just take my car and I'll be home bound for the day, which isn't a big deal.  There are so many families out there who only have one vehicle, and they do just fine.  It's just another step we're taking to try to streamline our lives and cut down on the amount of money we're spending.

In other news, Ellie started crawling a little over a week ago, and now she's all over the place.  She is such a mischief-maker (I guess most babies are), and she's getting into everything.  I seriously can't take my eyes off her anymore, because I'll turn away for a moment, and she'll be on the opposite side of the room pulling books off the bookcase, or playing with the cords around the computer.  I can't believe how quickly she is growing up...it's hard to imagine that she'll be a year old in about 2 months!

I'm still doing well with Weight Watchers.  I'm losing about a pound a week, which is normal once you get into your stride.  I am looking for ways to boost my weight loss though, through exercise.  I've been walking at the park once or twice a week, but it's not really enough for me.  Plus, I don't like going by myself because I get bored, so there's not much motivation to go.  I've looked into joining the gym at Liberty for the summer (alumni can join during the summer for a decent rate), but I would want to take advantage of an aerobics class of some kind, and they don't have their class schedule posted online, so I'm not sure what they're offering this summer.  I did find that Lynchburg has a Bikram yoga studio (Bikram Yoga of Lynchburg), so I'm thinking about trying that this week.  It's the "heat yoga," so the temperature is set at 105 degrees (extremely hot, in my opinion!), but I'm willing to give it a try.

For me, exercise works best when I'm in a classroom setting.  I need the accountability in order to work harder, and I also feel the need to prove myself.  It's what motivates me.  If I work out at home, or even at the gym by myself, I get bored or I don't push myself to the limit.  I just do what gets me by.  But when I'm in a class, I feel the need to do better.  I guess it's the inner student in me.  I'm a perfectionist, so I try to push myself further and work harder than I would if I were alone.  I guess I'm extrinsically motivated....I'm not one of those good students who works hard just for the joy of working hard!  A classroom gives me purpose, and so I'm hoping I can find something that will work for me.  After I try the Bikram yoga, I'll make sure to write about it on here.

As I mentioned earlier, I've been feeling a little restless today.  We're at the 6 month mark for Billy's schooling, and only 6 more months to go.  It's hard to believe he's halfway done with his aircraft mechanic's license program!  We've started talking about where to go/what to do once he finishes in December, and it's made me anxious to move forward.  It's hard being patient, sometimes, when you feel like you're in this "transition" phase of adulthood.  You're technically an adult, and you live like an adult (pay your own bills, live on your own, etc.), but you don't have a career.  We've been in this phase for 5 years now.  First, I was in college, and Billy worked full time to support me through my education.  We always planned that I would be teaching after graduation, but having a baby changed that (for the better, in my opinion!).  I feel like I'm fulfilling my calling, and Billy is certainly working toward his calling, but we're just not there yet.  

I'm ready to move, both figuratively and literally.  I'm ready to move forward with our lives and get out of this transition phase into adulthood.  Billy is ready to work, and to do what he loves.  And I'm ready to see my husband happy with his work, and to be fulfilled by it.  No one can deny the fact that there is some aspect of work that fulfills us, if it's something we love to do.  I think it's especially the case for men...and definitely true for Billy.  I'm also ready to move...to physically relocate.  It's something we've been thinking about for years, and once he gets his certification, it will be a very real thing.  Aviation mechanics aren't in high demand around here, so we'll be looking elsewhere.  I'm just ready to do this...to take the leap.  

However, I also know that this transition time has a purpose, and we're spending this time preparing, both mentally and physically, for the changes that will happen in the future.  We're slowly condensing our possessions, and trying to get rid of everything that's not absolutely necessary.  We're also trying to prepare our house and finish all of the big projects so we can put it on the market.  Selling our house is my biggest worry, aside from Billy finding a job, and it's something we're in prayer about constantly.  We're just trusting that God's purpose for our family will be fulfilled, meaning that all aspects of it will work out in one way or another.

Well, I feel loads better with that off my chest.  Sorry this post is so long, but it does me good to write a marathon post rather than short little sprints.  Honestly, if no one reads this it wouldn't change anything for me....I just feel better getting words on paper (or on screen, rather...).

-Kristen