foot update

Is that the sexiest title, or what?
Well, today is a wonderul day. Not just because political commericals are over (!), but also because I get to do yoga for the first time since breaking my foot. I'm ecstatic!
I'm going to a Vinyasa Flow class tonight and can only imagine how sore I am going to be tomorrow after taking five weeks off.
I'll be sure to report back with lots of zenny details.
Happy Wednesday!

king of savannah

Remember how I told you my family stinks at resting? I am fairly certain Duke is the worst at it (no offense, Dukie :)).

He's basically just a machine. I am not actually sure if he feels physical pain, and he's insanely focused. Growing up, my parents often had to remind him to eat, or remind him that he was, in fact, sick, and should probably take it easy.

This weekend, these traits were wildly apparent when he ran dominated the Savannah marathon. Sub-eights, plus negative splitting - yes. for 26.2 miles. Insane! He's amazing!

I was planning on attending the race, then my mom decided to come surprise him, too (yaay!). She flew into Atlanta, then we drove to Savannah Friday night. We got a real kick out of it when Duke called us both and we lied about what we were doing, since we were actually doing the side-by-side, en route to cheer him on.

We surprised him at mile 21. Afterwards we asked him if he saw us, because it didn't seem to register, and he said he thought he smiled and waved. He did not :) Focused, I tell ya. But after 21+ miles at the pace, can you blame him?!

After the race, we explored and dined in Savannah.


The next day, we dropped Duke off at school, then came back to Atlanta. We made a quick roadside pitstop along the way because my mom had never seen cotton before. After many an Indiana corn shucked, she felt it her Midwestern duty to check out the cotton fields, too.
It was just wonderful, as always, spending the weekend with them. Way to go, Duke! We are so proud of you!

thank you // edible schoolyard

Before we get down to business today, I want to extend a HUGE and ginormous thank you to everyone who repinned, reddit and shared my bucket list. My blog saw a big jump in activity and I'm so grateful to everyone who passed it on! It is so much fun to watch people enjoy and participate in something I created. I'm really just speechless by it! So thank you :)

//

In other ATL news, last week I had the pleasure of attending an Edible Schoolyard event hosted by SPARK, a local elementary school. If you're unfamiliar, the Edible Schoolyard started in California a while back, and has spread across the U.S. It allows kids to spend time at school gardening, then they use the vegetables grown on the local level (get the full story). 

SPARK spent all fall growing kale and spinach and then harvested it last Monday morning. Monday night, the kiddos donated all of the produce to Murphy's (yum!), who used it in their salads, then donated a percentage of the sales back to the school.

Everybody wins! 

I had so much fun being there, especially while watching how excited the kids were to try kale for the first time, learn about healthy eating and enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

I'm going to start volunteering at events more - and maybe even help in the garden if my schedule permits. I'm so excited about the new opportunity, considering it combines a lot of my favorites things (healthy eating, being outside, children, the Highlands...).

If it's your jam, you should find one in your neighborhood and do it, too! And then tell me about it. :) I really can't encourage it enough! It was so refreshing, and I only wanted to steal like 10 of the kids.

Just kidding.

Kind of.

just because you deserve it

As I've delved deeper into the unglorification of busyness, I've also begun to explore the idea of rest, and the thought that everyone deserves to do it.


My family is excellent at many a thing, but resting is not one of them. We're an early bird, non-nap-taking, never stop going sort of clan.

Even when I had mono I didn't miss a day of school. My english teacher made me go home for one afternoon. Apparently it's contagious? :)

There is a theory out there that seems to be gaining some ground lately. It's that IBS, from which I've suffered for 10 years, can be attributed to too much exercise and not enough rest. This summer, I saw a new doctor (who suggested veganism), that also suggested this might be an issue for me. And so, I have been working tirelessly on getting more rest. Really, it's exhausting. It's much easier for me to be on the move constantly than it is to slow down.

To be honest, I wasn't particularly successful at it until I broke my foot. Now every day is a day off from running. (and spinning, swimming and yoga. whomp)

But, as I'm embarking on this resty adventure more, I'm noticing that while not everyone may be ailed by my same need to workout, a lot of people struggle with allowing themselves to be indulgent. It's this attitude that we don't quite deserve the good things - all the best - to get that massage, to turn off the cell phone at the beach, to eat a nice dinner out.

Why is this?

I think part of it has to do with the fact that in all of our busyness, these indulgent things are the first to fall away. And eventually when you stop doing them enough, they stop feeling natural.

When I first met my roommate, Katie, she took a bath most nights. It was her time to unwind and recharge. Her Katie time. But now, she's planning her wedding, studying for the CPA and travelling for work. And she hasn't even taken a bath in our new house. I told her last week that I was worried about her, and all of mankind, because if Katie, bath taker extraordinaire, can't find time to give herself the break she needs, we're all in trouble.

She said she'd work on it. Because she knows she works really hard, is a better version of herself when she takes time to recharge, and deserves that break in her day. And that's a lesson we should all  remember.