Do cardio once a day for 28 days!

Could you do it? Three of us at lululemon athletica Cherry Creek are doing it. So far so good. Here's the break down so far:

Alex, Rachel and I started on February 2nd...

Day 1 - 30 min walk around Wash Park with my Aunt's dog Snickers

Day 2 - Cross Fit Verve kick butt workout + Vino & Vinyasa at lululemon athletica Park Meadows

Photo courtesy of Cross Fit Verve. Nine lulu's attended the workout!

Day 3 - 45 min walk around Wash Park with Snickers

Day 4 - 5 hrs snowboarding at Breckenridge with Matt, Stephanie and Cam

Best part of the day (besides boarding down the mountain) is taking off the boots and putting on the Uggs!

Matt having a blast in the mountains! We love Friday skiing/boarding.

After a long day of skiing/boarding, you've got to eat and I'm happy to say that week 3 of my year long goal of cooking one homemade meal per week is still going strong. I wipped up a whole wheat crust pizza loaded with heaps of veggies tonight. Now we're off to see Avatar 3D & Imax. Enjoy the pics while we're at the movies ;)

Prep stages...no marinara sauce, I used pesto.

A little brown around the edges but overall very delicious.

What do you like to put on your pizza? Everyone has their favorites. I can't get enough of vegetables :)

Good eats: pre-wedding style

So my normal Thursday night routine of cooking Matt dinner changed tonight due to the IU vs. Purdue basketball game. While my Hoosiers lost by 3 points, it was still time well spent watching the fun and furry in Assembly Hall. Also, as many of you know, I'm a competitor and like to finish what I've started. I plan to cook for Matt tomorrow night but am in need of a recipe or fun food idea. Please let me know!

In lieu of spotlighting my own food creations I thought I'd share with you pictures from my friend Emily's wedding rehearsal dinner. The festive party was one of the most unique settings and delicious meals I've had at a pre-wedding party. We had breakfast for dinner at the infamous Pamela's Diner in Pittsburgh, PA.

Mimosas were the drink of choice. Perfect for the breakfast feast!

Pamela's P&G Diner

Pancake bar = pure bliss!

A special moment during the father of the groom's speech.

Cheers!

Loved the kitschy decor

It's tradition in Pennsylvania to bake cookies for the pre-wedding celebration. Thanks to all the mothers, aunts and good friends that made these tasty treats. 

Yum!

Balloons make every party more fun!

Created in 1975, the Terrible Towel is a fan symbol associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Princesses, a.k.a. flower girls

Family of the bride!

Bridesmaids surrounding the blushing bride. Congrats again Em & Josh!

There is no one way

There is one constant idea that continually pops up in my daily thoughts. It's simply that there is no one way to do things. Allow me to illustrate...

1) There is no one way to hold a downward facing dog pose in yoga. 

Yes, experienced yogi's do an excellent job of lifting their hips, rolling in their fore arms, while diving their heals towards the ground (See Exhibit A: lululemon athletica ambassador Scott Anderson). However, I believe we are God's beautiful and unique creations and therefore can't all bend in the same way...there is no one way, or I would have probably given up by now! 

2) There is no one way to cook penne pasta.

Tonight, while I was preparing this week's Homemade Meal of the Week for Matt, he exclaimed, "should I grab a bottle of red wine to go with the pasta and red sauce?"

Now, I give him credit for taking the initiative on this one because based on our past dinners, especially while camping and hosteling in New Zealand, Matt would have been correct. We always dine marinara style. Not tonight! 

I used a white wine & olive oil pasta sauce, with a splash of grape seed oil once the olive oil ran out. 

I think the pasta, paired with a spinach, strawberry, walnut and feta cheese salad, turned out well and definitely spiced up our normal red sauce/red wine routine! 

A quick shout out to my Denver friend Stephanie and mom for the last minute cooking advice. BTW, if you get a 411 style phone call from me around dinner time on Thursday evening's it's probably because I'm in need of emergency cooking help :) 

Quote of the night: "No excuses!!!!" - Matt sang out in a Julie Child-esque, high pitched voice when I freaked out that the olive oil had run out and the meal was ruined.

No excuses is right...there's no one way.

I am grateful for...

Tonight I attended a Vinyasa II class at Vital Yoga in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver. I went for two reasons: to jump start my week with an intense yoga class and to attend one of Patrick Harrington's classes.

Patrick is the lululemon athletica Cherry Creek North January yoga ambassador of the month.

I personally love his classes and can't wait for him to teach at our store this Friday. Patrick always challenges me to try new poses and think deeper during my practice. He brings unique meaning to his yoga class by inspiring me to think beyond the simple, "what I'm having for dinner," or "who I need to email when I'm home" questions. Tonight he had us think about what we are grateful for.

I thought of several things that I am grateful for and I wanted to share a few with you.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR...

- Family (cousins, aunts, brother, mom, dad, family-to-be)

- Courage (I hope to nail a handstand someday soon!)

- Snow (the mountains finally got inches of powder)

- Chocolate (no explanation needed)

- My Mac (so I can communicate with all of you!)

- Water (I can't get enough)

- Indianapolis Colts (can't wait for the Super Bowl)

and finally...

- NEW Denver traditions (6 of us attended the National Western Stock Show Rodeo last Friday and it was a hoot!) Please enjoy some pics from the buckin' broncho event.

That's one hell of a cowboy trying to wrestle down the steer.

They call this event muttin' bustin' - it's young kids wearing helmets who try and stay onboard a sheep the longest - why didn't the Kiwi's think of this?

Rope the horns, rope the ankles.

I love this shot.

One heck of a jump!

Hard to capture how fast the horse is cruising.

Freestyle bull fighting = very entertaining/nerve wrecking

Can you imagine this scenario?

That's a wrap on the Rodeo. I'm looking forward to more night's like this one :)

My 'Yoga Inspired' Intention

I'm back! And have a new drive and intention for My Candid Gallery.

My blogging inspiration and newfound intention comes from my new hobby: yoga.

At the beginning of most of my yoga classes my teacher asks us to set our intention for our practice. Our intention is often something that is bigger than ourself, or perhaps it's thinking about someone that needs to be lifted up in a spiritual way during our practice.

I took the idea of setting my intention during yoga one step further and decided to set my personal life intention for 2010. I spent the last three weeks thinking: What do I want to do with my life? What do I believe in? Who do I want to become?

Luckily, I think I have some answers to these questions. Or, at least I'm on my way! My goal is to explore my life intentions further in 2010 and document my exploration in My Candid Gallery.

Now, I know Blogger doesn't always make it easy to comment on blogs, but I want to thank you all for at least reading My Candid Gallery in 2009. Thank you also for giving me flexibility these past few weeks to think about my personal intentions, goals and purpose for 2010. And finally, thank you for taking a look at your own lives and setting your own personal adventures and intentions. Perhaps the most exciting 2010 adventure is my dear friend Katie's life journey. She quit her Chicago job of five years, moved to Vail, CO and is spending the next few months on a "ski-batical." Her story is an inspiration and I encourage you all to read her Ski-batical blog.

Ok...here it is...my intention for My Candid Gallery in 2010:

To grow mentally, spiritually and physically as an individual (i.e. athlete, photographer, friend) through deeper understanding of the world of yoga.

Yup, you heard me right! I want to explore not only the practice of yoga but the lifestyle of yoga, the healthy way of eating while practicing yoga, sleeping for yoga, thinking and growing with yoga. I want to dive deeper into the spiritual part of yoga, the meditation of yoga and the health benefits of yoga.

So, here's blog numero uno: Health and food for the soul (necessary for a successful yoga practice), a.k.a My First Home-cooked Meal for Matt.

For those of you who don't know, I gave Matt a "gift that keeps giving" for Christmas:
One home-cooked meal a week for one year!

It's a tough goal but it's one that I'm excited to explore. Enjoy the pics from My First Meal.

Sweet potato fries close-up!

I baked chicken stuffed with feta, pesto and sundried tomatoes (kudos to my co-worker Sarah for the inspiration).

Matt, who normally cooks all meals, cleaned his plate! My first meal = success!!