Bootie Shorts Only!

I crawled WAY out of my comfort zone this weekend and attended a Bootie Shorts yoga class at my beloved Hot Asana....Months ago I bought a pair of teeny tiny bootie shorts but I had never even worn them around the house.

The class description read "This is the day to face our body image fears. We are perfect...right now. RIGHT NOW! A special class dedicated to being fearless..bootie shorts only and self criticism NOT ALLOWED!"

So this was an excellent opportunity for me to face my fear, embrace my body, and accept myself RIGHT NOW. Walking from the car into the studio was hard....I might as well have been wearing a swimsuit walking down the street. But once I got inside my self-criticism melted away as I saw bodies of all shapes and sizes! And smiles...all around! And women who are loving themselves, embracing themselves, and being awesome!

So I placed my mat next to my friend who graciously came along....and for the next 90 min I sweat, bended, and twisted....in bootie shorts! And not once did I feel embarrassed!

The phrase that I took away with me from this class that has been running through my mind since: Let go of that which no longer serves you.

I am letting go. Letting go of everything that has held me down, brought me down, inhibited me...Letting go feels SO good!

I can neither confirm nor deny that this is my bootie.....

What has been holding you back? Keeping you stuck? Keeping you angry, sad, or scared? What has kept you feeling not good enough, not fast enough, not strong enough? What can you let go of today?

Back to Reality...

Kinda. The cold hard truth stinks sometimes. All good things must come to an end...Vacation is over, and has been since Sunday. Sad, sad....sad.  I've been completely swamped and overwhelmed since Sunday and this is my first chance to sit down and take a breather.

LB and I had a great time at the beach. We had planned on going for morning runs and evening walks along the beach. We did get at least one of either each day, except for Sunday. The first day LB was not very in to it and about 3 minutes in began complaining of being hot, tired, out of shape, dehydrated, dying....But eventually he got it together (when we got passed by a mom and her little girl about the same age) and ran about 2 miles. That was our max during our time there.

We had lots of fun swimming and playing volleyball with the biggest volleyball in the world....

We watched fireworks and were thoroughly impressed by the Smiley Face....

 We dug holes and built castles...

And of course we took lots of Selfies...I'll spare you most of them...

And just when things are falling into a nice steady summer routine things get flipped upside down. Plans for races and long runs, yoga and kayaking are put on hold for now. In the words of my ex-husband, "Sometimes it takes a near death experience to show you what is important in life." LB and I headed home early on Sunday after getting a phone call that LB's dad had been in a very bad motorcycle wreck. We packed up our beach stuff, still slathered with sunscreen and covered in sand we made the 2 hour drive to the hospital.  I had no idea what to expect when I got there but it's never a good sign when you walk in and are greeted with no questions and taken straight back to The Room. It's no secret I can't stomach seeing people hurt, in pain, or bloody. I really wasn't prepared for what I saw and I know LB was not either. After a few passing out spells, some ice water, and some serious mental fortitude I was able to be more assistance than a hinderance. 

In the end he is ok. Not good, not fine, but alive and miraculously has no head, brain, neck, or spine injuries. His recovery will be a long process.  Despite being the ex husband, he is still family, still LB's dad, and I cannot help but help him. So I've been quite busy this past week and have just now finally been able to sit down and let it all soak in. Here is what I have been reminded of: 

Life is short and tomorrow is not guaranteed. 

And motorcycles are stupid. 

I know, duh.....

3rd of July~

Is it July already? Where is this summer going? I've hardly gotten a tan, it's been raining everyday...I've got PNW weather without the perks and benefits of living in the PNW. Ugh. And all this rain is killing my garden. My watermelon is holding on, growing a tiny bit. I've not been able to hit the pool much either due to the weather. Although I did make it out Saturday for a short 1200m swim. I had time to run Monday morning but with "deadly cloud to ground lightening" I rolled over and went back to sleep until 9. This morning I opted to pack my car up so I could head out from work, straight to the beach. I feel ill-prepared for the upcoming July 20th triathlon (that I have yet to register for) but I feel compelled to register and do it...I might get last place.

I am excited about this being a short week. The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday!

LB and I are heading to the beach for the long weekend. I'm pretty excited and he has promised to go for morning runs and evening walks on the beach with me, if we get around to it. A friend asked me what we were going to do...Um, hang out and do nothing. That's what the beach is about. It's about sitting back and letting go. There is nothing to be done; no To Do list, no appointments, no schedule...it's beach time. 

What are you up to for the 4th of July? Any family traditions or favorite things to do?