30 Day Challenge: Day #1

My 30 Day Challenge is off to a great start! So far I've not only met my goals, but I've added a few more!

BREATHE - Today I combined BREATHE and MOVE which won't always be the case. I didn't check my phone or bring music to the gym at our apartment complex. The gym, I am embarrassed to admit, has become somewhat foreign to me these days and although I am quite familiar with proper lifting techniques (any modern day bride can tell you how to look your best in three months flat) I eased into today's workout. A respectable 45 minutes later, I went back to check on my sleeping puppy.

MOVE - After my workout, I took Markley on a mini-walk outside. She really isn't supposed to be outside because she hasn't been fully vaccinated yet and both the Austin Humane Society and her Vet scared the bejesus out of us with all of their parvo horror stories. I was sure to not allow her to eat other dog's excrement - ew, like I would allow that even if she was vaccinated - and she seemed fine with my standards of walking etiquette. She even got to romp around with another little puppy about her size which was so cute and probably a big no-no, but I didn't care. She was having fun and I was thrilled she wasn't teething on me for once.

Also, while I was outside, I started chatting with a guy running a small bootcamp right next to our complex! The people looked like they were having a blast, the group meets Monday through Thursday at 11:00am (perfect for those stay-at-home-pet-parents like yours truly) and it's only $40 for the month! BAM. I'm in.

CONNECT - Today I had the best connection one can ask for - good old fashioned, face to face, woman to woman, real and simple, honest to goodness lunch with a new friend. It's funny how you can meet someone and feel like you've known them forever which is definitely the case with my lunch buddy. We were seated at the same table at a California friend's wedding this past summer and seven months later now live ten minutes away. The world works in mysterious ways and already I am thankful for our friendship. After our first time hanging out with her and her husband, Brian and I said "Don't you feel like we've known them forever?" And ten minutes later we got an email from them saying just that. Some things were just meant to be!

BLOG - Well, as I'm sure you've noticed I did a little Spring cleaning on the blog and picked up a new name while I was at it! I thought it was time since our Santa Monica days now seem like years ago, not weeks. I will always, always be thankful and proud that we were at one point the Santa Monica Luskeys, but you can't move forward if you're looking back.

COOK - One unwritten goal I added post blog post was to cook new and healthy recipes Monday through Thursday for the next four weeks. I have a tendency to get into food ruts, I've mentioned before I can make anything with a pound of ground turkey, but I wanted to push myself a little bit more. Given my love and appreciation for food and my curiosity for what goes into my restaurant meals, it's about time I start remembering some eat-out faves and try to replicate healthier, homemade versions. Tonight's dinner (with the help of my sous chef, Central Market) we had israeli couscous, grilled chicken and greek salad.

The best way to describe the results of Day #1 is: FULL. I feel full and productive and inspired and relaxed. I don't feel like I wasted my day or anxious about not having chosen a career path. I just feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be and taking things at the right speed - one day at a time.