kapachino

Category: things i love

  • Fat Burning Yoga

     

    yoga1

    I’ve always been an active person, but throughout my life my main form of exercise has been playing soccer. Even after I graduated from college I continued to play on adult leagues, indoor and outdoor. But the games are either late on week nights or on Sunday mornings. I can’t stay up late anymore because of work, and I won’t miss church to play soccer. So this past year has marked the first time in my life that I haven’t played, and I am in significantly worse shape now because of it.

    Even though soccer involves a LOT of running, I’m just not a runner. I tried to be for awhile, and at times I do enjoy it. But I’d rather do other forms of exercise, like bike riding or even weight lifting. But one thing I’ve discovered that I love to do is yoga.

    A friend of mine introduced me to this yoga video (back when it was on VHS) in college, and I immediately liked it. I eventually bought it for myself, years later, on DVD this time. Lately it seems that it’s the only kind of exercise I can get myself to do.

    I like it because it’s only about 40 minutes long, and I can do it no matter what the weather is like. It’s not too strenuous, but afterwards I can tell that I’ve done something. It works my entire body, and includes strength-building with stretching. It’s fun, and you get to hear Sarah Ivanhoe mispronounce the word “forward” and say things like, “the light in me salutes the light in you.” 

    I’m still not in great shape at the moment, but David and I have once again told each other that we’re going to start being healthier AND save money at the same time. Ambitious, right? Do any of you have a favorite exercise video or routine? How do you get yourself to be active?

  • Cute Socks

    socks

    Before I became a nurse I was really excited about the prospect of wearing scrubs every day. And I do admit, they are comfortable. Also, it takes me no time at all in the morning to pick out what I’m wearing. The biggest decisions I have to make are: Do I want to wear a white or black undershirt? Do I want to wear the scrub top that buttons down or pulls over my head? It’s pretty great.

    However, it comes with a price – UTTER BOREDOM. At Methodist, there is only one color of scrubs we can wear, and it is called Caribbean Blue. This is what it looks like:

    scrub

    Not a bad color, really, but it gets old. Fridays are great because we can wear whatever color we want. That’s when I get wild and break out my navy blue or light pink. I’m a rebel, I know. If you visit our church on Sunday, you’ll spot me because I’m the one in heels and a dress, relishing the chance to wear something different for a change.

    So anyway, lately I’ve been buying lots of cute socks. My whole life I’ve mostly been a neutral sock kind of girl, wearing mainly white or whatever color matched my shoes or pants. But I’ve discovered that a sock with a little color, stripes, or design can give my day a lift, even if no one notices but me. And sometimes, on my unit, that can make all the difference.

  • Obsession: ChaCha

    I heard about this on NPR last week. ChaCha is kind of like a search engine for your phone. All you do is text a question to CHACHA (242242) and real live people search online for the most accurate answer to your question.

    My first question was: “What flowers are in season in Houston for an October wedding?”

    Answer: “For a fall wedding, pick from these flowers to use: aster, chrysanthemum, dahlia, marigold, static and zinnia.”

    It’s really helpful because of the human element, and I don’t have to wade through a bunch of results to find what I need. It’s free except for your phone plan’s text messaging rate.

    Try it!

  • Obsession: Del Monte Fruit Chillers

    My classmate Lauren has been bringing Del Monte Fruit Chillers to lunch almost every school day. I’ve heard her recommend them to several people. So when I was grocery shopping today I picked some up. I’m so glad I did. Obviously I like them enough to dedicate an entire blog post to them. But let me tell you why.

    Buy them on the canned fruit aisle, then freeze them. The result is a cold, creamy, fruity treat. There are three flavors: strawberry, raspberry, and mango. They taste like a smoothie with a slightly more solid consistency. And I LOVE smoothies, so that is a high compliment. Furthermore, they are fat free and have 3/4 of a serving of fruit. Seriously, if you like fruity stuff, you really need to try these!

    No, Del Monte is not paying me to endorse their product. So what if I occasionally obsess about certain things I like? I have previously dedicated entire posts to Mounds bars, Dove body wash, and my washcloth, just off the top of my head. It’s the little things, people.

  • The Nickel Creek Concert: One Less Thing To Do Before I Die

    I will admit, I haven’t been to a ton of concerts in my life, but I’ve been to some. And seeing Nickel Creek live last Friday, something that I have been wanting to do for years, was the best live music experience I have ever had in the quarter century that I have walked this earth.

    First of all, the band graciously requested a no-smoking policy at the club they performed in. That was wonderful. And thanks to some friends of mine who got there REALLY early and let us stand in line with them, we got to stand on the FRONT ROW. Which, as Lauren said, is the only way that counts. This band is raw talent. And they’re funny and personable, and my own age. I sincerely wish that this wasn’t their last tour.

    Here is a picture to prove to you how close I was:

    Here is the set list (the photo is upside-down to increase readability):

     You can see the rest of my pictures here.

    The only bad thing about the whole night was that we had to stay on our feet for six hours straight, and there was a LOT of waiting beforehand. This was not in the least bit pleasant, but it was worth it if only for the moment when they went off set list for the very last song and played “The Lighthouse’s Tale” instead of “When You Come Back Down” due to crowd request, after which ensued the most amazing crescendo of awesomeness that I forgot to close my mouth for longer than is socially acceptable. I have found myself wishing to be back in that moment many times since then.

    So yeah, it was a pretty good concert.