Sunday, August 29, 2010

Justin's Wedding


My cousin Justin married his long-time girlfriend Lindsay this summer in the beautiful Mount Hood mountains near Sandy, OR. They started dating on July 28, he proposed on July 28, and so naturally, they married on July 28! Who cares if it was a Wednesday? We liked their attitude. So, Pat took off of work so we could go celebrate with them as they united in marriage.

The location was stunningly beautiful. The wedding was quaint and simple, and seemed to fit their wishes just perfectly. Enjoy a few snapshots from the day, captured by my Dad! Congratulations Justin and Lindsay!











Saturday, August 28, 2010

Stroller Strides

Stroller Strides is a franchised fitness program for moms based out of southern California (I believe). You might be thinking, big deal? Well, for me it is. After having a baby and moving out of state in a months time, I was undergoing many new changes in life (happily) but I was incredibly overwhelmed. Meeting people is not something that comes easily for me. I have to really take myself out of my comfort zone in order to interact and socialize with new people. I spent the first several months of Quinn's life just snuggling with him and meeting his basic needs. Although I didn't recognize it at the time, I was beginning to lose my sense of self.

When I saw that there was a local fitness group for moms and babies I was desperate enough to meet new people that I decided to give it a try. Working out and staying healthy is important to me, and so I felt like if nothing else I would get a workout. I had nothing to lose.

I participated in my first class at the end of November last year, when Quinn was about 5 months old. I was immediately hooked. Missti, the trainer for the Redmond franchise was warm and welcoming, and she gave me a wonderful workout. In addition, she planned monthly "Mom's Night Out" events and weekly crafts after class for kids. I signed up for a monthly membership immediately.

Since joining the Redmond Stroller Strides it has only continued to grow, and Missti continues to outdo herself. I believe she has about 90 members and she offers morning and evening classes. Her objective is to not only give moms a great workout, but to provide a social outlet for moms and babies as well. I could not be more grateful for finding this group. I have met some incredible moms and babies through this program and have been motivated (or coerced) into running a 10K in two short weeks. For a non-runner, this will be quite the challenge for me!

In the past few weeks there have been some changes in my life that have prevented me from being able to participate in Stroller Strides, and I am missing it terribly (hence the post I suppose). Hopefully I'll be able to start to fit it back into my schedule soon.

Missti has been nominated as Instructor and Franchisee of the Year. I haven't participated in any other franchises, but I can't imagine a more deserving candidate. Below you can view the videos that she had to submit as a nominee. If you are a mom with a stroller aged baby, I highly recommend finding a stroller strides near you! :)