Good weekend for the Towpath

It seems like lately all I've wanted to do is update you guys on my medical issues, and while I have had quite the string of weird events lately, I will spare you. Instead I wanted to share with you some beautiful pics from a trip husband and I took the other day on the towpath.

It was so nice to finally get out and walk.  We headed over to the Ira Trailhead and followed it to Everett.  We ended up doing 3.5 miles (well just a bit over that) and swung unto the farmer's market that's there as well when we finished up. Picked up some delicious watermelon! Yum!

I've never been on this leg of the towpath, and because of the issues I've been having lately, we decided to take it slow and really just enjoy the scenery.  It's amazing what you see when you stop and slow down!

I'll let the pictures walk you along with us!

Berries.  I know, not super exciting, or unique.  But they were so ripe and red -
again, not somethingI would normally notice! 

This little guy was just hanging out, enjoying the sun.

Lily Pads, sans frogs :(

Cardinal, playing hide-and-seek with us. We won. 

This blue herring was beautiful!

What did you do this weekend to enjoy the weather?

Related articles

• Deep Lock Quarry Exploring (fallingoutofplace.blogspot.com)
• Hikes, Arches and More Fun Stuff - Arches National Park, UT (travelpod.com)

Gorge Metro Park

Hubs and I decided today would be a great day to check out another park.  We settled on Gorge Metro Park.  Neither of us had been there and from looking online, there were quite a few paths you could take.

We got there and originally were going to take Highbridge trail, so we parked on the regular lot and just walked over.  We started walking, and walking and walking, and were totally bored.  It wasn't even remotely interesting to look at. So we turned around and decided to take the Gorge Trail.  It's a level 3, and I can now see why.  Especially after all the rain, lots of mudsliding going on.

There's a part of it that is washed out, so we walked part way through it, an turned around (since we'd have to anyhow). All in all we walked about 3.3 miles and really had a great time outside. It would have been nice if it were a tiny bit warmer, but we survived regardless.  This and the Deep Lock Quarry are two that we want to go back to and check out again.

Husband doesn't leave home without his camera, so he snagged a few pictures.

The water was beautiful!

The water made a pretty wooshing sound! ;)

Husband, resting

And since he was resting, I took the camera! 

Thank gosh for a handful of fences, Im pretty clumsy. 

Yoga - My First Day

I was sitting on the couch last night after my interval training for the Weight Watchers Walk it Off Community Challenge plan and boom - I felt everything I had done that day creep in.  My neck was sore, my abs hurt when I coughed (who even knew they were down in there under all this flab?) and my legs, oh the legs.

I talked hubs into giving me a neck massage, and took a motrin and went to bed. This morning, not so surprisingly, I'm the same sore, and I know tomorrow, it will be even a bit worse. Why you ask? Yoga.  I went to my first class in quite a while - and I struggled.  Who knew just stretching could be so difficult?

I went to Yoga Bliss in Akron, and had a great basic instructor. She was fun, helped guide me, and helped offer modifications so that I didn't overwhelm myself.

Why Yoga?

That's kind of easy.  Yoga is known to have so many benefits:

• Promotes overall flexibility and strength and increases your energy flow
• Promoting health and well-being, as well as peace and balance
• Helps increase metabolism and assists in weight loss 

And, most importantly, for me anyways:

• Builds mental focus and concentration.

So I figured I'd give it a go.


I walked into the studio and everyone right away was super sweet and nice.  I got my stuff put away, form filled out and got a spot in the back of the room so if I totally failed, at least I wouldn't be center stage for everyone.

The room was a nice size, and the class was a nice balance (about 5-6 of us).  The instructor explained everything, walked around making sure we were doing it right, and offered props and modifications. I really appreciate her attentiveness. I feel like right now if I learn something wrong or a bad habit that could possibly injure me, it's going to happen now that I'm learning, so I want to learn it right the first time.


A few poses I can do and enjoy (in no order - and I think I'm referring to them correctly.. who knows):

• Bridge
• Locust
• Cobra and upward facing dog
• Cat-Cow
• Child's Pose (though personally for me, it's not relaxing, it's uncomfortable.. maybe due to my weight and stomach still..)
• Chair
• Warrior 1 and 2
• Tadasana
• Uttanasana 
• Eagle - I'm semi on this, I kept losing my balance

Poses I am doing modifications to:

• Downward Dog  - I do NOT have the strength to hold my body weight on my arms and legs like that.  I did table pose instead pretty much for most of it. If it's a short hold, I can handle it, long holds of it I can't and didn't want to force myself
• Plank - No one likes a plank, but when you  have core strength, they are a lot more enjoyable.  Me - not so much.  So I did a few, and then modified it by doing it on my knees. 

Pose I didn't attempt:

• Crane

And my favorite:

• Final corpse

How can you not enjoy laying there and relaxing? ;)

So... The final verdict. Will I go back? Yes, I'm going back this week. And next Saturday I have a meditation class I'll be taking as well.

I figured I'd give it 11 classes (so I bought a package of 10).  If I still don't love it, or don't feel as though I'm benefiting from it after that, I'll stop. But I wanted to give it a fair shot.  And I will stick in the beginner class for quite a while. :)

Related articles

• What's Your Least Favorite Yoga Pose? (fitsugar.com)
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• The Mind and Body Benefits of Yoga (everydayhealth.com)