Good Saturday, Good Friends

I have been meaning to try Zumba for quite a while.  But I'm not coordinated.  I'm a klutz! However, when Karen invited me to help attempt to break the world record for biggest Zumba class, I decided there was no better time!

It was a beautiful Saturday in Phoenix and the event was held outside on a soccer field.  Sadly, we didn't even come CLOSE to beating the 6,700 person current record...there MAY have been 100 people at our event.  Regardless, it was a lot of fun and a good little workout.

I didn't wear my headdress;

or my belly dancing skirt;

or my mask and cape.

But I also didn't fall down and didn't make TOO big a fool of myself!

Afterward, Eric and I took our dog, Cyrus, over to Karen and Rob's and their dogs Midas, Zeus, and Atlas.  The boys were funny...all territorial and macho!  But I think they all liked one another.

 

 

We humans drank good wine and played fun games.


















Have you played Cards Against Humanity?  If you're not easily offended it's a fun game!






It was a very good Saturday spent with very good friends.  Hope you all have had a good weekend as well!








“It's just the most amazing thing to love a dog, isn't it? It makes our relationships with people seem as boring as a bowl of oatmeal.”
― John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

Girl Time / Spa Day

Not that we ever really need a reason to get together, but birthday's do create a good one!  This weekend 3 of us girls met up at the beautiful Fairmont Scottsdale Princess hotel to celebrate Karen's birthday.  We signed up for a great deal via Travelzoo for a full day at the spa, including a 60 minute massage, lunch, and a glass of sangria. 

We started with an Aerial Dance class which was a blast!  Think clumsy girls on Cirque du Soliel silks, lots of spinning, and lots of giggling!

 
After our class we changed into our big, comfy robes and relaxed for a bit in the Eucalyptus Inhalation Room.  Then we enjoyed our light lunch and sangria and lots of catching up and girl talk.

 
Finally, we went to our separate rooms for hour long massages...heaven! 

It's no secret how much I love my girlfriends; and days like this just bring us closer together and create great memories.

Now, if only we weren't bruised and sore from the Aerial Dance!  ;0)

Happy Birthday Month, Karen!





"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each others worth." - Robert Southey

Asthma

According to Web MD, "Asthma is characterized by inflammation of the bronchial tubes with increased production of sticky secretions inside the tubes. People with asthma experience symptoms when the airways tighten, inflame, or fill with mucus."

Lovely, right?

And nearly 34 million Americans suffer from asthma. And I'm one of those people.  I guess I'm writing about this today because back in November I got sick...be it the cold or flu, I'm not exactly sure...and today, January 17, I am still coughing and wheezing abnormally.  Now, to be honest, the boxing class I did this week seems to have stirred things up, so maybe vigorous exercise was not the very best idea.  But that just sucks.


One might think that 42 years of suffering with asthma I might be used to it by now.  It's a funny little affliction, though.  I can go for weeks without feeling any symptoms and then...BAM...out of the blue it shows up when I least expect it.




Now, over the years it has become more manageable for me.  Thank goodness for modern medicine!  I remember as a toddler having to drink a thick, yellow, awful tasting theophylline liquid.  As I got older it came in capsule form.  But even in my early 20's I would miss a week of work suffering from attacks.  I had a nebulizer I would pull out when it was that bad.  That thing always scared the cat.



 




Cat.  Yes, I know.  My doctors shame me every time I mention that I have a cat...and now also a dog!  But I'm an animal lover!! And 80% of the time they don't bother my asthma!  But that other 20%...ugh.

In my 30's, my miracle drug came out...Advair.  It has truly changed my life.  I very rarely need a rescue inhaler anymore.  However, Advair does come with a "black-box" warning that my doctor stresses about each time I visit: "may increase the chance of severe asthma episodes, and death when those episodes occur."  What does that even mean?? It HELPS my asthma!  And death is always a risk during an asthma attack.  I'll continue to take my chances.

 I'm not writing an advertisement for Advair, here (although I gladly would!).  I guess I just wanted to put my ailment out there.  Maybe others will respond as to how they deal with their asthma.  Maybe you'll forgive my incessant throat clearing, ahem.  Maybe you'll understand when my next cat is a Devon Rex! 

The Champ?

Don't get used to this 2 blogs in a row stuff!  I just happened to do something this evening kind of worth blogging about.  Usually my weeknights consist of The Bachelor or The Real Housewives (don't judge me).

But tonight, oh tonight.  I've been driving past a new addition to our neighborhood for a couple of months now...telling myself that I need to get in there and give it a try.  And tonight I got my ass in gear and did it.

I went boxing.

And I learned that boxing is not for me.

Well, let me quantify that statement.  The actual boxing portion of it was quite fun.  I was using new muscles.  I was getting out some aggressions.  I was feeling quite "tough" and "rough" and, perhaps even "scary"!  A force to be reckoned with!

HA!

Wait, back to reality.  There was more running, squatting, push-ups, burpees, jumping-jacks, and mountain climbers than there was boxing.

Yes, yes, I'm the same girls who completed 60 days of Insanity.  BUT!  (and this is a big but...not MY butt...be clear) BUT, that was in the privacy of my own home.  Which means I could look stupid and only the cat and dog (and occasionally Eric) could see.  It was in the privacy of my own home where I could sit down in a chair and curse at Shaun T while he urged me on.




Tonight, however, was in front of others.  There was a REAL "Shaun T" telling me to punch harder, jump higher, squat lower.  <sigh>

Well, I can say I did it.  And that's about all I can say.  Other than the moon in the purple sky was a nice sight to walk out to! Oh...and I supposedly burned over a thousand calories...cheers to that!

In case you're interested:
Title Boxing

My First Photography Convention

First, I haven't blogged since 4/21/13...so much for THAT New Year's resolution!!

Second, I have to give a shout out to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for RECOGNIZIN' Breaking Bad and Bryan Cranston last night!  Woo hoo!

Finally, the matter at hand, it's a new year and a time to recommit!

I haven't even thought of blogging for quite some time.  What I do think of is my photography.  So, this weekend I went downtown to attend the Imaging USA photography convention.

 In my opinion, this conference was more for the portrait photographer.  They had a lot of information and sales geared toward lighting, backdrops, props, etc.  However, some of it did apply to my preference of photography...architecture, landscape, macro, etc.
























 I picked up a lot of information on printing.  There are so many different types of paper, canvas, block, etc.
  

 

I heard a lot of advice regarding blogging.  Blog, blog, and blog some more!  Even if no one is commenting on your blog and you feel that no one is reading it...blog.  Key words are...well, key!  Someone may be searching for 'photo paper' right now and if I make that a key word (since I mention it here) it could get them to my blog, which in turn could get them to my Etsy site.  By the way, my Etsy site can be found at www.BrittanyWright.etsy.com.  ;0)

I did a lot of dreaming!  Oh the lenses money can buy!  Now I just need to start playing that damn lottery!

 

 

  

 But in the end, I only purchased a pretty new camera strap and a camera pouch to just drop my camera into when I'm not using it. 

 

And I scored lots of swag!

        I'd say that overall it was a great day!



Some links to some of my favorite photography places:

Imaging USA
Bay Photo
Adorama
Canon
Mod Camera Straps