We’ve talked about 2017, why I’m excited, what I’m working toward, how I’m getting empowered for an awesome year!
Even though I talked about how weird / unusual / scary 2016 kind of was, there were some really great moments and some really amazing things that happened! Let’s revisit, shall we?
I kicked off the New Year with my loves out in the snow! Such a perfect day!
We opened Flex & Flow! This week we celebrated our one year anniversary of opening our studio. It’s hard to believe it was a year ago, but at the same time it’s hard to remember a time without this amazing place and our incredible tribe!
Portland’s Snowpocalypse2016 resulted in a layer of ice that coated the entire city. It took Caitlin and I an hour and a half to walk 14 blocks to the bank to pay rent, and then we spent the rest of the day binge watching Making a Murderer and Breaking Bad!
It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve only known Nicci for a little over a year now. She’s such an important part of my life. She and I work side by side on most things Flex & Flow and Sweat Pink. I see her, practice with her, drink coffee and / or wine with her, and confide to, laugh with, and hug her almost every day. Jamie, Nicci, and I are nearly inseparable! And I think this picture is the first yoga picture the three of us took together!
We had a great ski date this day, including powder, snowball fights, and group singing and beers at the top!
The Yoga Pearl holiday party was so much fun! I got lots of laughs and photobooth fun with girlfriends and had my first tarot card reading.
My dad retired last year! In celebration, we took two daddy-daughter ski vacations together. The first was to Park City. We didn’t have the best snow (45 and sunny in February is not ideal ski conditions) but we had such a great time together! Until I had to drive through a blizzard to drop my dad at Alta and then take myself to the airport.
Fall 2015 and winter 2016 was a little bit of a bust physically for me. I severely sprained my ankle in the fall, and then proceeded to displace a rib in January. Finally being able to get back to regular activity was amazing! This year I started run commuting a lot, which I absolutely loved!
My dad and my second ski trip was to Colorado! It was great to have all the reunions in Breckenridge and return to Telluride! The snow wasn’t that great again, but knowing the terrain definitely came in handy and I was able to hike up high and get some amazing runs in! It was an amazing homecoming…
I got to participate in some amazing photo shoots with some incredibly talented photographers this year! Including Stark Photography, Matt O Photo, Kate Daigneault, Christy Cassano-Meyer!
Caitlin and I roadtripped to the Painted Hills, one of the wonders of Oregon! We stopped on the way to hike the Blue Basin ridge, made it to Jurassic Park (aka Painted Hills) in time for golden hour, and then stayed the night in Redmond, OR. We made sure to get a hike in the next morning before heading back to Portland.
I had some amazing birthday celebrations this year! All the wine, pizza, and cake with friends for this girl! [Side note: Morty the Labradoodle also came into our lives this year! What a little muppet baby!]
Shortly followed by another great night out for Caitlin’s birthday with this crew!
The Portland Sweat Pink crew went to Seattle for the 5k kick off of the United Relay!
Even amidst all the craziness, I still managed to squeeze in some hikes as the weather started to get better in the spring and into the summer.
A girl’s trip to wine country for Harris’s birthday perfectly lined up with an unusually warm spring weekend.
I went from coast to coast on Memorial Weekend. Caitlin and I spent the holiday weekend up on Bainbridge Island, and then I immediately flew to meet my parents at our beach on the North Carolina coast for a week.
I did Acro Yoga for the first time this year! I’d played with it a little bit before, yes, including the “airplane” with my aunt when I was little. But hosting our Acro workshops at Flex & Flow this year was the first time I actually took a class and played around with it.
Jamie, Nicci, and I led breathing and meditation for repellers during The Skyline Challenge in downtown Portland.
Caitlin and I hiked Munra Point this summer!
I was so honored to be asked to teach at International Yoga Day Portland, leading about 100 yogis through a flow in the Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. First time I’ve ever taught hooked up to a mic!
We loved having a booth Mississippi Street Fair! Yes, we were the ones doing squats with a t-rex.
BlogFest was in LA again this year. The unicorn squad (aka #sweatpink team) rocked out a week of sweating, blogging, gramming, and booth-babing FTW!
Just a few days later, Jamie, Nicci, and I headed to Indianapolis for Fitbloggin. I had no idea what to expect about this little city, but I gotta say, I was really pleasantly surprised! We ate really well (even back when Nic was still vegan), and got plenty of East-Coast-level-sweaty runs in exploring the river, arts district, and Mass Ave. It was great seeing some SPAs at the conference, too, and rocking out some Zumba, as always!
My parents came to visit in August. We hung in Portland some, but I made sure to also take them to Bend this time. And we got to SUP in Hood River, too (yes, all the SUP-ing all the time with my parents).
Alyse came to visit! We did all the yoga (she hadn’t been to town since we were building out the studio), and ate all the things! Oh, and we discovered McConnell’s ice cream together. Thanks, Nic and Jamie!
Jamie left us for 6 weeks in the fall to go to Bali and complete her 500-hour teacher training. I have nothing more to say. Kidding… We missed her terribly!
The Portland lululemon put on Tales of the Taper, an event featuring prominent figures in our community and how they learned to calm the eff down. It was great to hear that slowing down doesn’t mean you can’t be a badass.
We discovered the photo booth at Victoria Bar!
Between all the work, travel, trailrunning, and yoga, we made sure to include time for summer adventures! [Clockwise starting top left: Rooster Rock, Angel’s Rest, Forest Park, supping the Columbia, Cannon Beach, Arcadia Beach, Mt Hood, Harry’s Ridge at St Helen’s. ]
I took Caitlin home to Asheville! I loved getting to show her my hometown: hiking up on the parkway, lunch with one of my best friends from college, dinner at Curate, yoga at Asheville Yoga Center, a show at the Grey Eagle…
And then the holidays happened to us. We had so many things going on for the holidays with work, and planning for a lot to kick off in January, so this time seemed to just fly by!
We had an amazing Friends-giving celebration all weekend long, including the first annual Flex & Flow Turkey Trot!
I got to spend a week with my main man! Oh boy all the snuggle parties…
I’ve only gotten two days in the white fluffy stuff, so far in winter 16-17. But I’ve had plenty of chances to brush up on my ice skating skills in town… We had two more Snowpocolypse2016 episodes before the year ended that totally shut down the city.
A big-time highlight this year was getting to go home for Christmas! This Christmas was so special for so many reasons:
- It was my first Christmas in North Carolina.
- It was my first Christmas at the beach (I’m always in the snow!).
- It was our first Christmas with just the three of us. (Four! Nobody tell Tori I didn’t include her in the initial family count.)
- My parents had no idea I was coming home! SURPRISE!
Unfortunately I got sick the day after I got home. Weeks of not sleeping or eating properly, incredible stress, and travel caught up to me in the worst way. It started with a sore throat and fever for three days, then moved to congestion, then to a cough in my chest and a fever, then a chronic cough, then I lost my voice. I think, after 10 days, I’m finally on the up and up. But needless to say, I did not get to ring in the New Year in style and celebration. It was rung in with snot, tea, and sweats, but I did have my bestie by my side watching movies with me all weekend!
Looking at the highlight reel makes me grateful for a wonderful year. It helps me remember the positive moments, the laughs and adventures, not the stress and uncertainty and pain. So I’m choosing to move into this week, into this new year with all those wonderful moments filling me up with light and love.