Homecoming

I know, I know...it's been awhile...

I won't bore you with excuses - truth is sometimes even the best intentions in life get sidetracked. So, I will just say that it has been a very full year and a half since my last post ;-) In that time, I was laid off from my job, traveled to Europe for the first time on a 10 day tour of Paris, started back at SF State to finish my B.A. in Marketing Communications, and I have been working on my own as a Marketing/Communications/Social Media consultant. For the past year, I have also served on the board of directors of Casa de Milagros, an orphanage in Cusco, Peru. As a result, I had the opportunity to travel back to Cusco two more times - this past January for one month, and recently for a three month trip that I just returned from in August. I am currently taking 5 classes at SFSU in an attempt to graduate (once and for all) this December...

Whew! I felt exhausted just writing all that down! ;-) It has also helped me again realize that - while I have yet to meet my fitness goals that I set out to accomplish at the onset of this blog - I have indeed been moving forward in other important areas of my life, and I am ok with that. However...since being back from Peru - I have to admit that I let my "vacation mode" go on a little too long, and as a result, have a few extra pounds to show for it. The challenges of traveling are many, and I know all too well the amount of physical, emotional and mental stress I have been through the last few months.

I am ready to reset, recharge, and regenerate!

This past week I have finally felt "settled", and more grounded than I have felt in months. I have reinstated some wonderful habits such as cooking at home, working out on a daily/regular basis, and clearing my calendar so that I can spend some time at home. I was also able to get in a couple of yoga classes - which truly are invaluable.

The thing I missed the most and which affected my nutrition greatly was not having my own kitchen and not being able to cook for myself for three months. So, yesterday I went shopping for some amazing organic produce, and last night I tried an amazing new recipe: Quinoa Carrot Zucchini Casserole It turned out so good that I am making a double batch again today so I can stock it and have it on hand for the week ;-) So much healthier, tastier, and cheaper than anything I could have eaten at a restaurant...

So - I AM BACK! ;-) Looking forward to wrapping up 2010 with a bang - stronger, wiser, and inspired from the lessons and experiences of the past year, and ready to kick my butt into shape!!