a bit of balance - and GIVEAWAY!

as you all know - i have been dealing with finding a bit of balance in my life. between work, launching anoragrey.com, training (well, overtraining) for triathlons, qualifying for nationals, and did i mention work - i have been searching for just the thing to help to balance and revitalize myself after suffering from lots of exhaustion. the solutions - always taking sunday off, ensuring proper eating patterns, and yoga + stretching ...

the main  focus. yoga and stretching. seriously, finding time to stretch is a huge challenge, but is important for not only athletes but everyone, providing some down time to regroup (but do stay away from your console tables while balancing - those corners hurt)... sooooo, that is why i chose just tri's first giveaway!!!! an eco friendly yoga mat!

how do enter:  leave comments to recommend your favorite way to take some down time, reconnect and revitalize yourself, and a winner will be chosen at random  9/15.

i cannot wait to hear your suggestions!

happy 94th birthday grammy loucks

today is a day to celebrate one of the strongest women i know, my grandmother.  today, she is 94 years old.   she is the epitome of strength, the definition of jovial, unbelievably sharp,  proper,  proud, silly, and has a laugh that fills a room.  she loves fashion, and the color purple.  she manages to pair her beautiful diamonds with costume jewelry, and makes is look sensational and effortless. she sewed her entire wardrobe as a young lady, and gentleman said to my grandfather, 'how can you afford to keep her". they would simply giggle.  she was married to my grandfather 48 years before he passed in 1987, and lived independently until a few months ago when she fell, broke her hip and compound fractured her wrist. this was not the easiest transition for her to move out of a home she built her life in, raised my father and uncle in and built every lifes chapter thus far in;  but for a woman who wrote the definition of strength and optimism - this too is something that has become yet another chapter in her life.

this home was the place of tradition where family gathered every christmas and easter. it is the reason tradition is so important to me today, and why i still find it challenging living in atlanta -- far, far away from my family, my first home, where i was born and raised in new york.  she is a woman who took her maiden name as her middle name when married in the 30's. upon asking her about it, she said of course, why wouldn't i have? just one more thing i love about her - a woman ahead of her times.

interesting little fact - upon my husband and i  announcing the date set for our wedding to our family - gram said "i am so excited. not only is that the same day your grandfather and i got married, but it is the same time, as well".   simply amazing!

she was married to the love of her life.  she said she knew she was going to marry him from the first time they met. she speaks of him with a glimmer in her eye and a smile on her face.  there is one particular story she loves to tell about how they used to love to dance.  my grandfather would dance over to her to get her to come dance with her.  dancing side to side from across the room with a smile on his face.  they simply adored each other, and had a love that you read about is novels.

i am so grateful to have been surrounded by so many amazing,  inspirational, and strong ladies. my grandmothers, and mother.

here is to my amazing grandmother on her 94th birthday.

Gram celebrating at her 90th birthday party.

Gram and Grandpa before by dad was born. LOVE this picture

gram around 12 years old. so beautiful

a huge garden club fan - of course she modeled in their fashion show!

my husband and i on our wedding day, the anniversary of my grams wedding, wearing a piece of her veil in my hair.

My dad and his mom (my gram) celebrating her 94th with her favorite- ice cream!

gram on her wedding day

gram up at cape pond - their camp. 

silly gram celebrating at her 90th birthday.

gram my husband, and my other fabulous gram

the sensational laugh at her 90th.

love this. wedding, celebration, and my dad and uncle as children (looking like trouble).

the ultimate endurance

i am thinking today of my husband, who 5 years ago decided to take a strong hold of his life, to go against the norm of a cushy, corporate job with no real passion; to a life back in school - 5 years of endurance training so he can spend the rest of his life being enthusiastic and passionate about what he is doing.  the ultimate endurance.  a quote came across my email today stating - "We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about." Charles Kingsley.  interesting thought, Mr. Kingsley.  and oh so true.

if you read this blog, you most likely have trained for at least one endurance sport, or you are just amazed by the sport, and enjoy the sheer motivation factor.  you train anywhere from a few months or longer depending on the sport, and then the ultimate reward - the race.  you endure the training, to then endure the physical, emotional, and mental challenges of the race.  you  celebrate your accomplishment, pushing your limits to the max, relive the event for a few days, reassess your goals, rework your training to better your splits, T times, etc.  but could you imagine spending 5 years enduring your training, with the ultimate reward being one race  - graduation 5 years away? beginning your practice is so far away, there is not even much of a dot of light at the end of the tunnel? sure, there are pieces of the puzzle that begin to line up along the way, and provide a few 'ah ha' moments - but the true reward is so far in the distance.

today, and for the next two months - a lot of his race training is finally coming together.  final national board exams, working with numerous patients who are lining up to work with him and cannot wait for their next appointment. his phone is ringing off the hook. his talent is being realized.  this chapter of his 5 year long ultimate endurance challenge is just about complete, and then onto the next.  living and speaking your dream, passion and enthusiasm into reality.  phase 2. introducing my husband as Dr. Jorge Ahumada. Chiropractor. specialist in physical therapy, biology, and nutrition.  perfect for this triathlete.

here is to your ultimate endurance race and you have already finished ahead. i tearfully say,  i am oh so proud and amazed by your strength.