After running the Bay To Breakers with my dad. What a good example he was.

Finish line of the Spudman Triathlon.

In Idaho with my dad the day after finishing the Spudman Triathlon.

It’s the body image post, hurray! There are two types of body builds (in my opinion), heavy and light. Have you ever picked up a child and then practically thrown them in the air because they weight almost nothing, like they have hollow bird bones. Or picked up that child’s friend, or Porter, and felt like you were lifting a sack of bricks.  I don’t know the science of it, but according to my mother, picking me up as a child was on the brick side of things. I’m pretty confident that it runs in the genes, because Porter is no little birdy to carry around. I don’t think that’s such a big deal, but add to that some full hips and frizzy hair and it’s a recipe for a skewed body image. That was me in 5-7th grade. Then my dance teacher added the real cherry on top by asking me to lose 5 pounds before our upcoming recital. A word of advice, NEVER tell a 12 year old to lose 5 pounds. It was confirmed, I felt like a fatty.

Looking back on it, I was crazy to have been down on myself. In pictures I was perfectly normal and healthy, just not knobby kneed like my girl friends. Luckily, I was an active child and did sports through high school. So even though I wasn’t lithe and delicate, I was in great physical shape. Oh how beauty is wasted in youth! Then I went to college and started what has been a long decent to the where I am now. Very overweight and working my ass off to get back to “normal”. Let me tell you, that’s a long way to go from here.

Thankfully, I’ve been physically active most of my adult life by doing yoga, dancing, personal training, masters swimming, training for triathlons, teaching young children, currently running (not all at the same time). It turns out that the key to being healthy is eating right. And for someone who has a colossally huge sweet tooth it’s been hard to curb. I’m working at it and slowly but surly the weight is coming off. I also have the added bonus of having birthed my son naturally, which gives me confidence in my mind and body to accomplish just about anything. So, #27 may take awhile and I’m already working on it, but I’m excited to share when it’s complete.

1. Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
2. Spend time practicing yoga at an ashram in India, with my brother.
3. Join a choral group and sing with them regularly.
4. Tour all 50 states in an RV.
5. Visit Monet’s Gardens at Giverny.
6. Take ballroom dancing classes so I can ballroom dance for fun.
7. Travel to a far away destination by boat.
8. To be exceedingly generous to my family and friends.
9. Write a book.
10. Complete all three courses designed by BKS Iyengar in his book Light On Yoga, over the prescribed 300 weeks (5.7 years). 
11. Go hang gliding.
12. Catch a baby being born.
13. Champion a cause – out of hospital midwife assisted birth.
14. Have a garden worthy of a Sunset Magazine photo shoot.
15. Fit comfortably into a coach class airplane seat.
16. Throw a huge party and invite all of our friends and family. Dancing included.
17. Go on an epic solo adventure. 
18. See Alaska by train.
19. Blow glass.
20. Visit Lapland, Finland to celebrate the Solstice with the Midnight Sun.
21. See the Aurora Borealis.
22. Be debt free. With the exception of a house mortgage.
23. Visit The Farm and hear Ina May Gaskin speak. Better yet, meet her in person.
24. Treat common colds/illnesses/ailments holistically, before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.
25. Live next to a body of water (ocean, lake, pond, river, whatever).
26. Visit, meet and learn from the Amish.
27. Be in supreme physical shape.