Hey friends! Just popping in for a Friday post to say HI! It’s been a full, busy and kind of crazy first week back after our amazing trip away, but it’s also been good to get back into the routine. I’m excited to return to clean eating (ahem – more or less – see below for a little cookie binge – think: delicious dough aka a bit of over indulgence!), steady work and investing in our community here in Calgary.

On that note, here’s the video that Mikey made of our sailing trip (since it wasn’t posted in the trip recap’s post)! It’s a bit long and of course mainly meant for those who went, but it sure gives you a glimpse of what our time was like and why we do what we do! (It starts with still photos and then moves to more video – including a HUGE pod of dolphins with footage of them underwater, cliff jumping and heeled sailboats!)

STE 2012 Sailing – Discovery Islands from Mikey lang on Vimeo.

Here’s a look back at the week’s events!

The Return of “Fat Tuesday!”

With a return to fall means a return to some normal routine for many people, both students and working adults alike. One of the returns for us and a group of our friends is the return to reuniting over weekly meals, talking about life and praying for one another. It’s intentional community and it’s a beautiful thing! We call it “Fat Tuesday” because we eat good food, drink good wine and have a jolly time. It’s a little tounge-in-cheek, but moving on past the title of our group, it’s such an amazing lift to all our spirits to connect mid-week and support one another.

This year, we’re splitting up into two groups because we’re growing (and because we want to grow more and be able to invite more people!) and are excited to see what God will do among the group as a whole and as we connect more deeply in smaller units.

Cookie Consumption…

I made these delicious puffy peanut butter cookies from Jessica for a going away gift for Ryan, a co-worker who’s moving on from the gym, the other night. They were a hit with the crowd! It was fun to contribute something to the group goodbye and I knew they’d at least be more than edible because I didn’t “healthify” the recipe at all! If you haven’t checked out Jessica’s blog, you must – she’s an amazing writer whose passion for food (mainly of the sweet variety, but her savoury eats are great too!) comes through to create a fun-to-read, great-tasting blog!

Spin for Belo – a fundraiser

This week held a fun thing at work: a spinning fundraiser for a group of our staff going to Belo, Ethiopia. Belo is a village that our club supports; three dollars from every member’s monthly dues go to the village and this trip is a chance for some of the staff to see what life there is like and be able to relate that to our members. First of all, how cool is that?! Secondly, while I’m unable to go (I’ve had my fill of traveling over the summer and Mikey and I are entering a work/focus/save money portion of our lives, I think!), I did participate in an all-day spin to help raise awareness for those going. Two people spun for 1/2 hour or 1 hour segments with pumping music on right at the club’s entrance from 6 am to 7 pm all day!

Staff and members alike biked away (in my half hour I biked 12.9 miles – no idea if that’s good or not because I NEVER spin – but loved it!) and over $1,000 was raised just from money dropped off! What a cool event and a cool club to be a part of.

Speaking of work, I’ve been using my in-between-clients time to get some workouts and runs done at the gym. I was moved by many I saw via twitter running miles in memory of those who passed away on September 11th, so I decided to run in every break I had (some an hour, some less) to get 9 miles in for the 9th month.It was a neat experience and made me more thoughtful on my run. I was thankful I had wore my Zensah compression socks that day to work on a whim!

Yesterday, the day after a good lifting session, I felt like moving but not doing a run or bike (especially after my half hour of spin – short but sweet that day!). So, I grabbed one of my favorite cardio and conditioning tools and got jumping! Here’s what I did:

Anything new or exciting to share on your end? I’d love to hear it, especially as work’s been busy and I haven’t had time to catch up with many of you (readers, bloggers, local friends, family alike!). Have a great weekend and I’ll catch ya on the flip side!

Live well & be well,

Bonnie