Odds and ends

It's been a few weeks since I've posted so here are a few odds and ends that have been going on...

1. We went to Austin last weekend. Austin is a cool city. It's no wonder it's rated one of the best places to live in the US. The city somehow embraces white trash, big Texas culture in a way that makes it classy. For example, you'll find trailers in the middle of town serving incredible BBQ, and they're jam packed with folks partaking of the goodness. Austin is a big city, but it still has a college town feel to it. You'll see people wearing Longhorn orange everywhere you go. You'll also see people wearing dorky Texas flag shirts, but somehow it's cool, nobody judges. A drive through downtown at night will present you with bustling clubbers and concert goers amidst glowing vintage lit up signs. And during the day, city parks are filled with thousands of people exercising, enjoying the weather (oh the amazing January weather), and basking in the grass while eating the BBQ they picked up at the trailer shack around the corner. I also really appreciated the diversity (I live in the suburbs where there isn't a lot of diversity). I liked Austin.

2. I changed my shampoo. I went to Ulta last week to take the plunge and go for Pureology. But I just couldn't do it. First of all, I don't color my hair, so I don't need product for color treated hair. Secondly, a 10oz bottle is almost $30, that's not including the conditioner. The sales lady recommend AG Hair Cosmetics, but they were out of the moisturizing formula. I live in Denver. It's DRY as a bone here - I need the moisturizing formula. So I went with Back to Basics. I LOVE it.

3. It's cold here. The high today is 0 degrees F. And it's the middle of winter. It's hard to get out and exercise so Ben and I have turned to dancing. He loves to salsa, so we turn up the salsa station on Pandora, and get our groove on in the living room. It's a great workout. I love being married!

4. I got a job. I'm working for the Douglas County School District as their Wellness Coordinator. I'm managing a CPPW grant through which I am responsible for coordinating and promoting wellness activities for the district. My primary focus is on student wellness initiatives, but I also work on staff wellness. This is a pretty cool job because I get to work on policy development and program planning as well as be a part of the implementation aspect in the schools.

5. I'm almost done with my MPH degree. Phew! We're looking at the end of the summer or perhaps December, depending on when I complete my thesis. Wahoo!

6. I go to CorePower Yoga here in Denver. I like the classes and the warmth from the hot yoga. But once my 10 class pack is used up, I'm going to switch to their Yoga On Demand online classes and stream it through my TV so I can do it in my living room. That's going to save time and make it much more convenient. And it fits my budget better. And maybe Ben will join me. I'll let you know how it goes.