I spent another weekend in Kingsport, Tennessee leading a 200-hour yoga teacher training at Vida Hot Yoga. It was weekend #4 of 8 so we are officially halfway done! It’s been such an incredible experience and I love the studio and my trainees so much.
This is a terrible picture but I had to share it because it’s just so cute! Friday morning was a crazy whirlwind of trying to get packed and ready to take off for Tennessee. At one point I had Finn IN the laundry basket (with clean laundry, of course!). Clearly he thought it was a fun time.
My organization game for this trip was not on par with previous weekends. I brought snacks but no packed meals so I stopped in Asheville at Whole Foods on my way there to get lunch and pick up a few things for the weekend. A pumpkin chocolate chip cookie and a whole milk latte fueled me through the remainder of my drive.
Oh traveling with a baby……… 🙂 The front desk team at the hotel is so helpful and accommodating. I am very grateful.
After our Friday evening session at the studio, I came back to the hotel and ordered a room service hamburger. I hadn’t had a burger in months and was craving one. This tasted great going down but after eating it at 9:30 at night, I had a little food hangover the next day! As you guys know, I eat a lot of sweets and sandwich-y type things but not a lot of red meat or greasy stuff so I was struggling a bit after the burger. I’ve been weird with red meat ever since pregnancy. I still haven’t shifted back to really wanting or craving it very often.
Saturday’s teacher training day went so well. I taught at 8 a.m. and then we had a special guest teacher who is also from Charlotte. She is a yoga teacher and an ER doctor and she did several sessions on yoga for stress and anxiety and talked to us a lot about the nervous system and how to use breathing exercises and mindfulness to balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. I really enjoyed learning from her and it was a treat to get to participate in some sessions instead of lead them! I even got to do a deep stretch practice with her. It was heavenly!
Back at the hotel that night, I opted for a lighter dinner of Panera’s “You Pick Two” with a soup and salad. I love their Autumn Squash soup!
Sunday morning started bright and early with a 6:30 a.m. wake up call and 7 a.m. check-out and breakfast at the hotel. We were at the studio by 7:45 for a led Ashtanga practice.
At one point during the day, I brought Finn in the studio with me to nurse while my TTs were teaching warm ups. He LOVED watching everyone doing yoga. It was the cutest thing. He was going absolutely crazy.
During our lunch break I took Finn for a stroll around downtown Kingsport and then came back to the studio to find that the owner brought me a peanut butter milkshake from Pal’s, which is a well-known local burger place. The milkshake was so yummy and they make it with real peanut butter!
After an afternoon session including an in-depth discussion on vulnerability and a book they were assigned to read, Finn and I packed up and headed back to Charlotte around 4 p.m.
We were able to drive straight through without stopping and were home around 7:30 p.m. I was starving but my fridge was BARE! I made a turkey sandwich and heated up some leftover brussels sprouts that I had roasted late last week.
And my dog/house sitter is the best ever and left me a mini pumpkin cheesecake/pecan pie hybrid. She also organized my pantry while I was gone. It was so nice to come home to. <3
I was really tired from the weekend so Finn and I both slept in until about 8 a.m. this morning. It was very needed. I’m now off to sub a yoga class at the Y.
Hope y’all have a great Monday!
What desserts are you baking for Thanksgiving? My dad and I are trying to decide!
Favorite milkshake flavor? Last time you had a milkshake!?
Anyone else have pregnancy aversions that continued past pregnancy?
I always make chocolate-pecan pie, it’s my dad’s favorite! I might make your pumpkin bars, too, those are so good!
I can’t remember the last time I had a milkshake, the peanut butter one sounds good!
The pb milkshake sounds so good! I don’t have them very often but the last time was this summer at Shake Shack. I had the salted caramel and loved every sip.
I’m still debating my baking list, but I think it’s going to be an apple pie and the pecan pie bars that Jo Cooks posted last week. I’ve had really good luck with her recipes.
My cat sitter never leaves us cheesecakes! Clearly I am missing out. 🙂 Glad you had a fun and safe weekend.
I have yet to have anything pumpkiny this season but I don’t like pie or traditional pumpkin bars so I think I might try a granola or crumble to serve with ice cream.
After both of my pregnancies I was anemic for a bit. Now 2-1/2 years later (and not pregnant) I am anemic again. Seems like I remember you talking about this at one time. They have me on an iron and b-complex supplement but was curious if you did anything else. I also don’t eat a lot of red meat (an adversion of it during pregnancy that still lingers).
Sadly – coffee! It made me feel nauseated and somehow *more* sleepy when I was pregnant! It’s still hit or miss whether I can drink it now and not get sick. Major bummer!
Such a happy baby! When he gets older, he will love these adventures you and he go on together, and will be able to remember them too!
I just had the Panera you choose two myself, and had the exact same thing you did!
For thanksgiving, I will make a banana cream pie for my brother in law, and pumpkin pie too.
I always make a trifle dessert! They always look so nice and it is fun to think up different flavor combinations.
Oh my goodness I can’t even remember the last time I had a milkshake! One sounds good right now though!
Ugh I still have not regained my love for sushi. When I was pregnant I was totally turned off to fish and it still sounds kind of gross.
Feta…oh god…the thought of eating feta while I was pregnant made me instantly nauseous! It finally went away when I was 6 ish months postpartum.
And my fav Thanksgiving dessert is pumpkin cheesecake. Oh She Glows has an amazing one in one of her cookbooks…it’s so good!
I’ve seen you write about having sadness/guilt sometimes with not having a traditional family unit…please don’t. I see so much beauty in your life’s adventure with your son. What a special relationship and unique bond! My heart melts seeing your pictures and reading about your journey.
I used to live in Kingsport and we took a Pal’s milkshake to my mom in the hospital after she had my little brother. That was 25+ years ago. Glad to hear it’s still going strong!
I just wanted to tell you as a fellow new mom that I read your posts and am amazed by how much you do with Finn and how great of an example that you are setting for him. You’re so inspiring to me, and your positive outlook is incredible.
My daughter also sat in the laundry basket. I put a folded towel under it and pushed her around on the wood floors “really fast.”
Not an aversion but I basically fell in love with cantaloupe while pregnant and now I still enjoy it. Prior to that I would normally pass on it !!
OMG that laundry basket story is the best!