Hey, hey! I’m in the midst of the pre-trip crazies. Lots to accomplish in a short amount of time. I’ve probably tried on 50 pairs of casual shoes and have yet to find my match. I’m going to head out and look again in a little bit here and I have some Birkenstocks being delivered from Zappos tomorrow. The only thing that worries me there is that I won’t have time to break them in and apparently that’s important for Birkenstocks. I think I might just be wearing my tennis shoes around Europe. 😉
I didn’t get much accomplished over the weekend because we were in teacher training for the majority of it and also had social plans/events. It might not officially be summer yet, but it sure feels like it. All of the kids around here got out of school last week. I am loving the warm weather and long days. This felt like the first of many fun summer weekends to come!
Tanner kindly took the evening shift with the TTs on Friday and sent me home to relax. I took the girls on a long trail walk and it was a great way to unwind from the week.
I picked up around the house and cooked dinner. I seasoned chicken tenders with a few different things and then pan-seared them. On the side I made white basmati rice from Lotus Foods cooked with coconut oil and sauteed cruciferous crunch and baby portobello mushrooms from Trader Joe’s. Simple but hit the spot.
I slept in a bit on Saturday and then found myself in the mood for peanut butter toast. After eating this, I found myself in the mood for a run! I guess because this is one of my favorite pre-run breakfasts.
I ran 4 very humid miles before heading to the studio to teach.
After class, Tanner and I had lunch at Namastay Kitchen where I had our salmon lover roll with a seaweed salad.
Our TT shift wasn’t until later Saturday afternoon so I grabbed a cupcake from Sunflour and headed home to play with the girls and let them out. This was strawberry cake with lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream and it was AMAZING! I love strawberry cake so much!
We spent a few hours with the TTs doing a posture clinic where we broke down all the basic standing postures, proper alignment for them and common faults. After TT we got dressed up and headed over to Dorie’s for her daughter’s graduation party. Her daughter is heading off to college next year and we will miss her! She’s worked for the studio for years in different capacities and was the youngest graduate ever of our TT program!!!
On Sunday morning I met a girlfriend for another easy four miler. Puppy cuddles after.
I made brunch/lunch for me and Tanner when I got home. Other than the seaweed salad, I ate zero veggies on Saturday so I was craving some greens! I made a side salad to go with our eggs and bacon and also served fresh berries with mint and basil.
I took a quick shower after brunch and was cracking up at Zoey. She is a velcro dog and follows me everywhere. She always comes in the bathroom with me when I shower but this time she nestled herself right between my running shoes and on my sweaty running clothes. Dogs are just the best!
I spent the afternoon with the TTs working on sun salutation a and b and got them up and teaching for the first time. I always love watching them teach for the first time ever. Such a special moment!
I had to teach from 4-5 and then got ready for a family dinner with Tanner’s mom and step-father. We snacked on this spread while we chatted and caught up.
Dinner was heavy on the veggies, which I was so excited about! Grilled salmon, salad and asparagus. We had an outdoor picnic and it was so nice to enjoy the fresh air.
Okay, time to tackle those last-minute errands! Send me good shoe juju.
What did your weekend look like? Any graduation parties?
Best thing you ate over the weekend?
Do you dogs do things like lay on your sweaty, smelly workout clothes!?
I got new Birks the week before we went to Ireland – walked & biked all over creation with no issues. I did wear them around the house (in socks, ha) for a few days leading up to the trip.
Awesome to hear! We shall see. Fingers crossed!
I highly recommend TOMS canvas classics. Bought my first pair recently and wore for 3 days of nonstop walking and sightseeing around Paris. They required zero time to break in, have arch support, look cute with dresses or jeans/shorts/yoga pants, and at under $50 can’t be beat. A great option for when you don’t want to look super American and wear sneakers as a tourist 🙂
I just got the gold canvas tonight! I had an old black pair that finally had to go to the trash so excited to welcome them back. I did have to size down so I hope they stretch a bit and I get just the right fit! 🙂
Jen,
I backpacked around Europe years ago but wore a pair of Rockport sandals and they were great! Worth checking out. Have an awesome trip!!! Can take wait for the recap 🙂
Thank you! And yes, I will give you guys all the details! 🙂
Oh gosh I remember my first time teaching yoga ever…what a trip! This looks like a magical weekend 🙂
Right!? I wish I had it on video!
Yes! My dog loves laying on my clothes and eating my socks. If they are sweaty, all the better!
Ha! Love it. We had a boston terrier growing up that slept IN the laundry basket.
Good luck on your shoe quest! You do definitely need to break in Birkenstocks. If you take them with you, just make sure that you only walk short distances with them until they are molded to the nuances of your feet (you will know when that happens, because they go from being awkward to being awesome). They are worth the wait, but it can’t be rushed. I know you’ve bought Toms before–do you have a pair of those that might be suitable for walking? They are also easy to slip on and off at airport security! 🙂
Thank you Claire! Yes, I think I will go short spurts if I take them with. All my yoga friends assure me that they become crazy comfy after they are broken in. We will see! All of my Toms are currently wedges or heels but I did just buy another pair of flats tonight! 🙂
Have you considered chacos? They are amazing!!
Hi! Just chiming in but I’ve spent alot of time in Europe and they are honestly the trensetters for wearing sneakers with street wear. (Think Nike free and more minimalist types of sneakers). I’d recommend pinteresting it for inspo but I wouldn’t worry about the whole sneaker thing at all! You can totally rock it. Have fun!
Everyone in Europe wears sneakers, albeit usually fashionable ones rather than regular running shoes. Nearly every woman in Paris was wearing Adidas Stan Smiths, even with really dressy outfits. The idea that Europeans don’t wear sneakers is very outdated travel advice – so if you bring a cute pair of sneakers you’ll be fine!
I think you’ll be ok with the birks! Those shoes are the awesome. Love mine so much! My weekend was full of birthday celebrations on the water. It was beautiful and SUNNY. I don’t hate that the summer weather is already here! However until its’ before 7 I can’t get myself out there to run. It’s hitting upper 90s in Baltimore! And I imagine you guys have way more humidity than we do!
WOMAN! BUY SHOES IN EUROPE!!! Come on… any excuse to go shopping!!!
Have a great time. Can’t wait to see the pics.
birks can be broken in quickly, with some attention to detail and care. there are pages and pages online, but the gist (and what i’ve found successful) is you need to bend and twist the footbed with your hands before you start wearing them. i end up using the floor to press against their stiffness. don’t get too crazy, but give it enough pressure that it moves things around. the birks don’t take as much breaking in as your foot needs to get used to the new support. that’s where things get trickier, and like others have said, definitely don’t go all day your first time out. with your feet accustomed to long distance running, i’m sure you’ll do fine. most folks having trouble with birks have very weak feet to begin with and take a while to build the strength these shoes are designed to build. good luck/have fun!
I remember the first time our TT instructors had us teach Sun A. We’d only been in class for a short time by then, and I was super nervous – but looking back, I’m grateful they did it that way. It broke the ice of understanding how to teach (v. listen), and the ongoing opportunities to do those short exercises was so valuable.
Good luck packing for Europe!! Comfortable shoes is a must!! Where are you going!?