Massive Update

So, I needed to make a massive update. There is SO much that I want to post and etc, but I always want to post PICTURES! And it never happens that way. SO I might as well just update.

The Car.
So no, I didn't end up getting a hybrid. :( Unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards due to money. I probably could have gotten a used one, but for some reason, I felt uneasy about it, and I liked the new Civics a lot. I ended up getting a regular Civic, but I'm hoping that one day when money isn't so tight that I can get a hybrid. :)

The Pets.
Poor Moochie, he recently got a urinary tract infection and the vet's thinking it could be cystitis. We were originally using World's Best Cat Litter for him (which is still a great brand) but I found that it created WAY too much dust for my taste. I would find yellow paw prints everywhere! So I ended up switching to Swheat Scoop which is basically the same thing, but with wheat instead of corn. It produces much less litter, and I think it hides the odor better too.



On top of that, I found a litter box deodorizer (plain baking soda didn't always cut it.. my cat's stinky!) called Mrs Meyers that is basically baking soda with essential oils. I found it at Target too :)



On Food.
So my boyfriend has been having dietary problems and after some poking around, we thought it could be dairy related, so we've eliminated dairy from his diet. So far so good, but it is SO HARD trying not to eat dairy because our culture puts cheese on EVERYTHING. Plus that's his favorite food. :( So we've been experimenting a lot with foods, and tried Namaste Waffle and Pancake Mix which was really good! We used egg substitute too, and rice milk, which the recipe calls for, and the waffles were yummy! I'll try and post more recipes and things we're trying out :) Also, during my research, I found this website, Go Dairy Free. Lots of interesting information on why we should consume less dairy as a whole. I think ANYTHING in moderation is better for you.

On Relaxing.
For a while now, I've been wanting to get a massage just to relieve any stress and loosen up, and my friend wanted to take a spa day so I agreed and went with! We chose to go to Ecotique because of it's claim to "natural ingredients" although under further inspection, their products still contained parabens and other things that aren't good for you, their salon is very nice. Great service, although a bit disorganized. I enjoyed my massage a lot - she told me I was tight in my hands and feet, although it was easier to relax my feet than my hands. Perhaps it's due to using my hands all the time?? :P



For the record, none of these images are mine. :P

I guess that's all for now... at least, all that I can think of! I'm going to try to update more, and not feel bad for not always having my own images to post. :P

Yoga for the Mind

(image from nowandzenlodi.com)

Something that I've been trying to get more into lately (and I even got my boyfriend to take a class with me, which he really enjoyed!) is yoga! Yoga is really relaxing, but REALLY hard at the same time - it's so much about strength, flexibility and balance.

There's actually a yoga studio in Pacific Beach that offers free yoga classes on Sundays here in San Diego. I found out about the class through one of my brides, who said that she takes 4 classes a week after someone commented on her toned legs. This studio also offers surfer's yoga, which my boyfriend was all over, and would like to try the class out. :)

I think everyone should try a yoga class at least once! Some beginning classes are harder than others, but it's definitely worth trying!

Harbor Biking

Around Valentine's day this past year my boyfriend and I wanted to go out, and I came up with the idea of biking around the San Diego harbor. It would be a great way to get some exercise, take in the city, and have little to no impact on the environment!



We rented bikes from bike-tours.com. You can rent a bike for about $30 a day - the only drawback was that the bikes had to be back by 4:30pm - they were actually nice enough to extend it 5pm for us instead. :D

We originally wanted to do the harbor bike route down to Coronado and take the ferry back, but that was a 25 mile ride, and we weren't going to bring the bikes back in time. So the bike shop suggested we bike down to the Cabrillo Monument on Point Loma, which is only 11 miles.

We started biking, and it was a beautiful ride, down Harbor Drive. Watching the life, the harbor and the skyline. It was refreshing - I haven't biked in years, and I loved feeling the wind in my hair!



Unfortunately, we didn't make it down to the monument, instead, we stopped at Shelter Island, had a mini picnic there, watched the boats and biked back. :)

This was definitely a fun way to spend the day - we actually want to buy bikes now! Biking for leisure is totally fun, you get exercise, and you get a different view of the city! I'm so used to driving all around town - especially downtown, that it feels and looks completely different on a bike. It's an awesome feeling and I recommend it to anyone!