Monday 15 September 2008

Body Combat

Well, I have to confess. I have just gotten back into the regular routine of going to the gym now that I can make it to class and have a little camaraderie!

In Dallas, you see, I was able to go early in the morning to the YMCA to Daryl's class before anyone else was awake in my house. This worked well for our family. Here is Scotland, people think something is wrong with you if you get up at 5:30 in the morning. The gym doesn't even open until 6:30 and there are no classes because no other crazies are up. So I could never find the friends to hold me accountable in the morning and also, wasn't quite enough time to get back home and get my crew rolling. (Scott lives on an island early in the morning before he's had coffee and put his thinking cap on so can't rely on him to rally the troops for school.)

So, back to my confession. Now that I've got a little extra time in my schedule, I can make it to classes at the gym after the morning school run! Yippee. So in Great Britain, there is a series of classes offered by most gyms and rec centers that involve some pretty hilarious moves. http://www.fitpro.com/bts/program.cfm?program=BODYCOMBAT

Monday morning, it's Body Combat. Well, that means fighting moves. All choreographed and neat and clean. Get the picture? So the instructor is yelling (over the pop music) to think of your opponent and really mean it when you strike! Like who is my opponent? The kids that may have bullied my children? the guy that cut me off on the way to school? Can't think of anyone today. Sometimes it's hard not to laugh in class! And anyone that went to Daryl's class with me in Dallas can attest to the fact that I am really not coordinated when it comes to choreography! On the step or in a combat class.

I am sleeping better and I sweat like crazy in the classes. So can't complain really.

So next time you are working out, doing whatever it is that keeps you healthy and clears your mind, have a laugh thinking of me fighting imaginary people in Scotland!

Pedal for Scotland and the Cairnie Fruit Farm

Scott and our friend Joe rode in the Pedal for Scotland bike ride (not race) on Sunday. It's a fifty mile ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The boys and I and Joe's family, Katy, Ethan and Noah, drove over to meet them at the finish and to picnic in the park. It was a beautiful dry day and they said the ride was a good one.





After lunch, we headed north for one of the best "days out in Scotland" that we've experienced so far. We went to the Cairnie Fruit Farm to run in the corn maze and to pick strawberries. If anyone needs a business model, their's is a brilliant one to follow. The farm is located outside the town of Cupar in the Kingdom of Fife. It has beautiful rolling hills and they provided all things a family could need for a great day! We enjoyed the corn maze, tractor/bike track rides, tractor train rides, hay bale maze climbing and hide and seek, in-ground trampolines, a jumping pillow and more strawberries than we've ever seen before!























And did I mention they have a cafe and a gift shop??? It was so much fun and we look forward to going back! We all ate our weight in strawberries while we picked. Even Scott who normally doesn't love strawberries, tasted one and said it gave him new purpose to pick!

We enjoyed strawberries and whipped cream after dinner. We enjoyed strawberries in our cereal this morning. The boys took strawberries for snack. I'm making strawberry cheesecake to celebrate Ethan's birthday (early) tonight and a pie is in the works for tomorrow! Yummy! so yummy! Life is GOOD!

Rugby 102

We learned a little more this weekend at Ethan's second match. His team won and he scored the last try of the match! Fun, Fun!







This is the scrum and Ethan is right in the middle. I think those are his legs reaching for the ball in the second picture.




Ethan after his try and with his friend Owen.