Happy Halloween!

 Trick or treating tonight! The kids were so excited, especially to be sharing the experience with their cousins and friends. It was a chilly, but bearable night, especially as they were essentially sprinting from house to house. One of the best parts of being a parent is seeing the simple things that you loved as a kid again……through the eyes of your children. I had the fun of volunteering at the bigs halloween parties today, running the games at one and the craft at another. Luckily their classrooms are directly across the hall from one another, so juggling both was relatively easy. I had Jake with me as Nate had conference calls, so he got to benefit from seeing both sibs and participating in all of the parade and game/craft fun. 

 The begging brigade. A motley crew of cousins and friends. They  had a great time running around my brothers neighborhood after a party at their house, bobbing for apples, playing pin the tail on the skeleton and other fun, having a great dinner, and then setting out for the evenings trick or treating. It was perfect. 

 The donation bag. We let each kid pick 10 pieces of candy from their loot. Their sorting party was hilarious. They dumped it all out, sorted it by type, and very methodically chose their 10 pieces. The rest gets donated to an organization collecting candy to send to our troops overseas. As we weren't home to give out candy, I hadn't bought any (because of where we live we don't get many TOT'ers). We got home around 8:30, and as the kids were sorting and I had turned on our lights when we arrived home, we were shocked when the doorbell rang. I turned to Nate, worried? No candy? I opened the door to two girls, about 12. I was about to explain that we hadn't expected TOT'ers…….(literally we had just gotten home and my brain was scattered)……..suddenly Jake and Jules ran up to the door with 4 pieces of their own candy yelling "Happy Halloween" giving them their own candy. I was so proud of them (while also being ashamed of my dumb brain.). Problem solved. I love the generous hearts my children have. 

So! It was a great Halloween. I taught this morning at 9:30 at crossfit and it was a great class, all women, and one is a friend from the club, the other two have become friends through classes. Its a "deep stretch" class where they are coming straight out of a WOD, so they arrive breathless, sweaty and generally hurting. I ask them whats hurting, and then do what they need. Today? Lower back (deadlifts), and psoas pain. Easy. I have a  great new starting sequence that I love starting in childs pose,  ~ great spinal twists and waist opening/oblique engaging lengthing postures, a carpal tunnel opener (dear lord these WRISTS on my cross fitters ~ the forearms and wrists need so much help!) a deep shoulder opener using two blocks up tall and sinking the triceps onto them, in a puppy pose variation (its delicious), then we went  right into our first hip opener in that switch foot pose forward fold. Up into downward dog, and we spent exactly zero time in standing postures. Bent deeply down into a twisted dog, Stepped forward once into a forward fold, rag doll, swept up high, then folded right back down. Halfway up, rolling the shoulders back and pulling the navel in, and placed the hands on the mat, stepping the right leg back long. hung out there in a runners lunge for a bit, letting the weight of the torso sink into the right knee, letting the left leg be long. A twist, a stretch back onto the back knee opening the hamstring. Walking the left foot to the left side of the mat for lizard lunge. Settled in. From there into half pigeon, first reaching back with the left hand to the left foot, drawing it up and in towards the butt. Twisting the torso and allowing the left shoulder to open. Gently releasing the foot, walking the foot over to the right side of the mat, walking the hands back all the way to the pelvis, elongating the spine, looking up, engine the back muscles and centering the weight over the hip…….then sinking forward into half pigeon. 

Delicious.

Same thing other side. A nice 15 minute seated floor series including tortoise. a seated pigeon with a twist variation, a back bending chest opener and some more forearm work where we incorporated some neck openers. then down to the floor. Happy baby, dropping a leg and taking both hands to one foot and driving that knee towards the mat. Repeating other side. A deep twist with eagle legs. Happy baby in between . A short shavasana as this was all happening with a lot of chatter in between ~ they love this class because they aren't there for a spiritual sort of experience but for a true deep stretch. In the middle of class I jumped up and went to the wall to show a student with really tight hamstrings one of my favorite new hamstring stretches against the wall (sits bones grounded into the wall, feet out away from the wall, legs dead straight, feet grounded, head hanging, totally relaxed. 3 minutes a day, and you will be amazed at the opening. 

Long story, but it was a great day. My hip was killing me when I woke up this morning, so I myself needed the class. I went to the Y and got in a great workout of stairs and bosu/weight, then a million errands. 

The uncertainty? 80 people have been laid off in Nates division in the past 24 hours. We were fairly certain he was fine……..but you never know in times of transition…..and these are our friends. Our good friends. This sucks. THere is a lot going on with us, a lot to think about, a lot of good opportunities here and there and everywhere…….but the challenge is in sorting through them. Head down and press on and study and talk to everyone you can and really really evaluate quality of life stuff and priorities and all the rest. 

Keep the faith. 

Trust. 

Namaste, friends. Happy Halloween