Herding Cats

I'm not sure where this new "Cat Herding" fascination comes from..but there are 2 recent commercials that have just this topic.  One is for EDS:


The other is for Ikea:


I personally much prefer the Ikea commercial..as it really shows the behavior and personality of cats.  The EDS commercial is a little silly.  Anyways, just throwing it out there..because I thought it was interesting that there were 2 companies using this idea.

Power Yoga Venture

This week I ventured into a Power Yoga class with one of my co-workers.  That's one of the great things about working at the YMCA, you can be working one second, change your clothes really quickly and begin a great workout without even leaving the building!  It's made building a workout routine into my day much easier!

Anyways, this power yoga thing is much harder than one would think.  I was expecting this slow, meditative yoga...and power yoga is totally different.  You move constantly, going from downward dog to cobra...and many other positions in between that I cannot even begin to pronounce.  My body still aches, in a good way though..and mainly in my arms and back.

My experience reminded me of time I spent with my friend Sonya, her sister, and her mom growing up.  I spent the summers with them and we would go with her mom to yoga class.  I remember them standing on their heads and doing other weird poses...and not understanding why one would want to do these things and be SO QUIET!!  But then again, I was 7 or 8 and just wanted to play.

My first experience was great and I definitely plan on continuing this journey.  It's pretty great and totally different than my normal workout routine:  cardio! cardio! cardio! and a splash of weights here and there.

Missing the Great Outdoors

I love being outside...and yes, I even like to sweat.  Something I really miss about Tennessee (and Georgia for that matter) is the landscape.  I loved being able to drive 10 minutes and be able to do some really great hiking in the woods.  Those tall trees provide some great shade, making your hike much cooler than just walking in the sun.  I haven't been able to find a place to hike, quite like the hills of Tennessee.  Last fall I was able to go on a really long, great hike with my family and it was so perfect!  Here are some pictures from that hike that just remind me of the amazing hills that I still consider home.

View of those tall trees.

At the start of the hike..man my hair was short!

Dried up creek crossing.

Trickling water from another dried up creek.

View of the lake we were hiking around, some of the leaves had started to change.

Sunlight hitting those pretty green leaves

Top of the climb, looking across the lake.

I'm headed home this week for my good friend Sonya's wedding.  I'm thinking I may have to hit the trails one morning and soak in all that beauty.

New 2010 penny

I was in my car this morning and noticed this different looking piece of change in my change holder.  It was the back side of a penny, but it was different the the 2 backsides I knew of.  The first, original penny back has the Lincoln Memorial on it.  The second has Lincoln sitting on a log with an ax. But this third...it is much more simplified.  It has a large shield on it.  I was curious as to the origins of this new design and after little research found a page with a full description.  Turns out, this penny was released just before ole' Abe's 201st birthday.  So, here is what this new penny looks like, and a little bit about it:

New 2010 penny

So, this is the Union Shield, meant to resemble the unity of the United States and a celebration of Lincoln's ability to keep all 13 original states unified.  There are 13 stripes on the shield..to represent the original 13 states.  The top of the shield is one large band, representing the federal government.  This large top band has the verbage "E Pluribus Unum" inscribed, which means "Out of many, one."

This penny, to me, is very simplified.  I have always loved the old, Lincoln Memorial reverse..and the fact that you could see a TINY little Lincoln sitting in it.  Anyways, interesting history is always found on our coins.

Sseko Designs

While browsing another blog (Wide Open Spaces), I ran across this awesome company working in Uganda called Sseko Designs.  Sseko Designs employs Ugandan women who are transitioning between secondary school and the university.  The company is designed to help these women pay their tuition for school...something that would be virtually impossible otherwise.  The women work for about 9 months making these really cute sandals and then continue on with their education...and then a professional career.  What an empowering message this company has!

One of the women who works for Sseko.  Read her story.

One of the sandal designs.

I love companies that have a good purpose behind their product.  Women's education is definitely a wonderful thing!