Things I Love Thursday

Inspiring People - The older I get, the more important it is to me that I spend my quality time with people who inspire me. People who inspire me to be a better person, writer, friend, athlete. My judo senseis are currently my biggest inspiration with the wonderful work they do with the disabled and impaired. I really hope that one day I love my work and help people at the same time as much as they do.

Tattoos - 

My sister and I got tattoos when I went home on the 23rd. It is a quote from Eat, Pray, Love and words that we try to live by. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would and I'm already anticipating when I can get another one.

Sons of the Prophet - The real reason I went home was to see this show and it blew my mind. Loosely based on Kahlil Gibran's book, the message was touching and exactly what I needed to hear after a rough month. Not to mention the actors, especially my mom, were insanely good. If you're in Champaign, try to make it out to see the last three performances tonight through Saturday at The Station.

Wine & Cupcakes - I went to a wine tasting at Bodega Ramos with my friend Carolyn Saturday night. I made some new friends (yay Summer and Zev) and tasted twenty-two different types of amazing wine. Then, after realizing that no one had ever been to Molly's, I drug them a mile down the road, carrying several bottles of wine, to eat amazing cupcakes which was the perfect end to a truly delightful evening.

Justification - I went to brunch with a friend Sunday morning. She is also way into psychology and it was nice to sit and talk to someone who understood where I was coming from from all aspects. It was also nice to have a mutual friend that wasn't playing the whole "I can't say anything about the other person" game. It was nice to finally have someone say, "Yes, they're my friend but they behaved badly and I think what they did was wrong." In my opinion, that's part of what your friends are supposed to be there for, calling you on your bullshit.

Races - So, I'm already signed up for the Cinco de Miler and the Hot Chocolate 5K and, after several emails back and forth, am now also planning on running the Rave Run, Proud to Run, Arctic Blast 5K, Firefly Run, and Pumpkins in the Park. That puts me at 7 runs on the docket so far this year and I couldn't be happier that I am pushing myself physically.

Judo - There just aren't enough words for how much I love judo. I started an all-women's class and this week was my second lesson. The energy in this class is amazing. All of the senseis are encouraging and passionate about what they do, all of the girls are fierce and friendly, and there is a real sense of community and belonging with none of that side of cattiness that so often follows groups of women around. There's just something really special about spending an hour throwing and pinning other girls with ferocity and then finishing up hugging each other and being glad you'll get to see them again in a week and sad that it's not more often.