Renovations

Well, summer is finally officially upon us as Deb closes up her season and we prepare for some hard-core fun in the sun. To that end, since things were so crazy during our move, we have decided to finally start some renovations around the house. We began with curtains in the living room, sewn by me:

The picture doesn't really do them justice-- they are this beautiful embroidered Mexican-folk pattern. We also have plans to paint the living room and hallway (we've picked out great colors... can't wait for some color in this house!) and to, you know, finish unpacking.

But the renovations are more than just about the apartment... I've decided to revamp and refresh my body and soul a little as well. Things are getting a little stagnant, it's time to shake them up.

To that end, I've taken up yoga pretty hard-core. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but my yoga DVDs just weren't inspiring, and when I was working I was too busy for yoga classes and when I was unemployed too poor.

All of that changed the other day when I was walking the dog down 11th Street and noticed a flyer for pay-what-you-can yoga classes. Surely this is too good to be true, I thought. I went home, checked out the website, and amazingly enough, it's just that simple. Plus the studio is only 3 blocks from my house and they offer 24 different classes all through the week. Totally incredible. I've been going every day, squeezing out my last few dollars before the unemployment check comes in, and totally feeling a difference in my body and energy levels already.

The studio is small, and the class size generally is as well-- in fact, I had one yoga session that was just me and the instructor. It was really cool to have my own personal class!

The studio is called Hawthorne Yoga and it's located on 1241 Carpenter Street. Their class schedule is here. I hope all of you Philadelphians will join me for some yoga! All of the instructors I have encountered are really great, and I've been experimenting with many different types of yoga this week. (My current favorite: Hatha. Love all that breathing!)

Another personal renovation I'm undertaking is trying to get comfortable with my body. I've always been a terrible dancer, and dance class brings me back to all of those uncomfortable hours in studios and rehearsal halls trying desperately not to look stupid.

So I signed up for a dance class. But this one's going to be different. For one, it's a burlesque dance class. Oh, yeah. I think this type of dancing is going to be right up my alley. Now don't worry, Mom, there is no nudity involved in this class. It's all about learning how to tap into our feminine powers, using heels and boas and strutting walks to become super confident in our own sexy skins.

Our first class was last Thursday and we spent most of the class talking about what we found sexy in the world, what we found sexy about ourselves and coming up with a burlesque alter-ego. I'm still working on a name. I've got several floating around in my head, but I would welcome suggestions from anyone! It's a four week class and at the end we have a little cabaret to show off our new struts. I can't wait! Information about the class and the teacher here.

So slowly but surely I'm renovating, physically and mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I'm already starting to feel the results of the yoga and the burlesque. I can't wait to see where the rest of this journey takes me.