Awesome Weekend!

I had a fantastic weekend - lots of great things going on to report!

On Saturday I had to work, but it really wasn't like work at all! I supervised/drove for a Volunteer Services Organization (VSO) worksite which was in Bristol, VT. We were working with Vermont Mothers Without Borders and Operation Brady Smile, which is an organization that makes care packages for families with children who are hospitalized for extended periods of time as well as fleece blankets for the kids. The volunteers from Middlebury (myself included!) combined to make 18 fleece tie blankets. I had so much fun tapping into my creative side, all for a good cause!

After I finished that, I headed home for the rest of the weekend. My mom's best friend (and roommate from her freshman year of college), Linda, was making the trip up to Vermont from her home in southern New Hampshire and we arrived about at my house about the same time on Saturday. If you've been following my blog for a while, you may remember the trip that my mom and sister took to New York City with Linda and her daughter Brittany last December...we are hoping to make this an annual event, so we spent most of Saturday evening online looking for places to go! Right now we're thinking pretty big (i.e. warm weather!), but no matter what we decide, we'll have a blast!

On Sunday morning Linda and I went to a Bikram yoga class. If you're not familiar with Bikram yoga, basically is a very specific type of yoga that happens to be done in a 105 degree room. Yes, we did 90 minutes of yoga in a 105 degree room packed to the brim with people. Linda is training to be a yoga teacher and I have been doing yoga since high school, but this was unlike anything either of us had ever done. I have never sweat that much in my entire life, and I have never stretched that far either! I was almost paralyzed with soreness yesterday, but am feeling much better today. During the class all I wanted to do was get some fresh air, but we both decided that we will go back and try another class in a few weeks (there is a studio near Linda's house in New Hampshire). I'll let you know how it goes!

After that we met back up with my parents and took a picnic to a lake near our house and then took a hike. The weather wasn't perfect, but it didn't rain and was great weather for hiking! Vermont is so beautiful during the fall; I was glad to be able to get out and enjoy it!

After we got back from hiking, I made macaroni and cheese for dinner - as you know, I'm a vegetarian and so is Linda, so my mom asked me to make something for Sunday night. I made a recipe from EatingWell Magazine (where I did my internship last year) that was a big hit with the vegetarians and non vegetarians alike! I headed back to Middlebury after dinner to start off another week of work! What a great fall weekend!

P.S. I started week three of running today. Everything is still going well!
P.P.S. I am leading a hiking/camping/service trip this weekend for work so I'll be heading out on Saturday and not returning until Monday...Hopefully I'll have photos and stories to share when I get home!