I hope that you had a fabulous weekend!  Ours was filled with lots of plans and friends:  Friday happy hour and dinner (flight of reds please!), Saturday night in downtown Denver for a friend’s birthday celebration (I can’t remember the last time I stayed out till 1AM!), dog park time on Sunday with our friends and their dogs (Maddie is working on her swim fetching).  It flew by and I’m already looking ahead to next weekend!

I have a few fun and random things that I have been loving and wanted to share with you.  I know that the “Favorite Things” type of lists have been done a zillion times in the talk show circuit and around the blogosphere, but sometimes I find something useful in lists I see so  perhaps something on this list will resonate with you!

1.) The book “And The Mountains Echoed” by Khaled Hosseini (the author of “The Kite Runner“).  I am only about a third of the way in, but it has really captured my attention.  It has some heartbreaking moments and tender moments and you just can’t help but really feel the characters’ emotions with the way this author writes.  I am counting the minutes till this evening after dinner when hopefully I have enough time to sit down and read a few more chapters.

(photo source)

2.) Arbonne RE9 Facial Cleanser:  I discovered the RE9 set in March and I don’t know what took me so long to experience Arbonne, to be quite honest.  I loved the entire set, but the cleanser is my very favorite piece.  It’s certified vegan and the orange peel ingredient makes it smell so pretty.  You need the tiniest tiniest amount so it will probably last me a year!  I no longer need a separate product for removing my eye makeup – it takes off my mascara and liner with ease.  Love this stuff!  The fun part is that I’d gotten really lax about washing my face before bed (I know, I know, bad!!!) but since I started on Arbonne, I haven’t missed a single night.  I look forward to my skin care routine morning and night now.  Read more here in the guest post by Amanda Stanley.

(photo source)

3.) Ostrich Lounge Chair:  a lounge chair that has a place to put your face and arms through when you want to lay on your stomach (and you can read this way too)!  Genius!  I don’t know how I’ve not seen this sooner.  I used to hate laying on my stomach if I was trying to get a little sun on the back half of my bod.  This thing rocks.  Amazon sells them at a great price.

(photo source)

4.)  Bada Bing Jarred Cherries:  I did a recipe test this weekend of a Clafoutis to add to my library of personal cheffing recipes and used these cherries.  Oh. My.  Deliciousness.  I ate all the leftover cherries and even made a sauce from the juice.  They come with the stems still on so you can use them for a pretty garnish or to float in drinks too.  I found them at Whole Foods Market.  You have to try them if you like recipes with cherries in them.

5.) Seventh Generation Natural Dryer Sheets: I have slowly (very slowly) been phasing out things that have ingredients in them that I want to minimize my exposure to (such as phthalates) so I finally finished a jumbo-sized box of Bounce dryer sheets and bought these as a replacement.  I wasn’t sure what to think when I first opened the box.  They looked like folded brown paper lunch bags!  And I worried my clothes would come out smelling more like something from my kitchen with the Lavender Eucalyptus version.   But they work really well and there really isn’t any scent when I take my clothes out of the dryer – plus the sheets are compostable, which I like.

Blog buds, do you have any fun new finds to share?  I’d love to hear yours!

Have a SUPER day!  See you next time!

- Shari B. =)

Ahhh it’s ALMOST the weekend!  In anticipation for possible outdoor weekend activities, I thought you’d enjoy the view from a recent hike to the Devil’s Head Lookout.

Devil’s Head is an active fire lookout point in Colorado and on a clear day, you can supposedly see about 100 miles in all directions.  The hike up to the staircase is only about a mile and a half and fairly easy.  It does have some steep spots, but no rocks to climb or anything like that.

At the top of the hike, you’ll find the lookout station perched at the top of a large rock outcropping:

This is the staircase to get up to the station – the ranger is on his way to work:

A look down from partway up the staircase:The lookout station from the top:

The view from the top is amazing.  We were lucky that the sky was so clear that day.  Pikes Peak is off in the distance:

Inside the lookout station:

I’m so excited that summer weather is here – if you’ve read the blog for any amount of time you know that I am powered by sunshine!!    It’s a beautiful time of year in our state!

If you live outside of Colorado, have you ever been?  Is it on your list?   June is one of my favorite months here because everything is in full bloom and colorful.

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We visited this fire lookout the weekend before last – which was prior to the start of all the wildfires in Colorado that have flared up this week.  It’s heartbreaking to see the people and animals being evacuated and how many homes have been lost already. Yesterday the smoke was so bad in our neighborhood that it was hard to be outside and we’re about an hour away from the nearest fire, so I can’t even imagine what it must be like for the people who are much closer.  I am crossing my fingers that all of the fires can be contained quickly and that everyone stays safe, especially the people actually fighting the fires.

As I mentioned in my post on “Clean Out Your Fridge Cooking”, I wanted to share some of my favorite flavor profiles that I use to build quick and easy meals.  I make a mental note of things I need to use up from the fridge and then see what pantry ingredients I might have on hand that will go with them. I especially love to make things with Mediterranean, Asian and Mexican/Southwest flavors.

My first rule of cooking from the pantry:  Don’t get caught up in making things ‘authentic’!  The idea here is to use what you have on hand to make a tasty meal.  Many ingredients can be used across a variety of cuisines (for example, you’ll see cilantro in Mexican dishes, as well as Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and more).

Keeping a good stock of spices on hand along with a few good blends makes.  My favorite spice blends (including links to the brands I use) are:  Italian, Chinese 5-Spice, Greek, Creole, Taco, Chimichurri rub (Argentina), Herbes de Provence (French), Ras-el-Hanout (Moroccan)

I like to keep things simple.  In my kitchen it’s about making something we’ll enjoy eating and not so much about how it’s “supposed” to be done.  I don’t deal much with smaller regions of cooking (i.e. Northern Italian or Southern Italian, etc.) so no offense to any particular cuisine if you find that my lists don’t mesh with yours.  That’s not what we’re going for here.

Japanese Inspired Items:

seaweed, such as nori sheets
soy sauce
miso
wasabi
shiitake mushrooms
daikon radish
umeboshi plum (or umeboshi vinegar)
brown rice vinegar
forbidden (black) rice
soba noodles
kelp noodles
edamame

Thai Inspired Items:

lemongrass
cilantro
fish sauce
lime/Kaffir lime
coconut milk
galangal
ginger
Thai bird chilies (in a pinch you can use red chili flakes)
Thai basil
red or green curry pastes/powders

Italian Inspired Items:

tomatoes
eggplant
onion
zucchini
spinach
garlic
basil
parsley
lemon
capers
olive oil
chickpeas
cannellini beans
pasta
ricotta
parmesan
red wine

Greek Inspired Items:

feta
cucumber
tomatoes
kalamata olives
red onion
lentils
white beans
Greek seasoning blends
oregano
romaine

Moroccan Inspired Items:

preserved lemon
olives
dried fruits (such as dates and apricots)
saffron
cinnamon
cumin
turmericg
round coriander
couscous
Ras-el-hanout spice blend
chickpeas

Middle Eastern:

parsley (flat leaf)
mint
lentils
olive oil
lemon
garlic (lots!)
bulgur
chickpeas/hummus/falafel
pita
ground coriander
allspice
cinnamon
dates
tomatoes
cucumber
eggplant
yogurt
tahini
Za’atar spice blend

Mexican / Southwest Inspired Items:

black beans
pinto beans
cumin
coriander
cilantro
tomatoes
tomatilla
onion
avocado
corn
jicama
lime
jalapeno peppers
poblano peppers
chipotle peppers or dried chipotle powder
serrano peppers
tortilla

With those lists in mind, here are a few examples of meals I’ve made when I’ve been putzing around the kitchen trying to use up things I have.

Greek Salad:  chopped romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, kalamata olives, red onion, oregano and/or Greek seasoning blend, red wine vinaigrette

Mediterranean Wrap:  fill  your favorite outer wrap (tortilla, collard leaf, etc) with hummus, chopped cucumber, tabouleh dressing, greens, feta, red onion and Sunshine Falafel patty.  Or skip the wrap and make it a salad and top with a little cooked bulgur.

Mexican Inspired Black Bean Salad:  shredded red cabbage, a chopped jalapeno, diced red onion, black beans, diced jicama, diced poblano pepper, tomatoes, corn kernels, top with a little olive oil, fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro.

Crustless Quiche Cups, French Style:  personal sized baked eggs in a muffin tin with whisked eggs, Herbes de Provence, minced spinach and shallot, top with a thin slice of tomato and a sprinkle of Gruyere.  Similar to this recipe for baking times and egg amounts.

Orange Sesame Soba Noodles:  cooked warm soba noodles, shiitake mushrooms, edamame, carrot ribbons and a dressing made with orange juice, miso paste, tamari, toasted sesame oil, ginger, Chinese 5-spice.

Spring Rolls (Thai/Vietnamese):  fill soaked rice paper wrappers with shreds of basil, cilantro, mint and carrot, along with strips of cucumber and avocado and a mild leafy green like romaine.  Roll them up burrito style and serve with a spicy nut butter dipping sauce.

Greek Salad with a Lentil Burger on the Side

Wasabi Slaw (shredded cabbage + kale, wasabi spiced dressing, veggies and sesame seeds)

Baked Panko Zucchini with Marinara

Orange Sesame Noodles and Veggies with Mini Turkey Meatballs

So the next time you are staring into your refrigerator trying to decide what on earth to make to eat, see if you can match up some of the stuff you see hanging out in there to the flavor-inspiration lists and get creative! 

Do you have any favorite flavor groups that you tend to enjoy working with?  What cuisine are you drawn to when you are cooking for fun? 

Have a TERRIFIC day friends!
– Shari B.  =)

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Newsletter note:  The next issue will go out on Monday,  June 10 and this time around I’ll be sharing how I make “Shari tweaks” to recipes to make them healthier!  If you aren’t a subscriber and you want to learn how to make healthy swaps to recipes, sign up in the box below to be added to the list.

I just arrived home from a trip to Ohio that was planned somewhat last minute – I had hoped that I might get to blog for you while I was gone, but it was a pretty full trip!  So I’m home just in time to wish you all a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.  Do you have any parties planned?  BBQs?  Outdoor activities? 

We’ll be zip-lining on Sunday (SO excited!!!) and I am positive we will also get plenty of patio time logged because the weather forecast is absolutely perfect here in CO!  Here are some of the summery dishes we like to make in the FitFeat household – hope they give you some inspiration for something to try this weekend!

• BBQ Seitan Sliders with Slaw
• Summoning Summer Salmon Cakes
• Grill Fajitas
• Grill Pizza
• Grilled Pineapple with Blackstrap Molasses

Have a FANTASTIC weekend!

-Newsletter note:  this Monday’s “Shari Shares” newsletter will go out first thing Tuesday due to the holiday so that I don’t interrupt your holiday plans with email!  The topic of this issue is my take on soy (a hot button topic for many)!  If it interests you and you aren’t signed up, you can click HERE for your free subscription.

Before you head off to the grocery store to pick up what you need for the week, do you run a quick inventory of your produce to see what you need to use up first?  I tend to do this at least once a week, going so far as to sometimes write down what I need to use up before I can bring more food home (in an effort to keep from wasting food).  I end up with a lot of random things in my refrigerator after recipe testing.  And inevitably when I start pulling things out, I find things that were ‘out of sight out of mind’.

Taking the ingredients that I have left over and making something out of them is one of my favorite ways to cook!  It’s like my own episode of “Chopped” with your box of mystery ingredients.

Here are the items in my mystery box the last time:  a few mushrooms, a few broccoli florets, a half-head of green cabbage, half a sweet potato, some cilantro, a lot of daikon radish, some carrots and leftover lime .

Here’s what I did with it.

The daikon, lime and cilantro were sending me a broadly Asian-inspired vibe so that’s what I rolled with.  I pulled a few extras out of my pantry and fridge to create a Sweet Potato Red Curry dish with a side of Daikon Apple Carrot Slaw.

I prepped up the ingredients for the curry.

Sauteed the mushrooms with a little chopped onion.

Steamed the diced sweet potato until fork tender then added in the broccoli on top for a few more minutes.

After the mushrooms were mostly cooked down I added the cabbage that I’d chopped into a fine shred, letting it cook just until it started to soften and then added some coconut milk, a little vegetable broth and some Thai red curry paste and mixed it all up to create a creamy sauce.  (You can play with flavors here:  if you want more heat add some sriracha or some crushed Thai bird chilies or red pepper flakes.  If you need more salt/savory add some soy sauce or even a little fish sauce.)

While that was cooking I cleaned and peeled the daikon radish and carrots.  I always have apples on hand so I shredded half of a gala apple as well to provide a little sweet to balance out the bitter radish.  (And a lonely celery stalk I found when I grabbed the apple.)

This mixture tastes pretty good on its own and doesn’t need much in the way of a vinaigrette.  Just a squeeze of lime if you’d like.  Or a little brown rice vinegar mixed with a bit of honey or agave and a drop of toasted sesame oil.

After the sauce had heated through on the curry it was time to dish it up.  Sprinkle with a little chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.  I put the slaw into a ramekin to eat on the side.  It was quick, easy, flavorful and best of all chock full of all kinds of phytonutrients!So friends, how did the leftover fridge items speak to you?  When you see what’s there, do you start to formulate what you could make?  Or do you draw a blank when there isn’t a recipe to use them up?  (For the record back in my non-cooking days, the latter would have been me, frozen in place with no clue what to do without instructions to follow!)  My hope with this post is to inspire you to work with what you have on hand.

In the next post I’ll detail some of my favorite flavor profiles/combinations to help you work with what you’ve got on hand and create meals from random ingredients.

Have a great day friends!
Shari B. =)

I hope that you all had a fabulous weekend and a SUPER Mothers’ Day!

For the last three Sundays, we’ve been fortunate to have good weather so I’ve taken full advantage and have gone on a few early morning hikes.

The first in my string of hikes was with the girls where we started out at 5:45 AM.  And the sunrise view was fantastic!

The moon was still out at that time too:

We started out pretty bundled up but by the time we hit our turn around it was warm enough for tank tops!

The next weekend, Cory and I took the dogs on an early morning outing to another foothills trailhead.  That morning the weather just didn’t want to get warm.  Coats stayed on the whole time and I was glad to have brought some gloves, a scarf and earwarmer as it was a very windy 40 degrees.  But it was still a gorgeous start to the day.

Near the trailhead you can see Red Rocks Amphitheater:

There were plenty of deer along the way:

And the dogs had a great time as well:

And then this past Sunday we hit up yet another trail.  This time the dogs couldn’t go as the state park we were in doesn’t allow dogs.  We hated leaving them at home, but we wanted to check it out before our annual park pass expires.  The red rock formations are incredible.  I really never tire of looking at the scenery in this beautiful state!

These small morning hikes that we take are usually anywhere between 4 and 9 miles long and they are hands-down one of my all-time favorite things to do. Each one feels like a little mini-vacation.  They clear the mind, nourish the spirit and strengthen the body.  Getting up insanely early on a Sunday to do this is so worth it!

I coach my fit living + weight loss clients to find exercise that they love so that it doesn’t have to seem like exercise.  This will keep you coming back to it again and again.
Do you have an activity that you love so much you SPRING out of bed to do it?  Let’s hear it!

Have a fantastic day!
Shari B. =)

Thank goodness for Google!  Since I never enjoyed chemistry in school … perhaps I’d have known this neat little trick if I’d paid more attention in class!  I stumbled upon this blog ES Designs that showed me how to use a piece of foil, some baking soda and boiling water to clean my silver jewelry – no need for harsh cleaners!

It’s SO easy!  Here’s the condensed version: 1.) Line a glass pie plate or glass bowl with foil.  2.) Lay your piece down on the foil.  3.) Cover the jewelry with a tablespoon or so of baking soda.  4.) Pour boiling water over the top (just enough to cover your item, I may have used a cup or so).  5.) Watch in amazement!

My necklace before I cleaned it – it had a copper/brown hue:

During (it’s cleaning so fast you can’t even see it against the foil!):

And after:

How cool is that???

I’m so happy I can wear my necklace again, especially because it’s special to me.  I had no idea it could be this easy to clean!  Again, thank you to ES Designs for teaching me this technique!

Any simple household cleaning remedies you’ve learned that amazed you?  I’d love to learn more!  Anytime I can keep from having to use harsh chemicals or spend money on silly things, I’m tickled!

– Shari B. =)

Happy MAY!  This is one of my very favorite months – the weather is usually quite beautiful and I love to see trees and flowers blooming.  Today where I live, it’s SNOWING like mad (and it was 81 on Monday!).  It’s a good thing though because our state really needs the moisture as we come into the drier months.

Recently I made a new acquaintance with a delightful woman named Susie Francis, who is guest blogging on today’s post.  Susie is a content writer for focus-training, a UK leading fitness training provider. Her interests include jogging, technology & eating chocolate.  You can find Susie on twitter @susiefrancisw where you see other articles she’s written.

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Fighting Fit with Martial Arts

Written by Susie Francis

It’s that time of year again – where in the run up to the summer, we vow to get into shape in time for our holidays.  Commence signing up to gym memberships we know we’ll end up cancelling, going for jogs before/after work when all we’ll do is get a lie-in/head straight home and proclaim we’ll prepare salads but order takeaways instead.

So how can we defend ourselves against such a sedentary lifestyle?  By attacking it – and fighting with martial arts.

History of the martial arts

Whilst the earliest evidence indicates martial arts originating from ancient China, this activity has been practiced the world over – from Greece right through to India. Tracing as far back as 1300 BC, martial arts translates into the “art of combat”; created especially as a form of survival.

Since then it has become a fixture in society, from helping people increase their fitness levels to becoming the ultimate competitive sport. Its success also stems from the likes of video games and celebrities such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, where thanks to their Hollywood status, their martial arts skills have become idolized across the globe.

What types of martial arts are there?

While most people will have heard of the increasingly popular activity of karate, there are hundreds of different styles available.

However, here are the most popular forms:

• Karate
• Capoeira
• Judo
• Ninjutsu
• Aikido
• Jujitsu
• Sumo
• Wrestling
• Muay Thai
• Taekwondo

Many of these types of martial arts undergo a grading system, identified by different belt colors. The black belt is usually the highest grade achievable; however, it depends on the art. Yet despite the ancient roots of martial arts, the belt grading system is a recent custom – dating back to the late 1900s.

Martial arts: is it for me?

While those new to martial arts might view these as simply combat sports, there’s a number of different variations, including: grappling, takedown, hybrid (MMA – mixed martial arts), striking and meditative.

Some are relatively low impact such as aikido (a common form of self-defense) while some use weapons like kendo. Ultimately it depends how much confidence you have, as to perform martial arts involves a lot of close contact.

However, many have reported a boost in self-esteem as well as confidence the more practice they gain through undertaking martial arts; but it’s best to start with a style that works within your comfort zone.

To find out more about what type of martial arts best suits you, go to your local martial arts school and speak with an instructor who will talk you through the different styles.

***

Thank you Susie for the intro into martial arts!

I personally have never tried martial arts, but as a fitness routine the idea has always interested me.  I have seen a number of capoeira studios popping up locally and it seems that MMA training is incredibly popular right now too.

Blog buds, have you ever participated in a form of martial art?  Was it for the discipline?  For a form of exercise?  I’d love to know your experience.

I hope you are having a great week!  In the next post I’ll be sharing a great non-toxic trick I learned for cleaning something special to me – I was so surprised that it worked as well as it did that I have to share it with you!  (It saved me some money too!)

– Shari B =)

Today I am excited to hand off the post-writing duties to the beautiful and talented Amanda Stanley.  She was kind enough to share her thoughts with us on parabens, which are found in many skin care and cosmetic products on the market.  Eating well and exercise are only part of the equation for staying healthy — we also want to be aware of what we put ON our bodies in addition to what goes IN them.  I think you will enjoy her message!  So without further ado, here is Amanda’s post:

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About a year ago I spent three weeks clearing toxins out of my body.  It was a genuine effort to get healthier on the inside.  It was a challenge to clean up my diet and cleanse the “toxic soup” I had going on inside.  At the completion of the three week torture  adventure, I felt great!  And I’ve been able to stick with it for the most part by reading labels and eating cleaner foods.  Not too long after completing the three weeks, I ran across an article about how we absorb chemicals into our system through our skin.  This of course seems like obvious information but it irritated me at the time thinking about all I had done to clean out my system and realizing that I was almost unknowingly continuing to toxify by body.   It was at this point that I decided to cleanup the bunch of possibly offensive products living under my bathroom sink and filling up my bathroom drawers.

Most of us do not consider that our skin, our body’s largest organ, is a pathway for chemicals to enter our bodies.  The rate of absorption is based on many factors including skin integrity, concentration of a chemical on the skin surface, duration of exposure and other factors.  Considering most, if not all of the personal care, skin care, and cosmetics that we use everyday are full of chemicals and other substances that may or may not be good for us and that women use on average 12 different personal care products a day containing 168 different ingredients¹, we could be absorbing harmful chemicals at an alarming rate and not even be aware! In researching different ingredients used in personal care products and cosmetics I found quite a lot of information about parabens.  Parabens, which are used to preserve cosmetic and other personal care products by keeping bacteria from growing and extending a product’s shelf life, are absorbed through the skin, blood and digestive systems.  Parabens can be found in nature but commercially-used parabens are a man-made chemical that because of their low cost are used in many of the products we use every day.  Labels may have them listed as ethylparabens, butylparabens, methylparabens, or propylparbens.  “Chemically, parabens are esters. An ester is a compound formed from an alcohol and an organic acid (in the case of parabens, that acid is p-hydroxybenzoic acid).”²  According to the Breast Cancer Fund as well as multiple other sources, parabens slightly mimic estrogen and the Environmental Protection Agency reported that they displayed estrogenic activity in several tests.  There are also studies that show parabens are linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, reproductive issues, and skin irritation.³  Biopsies from breast tumors have also shown the presence of parabens.  Additionally, methylparabens (found in some sunscreen products) may react with UVB rays leading to increased skin aging and damage.⁴ I checked some of the sunscreen products that we have here at our house and yep, there it is.  What?  Wait!  No!  I was using that sunscreen to prevent the signs of aging!!

There seems to be quite a bit of controversy about whether parabens are safe or not.  Considering all I read and the fact that the jury is still out, I have chosen to take the precautionary route and make sure the products I am using do not contain parabens!  I have found that products made by Arbonne are all free of parabens.  Arbonne is committed to the development of unparalleled products free of harmful ingredients, using a combination of botanical principles and scientific discovery.  After spending hours reading labels at the health food store, I have found their products an easy answer to the challenge of making sure what I put on my body is safe.  What about you?  Are you still using products that contain parabens?  If so, do you plan to continue?

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Meet Amanda:
Amanda Stanley is a graduate of Texas Tech University.  As a committed wife and mother of two, Amanda has turned her concern about the safety of the personal care products her family uses into a career as an Independent Consultant with Arbonne International. Promoting Arbonne’s pure, safe, and beneficial personal care, nutrition, and cosmetics products by reaching out to others – helping them feel healthy and look beautiful – has become a passion. Amanda lives in Castle Rock, Colorado with her husband Mark, son Tyler and daughter Kathryn.

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If you would like more info on Arbonne products, please feel free to contact Amanda directly at akstanley94@gmail.com.  She can let you know how to become a preferred customer and save 20% on products. You can also visit Arbonne’s website and if you place an order, please enter in ID #12774932 to show Amanda your thanks for sharing this article with us!

In an upcoming post, I’ll share with you my personal experience with Arbonne’s products that I’ve been introduced to through Amanda.

References:

1         http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/top-tips-for-safer-products/
2         http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/skin-and-lifestyle/parabens.htm
3         www.safecosmetics.org
4         http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16938376?ordinalpos=8itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

One is a Gandhi quote that has been going around Facebook:

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.

The other is Patton Oswald’s Facebook Message. He makes a great point – here is an excerpt: “…the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil.”

I just wanted to send out some hugs to you all today.  I know that unspeakable, sad things happen all over the world every day but this one has hit close to home among the running community.  I know I haven’t participated in an organized event in some time, but I still feel a strong kinship with all of my running friends.

If you have seen something that may lighten our day a little, please feel free to share.

Do these acts of violence affect your decision-making when it comes to events?  We have a very large race coming up in Colorado called the Bolder Boulder.  Cory and I just decided last weekend that we weren’t going to do this year’s event but if we hadn’t already come to that conclusion, I have to admit that there is a part of me that might have been swayed by yesterday’s tragic events.  After the Aurora movie theater shooting which is about 15 or so miles from where we live, I feel differently about going to movies.  We still go, but not nearly as often and we don’t sit in the same seats that we used to.  And even all these years after 9/11, flying gives me an anxiety that it didn’t before those flights were hijacked.  I know that means that the people committing these horrible crimes are getting one of the outcomes they might be seeking when we stop doing things in the same carefree way we did before, but gosh it’s tough not to have second thoughts now.  I would love to hear your feelings on the topic.