six things i’m loving lately

1. january in palo alto
the weather was positively glorious this weekend. on saturday i went on a bike ride with a friend from our neighborhood through the luscious, sun-drenched, tree-lined streets leading to downtown palo alto. we ate lunch outside on a pretty patio – it was just so lovely! i took a long run along the alpine trail in portola valley that evening at sunset. sunday morning i woke up and hiked in the hills above that same trail, and it was balmy and verdant and so pleasant. not bad at all for the last week in january.

2. running and my body
i am training for my second half marathon, which i will run on february 8 in san diego. i am just amazed by and so grateful for my healthy body. like most (all?) women, i often wish my body looked differently in some way or another, but – seriously! – it is magnificent! i love love love the feeling i have after finishing a long run (i don’t always love the feelings before finishing!).

3. following humansofny on instragram
i had seen the humans of new york website before, but now that i follow the project on instragram, i get to peek into the beautiful and diverse lives of strangers every day. i just adore reading tidbits of people’s stories, and feeling an undeniable connection of the human family, just from simple images and words. here are a couple of my recent favourites.
  

4. oatmeal/almond butter/banana “cookies”
i have seen all kinds of recipes for sugar-free, gluten-free cookies, and have tried quite a few, but i finally found one that i really love and that really works!
mix: 3 super-ripe bananas, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 3/4 cup almond butter (can also use peanut butter), 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or a mix of maple syrup and honey), 2 cups oats, 1/2 cup almond meal (can also use any type of flour), 1 teaspoon baking powder, and a dash of salt (can also add chocolate chips)
bake at 350 for 15 minutes!

(recipe adapted from here)

5. hearing about my students’ middle school love drama
i’ve reached a level of trust with several groups of students at my school that allows them to let me in a little on their love lives, which is awesome. “ms. eyre,” they call out to me at lunch, “jennifer got back together with salvador. he told her he couldn’t eat or sleep unless she took him back!” one student is keeping me updated on his romance with a girl that goes to another school – “ms. eyre, my girlfriend told me she wants to hold hands, but i don’t feel ready yet. i’m not going to do it until i feel ready.”

6. this song and this song and this song
the first one - i didn’t even know it was one direction until i was hooked! and the second one – it’s constantly on repeat, because it feels like it is soothing my heart. and the third one – it’s just so devastatingly beautiful; it’s what i listen to when i feel it’s important to feel deeply sad for a little bit. hits the spot.

here’s to a sunny, rejuvenating weekend and a i’m-determined-it-will-be-awesome week ahead!