November Thanks

For the first time in almost a decade in the fitness world, I have a vested interest in Small Business Saturday & Cyber Monday: I’m offering $50 for unlimited StudioSmile until Jan 3, 2021! (25% savings!) 

You get: 5 live classes a week (PiYo, Yin, & Chair Yoga) + unlimited replay access to the latest of each class to do whenever you choose.

The safety of your own home while still getting a communal experience, JUDGEMENT-FREE, no one watching you, variations for EVERY fitness level, saving gym commute time, and most importantly: personalized attention from *me* - a friend who truly cares about how you’re doing every step of the way! ❤️

Venmo/PayPal/Zelle $50 for unlimited StudioSmile access through Jan 3, 2021 to susieblake23@yahoo.com

(Yes: you can also ALWAYS still do class-by-class for $5 each)

Unsure? Any questions??? Please ask/email away!!!

I am so incredibly thankful for everyone supporting me & our family in this craziest of years!!!  

Speaking of thankful, I’m thankful lately for...

•Family time helping out with our old youth football league:

•Red Velvet tea at church!

•Singing on praise team two weeks in a row

•Sweet friends gifting us with Meyer lemons from their yard (I made this lemon pudding soufflé cake - divine!)

•80°F all last week & kids off school all Thanksgiving week

•Both Washington & the Texans winning on Thanksgiving:

•Taking the time at the start of my Bailey walk to stop & talk to our next door neighbor, whose husband died of Covid (she recovered) in August - we’re not close, but I’ve known how loneliness feels...

•Kids’ routine annual appointments Thanksgiving week - taking care of business, without taking them out of school

•Binging The Crown (on S4:E7) & caught up on Great British Bake Off (my fave won!)

•Making a Pictures in the Poinsettias appointment at Brookwood - I was gutted to think of starting the Christmas season w/o their citizens pageant b/c of Covid, but this way, I still get a Brookwood connection!

•Donating blood, again:

(Lilly mask from my mom!)

Yes, of course I have so many election reflections... (Feel free to skip this section, if you choose; I usually do, when it comes to others’ opinions, but since this is a repository for *my* memories, I did want to note mine.) I certainly have more than these, but here are a few still resonating:

“It’s easier to be a parent this morning.

Character MATTERS.

Being a good person MATTERS.” ~Van Jones

I have a child who initially thought it was “funny” to parrot the worst of trumpian bully speech. It’s pretty horrifying to hear hate quoted from a man who was supposed to be a leader of all Americans coming out of the mouth of your kid. The cruel divisiveness of those words is amplified when repeated out of the mouth of an innocent. The character of our leadership matters. Telling the truth matters. Kindness matters. Decency matters.

How refreshing to hear a victory speech that was all about reaching out in unity to all people! No calling the “other side” losers. No fear mongering. No intimidation. In fact, he never even spoke about “sides” - he acknowledged that there were many people who didn’t vote for him, and that he still wants to work to bring us together, to be everyone’s president. His Senate legacy is reaching across the aisle; he has a precedent of bipartisanship - can we PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE get back to that?! Extreme polarization is evil. Fear mongering is evil. Intimidation tactics against fellow citizens are evil. Aren’t we all so sick, tired, & exhausted of “us vs. them”? We have so much more in common than we do that divides us. ❤️

I am most excited for a leader with empathy. He will be our first president since Bush 41 who has paid more than lip service to the sacrifices of our soldiers - I better trust someone who has literally sent their child to war to understand the gravity and honor of military service. (My brother served in the Navy, and both my dad & stepdad are combat veterans.)

Brené Brown did an amazing *non-political* podcast with him a few weeks ago. If you question his character, take a listen. If you are unsure & just want to learn more about his motivation, take a listen.

I am praying for open hearts & unity. I believe that God can move. I am praying for honesty, truth, science, decency, kindness, empathy... I am praying that we don’t give up on the monumental work ahead of us, that we don’t get weary & choose to pout instead of pressing on, and that we truly embrace working together for once. Selfishness has defined American life for so long: “what about me?” Why can’t we reset? Let go of the negativity, fear mongering, divisiveness, & intimidation. If I never hear about “owning” or “destroying” EITHER side again, it will be too soon!!!!!!!!!!! 

Aaaaand, off my soapbox... ;-P

Welcome, Advent! (Check out my favorite short online advent devotional!)