Ninety Two Years Young

You may not know it, but yesterday the world lost a wonderful man. Ninety two years young but ready to be reunited with his bride of 67 years, my grandfather passed quietly yesterday in the peace of his home.

papa

Born in 1919 on the island of Maui, Llewellyn Weight grew up living a life that many of us only read about in books. He rode donkeys, surfed using longboards, and watched Hawaii evolve from the world of sugar plantations into the 50th state. In fact, his mother was the last lady in waiting for Queen Liliuokalani.

Nicknamed Red at a young age due to his vibrant red hair which contrasted to his family’s dark features, he wanted nothing but to make something of his life. After graduating from high school he yearned to enter the Navy but unfortunately was never accepted due to a foot injury which never properly healed. This in turn saved him during that fateful day on December 7th, 1941 when many people he knew would lose their life in Pearl Harbor. Instead, at the age of 20 he came across the Pacific for the first time to enter electrical school in Washington, DC. He then started his career as an electrical engineer working on the ships during the war.

It was during this time that he met my grandmother. She was the receptionist at a company on Mare Island near San Francisco when she greeted him with her warm smile and stunning looks. A few months later they said I Do in front of their closest friends and started a life together which would take them on many adventures.

My grandfather’s job as an electrical engineer meant that with every power plant he finished building, there was another one waiting in a new city. In a fifty year span, they moved more than twenty times from coast to coast. In his eyes, my grandfather’s role was to provide for his family and instill hard work in both of his children. Stern, but loving, he always knew what he expected of others and never settled for anything else.

Over the years some of his characteristics never changed but he certainly mellowed. During retirement, his favorite pastime was playing golf with his friends and enjoying Savannah’s sunshine. As a grandfather, I could have hoped for nothing better. His warm smile would always greet me anytime I visited before telling me, with a wink, that I was finally almost as pretty as my grandmother. He believed in equality between boys and girls, therefore taking me on the golf course as his caddy just as often as he took my brother. I’ll never part ways with the desk and bookshelves he helped me make at the age of 11 one hot summer when I had grown jealous of all the wood working he and my brother did together.

There are many things I’ll remember about my grandfather but more than anything I’ll remember that he, like my grandmother, was always here for my family growing up. Their home was my second home and I spent many a weekend there during my childhood taking long walks, riding along during golf games, and hearing of his childhood adventures.

While the days that come will be difficult, I’m thankful that I can be here with my family during this time. Thanks to Delta and my amazing company, I was literally forced out of the office yesterday and told to take as long as I needed to be with my family. Delta came through with bereavement fares and had me on the next flight down to Savannah.

Over the next few days I’m not sure how I’ll feel about blogging as I know I want to focus on being with my family. Therefore, I have a few guest posts lined up and am open to more if you’re interested. I’ll check in soon and until then, be thankful today for the ones you love.

Share Button
Follow:

This Week’s Superlatives

This week has been a bit more relaxed than most. I was able to work from home part of today and I balanced a busy work week with plenty of sleep and some great workouts and meals. I thought it’d be fun to round up some of my favorite things from this week in a little superlative post.

My hardest workout this week was definitely yesterday morning’s spur of the moment workout class. My personal trainer is pregnant and unfortunately sleep hasn’t come easy for her lately. When she texted me that she was exhausted and needed more sleep, I turned to Equinox’s group fitness schedule in hopes of finding a substitution. The 45 minute Cardio Sculpt class with Caitlin McGowan was a perfect substitute. The cardio bursts were intense and some of the lunges and step ups challenged my legs. My only wish was that the chest and arm section had been a bit longer.

IMG_1336

My favorite lunch salad concoction was a protein filled salad with a few new flavors: arugula and romaine mix, egg whites, 1 egg, grapes, beets, red onions, tomatoes, celery, half serving of blue cheese, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It was delicious and the extra protein really made it stick while the hard boiled yolk gave it a creamier consistency since it mixed throughout when they chopped the salad.

IMG_1310

I’ve fallen head over heels for juices, which is bad for my wallet but great for my skin and body. The winner of this week’s juices was the green monster: kale, spinach, ginger, apple, lemon, and pineapple!

IMG_1338

Last but not least, the thing that left me with the biggest smile this week was last night’s Junior League social event with my committee. Our social sub-committee is making a concerted effort to provide activities which bring our group together outside of our volunteer commitments and monthly meeting. While we’ve tried the normal happy hours or dinner outings, last night’s pottery painting at Little Shop of Crafts was more fun than any of us expected! While some of us are more talented than others, I can’t wait to use my University of Georgia mug for my morning office coffee.

IMG_1340IMG_1342IMG_1345IMG_1346

What left you smiling this week?

Share Button
Follow:

Pilates ProWorks NYC

Wednesday night I followed Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice.

Thanks to the wonderful women at Well+Good NYC and Pilates ProWorks, I had the opportunity to step on a reformer for the very first time! While I have made my way through almost every machine at Equinox and many different fitness classes throughout the city, I’ve always been too intimidated by the reformer to actually try it.

Lucky for me, Pilates ProWorks recently made its East Coast and New York City debut in the Union Square area this February and wants to bring their unique spin on Pilates to New Yorkers! The studio, located at 47 West 14th Street, between Fifth and Sixth, strives to bring the fun back to the reformer, a fitness machine often feared by many but loved by many of the celebrities whose bodies we admire.  The open studio space is inviting while also highlighting their two core offerings, Pilates Pro Method and Barre Pro, through an open floorplan which allows you to watch the classes from the waiting area.

While our group looked into the different rooms, whispering in excitement, we were greeted by their energetic and friendly staff. Everyone was very welcoming and excited to see lots of new faces. Many of the instructors have a background in dance which you can see come out in the music selection, class offerings, and the special alterations they’ve made to their pilates, TRX, and barre classes.

As part of the Well+Good event, each attendees could choose to participate in either a Barre Pro or Pilates Pro Method class 55 minute class. Due to my intimidation, I figured that there was no time better than this event setting to muster up my courage and balance. The studio, when full, only allows for 12 students which means the instuctor is able to easily navigate through the class helping students with form and adjustments, similar to a small yoga class. Our instructors, Jenn and Jackie, explained the basics behind the FitFormer machine which provides full resistance training without the jerkiness of some older reformer styles. In addition she took us through the machines different parts and how we’d use each for different exercises. After cranking up the fun playlist which reminded me of my favorite running mix, we started our 55 minute workout. Within minutes, we were all shaking and breaking sweats. This magical reformer takes movements such as a lunge or plank and notches them to the next level.  With each movement, I really felt the specific muscles engaging which also helped me focus on form and balance.

But, just when I thought i’d found my groove, the music amped up and we hopped off for a burst of cardio. Oh yes, our hearts didn’t stop beating the entire workout. Every five minutes we were on the floor doing weighted step-ups, mountain climbers, and more. This, combined with the flowing movements on the proformer left me feeling lithe like and balanced. In addition, I felt myself pushing to perfect my form and work harder since this was something new and different. It was a fun change to my normal run, lift, spin, yoga repeat routine.

When the music ended I walked out curious of what this 55 minute practice could do for my body and running if it was a weekly addition. At $35 per class it is certainly more affordable than many other reformer classes in the city. In addition, their daily class schedule starts at 6am and doesn’t end until 8pm, leaving time for even the busiest people to squeeze in one of their nine different class offerings.  While I know that I can’t afford to go there full time, due to my other gym membership, it is something I would look to supplement my current training. I think it could be the perfect evening class as well since it’s located near my home and focused a bit more on lengthening which is a perfect balance for my personal training sessions and running.

Next time you’re looking to change up your regular routine or feel especially hard core, I suggest taking advantage of their $25 new client rate and try one of their classes.

Thank you again Well and Good and Pilates ProWorks for a wonderful event!

Share Button
Follow: