a new adventure.........

thank you for following my journey into primal living over the last year........ please join me in my new big adventure ..........

i have started a new blog:

sweet mesquite acres 

robbo and i are moving to 63 acres in west texas..... the 63 acres is covered in mesquite trees, prickly pear cactus, a few oak trees and 4 cows. we are both city kids with dreams of becoming farmers. as of tomorrow, august 1, we start our new adventure!!!

over the next few weeks we will be moving. we are still trying to sell our house. still looking for our airstream (that's the new "home"). still don't have an office to work in with my new job (i have the job, but the office isn't finished being built). august is going to be busy. :)

so, the new blog will be the tales of our new life. from the beginning. with blood, sweat and tears. and sunshine, dirt, an airstream and love ........ who's with me!?!?! 

hope to see you there!!!

happy sunday,

coley

you've got mud on your face......

so shiny and clean., originally uploaded by *** coleyB ***.

this weekend, robbo & i did the caveman crawl mud run. i <3 mud runs. i really do.

there were probably 6 mud runs i tried to sign up for this spring. between scheduling conflicts, events being sold out, cost and other family obligations, this one, caveman crawl is the only we have done this spring.

it's a good thing too. this is not one to be missed. 5k. 40 obstacles. robbo did the caveman extreme in the fall (with his brother.). but, this was my first caveman run.

it did not disappoint. it was totally fantastic!! and it was muddy. really muddy..... mud. lots of obstacles. hills. climbing. water. hot. hot. hot.








next mud run, i will bribe my brother to come along just to take pics....... or maybe we'll splurge and buy a waterproof camera case. any suggestions?

i'm sure i can't remember all 40 obstacles. here's what i can remember........

• climbing steep, dry "vains". anybody see 127 hrs? ok. not really anything like that. but, it still crossed my mind.
• a long, high "wooden plank walk". it was a bit precarious. max # of peeps?? i'm sure it was exceeded.
• "spider web crawl". classic.
• "triple threat" over & under in the mud. a mud puddle. swim under a pipe. then climb over tree roots. climbed through and over giant tractor tires. tractor tire to the top of some kinds of cement remnants.
• "lily pad" styrofoam island hoping.
• "mud river" this was a pretty long trek through shallow mud. some of it was knee / thigh deep. that always came as a surprise. it felt like quick sand. if you didn't keep moving it just sucked you in. whew.
• "rope wall" climb. another classic.
• "ladder crawl". nice steep crawl up a ladder up the side of a hill.
• "lake run". this had to be 1/4 mile walk / swim in the lake. swim? yeah.... parts of it were over 5 ft deep.
• "40 foot slide". famous. kinda like slip-n-slide as a kid. it was ah.some. i almost ran over the chick in front of me. yikes. what was i suppose to do? slow down? i mean, we were fine. just invaded her personal space. that's all.

well, like i said. i know that's not all 40 obstacles. maybe there weren't really 40. can you think of any more?

i loved having lots of obstacles...... the more obstacles, the less running. right?

before mud runs, i use to have a hard time swimming in texas lakes. the lakes i've been too do no look like lake tahoe. they are mostly muddy. reddish/brownish clay/dirt. you can't see 12 inches under water. ewe. as i swam under the pipe in the "triple threat" under/over obstacle, i thought ..... ha! swimming in lake? no.big.deal. ...... i have a whole new perspective. :)

shoe report: i wore my cute new balance minimus shoes. i've loved wearing them for all my other adventures. i am here to report ..... they sucked. they were terrible. seriously terrible. the mesh on the top is a pretty loose weave. north texas is mud is mostly rocks/pebbles. i don't think it could have been worse even if i ran barefoot. i will stick with vibram five fingers for mud runs from now on!!! lesson learned. .......




side note.......... last weekend, we went to the lake with some friends. i wake boarded for the first time. hard, but super fun. robbo stepped on a something (screw??) on the boat. he bled like a stuck pig. i mean. wow. it wasn't very deep, so no stitches. right on the heel .... not the back of the ankle, but the heel. ouch. we tapped it up hoping he'd be fine for the mud run ...... all this to say ...... between my running-on-rocks-shoes & robbo's lacerated heel, we were not in top condition.



we still had such fun. i guess these kinds of things make you me feel tough. not than any single obstacle was so hard or so scary, but it's not the kind of thing i test myself with everyday. maybe it's just getting dirty? that makes me tough. :)



happy monday.
coley

pomegranate eye serum

pomegranate eye serum, originally uploaded by *** coleyB ***.

oohhh..... i also made this last week..... the recipe for this is from gorgeously green by sophia uliano.

1/2 tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp pomegranate seed oil
1/2 tsp carrot seed oil
1/2 tsp wheat germ oil

i bought the grapeseed oil at a local organic grocer. should be fairly easy to find. i bought the wheat germ oil off of etsy and the pomegranate and carrot seed oil from mountain rose herbs.

overall, i really like this serum and am certainly hopeful that it help with puffiness and dark circles and fine lines around my eyes. but. i have to tell you...... it sorta stinks. i mean, literally. it doesn't smell good. i think it's the wheat germ mostly. i was hoping pomegranate would have a pretty smell. it doesn't.

so, 1, i'll get use to it and just live with it. or, 2, i'll add some other pretty, flowery oils just to make it smell better. :)

coley

cheek stain

i found this recipe at the velvet bird and knew i had to try it........... i love making homemade bath & beauty products, and i love stains. perfect.


this was so. easy.

2 medium size beets
3 tblsp of glycerin

robbo chopped the beets into 1 - 2 inch cubes. we put the beets and the glycerin in a medium size stainless steel mixing bowl. we created a double boiler by placing this mixing bowl over a medium size pot with water ..... filled it about 1/3 full. we stirred the beets every few minutes and heated it about 20 minutes. then, we strained the beets which left a lovely, dark, red glycerin stain. we let it cool and then bottled it up! i happen to have saved this little bottle ..... think it holds about 3 oz. it was the perfect size.

if you are wondering why robbo helped with this little project ............. 1. he's the king of the kitchen. 2. he doesn't exactly trust me to chop and boil anything. 3. he's the king of the kitchen.

happy sunday!!

coley

weigh in wednesday. 01 june 11.

154lbs. ok.

on with bigger news........................

today is my birthday. and, even better, robbo and i share a birthday!!! woot woot!!!

we are, in fact, the exact same age. robbo is older by 24 minutes. and, we have been celebrating our birthday together since we turned 16. how great is it to celebrate the best day ever, with the best person ever!?!? i am the luckiest girl in the world.






i think birthday's are important. i suppose this is influenced by the fact that i'm an obstetrician and get to celebrate birth.day's every day (or maybe believing in birthday's is what led me to be an ob??). what an honor it is to share these moments with my patients! no matter how many deliveries i've done, for this patient, this is a moment of a life time. it's history. it's a moment those parent's (and grandparent's and aunt's and uncle's and brother's and sister's) will never forget. and i get to be there. i love it.

and, we should celebrate every year. celebrate all that we've lived through. all the milestones we've overcome. all the adventures we have yet to experience. it's your day. it's a day to celebrate the importance of your existence. it's a declaration that you matter. that you are here and making a difference. who cares about age and how old you are?? those are just numbers. there is wisdom with age. there is dignity with wisdom. your beauty is more than skin deep. this is about celebrating you. the deep, inside, beautiful, brave you!!! so, celebrate with me. and robbo. :)

Source: google.com via Nicole on Pinterest

happy birthday to me! to robbo! to us!

we turned 36 years old this morning. we have spent 20 birth.day's together! i can't wait to spend the next 50 together!!!

happy wednesday,
coley

p.s. other details............. robbo was born at 6:27am central standard time. 6 weeks premature. i was born at 6:54am pacific standard time. on my due date. it was destiny.

weigh in wednesday. 25 may 11.

another weigh in wednesday......

looks like today i'm at 153 lbs.

this is where i was (wwaayyy) back in november...... before the back slide.

so, i'm pretty pumped. and i feel good. i can tell...... from 160# to 153#..... i look better. clothes fit better.

and as my dear robbo commented last week (when i was bummed for being "stuck" at 155#), there's more to it than just the numbers on the scale.........

we have been working out for the last 6 weeks, my workouts have already shown progress. so, a little weight loss and gained strength.... that's gotta say something. right?

after primal con, we decided to start working out again & what better plan than to follow the primal blueprint fitness plan.

it covers the 5 essential primal movements...
1.push up
2. pull up
3. squat
4. overhead press
5. plank

the week after primal con, we did the primal blueprint "ken korg's self assessment test"

here's how i did.......

push ups....... full "real" push ups. 11.
pull ups ..... no pull up bar...... but, i know i can't do any unassisted.
squats ...... 40 full squats.
overhead press ...... dive bombers. better start with just jack knife press.
plank..... forearm/feet plank. 62 seconds.

if you follow the primal blueprint plan, based on your assessment it gives you a starting place for your new training program. we've used this workout for 4 weeks for our heavy lift day.

here is what i did today. for the workout, you do 2 rounds of these 5 elements.

push ups....... knee pushups. 30.
pull ups....... we have been substituting kettlebells rows ..... until a suitable pullup station is constructed.
rows ...... 35 lb kettlebells. 12 rows.
squats ..... bench squat (or in my case, today was ball squat). 50.
overhead press...... first time to try jack knife press. one set of 20. second set i did elevated jack knife press. 20.
plank ...... hand/feet plank. 90 sec. ugh. so hard. this is the only core workout anybody ever needs.
side plank.......... forearm/feet. 45 sec.

about 2 min rest between sets. total workout ~ 30 min. once a week.

hand/feet plank pose.

in the four weeks, today was my first day to advance to jack knife press (from elevated jack knife) and first time to do side plank on forearms (from hand/feet side plank). pretty good progress. :)

the past 6 weeks, we have also been doing sprints once a week............ following the beginner sprint training plan from primal blueprint fitness. and the rest of the week... slow move & / or play...... lots of frisbee. walk. ride our bikes. slack line.

slack line.

playing frisbee at the park.

we even did stand up paddling for the first time about a week ago!! awesome!! :) wish i could go everyday............

stand up paddle boarding on lake grapevine.

what did you do this week?? anything new?

happy wednesday,
coley

weigh in wednesday. 18 may 11.

it's been forever since a weigh in wednesday, right?

so, the truth of the matter is that before primal con, robbo & i started sliding. we were probably 80/20 primal most days, but the 60/40 or the 50/50 days got to be more and more frequent....... i was back up to 160 lbs just before primal con.


and, here we are about 4 weeks out since primal con and back to 155 lbs..... still not my lowest ...... i feel good. we have done really well the last 4 weeks. i think we've really been 100% primal since primal con. and we are playing and moving more than we have in long time....... frisbee. sprints. primal blueprint fitness challenge. slackline. whatever else sounds fun..... i am anxious to see how things continue to change as we continue to live primally......




i hope you noticed i added a few new tabs also......
books ........ my favorite books. some life changing. some still worth recommending.

deliciosity ...... favorite foods. favorite recipes. :)

soaps & such ....... favorite d.i.y., eco friendly recipes for bath, beauty & cleaning.

happy tuesday,
coley.

reconnect.

at primal con, mark talked about his next project. he has a new book coming out (in a year or so....) about "reconnecting." his premise is ..... what's next? eating primal. moving. playing. taking care of ourselves... physically. but, what else? what he mentioned at primal con was this idea of reconnecting with the earth.

i'm excited, because this is where everything comes together for me....... several things have been changing all at once within me. i feel like i'm in a new place. growing to be a new person. a paradigm shift. it's my own reconnecting...........

one of the key moments that started these changes was reading the book serve God, save the planet by matthew sleeth. it changed my life. dramatic, i know. first, it is about living more sustainably from a Christian perspective. deep inside, this is something i've always questioned. it hasn't really been a struggle, but when i finally read this it made so much sense! second, it was written by an emergency room physician who has retired from medicine and gone on to teaching / speaking / writing about living a more sustainable lifestyle. i don't know, somehow i was able to identify with dr.sleeth's struggles of the expectations of how a dr. (or anyone successful) is suppose to live in our consumer focused society. this has been a struggle....... people think vibram boy and i are crazy for driving older cars and for buying the little house instead of a mcmansion.

so, back to the book.................. from a Biblical perspective, dr. sleeth talks about saving our earth's resources, spending more time with family and consuming less. this is all part of being a good steward for Christ. it's not just about tithing our 10% back to the church. right? it's being wise with our money and our time and our crap stuff. it's making good decisions and to not live beyond our means. to give generously to others. and, the earth's resources too.

this was completely eye awakening for me. of course! this is where it all started to come together........ we've always been conservative. safe investments. savings. don't overspend. pay off debt. i got it. i was a careful with money. all of a sudden, i understood why i recycled. why i tried to make things. to re-use and re-purpose things. why we didn't have television (we have lived without t.v. since we've been married. ok, a short stint when we moved and had 3 free months of cable...) i understood why i felt the deep down desire to consume less.

i want my house life to look like a magazine. i want nice things. the perfect kitchen, beds made, cozy living room, manicured yard. always ready for company with a pot roast in the oven. but, i've come to understand that there is a more important life out there.......... we all know this. we know life isn't really about the clothes or the cars or the big house, but, so many of us give into those things anyways. and, let's face it..... it's easy to do. especially in america. thank you product marketing.... magazines, ads, commercials, infomercials, billboards, junk mail (and they know..... i am a total. sucker. for good design.)

so, reading serve God, save the planet was the beginning to overcoming consumerism. how does this tie into being primal? it goes back to this idea of reconnecting. not too long after reading s.G.s.t.p. we also started reading mark's daily apple. we slowly worked our way into the primal lifestyle. and, kinda like being a good steward, isn't just about money......... being primal isn't just about eating meat. it's an entire lifestyle that gets to the roots behind what we are eating and why, and how we can best take care of ourselves. the primal blueprint offers suggestions on how to work out efficiently and be the strongest, leanest, healthiest body. mark addresses sleep and playing and living with less stress. it is an entire lifestyle that addresses how to live our healthiest life.

and, now mark wants to address my same question......... what else? what's next?

putting these things together is helping me focus on my own reconnecting............. what's next? reconnecting with God. reconnecting with people. with nature. with a simple, yet fulfilling life.

things we do now....... baby steps remember............. recycle. buy grass fed beef. buy seasonally. buy locally. buy organic (this could be a whole other blog topic....). support local businesses. use the library. i try to "upcycle" old clothes into new pieces. shop at goodwill or consignment or antique stores. shop at the local farmer's market. eat meat and vegetables. play outside...... walk, sprint, lift heavy things, frisbee, catch, hike, yoga. keep things low key..... honestly, we don't have much stress. sleep 8 hrs a night. yes, really (ok, my sleep schedule can be unpredictable...). avoid harmful ingredients (parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, petrolatum, etc.) make bath & beauty products.... we make our own laundry soap, tooth paste, face wash, moisturizers, etc.

our ultimate 5 year plan.............. compost. garden. have chickens for eggs (and meat, i guess). goats for milk and meat. vibram boy says rabbits for meat ..... i'm not there yet......... bees for honey. collect rainwater. use grey water. have solar panels and wind turbines. to be 75% off the grid (maybe 100% off in 10 years). to be flexible, strong and healthy and maintain our ideal body weights. to live in a tiny house or airstream trailer or storage container. to be saving for retirement (my goal is to retire from medicine in 2018............ then i'll open a yarn store or yoga studio or sell eggs at the farmer's market).

other books i've read that just continue to support my new ideas (might be nice to post book reviews, huh?)........

the four agreements by don miguel ruiz.

the gifts of imperfection by brene brown.

affluenza: the all consuming epidemic by john de graff, david wann & thomas naylor.

the alchemist by paulo coelho.

the vegetarian myth by lierre keith.

topics may seem a little broad, but these books are part of my personal paradigm shift are helping me get to this place of living my most authentic self, living for God, living a healthy, sustainable life and keeping things simple.

how are you reconnecting??

happy wednesday.

vibram girl.

and finally.....

primalcon 2011 day 3........

so.sore. but, also already a little sad to know this is the last day..... we did spend a little time packing up this morning.

another breakfast at the hotel. this morning.... just bacon. and a glass of milk.

we started with a little vitamove with angelo. i needed it. start moving with a little intention, nice and slow. ah.....

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

there was an obstacle course set up. you could tell most of us were sore and tired. we were all moving pretty slow. we mostly sat around and visited. people slowly migrated over to the obstacle course. again, mind and body challenges. it'd be super fun to set something like this up at home. :)

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

it was our last chance to visit with each other and with our camp counselors. we had an impromptu educational session with mark. he was very patient and answered questions and had kinda that round table discussion. kinda fun.

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

one last snack lunch and a few closing words by mark.

just like summer camp...... super anxious about camp starting, and super sad to say goodbye. it was only 3 days, but it was an ah.mazing time. if you've read through some of the comments on mark's daily apple, a lot of people said that hanging out with each other was the best part of primalcon. it was just awesome to be surrounded by other like minded people. to not have to worry about food. to eat good food. to share stories of how we came to be primal and the effect it's had on us. truly inspiring!

i already can't wait for next year! how fun would it be to make friends and to meet up at primal camp once a year!?

and, since you know, i've been home almost 2 weeks (where does the time go?!)...... vibram boy and i have kept our momentum...... eating primal 100%. no cheats. and moving more....... we're getting there!!

this week we have already slacklined (bought a ratchet line at home depot.... i know. i know. it doesn't have the safety features that we need, but we're slow and cautious beginners....... let's see what we think for a while, then we'll order the "real" one.). we played frisbee. we did the primal blueprint fitness assessment and started on our workout plan based on how we did.... i will post more on this over time. we went for some walks. overall, it's been a really good 2 weeks. we feel good and we are still feeling the momentum from primalcon.

i have to say it again, thank you to mark and brad and all the camp counselors and special guests and all the behind the scene helpers. it was a life changing event! see you next year!!

happy primalcon sunday ;)
vibram girl

p.s. we took melodius (back to houston) and mads (back to norway!) to the l.a.x. airport with us. worked out great and was a fun way to end our trip.

moving on to primalcon. day 2.

and the fun continues................. really, day 2 rocked.

we woke up so. sore. oh. man. it was hard to move. i know, i know..... as soon as we start moving, we'll feel better........ so on to day 2. and, it was worth it..........

first, breakfast at the hotel. omelet bar. bacon. sausage. more bacon.

first activity of the morning was the primalcon 2011 camp survivor challenge........ 3 teams were posted against each other for time. there was mind games, physical tests, sand, sun, sweat, tears and laughter. let me think................... we elected a team captain to keep us on track. we had to find a weight vest and witstick to start. they had to be on/held the entire challenge (found out later we ended up with the heaviest weight vest and heaviest witstick. hm.).

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

a kettlebell was hidden, like an easter egg, and had to be carried to home base. had to find a 55 gallon barrel at the top of a sand dune......... take it to the ocean. fill it up with water ..... about 1/2 way, carry it back to the top of the dune and use 5 gallon buckets to carry water to fill the rest of the 55 gallon drum. use a pvc pipe, with holes along the length of the pipe, to fill a 5 gallon bucket with ocean water. stack 10 beach rocks. we had to dig a hole until a camp counselor said "when."

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

a list of scavenger hunt items. hunt 2 "carcasses" (a.k.a. camp counselors) ..... capture and carry to the top of the sand dune for bonus points............... totally worth 200 bonus points.

side note here ....... i was with 4 of the guys on my team and watched as we figured out what or who the carcass was..... it was about the same time that the carcasses realized they were being hunted. it honestly looked like lions hunting antelope. our guys looking at each other using eye contact to communicate their plan of attack, the look on the carcasses faces, just like antelope, when they realized they were now food. and then, in a flash, it was a full out chase and hunt until the carcasses were corner and tackled........ i'm telling you..... it was like lions hunting antelope.

on with the survivor challenge.......... throw five tennis balls into the 55 gallon bucket from 20 yards (they bounce. it wasn't easy.)

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

dig in designated team sand box looking for large trash bag treasure with puzzle pieces in it

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

....... when all other tasks were complete, as a team, we could work on putting the puzzle together. there was one piece intentionally left missing that had to be hunted by clues.

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

when the puzzle was complete, the entire team had to cross the "hot lava" walking on wood planks..... as a team.

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

i was pretty oblivious to the competition. it was so.much.fun. we finished 2nd in our group of 3 teams. i don't even know how we finished compared to the overall 6 teams. we finished. it was fun.

my fingers were literally raw from digging in the sand.

next, we did gorilla ninja training and vitamove training with angelo. we bear crawled. we crab crawled. we gorilla hopped. using hands and feet on the ground to move forwards, backwards, sideways....... more core. sounds ridiculous. it was superfun. and, i will definitely remember to incorporate some of these moves at home!

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

vitamove was a tai chi, yoga, warrior wellness type stretching session. and, by now, we needed to stretch. aaaahhhhh........sttrrrreeeeeeeetttttccchhhh..........

snack lunch. same as friday. same deliciosity.

first up after lunch, was an amazing session with barefoot ted. barefoot ted is pretty much the guy that started the barefoot running movement. and he's awesome. he gave us the run down on how to do it. how to run barefoot. a few key elements. you run kind of on the pads of your feet.... not your toes exactly, but the pads....... and you bring a new awareness to your feet and the earth. it challenges your core (again, with core). it connects you to the earth. the earth that is a moving, living existence. i have always been a barefoot girl. i love the idea of running barefoot. i have worked out barefoot most my life and have been yelled at by every employee at every gym i've been in. so, this was easy for me to get into. if you've read my blog, you know i bought my vibrams about a year ago. i do go barefoot as much as i can (i do have vibrams, and my new balance minimus........ but even those are only when i need them......). getting to hear barefoot ted in person. getting to ask him questions. getting to run with him. another primalcon life changing moment.

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

next, we moved on to primal blueprint fitness challenge with camp director brad kearns. fitness challenge was push ups. bunny hops. lunges. spidermans. sprint. grok crawl. push ups. squats. overhead press (jack knife push ups). sprint. i think my time was 4:22 min. if you want details of the workout, mark's daily apple posted it as workout of the week last week.

by now, to say that we were exhausted is an understatement. don't get me wrong, it was a good, superfun, complete exhaustion. we took a few minutes to lay in the grass. to roll on the foam roller. to do some yoga. our next activity was ultimate frisbee. eh. i have never played ultimate frisbee. i don't like or generally participate in team sports. i haven't thrown a frisbee in at least 3 years. i was tired and sore. i was the one to talk vibram boy into playing ultimate frisbee. we were all beginners. this was not a world championship game. it reminded me of watching 5 year olds play soccer. and, despite all of that, it was ah.some. i haven't run up and down a field like that (um... sprints...... so sneaky....) since 5th grade. i am ready to find an ultimate frisbee team. we played until the first scored 10. we won. v.b. and i made an awesome play for our 9th score and v.b. scored the winning point!!! confession......... i didn't figure out actual defense strategy until point 7. then, it clicked.

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011
also note, this was not my team in the pic. :)

and, to end the afternooon, we had a cooking session with chef rachel. that was a great way to end the day. v.b. is the house chef and really does love to cook. chef rachel taught us how to parboil vegetables (blanche). she says they taste better (and are even better nutritionally). then, she showed us a few primal dips to go with our new tasty veggies. one was a macadamia nut based dill dip, the other was an cashew based chipotle dip. they can be used as salad dressings and marinades. then, she showed us amazing little chocolate dessert from date and coconut squares, covered in baking chocolate. yeah, it's still primal ...... well, so long as you stick with baking chocolate (or high quality dark chocolate......... watch the sugar). the dates are so sweet that the baking chocolate works. no added sugar. she made them into little truffles. more ah.some.

photo courtesy of primalcon 2011

dinner to close day 2 was so de.lish. i mean..... so.delish. it was a mediterranean inspired meal. i could have eaten my weight in the lamb kafta. mmmmm....... the carrots were a little spicy. the grilled chicken was delish. fennel/lime/avocado salad. oh, it was all so good......

v.b. and i, and our new friends went to the hot tub. no ocean plunge. once was enough. and there was samba lessons with esther (the posture guru)......... but, even i couldn't last through samba ..... and i love a good dance. the hot tub was calling my name. so was my bed.

happy primalcon saturday.
vibram girl

primalcon 2011. recap. day 1.

primalcon 2011 was already a week ago. let me tell you ........ last week flew.by. i meant to blog about this sooner. but here we are.........

vibram boy (v.b.) and i headed out to so. cal. on sunday, april 10. we had a few days visiting family before heading to oxnard for primalcon.

we arrived in oxnard, mandalay bay, thursday, april 16 late afternoon. we checked into embassy suites right on the water. it was huge and very "resort" like.

it was also a bit dated. ah, well....... we had a suite. seriously, i've lived in smaller apartments. there was the dining/living area. 2 bathrooms. 2 friggin' bathrooms. and the master bedroom. a patio. an ocean view. and parking lot view. the walls were a rather bright sea foam green. i know you don't usually picture sea foam as a bright color, but i'm not sure how else to describe it. regardless, vibram boy and i moved right in. we unpacked and enjoyed our view from the patio.

thursday night we had dinner at the hotel restaurant, capistrano. we shared a field green salad. v.b. ordered macadamia crusted halibut with parsnip mash and i got the filet. everything was really good. there was a complimentary happy hour.

a little vibram girl insight...... i am terribly introverted. v.b. only to a slightly lesser extent.

i am 99% certain that everyone at the restaurant that night was with primalcon. and probably at happy hour too. i had never seen so many vibram wearers in one place. we did not make any introductions or small talk or whatever. we just sat there quietly together (like we do most nights). why rush? we'll meet these people in the morning, right?

and, we did.

i have to admit. i was pretty nervous. mostly because i am terribly introverted (remember?). but, i was also nervous because i didn't know what to expect. would these people be crazy, meat-eating, cross-fit trained super-athletes? all living primally for years? awesome, rock hard, beach-ready-bodies? i mean, how could i know? what if they were? what was i doing here? (nothing like a little self-loathing just before putting on a swimsuit.)

friday (april 17) morning we all gathered at primalcon headquarters camp for check in.

we were assigned into groups. v.b. couldn't remember what group we were in...... he was hoping he'd been realistic on our registration about fitness / primal living and not too optimistic about being in great shape and 20lbs lighter by now. we were sorted "appropriately", although, i know, it honestly did not matter. now, in smaller groups of 8-10 people introductions were being made. and i mustered up the courage to introduce myself and chit chat. you'd be amazed at the diversity. :) it was fantastic! ages, sizes, experience, athletics. there was a couple from the next city over, less than 15 miles. there was a kid from norway (hey mads.) 2 chicks from australia (suz! caroline!). and a few others from canada. and all over the u.s.... new york. arizona. michigan. texas rep.re.sent.

mark sisson, our camp director, gave a welcome speech. it was fun to hear him talk. it kinda felt like we were long time friends. i'm sure most of us felt that way. but, to hear him talk about primal living and why we eat meat and veggies, and play and move and lift,  and his story of how he got here, living like grok...... was fresh and inspiring and pretty cool. 10 minutes in to day 1 and i already knew coming to primalcon was worth the trip.

our first activity was slack line. wait 'til you meet our slack line camp counselors....... bart. and the grok curley brothers. slacklining is kinda like walking on a tight rope. it is a 2 inch wide, flat, polyester webbed line. there is more slack to it than a tightrope. it's all about core........... which was a major recurring theme over the weekend............. and balance. the first time i stood on the slackline ..... with assistance ..... i announced my goal was to take 4 steps by the end of primalcon. i made 5 steps by the end of our session. superfun. pretty sure we'll buy a slackline when we get home........ perfect play. working without even realizing it. all we need are 2 trees and a slackline. (if you're interested to see what can be done on a slackline check out gibbons and this youtube video).

next, we had strength training with camp counselor billy vives. he ran through the core elements of primal fitness (push ups, plank pose, squats, pull ups, shoulder press). he gave some great tips on working out at home. how to grade your workout. how to use kettlebells. v.b. and i have been using kettlebells for years, but billy had some great ideas to incorporate a kettlebells with other moves........ snatch, press, down, push up, repeat other side.............

after strength training, camp counselor michael stember, did sprint training with us. it was awesome. i am.not.a.runner. i've never been a runner. i've never been taught how to run or sprint. this was one of those life changing lessons. ok, at least sprint changing lessons. and, michael is awesome. awesome runner, awesome athlete, awesome nice, awesome trainer, awesome dude. he talked to us about how to run/sprint, then ran us through the drills to change our techniques. core. core. core. we practiced breathing and using our core. he explained that by just using your core is how you change your pace. more core engaged ......... faster run. he also taught us to keep our upper bodies loose (floppy arm drill. nice). and taught knee/ankle/foot position ... think of riding a bike..... kinda the 90* angles at the knee and ankle ...... extending through when your foot is just under your hip like when you are pedaling ..... that is the propelling force. i haven't done michael's teaching justice. trust me.

photo courtesy of primalcon2011

phew! primal snack lunch at 1pm. that was just the first morning! ah.mazing!

lunch was strawberries. blueberries. tangerines. apples. carrots. sweet peppers. macadamia butter. almond butter. macadamia nuts. almonds. sardines. and turkey. oh, and ultimate fuel milk shakes.

perfect snack lunch.

moving into the afternoon ..... we had a little free time to play. v.b. and i did slackline!! we also had an impromptu women's meet up. carrie sisson and her friend and colleage, gave a little shpiel on emotional connections of living primally. then, the questions started about female health ...... hormones, aging, birth control....... i would love to have talked and shared about other's ideas about bath and beauty care. are avoiding parabens, phtalates, petrolatum and sodium lauryl sulfate primal too? anybody at primalcon shampoo free? and a little time to stretch ...... oh, i knew i'd be sore on saturday (even without pushing myself too hard).......

we attended the workshop by esther gokhale ("go-clay") on posture. another life changing moment. v.b. has back pain every now and then, i really think if we worked on posture it would probably get better. her book is amazing........... the pictures and good posture and bad posture and looking at tribesmen and our daily desk life....... i haven't changed my posture overnight, but i am much more aware of my posture. especially at work. not so good. one of my favorites, is while walking, use your gluteus minimus...... squeeze the top of your bum with each step. and, not surprising, more core. actually, michael and esther, both talked about tucking the ribs in to help engage the core. not standing up straight with chest out. chest in. core engaged. lightbulb moment. she even talks about posture in your sleep.

day 1 dinner.................. amazing salads......... one was shredded brussel sprouts with parmesan and a citrus vinaigrette. the other was kale, pinenuts and cranberries. veggies. steak ...... with a ...... oh.man. de.lish. v.b. had tuna. a little dark chocolate for dessert.

after dinner we did an ocean plunge. this was ridiculous. the weather during the day was perfect. a warm cool 75* ......... high of 75. a little ocean breeze or in the shade ..... pretty chilly. the water had to have been around 55*. it's the kind of cold that literally takes your breath away. funny......... i was so cold before, i wasn't really any colder after. then, we ran to the hot tub. it had to have been 140* (how hot can hot tubs get??). it was too hot. i couldn't get it. i dove into the ocean. it took me about 30 min to eek my way into the hot tub. but, at last, aaaaahhhhhh........ so good for the muscles.

hanging out in the hot tub was also one of the best places for new friends. we just sat around and talked. even me. the introvert.

happy primalcon friday (today's really tuesday)
vibram girl