I never thought I was someone who would refer to myself, Rob, and our dog as "our family," but it turns out I totally am. So when we were in Richmond a few weeks ago, our sweet wedding photographer got up at the crack of dawn to meet us in Carytown for what I continually referred to as a "family photo session." (I do solemnly swear, however, that you will never under any circumstances hear me refer to Ender as a "fur baby." The line has to be drawn somewhere.)

I love these photos so much--it's fun to have shots of me and Rob that aren't from our wedding or engagement shoot, and it'll be great to look back in the months to come and remember how small our little puppy was. He is growing so fast! Also I should mention that it was a mere 40 degrees when these photos were taken, but it was the second day of spring, dammit, and I was going to wear a dress.

Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot--I hope you enjoy them!

Photos by V.A. Photography.

I finished up my first month of barre classes and wanted to share a few thoughts about it here with you today. Some of this might be repeated from episode two of Hello, Butter (which you should listen to if you haven't yet!), but a lot of it isn't.

Coming from a running and ex-CrossFit mentality, barre didn't seem like enough of a workout at first. You never lift more than five pounds in each hand, and you really don't even move that much for most of the class. But after a few classes, I started to "get it" a bit more and then I was actually kind of hooked. I went 21 times in 30 days and I feel stronger, look a little leaner, and have gained so much flexibility that was just totally nonexistent before.

I wasn't sure I was going to sign up for a six month or twelve month contract after these first 30 days, but I ended up purchasing a six month contract because I didn't want to just buy classes and try to stretch them out. I think I need to go four or five times a week to see the results I want, so an unlimited membership makes more sense at this point. 

I still don't know if I love barre, but it works and I'm able to go as much as I want without getting injured, which wasn't the case for me and CrossFit. My next challenge is to find a way to fit running back into my schedule, because I think barre plus running will be the perfect fitness balance for me.

Do you go to barre? What's your fitness schedule look like? I want to know everything!

I'll be in Farmville, Virginia today and tomorrow; speaking at my alma mater this afternoon about life after graduation and all the weird and wonderful things you can do with an English degree. Wish me luck!

I might even share some excerpts from my speech here on the blog when I get back. Until then, stay tuned for a post tomorrow about my first 30 days of Pure Barre.

Happy Tuesday!

Photo from our engagement shoot at Longwood, by V.A. Photography.