Fall is Here: Georgetown Grad School at SCS, Spright Stories, USO Fun and More!

Guys. I'm so sorry. Its been way to long. Like, over a month too long. What can I say? I'm a busy lady every now and then.

The past four weeks have been full of fun, work and travel for me. Between starting my Public Relations/Corporate Communications part-time graduate program at Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies, writing a ton of stories for Spright and working like crazy at my actual full-time job at the USO, its been a little crazy. Oh, and on top of all of that, I traveled to Minnesota for a wedding last weekend with Mr. Boyfriend and came down with an awful cold. So there's that too.

Mr. Boyfriend and I at Surly Brewing Company in Minnesota.

The one good thing about being so busy, however, is that I have plenty of fun stories to share with you -- like how awesome it's been to get back into the swing of going back to school.

Although I'm a die-hard storyteller and journalist to my bones, I've always known that at some point in my future I might want to make a career switch into the PR/corporate communications sphere, meaning, at some point, I might have to go back to school.

Even though my current (awesome!) storytelling job at the USO allows me to dabble in both the journalism and PR, I've often felt like my PR and business skills are lacking or even non-existant.
See, I'm a great photographer. A decent writer. And I know how to write an awesome story. But when it comes to creating a strategic communications plan -- an integral part of a PR professional's role -- I come up empty.

So, after a bit of soul searching (and realizing that I actually have time in my life to attend grad classes part-time), I decided that NOW was the perfect time to go back to school -- even if I wanted to stay in journalism a little longer after graduation before seeking out pure PR positions.

Do my glasses make me look like a grad student?

Now, three weeks into my first semester as a part-time grad student at Georgetown, I'm really happy that I chose to go back to school. Not only is my new program engaging, challenging and interesting, but it also has given me a new-found love for my full-time job and part-time freelance work. School has always had a funny way of invigorating your whole life like that sometimes, doesn't it?

In USO-land, I've been working on a bunch of special projects that are almost ready for you to see. I promise I've been working really hard on photos, videos and stories for weeks! Until then, you should check out my two feature stories I wrote for the USO magazine ON★PATROL that were recently published in the fall WWII commemorative issue.

One of my two pretty spreads in the recent issue of On★Patrol!

As for Spright, I've been churning out different interviews and articles for the past few weeks, including a fun interview with the founder of Broga, my mega almond milk taste test experiment (with original photos!) and my article all about how Wanderlust is shaking up yoga!

Phew, doesn't that sound like a lot? Well, jokes on you -- I've got even more exciting things to come :)

That Time I Wrote About the Fit Bottomed Girls For Spright

You know those websites that you stumble upon and just fall in love with? That was Fit Bottomed Girls for me.

The first time I ended up on their site -- probably because of some fitness hashtag I was scrolling through on Twitter -- I was enamored. Here was this website that was completely devoted to everything I was about: staying active, eating in moderation and still enjoying life.

I couldn't believe something like this excited. I told my friends about it. I kept reading. It was like I struck internet gold.

Flash forward a few years from now, and I'm still a FBG follower -- despite the fact that my online-fitness fan girl love has spread to other healthy-in-moderation-type websites. Some things never change...

Why, do you ask, is any of this important?

Well, a few weeks ago I reached out to the FBG team to see if I could e-interview them for a series that I've been working on for Spright, about how fitfluential people are just normal people looking to find balance in life.

And, to my delight, the FBG said yes to my interview request.

I don't want give away too much of my interview with the ladies, but I will say this: it was very grounding for me to hear that all these wonderful, inspired and influential ladies are really just like you and me. Sometimes, its these kind of stories that help me to remember that everyone is really just trying to do and achieve the exact same thing and, at the end of the day, we're all just trying to be the best versions of ourselves.

Anyway, here's a snippet of my story about them, which you should totally check out on Spright!

If you’ve been around the fitness internet, you may have encountered a site called Fit Bottomed Girls. Yep, the name is inspired Queen song “Fat Bottomed Girls.” The site, which also features the catchy tagline “Keeping a Lid on the Junk in the Trunk,” was launched by friends Jenn Walters and Erin Whitehead in 2008 in order to provide practical fitness and nutrition advice to real women trying to live a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Now seven years since its start, the FBG empire has grown to include two sister sites (Fit Bottomed Mamas and Fit Bottomed Eats), a newly published book (The Fit Bottomed Girls Anti-Diet), a third member of the FBG core team (contributing editor and writer Kristen Green Seymour), and a tens of thousands of loyal followers and fans. Talk about a busy few years in business!

Despite the FBG brand’s growing popularity, the dedicated trio of Jenn, Erin, and Kristen has managed to find that sweet balance between running a highly successful health and fitness site and achieving their own fitness, eating, and personal goals.

I reached out to Jenn, Erin, and Kristen to hear more about their lives as the Fit Bottomed Girls core team and how they, as everyday women, find the balance between fitness, food, and fun in their lives. Here’s a look at what they had to say:

(Read more!)

Spright Updates on Working Out in the Heat & Summertime Fun

90 degree heat? Check. Watermelon overflowing at the grocery story? Check. Feeling like you live in an oven? Double check.

It's official: the dog days of summer are in full swing here in Washington, D.C. Lucky me.

In all seriousness though, this summer has gone by in a blur. Between traveling to Canada to visit family, visiting with friends, traveling to weddings, its so hard to believe there's only a few more true weeks of summer left before my graduate school classes begin at Georgetown. Sigh.

At least this summer has been very productive for me in terms of Spright.com & USO work -- that's at good thing right?

I'm not going to spoil all the wonderful things I have in the books for you to enjoy on Spright over the next few months (trust me, I have a TON of things coming!), but I will say that one of my stories -- about working out in the heat -- hit the site last week and I couldn't be happier.

I loved that I was able to reach out to my alma mater's own Dr. Todd Miller for advice in writing this story. He really helped me understand all the interesting ways the body adapts to temperature changes without making me feel like I needed to re-take my freshman biology class.

Anyway, here's a little snippet for you to enjoy:

Exercising outside in the summer months can feel a little like self-inflicted torture, especially for those first few workouts. Your face gets red. Your skin gets sweaty. Your breathing gets increasingly labored as you push yourself to finish your final set. Even recovery can seem to be more difficult than it would in cooler months.

However, after a few consecutive days of exercising in the heat, you’ll probably start to notice that dealing with stifling outdoor temperatures while you work out isn’t as difficult for your body as it was a week or two ago — all thanks to process called temperature acclimation. Simply stated, temperature acclimation is an adaptive bodily process the body undergoes to become more tolerant of working, exercising, and living in the heat.

I wanted to learn more about what goes on inside the body during the temperature acclimation process, so I  reached out to Dr. Todd Miller, an associate professor of exercise science at the George Washington University, to talk more about how the body adapts to working out in the heat. Here are the major takeaways from what I found out...

Read more here!

Stay tuned for more fun things to come!

On Bandit, the USO's Comforting Canine

Remember a few months ago when I was trekking around Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, recording story about a wonderful dog named Bandit?

Well, if you don't, you can read about that here. If you do, keep reading. I have great news.

A few weeks ago, I finally finished editing together the video about Bandit, and it turned out awesome -- like, one-of-my-favorite-videos-ever kind of awesome. It has everything in it you could ever ask for a in a non-profit video: cute dogs, touching family stories, amazing people.

What can I say? Sometimes my job is really, really easy when I'm asked to tell such inspiring stories.

While I don't want to give too much away about the story (and take away too much traffic from the USO!), I will at least give you an embed of the video to enjoy. If you want to read more about Bandit and hear more about his work with the USO, click here.

#TBT & #ICYMI: My Story is Featured on Jackelyn Ho's Website

So. Big news guys.

I just realized that the lovely Jackelyn Ho posted an article I guest-wrote for her new website a few weeks ago. Silly me, I totally didn't know that she posted it until today. I'd call that the biggest #TBT or #ICYMI, ever, right?!

Anyway, the story behind this guest post is pretty cool. A few months ago, when Jackelyn was revamping her site, she asked me if I could guest write a post for her which would be part of a real-world love stories series she was going to have on her site.

Naturally, I was honored to be asked to contribute and had NO idea waht I was going to write about.

Even though I have a wonderful loving boyfriend (aka, the Mr. Man from all my blog posts), I don't typically write about the complexities of my romantic relationships -- especailly one that is as long and deep as me and Mr. Man's.

However, after a few tries, I think I came up with a wonderful vignette that shows just how deep and selfless our love is.

I don't want to steal traffic from Jackelyn, but here's a sneak peak at the story, which you should totally go and read:

Matt never brings me flowers when he’s supposed to — you know, on birthdays, or anniversaries or things like that. He says that’s when I’ll expect them the most, which, according to him, defeats the purpose of surprising me with flowers. While most girls would hate to have a boyfriend who doesn’t give them flowers when they’re traditionally expected to, honestly, I don’t mind at all. It’s part of the many reasons I love Matt so much, actually.

See, even though Matt doesn’t give me flowers on those red calendar days, somehow, he always manages to give them to me when I need them the most...

Read the full story here!

Finding My Balance: SUP Yoga Reviewing for Spright with Ebb + Flow

Okay. You caught me. I haven't updated my blog in a while. I blame laziness and vacation... erm, mostly vacation. But everyone deserves a little break from the interwebs every now and then, right? Anyway, here's a little update, from before I headed off on my wonderful week of vacation in the Canadian Rockies with Mr. Man (I'll talk more about that in another post).

A few weeks ago, I got to spend a wonderful evening reviewing a SUP (stand-up paddleboard) yoga class for Spright.com.

Now, let me be perfectly clear. I had never done regular SUP -- let alone SUP yoga -- before I headed down to the Key Bridge Boathouse to take one of Ebb + Flow's SUP yoga classes a few weeks ago, so I was a little nervous.

Looking back on it now, I probably wouldn't have ever thought to try the class in the first place if it wasn't for the Ebb + Flow founder, Jane Daly. Earlier in 2015, Jane introduced herself to me at a Grip the Mat yoga event, where I was working a Fiterazzi photo-booth. Even though the weather at the time was too chilly for SUP, Jane encouraged me to follow up with her in the summertime and come and try out a class.

So, after a few weeks of seeing all the paddleboarders out on the Potomac, enjoying the warm summer weather, I decided to follow up with Jane and take her up on her offer.

Now, I won't give away too much of my review (you should go read it on Spright!), but I will show you some pictures I took (with just my GoPro 3) and leave you with an excerpt to enjoy.

.... Our class started with stand-up paddleboarding demos to help any SUP newbies in the class (cough, me, cough) feel more comfortable on the water.

Then, once everyone was given their boards, personal floatation devices, anchors, and paddles, we were off, making our way to a small cove of calm water on Theodore Roosevelt Island.

Once we reached the cove, everyone put down their anchors and settled into child’s pose before starting the practice. As the hour passed, we flowed through a series of modified vinyasa moves including downward facing dog, warrior three and, aptly, boat pose....

Read more here!

Side-note: I've got to say, I'm pretty impressed with the quality of my GoPro shots -- for such a little thing, it did a pretty good job. Maybe next time I'll take my Canon out on the water -- or not. It is my non-waterproof baby, after all.

Behind the Shoot: Shooting Grip the Mat's Bendy Brunch at K Street Urban Farm

Happy Monday and happy July!

A few weeks ago -- actually, more like a month ago now -- I had the awesome opportunity to shoot a Grip the Mat Bendy Brunch at the K Street Urban Farm, which is run by DC Greens.

While I've shot events for Grip the Mat before, I've never shot an event on an urban farm -- let alone a yoga event on an urban farm.

It was a little weird seeing people mozy through their flows between rows of collard greens, but hey, as a photographer, it was a magically wonderful scene to capture!

It's funny, I used to live within walking distance of this part of town and I had no idea that this urban farm even existed or that there were events there and that anyone can come on Sundays to pick the produce and take it home.

Why aren't there more urban farms like this throughout the city?

*** P.S. If you want to see more photos like this, or hear more about Grip the Mat, or what a Bendy Brunch is, check out this post. I've written about Bendy Brunches in more detail before, so I don't want to repeat myself when I can just show you pretty pictures :)