Lululemon

Our Summer in Pictures

August 28, 2017 by Rachel 18 Comments

Guys – something amazing happened this Summer — we had fun — and I stepped a bit away from this here blog. I did, however, start posting all kinds of photos to my Instagram stories as a way of ‘photo-blogging’ my way through the summer months!

In case you aren’t following me on Instagram (which, why aren’t you!?), here’s our Summer in Insta-stories:

I worked out a LOT.

We visited the farmers market often.

Adventures at the zoo!

We spent a lot of time eating samples at Costco.

My children had a blast at the YMCA — both while I was working and while they
(well, specifically, Ari, was in swim lessons!).

We went to Kentucky to visit my parents.

We celebrated my nephews first birthday!

We took a BIG family vacay to Hilton Head!

Basically, all of these pictures and I’m all “OMG I can’t believe it’s nearly September!” And now we have exactly ONE WEEK left of Summer break before our new school year starts. I’m absolutely going to make the most of this week and get one more ‘hurrah’ outta Summer! 😉

Summer 2017 — you kinda rocked.

GIVEAWAY!! // Elevate Akron // Fall 2015

November 15, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

Again, I have to say it… Northeast Ohio is simply amazing. There is so much to do, so much to see, and so much to be involved in! While this can be found within so many groups and hobbies here in Ohio, it’s especially true of the yoga community.

First there was Believe in CLE. And then, earlier this year, the first ever Elevate Akron event. Thankfully, we’re ending 2015 with yet another FREE yoga event before closing out 2015!

Next Sunday, November 22nd, yogis from all over our region, will gather at the University of Akron field house for a sweaty vinyasa practice, speakers, and an after party complete with food trucks, games and DJ Nino!

The excitement that is set to vibrate throughout the city of Akron — and Northeast Ohio — is building! I’m SO excited to attend, pregnant belly and all!

Lucky for one of my readers, I was asked by the great ladies of Lululemon Akron to giveaway one commemorative Elevate Akron 2015 tank or tee! Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter — and please only enter if you are local and will be able to pick up the tee!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck! Be sure to register for the FREE EVENT HERE. Oh, and here are the nitty gritty details for the event:

Parking. Parking is available in lot 10 directly behind the building.
Arrive Early. Music, day-of check-in and yoga mat parking starts at 4:30PM. The festivities promptly at 5:00PM with a special speaker followed by our vinyasa class.
Bring Cash. Hello? Food trucks galore!
Limited Mat Rentals. So be sure to bring one!
Packet Pick-Up. Event organizers urge you to attend packet pick-up at the lululemon Akron showroom on Friday, November 20th from 11:00AM-6:00PM or Saturday, November 21st from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. Pre-ordered tees and tank tops will also be distributed during these designated times.

See you there! xo

long weekend, big plans!

May 22, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

We have been busy busy bees as of late. But we’ve also managed to sneak in weekend naps and late PJ mornings on the weekends as much as possible.

This weekend, however, may be the exact opposite. There are so many exciting things going on and I’m going to try and squeeze in as many as possible! If you’re in Northeast Ohio, I hope you’ll check some of these out! Maybe I’ll even see you there?!

For The Fitness Fanatics //

Community Yoga // lululemon athletica Akron Showroom // Free // Saturday, 9 am – 10 am
A free all-levels class for the local yogis! Arrive a few minutes early, bring a mat and some water!
SUP Yoga // Portage Lakes, Release Yoga // $33 // Saturday, 9 am – 10:30 am
This is the second year that Release Yoga has offered a weekly SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) Yoga class! What a fun and unique way to get a workout in! Pre-registration is required here.

Northcoast 5k // Kent // $30 // Saturday, 9:30 am
If you’re looking to fit in a fun run this weekend, head to Kent and squeeze in a quick 5k! Awards take place post-race at the Water Street Tavern where finishers enjoy a free beer (21 and over, of course!), a $2 happy hour until 9 pm, and admission into the NPC Northcoast Championship Fitness Show, which is taking place on KSU’s campus! Register here!

For The Locavores + Craft Show Lovers //

Crafty Mart // Thirsty Dog Brewing Company // Free // Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm
Head down to Akron’s own favorite brewery for live music, crafty finds from incredible vendors, food, and brews! These events bring everything wonderful about Akron to one central location and one time! If you haven’t been, I highly recommend stopping by! More information can be found via the Facebook event page!

Sunday Market // Hingetown, Cleveland // Free // Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm
The Cleveland Flea Hingetown Market is back! And the focus is brunch! I’m incredibly excited to visit one of my favorite little places, Hingetown, for the second year of their Sunday Markets!

For the All-American //

Vicious Cycle, a Lynyrd Skynyrd Cover Band // Lock 3, Akron // Free // Friday, 7 pm
The Friday night concert series at Lock 3 is back and if rocking out with a lot of other people is your thing, then this is for you. Bonus? Free parking and lots of bars and restaurants within walking distance.
Marc’s Great American Rib Cook Off // Jacob’s Pavilion, Cleveland // $8 // Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 12 pm – 11 pm, Monday, 12 pm – 8 pm
Lots of options for BBQ, beer, and music. Kids 12 and under are free! You can find more info here.

However you choose to spend your long weekend, I hope you spend it surrounded by family and friends!

Elevate YOGAkron // outdoor yoga festival!

May 20, 2015 by Rachel 5 Comments

There are many things that I’m passionate about. When two of those things come together (like drinking wine and painting, for instance – LOL!), I am in heaven!

Two other things that I am passionate about: Northeast Ohio and Yoga. A few years ago when the first Believe In CLE event took place, I was beyond excited to practice yoga with hundreds and hundreds of other yogis at the Rock Hall.

Recently some of my fellow Akron-area yogis put together an outdoor community practice at Hardesty Park, located in the heart of Akron’s Wallhaven neighborhood!

In partnership with the City of Akron & local yoga studios, the lululemon athletica Akron Showroom and YOGAkron have teamed up to present the inaugural Elevate YOGAkron event, which is being held on Friday, May 29th from 6:00 – 9:30PM, rain or shine!

This free-, outdoor-yoga festival will celebrate the heart and soul of the beautiful city of Akron! Live music, courtesy of Akron-native DJ Nino, will last through the all-levels Vinyasa practice, led by lululemon Ambassador and YOGAkron Founder Tracy Rhinehart (ERYT-500HR). During the all-levels practice, yoga teachers from various studios throughout Akron will be offering hands-on assists to the practicing yogis!

The Cleveland-based, Akron-loving, company, NOOMA, will support the event with free samples of their delicious electrolyte hydration drink throughout the practice! After the practice, DJ Naeno will continue to spin until 9:30PM and local food vendors, such as Ms. Julie’s Kitchen, will be at the event to provide nourishment and just plain ol’ tasty eats for the yogis!

Registration to the event is completely free, but you will need to fill out an online registration here. You do have an option at the point of registration to purchase a commemorative tee or tank for just $10. (I did! Look how cute it is!?!)

Registered participants can check-in, complete their waiver, and pick up their Elevate YOGAkron shirts at lululemon athletica Akron Showroom (21 Furnace Street in Downtown Akron) or at Yoga Bliss in Fairlawn (3045 Smith Rd, Fairlawn, OH 44333) during normal business hours on both Thursday, May 28th and Friday, May 29th. Check-in is also available at the event beginning at 6pm for those unable to do so ahead of time.

Will I see you there?? Let’s lift Akron up with love and light! 🙂 If you have never been to an event like this and want someone to go with, hit me up and let me know! 🙂 I’d be happy to go with ya!

Just before this post was set to go live, the folks over at lululemon let me know that they’d like to give an Elevate YOGAkron t-shirt to one of my readers! Enter using the rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST! 🙂 Ha! I just really love Ohio, I really love Akron, and I really and truly love the yoga community here. 🙂 And the giveaway? That just seemed to fall into place the way that the community of Akron likes to do! I just hope to see some of you there! And hey? why not try and score a tee while you’re at it! (Thanks, Lemons!)

holiday wrap up! //

December 1, 2014 by Rachel Leave a Comment

[I feel the need to preface this post with two things: 1. Sorry for all the pictures; 2. Sorry all the pictures are of crappy quality. I’m tired]

Thank you to everyone who checked in with me over the last week or two. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, but I’m feeling so much better about everything since the holiday. <3

Wednesday when I (finally) got off of work, I came home to just relax. As I mentioned before, we cancelled our Thanksgiving plans to stay home. It was the first time in the seven years that Chad and I have been together that we have spent Thanksgiving alone. Well, alone meaning me + him + Moosh.

So we slept in until Moosh woke up on Thursday. And then we watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in our giant king sized bed (PS. it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned how much I LOVE our Sleep Number bed…. but it’s true. I love it so much). Moosh was completely entranced by the floats and characters.

Especially when Thomas the Tank Engine appeared around the corner. Just “CHOO CHOO! CHOO CHOOOOO!” nonstop. Freaking. Adorable.

We spent the rest of the morning lounging around. Literally. Parade + Ho Ho movies (which means Frozen + Saving Santa + Curious George Christmas) and spending time in our PJs. Perfection. No where to go; no where to be; nothing to do! Fantastic.We just cooked. Let’s be real. I didn’t cook. I just cleaned the green beans. Oh and I cleaned up after the real cook! Ha!

Our dinner was delicious. Chad made the turkey with the sous-vide. The mashed potatoes? Not potatoes at all… mashed cauliflower! Amazing cranberries & green beans. Oh. My. GOSH. So delicious.

Because our Thanksgiving was kind of last-minute, I didn’t plan for dessert. I ended up picking up a pie from The Blue Door Café. A delicious pumpkin pie with molasses crust!

It was incredible. After dinner when we were all struggling to stay out of a food coma, I decided to brave the Thanksgiving shopper crowds. First at Toys R Us, then at Target. I know, I know… I’m crazy. Luckily I wasn’t after any big items. Just some toddler toys for Moosh.

And honestly I had the BEST shopping experience ever. I usually hate going to Toys R Us. But, for whatever reason, the employees were incredibly helpful AND happy. I was in and out in no time at all!

And then… Target. I found my favorite Target pharmacist in the toy section just there to help out! Truth: The Target Pharmacy has the least convenient hours of any pharmacy ever; But they also have the most friendly and helpful pharmacists of all time. So I always go there for our prescriptions. And they make an effort to say hello when they see me outside of the pharmacy. Seeing a friendly face almost made the 30-minute wait to check out bearable. But in truth, I had no where else to be and I wasn’t in any sort of hurry. The most painful part of the line was the 20-something dude in front of me that commented on EVERY SINGLE ITEM he found in the aisles about how it “was on sale! Better buy it!” as he stood with his XBOX one game. I almost punched him in his childless, XBOX one playing face.

It’s hard to believe we packed that must awesome into one day. But we did. On Friday all I wanted to do was sleep in, but I was awake by 7AM. I almost crawled back into bed, but decided that since I was up, I had no excuse not to make it to a free yoga class at Lululemon. I’m so glad I went. It was just what my body (and my mind!) needed. Much love to Gretchen and the Lululemon crew for the amazing post-Thanksgiving burn!

In addition to the yoga, we went to the gym on Friday (while everyone else was busy working/shopping), and I went for a nice 3-mile run! It was a lovely day… minus the fact that Ari’s nasty cough came back and we had to use his nebulizer (his “Pup-pppeeee”). He’s become quite a champ at holding it himself.

We were all so exhausted by Friday evening that I ended up falling asleep before 8:30. Ha. But I had to get into work Saturday morning. (Yuck)

Luckily Saturday flew by. I came home to a happy baby and happy husband. Moosh and I played. And then the mister and I had an at-home date night, complete with red wine, The Maze Runner movie, and LOTS of cheese.

It was perfection. Complete perfection.

And Sunday was equally was awesome. We slept in until Moosh woke us up with his “Mommy??” over the monitor. And then we did more snuggling in bed while we watched Super Why.

This kid makes me SO happy! I was also lucky enough to meet up with my running partner for a nice 5 mile run on the towpath followed by an adventure with Moosh at Crafty Mart in Akron where we met up with Gretchen and her two boys!

Such a perfect perfect holiday. <3

we’ve been busy!

September 5, 2013 by Rachel 3 Comments

Well I didn’t mean to be so quiet around here, but we’ve been keeping ourselves extra busy for the last week!

Friday night my friend Carli & I went to the #BelieveInCLE event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland. The event was hosted by the Rock Hall, Inner Bliss Yoga (located in Westlake and Rocky River), and Lululemon Athletica.

It was a night of “Yoga, music & connection;” complete with a DJ playing music live during a challenging 90-minute yoga class. The connection part?? That came from the pre-yoga talk on mindfulness and the deep breathing of the 1100 people who came out to practice together! It was an amazing night. So incredibly powerful and moving! I’m so happy to have been part of the night.

Post-Rock Hall-Yoga-fun, Carli & I grabbed some food from Hodges (obvi!). I was BEAT the next day! Literally my only goal for Saturday was to not leave the house — mission accomplished!! 🙂

Because it was pretty much the only day that we didn’t have anything going on.

Sunday my parents were up from Kentucky (just for the day — sigh — I wish that they were up here for good! I swear I’m still in denial about the fact that they aren’t living here in Ohio anymore) and we hit up the Fairlawn Food Truck Round Up! I seriously had this on my calendar for over a month. The thought of eating another sushi burrito (from a freakin’ mobile sushi truck!!) was mouth-watering. There were a gazillion (technical term) people there. The lines were crazy, but to be expected for a food truck roundup, amIright???

My sushi burrito was followed by some teeny tiny cinnamon sugared donuts from Donut Lab! Yum!

Monday morning I raced in a 5k in Hudson — the first annual Race to the Taste! There were wayyyyy more people than I expected for their first annual race. And I had set a goal for myself to finish in 28 minutes — but I ended up finishing in just over 27 minutes! Still not a PR, but my best since Ari was born!

Later in the day we went to a family cookout. My parents may have already been gone, but the rest of our family welcomed us with open arms! They are freakin’ obsessed with our kid — and I totally love it! Cause I’m totally obsessed with him too. 🙂

I thought going back to work Tuesday after a long weekend would restore some balance, but that’s not the case. A crazy work day was followed by an awesome family (and coworker) night at the Cleveland Indians game against the Baltimore Orioles! We ~~rarely~~ never say no to free tickets! Especially tickets in an awesome suite filled with free food [where Ari ate more than his share of pickles, tomatoes and melon!].

The long night made Wednesday even longer. But I had previously scheduled myself to attend another Wine + Canvas event — and I wasn’t going to miss it!

It is seriously SO therapeutic to get creative and paint. It gets me out of my head, just for a little while. And in the end?? I have this awesome creation to display! 🙂

So yeah… we’ve been busy. It’s totally worth the craziness… but I cannot wait to spend the entire weekend on the couch in pajamas! 🙂