Great birthday weekend. I am currently working on a blog post that feels like it’s going to take a YEAR to write, so in the meanwhile, here are some highlights of turning 51:

Started with my first kettlebell class. I took a one-on-one with John Wild Buckley of the Orange Kettlebell Club. I loved it. He is very slow and meticulous and very focused on technique and doing everything exactly right. I was worried about my tendency toward back injuries and he was very attentive re that. So there was a lot of fine-tuning regarding posture (“Butt out!!”) and timing and  such. I learned a lot. This guy knows so much and he is also so passionate and enthusiastic about kettlebells it’s contagious. He told me that kettlebells would change my life. “My LIFE?” I said, and laughed and he said yes, my LIFE. Okay!

We only did one basic thing: the basic swing. I thought I was going to learn to do all sorts of things but instead it was just that one thing, with higher and higher weights. We did most of it with me using a 44# lb weight (whoa!) which actually felt just fine. In the end there was even a higher one that I didn’t notice the number on. But: HEAVY.

All of these are the same size and shape, but vary in weight from 20-something lbs to like 150.

After that I went away for the weekend but on the way home I stopped at the sports store and picked up my own 30# kettlebell. Yay!

Other highlights of the weekend:




Spending time with the people I love. Couldn’t be better. I think it’s gonna be a good year.