Road trip flying trapeze

With Leap closed, I'll have to travel to other rigs to try my hand at flying trapeze. This Thanksgiving, there was some warm weather, so I drove 2.5 hours north to flying trapeze in Blue Ridge.

Road trip selfie

This is currently the closest rig to my house—though the owner is trying to open in Atlanta. An hour drive is much better than a 2.5 hour drive, so I have my fingers crossed that will work.

After I survived the drive through the North Georgia mountains (seriously, why are mountain roads so curvy? They were S-shaped for 20 miles with a speed limit of 25 that I happily followed.)

The rig was set up in the yard of a pretty house—and overlooking a lake. It's run by a husband and wife, and their nanny was working the board. (Can I have a trapeze in my yard? They're living the dream. GORGEOUS!)

It was the second rig I've ever been to. All in all, I'd say it was run very much like the rig I was used to.

The safety belts were a little different.

The net was much bouncier (can we do net tricks next time? That would be fun.)

And getting off the rig was a little different.  (No ladder, which is fine with me.)

But the calls, the direction, the board, catching—everything was very similar. (Yay, all in all. I had a great time.)

It was a smaller class—five people. We went for two hours and got a lot of turns. The owners said we could go as long as we wanted, but we were too tired after two hours. And two days later, my lats are still killing me.

The owner, Colby, gave really good critique after you're done. He too pointed out that I need to work on my take off (more back and in a 7 position) and we worked on my swing for a lot of turns.  (The swing is so frustrating.) I'd been working on my full swing from the front. Colby had me starting the swing from the board—and this change (and not having flown in almost a month) threw off a lot of my turns.

I feel like I need to work on my take-off for a whole class. There's so much that goes on in a take-off. I need to roll my shoulders back before take off (His wife Kristy helped me with thi.). I need to throw the bar up more when I take off. I need to jump up and back and not down. Except, I'm still going above the bar and doing almost an uprise over the bar. (Been doing this as long as I worked on my swing.) It's so much to remember.  (And it was kind of nice to hear the same critique from Colby, who I've never met before the class, as Kaz and Shain. He definitely knew what he was talking about.)

And then in my swing—I'm still not getting that third position. He told me to do forward, backward, hang loose and straight and long—to relax and not kick back. (Which is exactly what Kaz has been telling me.) I need to go to trapeze every day for a week just to get these things.

It's so difficult to get new skills when you're not going every day and it is so easy to forget skills.

For the session, I was really being hard on myself. I had a couple of garbage turns—where I should have been doing a trick when I was expecting to swing longer, or I just didn't do what I was supposed to do. I'm at that weird intermediate place in trapeze—where I've outgrown the easy tricks, but am just not on an advanced level yet, and I'm frustrated I'm not there. But everyone goes through that.

But the class was fun. The weather was gorgeous. The owners were nice. I got some practice in. I worked on my backend split. And I had the first catch of the day!

And by the end, it had turned into a dog and baby party. The owner's dog was outside with us. Some of her friends came over. We were playing with the dogs–until they decided to play in the mud. And the owner's baby, and her friend's baby were outside. Her son was hilarious. I feel like he's cheering for me in one of my videos. (I liked the distraction. It was good to get out of my head and make funny faces at a baby.)

I'd definitely go back.

Preferably, with a carpool.

The owners were talking about sharing a house rental with a group of friends and doing a trapeze weekend with two-a-days. That does sound tempting. I feel like a need a camp or trapeze vacation to get my swing solid.

I'm not sure I'll get to fly any more in 2015—being that the weather is getting cold, but we'll see. I'm still thinking of what friends and relatives I could visit that are located near flying trapeze rigs.

And the mean time—COLBY please open a rig in Atlanta. There's enough of a following that you could have enough business.

The nerdy girl's guide to pilates

Today I tried pilates.

I felt like I knew what pilates was. There are elements of pilates in Pure Barre. I think I did a DVD or two of pilates back in college.

Pilates was not what I was expecting. I went straight for the tower class. I figured I'd done TRX before, I'd be good.

Hahahahahahaha. I'm not sure if I've even been so bad at something in my life.  (Well yes, I am bad at lots of things, but I should have set my expectations lower.)

The class was small. There are only three tower machines. So the class could max out at three. It was a white haired lady, me and the instructor. The instructor seemed really knowledgable and could tell what was tight on me (glutes, okay well everything).

For most of the class you're on a low table covered by a mat. One end is open and one end has the tower. You'll be sitting or lying or stretching on your side for most of the class. Part of the class used a bar on springs, or straps (like TRX) that attached to the tower and you put your feet in.

There were some hip openers (that would probably be familiar to yoga people), and deep breathing.

The class started off with a lot of stretching.

My favorite part of the class was using the bar and the straps. It worked all of your muscles harder. I even got to put my knees over the bar like a trapeze knee hang! (HIGHLIGHT)

That said, I'm pretty sure I did everything wrong.

Turn my shoulder in my socket? I don't even know what that means.

I got a lot of corrections. Which is understandable. The movements were completely new to me. Sure, I can push down on a lever and do leg or hip circles—but the pilates moves muscles in a way I wasn't used to. It was moving my abs deeper than I ever have before. And dropping my shoulders without popping my ribs. I just kept thinking "I don't move that way" when I got corrections.

I have a weird back. I have an eight degree curve in my spine. My tailbone sticks out more than it should. But if I go to the chiropractor every few months when I'm feeling out of whack then I'm fine. It doesn't bother me. Apparently, I should have told the instructor this, so she would know that my back really doesn't move that way. It's just never been an issue. It doesn't effect my ability to run or flip or stand on my hands. But when I'm lying on my back—it makes a difference.

I'm thinking about buying a month to the studio to try out the different classes. If so, I'd try it out again. And see if I'm any better the second time around. Apparently the learning curve is 3-4 classes.

The down side was that my heart rate never got up, there were only two or three exercises that used any sort of strength and I was probably doing them wrong. It could be day for a day when I'm all beat up

All in all, I I think the class hurt my pride.

Nerdy Girl's Guide to pilates

What to wear: I'd wear yoga clothes and socks. I wore socks and it was probably better to wear socks with the pilates straps. (I wore full length leggings since it was cold out.)

What to expect: Do more prep work than I did. Lots of stretching, movements using your core, especially hips, tailbone and some pelvic floor.

Best for: People looking for a low intensity workout. (Mother-in-law, you should try this.)

Advice: Maybe don't go straight to tower, if you're a newbie.

Would I go back? I certainly have a lot to learn. I'd like to try some of the other pilates classes before I decide on this discipline. I should keep it in mind for days when I'm bruised, limping or achey. I really should stretch more.

The end of Leap

One of Athens' hidden gems has flown into the sunset. Leap trapeze, a flying trapeze business on Collins Industrial Ave., closed operations in November.

The business operated for 4.5 years and taught attendees flying trapeze tricks—the circus style tricks where you fly through the air and get caught. And while you can be 20 feet in the air, there's a nice bouncy net under you.

Leap was run by two local couples—Shain and Kara Dyckman and Kaz and Larissa Stouffer, who have decades of trapeze training between them.

The email to clients said:

Our lease is up in November, and we will not re-open in the Spring...We have been running Leap on evenings and weekends, in addition to working our full-time jobs and raising our families. We are not able to run the rig in the manner that we would like to be able to, and while we are all sad to let it go, it is time. 

I heard about Leap last summer. A girl at my gymnastics class told me I should try it. I filed it away and put it on my Athens bucket-list. At $45 a pop, it was a special occasion class.

I finally decided to do a class for my birthday and invited five of my bravest girlfriends to come fly with me.

By the end of your first class, you would have learned a knee hang, and a backflip and then be caught by a catcher hanging upside down from another trapeze bar. The catcher will catch your wrists, swing you and toss you gently into a bouncy net.

Does this sound like the most fun class ever? Because it is.

After my first swing on the trapeze, I was hooked. My family asked me if I was going to run away and join the circus. I went back as often as I could and learned how to swing, a good number of tricks and catches. This fall I got serious and got to take a workshop—a weekly series of classes. And I'm even more hooked now.

The instructors were fabulous (and internationally recognized) and the people were nice and welcoming. The classes stayed booked up and I was hoping they could expand soon and offer even more classes.

But Athens, haven of all things ecclectic and artistic, is losing this gem. The flying trapeze rig in Atlanta just closed too.

Athens, consistently ranked of the fittest places in the country,  is the perfect place for this activity. It's perfect for adventure seekers, those ticking off a bucket list, circus aficionados, couples looking for a fun date, gymnasts, acrobats, or just people who like fun.

And yet, so many people I talked to had never heard of it. They thought I was talking about Canopy, which teaches static trapeze. Flying trapeze is completely different. It's 100 miles per hour. It's adrenaline and callused hands. And the people are so supportive.

I love how eclectic and artistic Athens is—that there are so many options for arts, fitness and adventure. And Leap fits in so perfectly with this. I'm heart broken that it's closing. It was one just another reason Athens is such an awesome place to live.

Leap, I'm sorry to see you go.

Lululemon order mix-up

I really need another pair of crops with pockets. (Especially since Lululemon won't restock their sports bras with the pockets!). I ordered a ton hoping I'd get one pair that worked.

Ordered
1) Fabletics Curacao crop. The pocket is too deep and the crops show a ton of pet fur. They looked cheap when the came out of the wash.

Trying to shorten the pocket with duct tape! Didn't work :(

2 )Fabletics Curacao crop II. Sent back this pair since I wasn't happy with the first one.
3) Lululemon Rebel Runner
4) Lululemon Kris Kross Crop
5) Tried on: Lululemon Pace Rival Crop

Kris cross crop

I ordered the two Lulu crops in one order with a clearance sports bra. The order partially shipped with the bra and the Rebel Runner. A week passed and the Kris Kross Crops were never charged to my card and never shipped. And when I searched for them in the store, they weren't showing up.

I finally live chatted with the Lulu customer service, who didn't know why they didn't ship. The rep said they were in stock and I ended up buying them again. (Their website was clearly having issues. If you searched the crop, they were showing as out of stock. If you found them from the running page, they were showing up as in stock).

I probably shouldn't have bought them again. It was the universe telling me I spend too much and don't need them.

It was a weird chat. I think he was trying to make conversation asking me:

What are you going to use these crops for?
Do you know about our return policy?

Dude. You have my order history. Do you not see weekly orders dating back an entire year.
And asking me about the return policy makes me think that these are crops that will fall apart and I'll have to take them back.

They never apologized or tried to make it right. The guy offered to overnight them to me. They shipped 3 days later. I got them in four days. I've gotten markdowns in two-days with regular shipping so I'm not impressed. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE.

I had planned on sending one of the crops back anyway.

Here are my thoughts, and what I returned and kept.

Rebel runner

I really liked the way these pants felt. The fabric was great and sucked me in the right places. I wasn't crazy for the high waist. And the deal breaker was the ankles.

I'm 5-5 and the ankles on these look like high waters. And because there's a zipper, you can't hem them. Or maybe you could before the cuffs, but that defeats the purpose. For $100, I want crops that don't make me look silly.

And honestly I think I need to look at
1) An Ivivva crop with a pocket
2) North Face sports bras with pockets

I returned the Rebel Runners. The educator showed me the Pace Rival crops that also have pockets, so I tried them on. They were sheer.

The fit was a little weird though. The tag said hugged sensation, but I felt like I could have tried a 4 on in those pants. The waist especially felt loose. I didn't feel any compression at all. (The Rebel Runners felt infinitely better in this department.) I did fit in a 4 in the Align pant (but kept the 6).

I ended up keeping the Kris Cross Crop, which still aren't on the website in black. My iPhone 6 fits in the pocket so I can use it for trail runs. My one gripe is that the pocket hits too low on my thigh. The phone falls practically to my knee, which I noticed for the first mile of my run and then got over it. The pants were clearly designed for taller girls. I'd love it if the pocket was up a little higher so my phone isn't hitting my knee when I run. Oh well it has a pocket.

Farewell flight

The flying trapeze rig  had a fun fly in place of the workshop show, which never happened since it was rained out two weekends in a row .It was also final hurrah before closing. Forever. The rig is coming down on Saturday. And apparently, they're selling it.

It was one last chance to fly and be caught.

It was a little bit a free for all. I think 15 people showed up to fly, including the owner's children and people I haven't seen in forever.

I was the first to put my belt on, but ended up being #10 on the board, because people just went up there—and knew how I free fly worked. I didn't.

It was a little chaotic. We had three catchers there. Lots of staff. There was tons of food. (Lots of people brought food.) It was also really chilly out. They turned the heat lamp on and I huddled around it most of the night until I went and got a North Face fleece from my car. I was much comfier after that.

I worked on my swing. It's still a hot mess. And every staffer calls my swing differently, and I wasn't accustomed to the calls, so that made it worse than usual.

On my second turn it was time for a trick. I decided to do my backend split. Then, my seat roll. It was my worst seat roll in weeks. Probably because another lady did it. Oh well.

Then it was time for catching (it's usually have five turns). I did a practice backend straddle and kicked the bar. I kicked the crap out of it. I actually checked to see if I was missing skin it was so bad. It bruised almost instantly. I did this because I was opening with my hands and lower body when I just need to move my hands for the trick.

The next time up, I asked Shain if I could work in hands. I've wanted to do this for months. He first brought it up—and then I went weeks of no catches. My straddle is very catchable, so that's what I wanted to work on.

So I caught, and Rhuben told me arch and then he told me the commands that the advanced flyers do—maybe seven, hollow, sweep. I just figured it meant forward, backward, forward, so that's what I did. It was fun. I went high up in the air. And Rhuben was too far away to ever tell him that I DON'T KNOW THOSE CALLS. Apparently, I did good. (Or they were just happy it was the last night.)

Man, I wish I had a few more classes to get my return to the bar. After years of trampoline craziness, I think I could get my return to the bar soon. (Ha ha. It's probably really difficult.)

We ended catches with Megan ALMOST getting her double. It was so loud when she missed. And to end on a good note, she finished with a split catch. She has a very pretty split.

At this point, a few people were crying. Trapeze is their life. (I get it! I'm seriously considering moving to be closer to a rig.) I'm still in denial though. I'll find another way to fly. Something will open up in the spring.

Then, there was singing and birthday cupcakes. It was one of the owner's birthdays. There was a champagne toast. And shots. And hugs. And reminiscing.

At 10 p.m., people were getting happy and silly with the very liberal shots of tequila being poured. I'd been at work and ON since 7:30 that morning. I was waiting for someone to leave so I could slip out.

It's my old lady bed time! I have to be at work at 8 a.m. I left. Feeling a little out of place. I was the new person. Everyone had been coming longer than me. And are all close friends.

I haven't cried yet about the rig. I feel like I should. I'm heart broken. I've brainstormed ways to get a rig.

• Doesn't the university want a rig? (If FSU has one, shouldn't we?)
• Something has to open up in Atlanta (apparent Trapeze School NY tried and failed in Atlanta.)
• They'll change their minds (selling the rig does seem pretty final)
• Maybe they'll teach circus classes in town (they've said they don't have time.)

I love having circus in my life. And don't know what I'll do without it.

Online Lululemon addiction

My lulu. I own that striped shirt.

I buy way too much Lululemon online. The girls at work make fun of my weekly package deliveries.

But here's the thing: I love online shopping. It is just so easy to grab my laptop when I'm bored and search for something, click on it and put it in my shopping cart and done. It ships to me and it's so easy.

Don't get me wrong. I do like shopping in my local Lululemon. The store is pretty, well-lit, in a trendy part of town. I love trying on the super soft clothes and perusing the sale rack. But it's not easy.


1. My Lululemon showroom has crazy hours. They're open roughly 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
I can't swing by after work. Most Saturdays I have plans—or there's a football game and traffic is too awful to brave that side of town.
They're hours aren't easy at all. No Sundays, no evenings. Maybe if they were open more hours, I'd go more, but right now it's a struggle to go during my lunch break.

2. Parking.
Because they're in a trendy part of town there is no parking my local Lululemon. I've driven there, circled two parking lot three times each and decided it wasn't worth it. I don't need to spend money today.

3. Selection.
The local showroom just didn't get the selection that's online. They get a fraction of the products or colors. And it's so much easier to scroll through tops than go to a store and look through racks and racks and ask if they have my size in the back. Nothing compares to trying on clothes and seeing how pants fit my thighs or butt.

4. Fitting rooms.
I don't always feel like taking my clothes off and putting something else on. Sometimes I'm in a hurry. Sometimes it's easier to click than to try. I do have to try on eventually though.

And eventually, I do my returns to the store. It's easier than shipping it back. And the girls at the store are nice. I'm just addicted to online ordering. The Tuesday uploads and Thursday markdowns only make it a really expensive obsession of mine.