The Huntington Library [Cactus Love]

* all photos in this post were taken with my camera phone, hence the slight fuzziness... No fancy camera on this trip!

There are a few things I've promised myself that I'd do in 2013 besides "get healthy" and "fit in my clothes again." Primary objective: find balance, learn to resist temptations (constant battle of being a human), and focus on what matters most.

For the first time since I left college almost five years ago, I am living within 30 minutes to an hour (with Los Angeles traffic, it's a crap shoot) from my sister and numerous friends. This gives me incentive to leave my one-square-mile of comfort, and explore, explore, explore.

I admit: I'm not the biggest Los Angeles fan. It's nothing personal; I'm just a NorCal girl, and there's a long-standing grudge that the areas have against one another. (If you're not from the area, just imagine two different states, or Manhattan and Brooklyn. Same region, perhaps, but there's a clear separation between us.)

Despite that, there are endless things to do down here, and so much I don't know about the area. I've resolved -- along with Jon, Kim, and our friend Shannon -- to see more of it, and really take advantage of all this county (and Orange County, too) has to offer.

We started last Saturday with the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Really, it isn't much of a library. I didn't know this until about two week ago, when Kim was talking to me about how amazing it would be to get married here... until we noticed a little problem in the form of a jaw-dropping price tag.

Hmph. No matter.

There are umpteen reasons to spend the day at the Huntington Library, but the main reason I wanted to go was to see the Desert Garden, most of which was planted around 1905 when the property was built, with some cactus being fully mature when it was transplanted on the grounds.

It was incredible.

We first stopped at a greenhouse perched above the garden, where a small, public, coffee-and-donuts reception was happening. It looked to be a showcase of cactus and succulents, many of which were for sale. I recognized a lot of them, but some were downright bizarre.



The left image is of an agave attenuata, a favorite of mine. I think Shannon was pretty smitten with it too; we're both on a prowl for one to come live on our balconies. The picture on the right is of one succulent planted in a hanging planter, while another "volunteer" grows from the bottom. Two totally separate plants. According to a worker there, it surprised everyone years ago when it randomly started to grow through the hole in the planter.

And then there's these ones, which look like Muppets.



Basically the coolest plants ever, amirite?

Then, we walked. We weaved all around the bunches of colorful succulents and giant cactus. We searched for the strangest, sharpest, prettiest ones. It was amazing thinking about how so many of these cacti had been alive for over 100 years.




Kim really likes pokey things.



There are over a dozen gardens, small and large, at the Huntington, but we spent the most time in the Desert Garden. It was also the start of our day there, so we were full of energy and excited to be outside enjoying such beautiful plants -- right in the middle of fancy Pasadena.

And the weather was perfect. Maybe 78º F or so. The sky was clear, the sun was hot, and the air was crisp and cool.

This is January in California, folks.

Fun fact #1: the Huntington Desert Garden is home to the world's tallest Yucca filifera at around 60 feet tall.

The guide was pretty darn proud of it.

Fun fact #2: The asparagus-like stalk growing from this agave plant is the first sign that -- after it has bloomed -- the agave will die. From the blooms, thousands of baby plants will be born and begin to grow around the base of the dead agave trunk. This article talks about the agave blooming process, and it's kinda rad.

Unpreventable plant death. Cool, huh?

We spent the entire day walking around the Huntington property, which included multiple gardens and the main art gallery (the old Huntington residence), where I spent most of my time admiring old chairs and tables.

Oh, and George Romney (the British painter, not father to Bozo the Clown) is my new favorite old-timey portrait artist. This one, called "Emma Hart in a Straw Hat," was my favorite.

I'm looking forward to more adventures around Los Angeles, especially as the weather gets better.

Any recommendations for places to check out down in SoCal? Hiking/camping spots, museums, parks, restaurants/bars... we want to do, see, and eat everything. It's just how we roll.


* all images property of The Sleepy Peach

Namaste, Bitches

by Lime Fly Photography

It's a new year. 2013, you guys. I'm feeling so old suddenly.

The usual body and mind resolutions that are so prevalent come January have taken hold of my household. I wouldn't say we've done anything revolutionary, but this year we decided to focus on overall health, which means less of a focus on weight and numbers and scales and mass restrictions. (This, for a life-long, chronic dieter like me is, needless to say, a challenge.)

For years I have aimed for massive weight-loss each January, like the one I had when I was a senior in college, never really coming to terms with the fact that it just won't work this time. It's a hard habit to break; this desire to drop a quick 20 lbs. can be all-encompassing, and even now - 21 days after the implementation of my new, healthful mentality - I am struggling to resist the urge to jump on Medifast.com and order another $300 worth of food that will get me to my goal faster, easier. I'm not allowed to do that this time around. Just ask my handler/boyfriend. He's on crash diet watch.

I'm tackling my body-reawakening in installments, and so far it's been going wonderfully - as far as my strength, endurance, and flexibility is concerned.

Right after the new year changeover, I started up with Jillian Michael's "30-Day Shred" again. This is ol' reliable for me. I've started the 30-day challenge countless times, but have never stuck with it long enough to get a mastery of Level 2 and comfortably situated in Level 3.

This has been slow and steady, because in addition to starting up with Jillian again, I did a 2-week unlimited trial period at a local yoga studio, called SunSpark, in Old Towne Orange. I debated for a while whether I was going to do it, because after the 2-week trial, the monthly unlimited fee is substantially higher than simply joining a gym; I've had quite a few friends and relatives tell me that paying extra for a fancy yoga studio experience wasn't going to be worth it.

Now that my two weeks are over, I must disagree with their assessment. While I didn't experience any weight loss, the change in my body's flexibility and strength was apparent after just one week. The studio also has classes nearly all day long, which means I can go to class whenever I feel like it. I did around 5-6 classes per week, for a total of 11 classes (the 2-week trial fee is $20), and I've enjoyed it immensely.

There are a wide variety of yoga classes to choose from, from meditative/static, to strength-focused/moderate level, to cardio-focused/active, and I was doing approximately two of each type for both weeks during my trial. My last day was this past Sunday, and I am planning on committing to a 3-month unlimited membership starting after the 1st of February. It's an investment, but I feel it's money well spent, especially considering three weeks of Medifast food ran me about $250 - the same price as three months of unlimited yoga. Four classes per week will run me approximately $4.50/class.

Not too shabby, yeah?

Tackling one month of Jillian in conjunction with beginning my foray into the yogic arts is just a part of this body/mind reformation of mine. Rather than focusing on "dieting," Jon and I both are focusing our efforts on cleaner eating and smaller portions, which means listening to our bodies and indulging only on rare occasions.

With the help and inspiration of my dear friend and ex-roommate, Barbara (who has lost an astounding 50 lbs. in the last year), I'm working on finding the proper workout/food intake balance for my body, which has been a massive struggle in past years. I'm using MyFitnessPal to track some of my food so that I know I'm at least getting enough calories to feed my new workouts, but that I also don't overindulge on fats or carbs when I shouldn't.

Balance.

My motto for 2013. For my mind, my spirit, and my body.

Does anyone else swear by yoga, or even Pilates? Any suggestions for a chubby beginner like me? How has yoga changed your body, and how long before you started noticing results?

Inquiring mind wants to know.

EDIT: At my dear sister's request, a quick update. I failed to mention in this post that SunSpark Yoga, the lovely little studio near the Orange Circle, offers an amazing (and free!) community yoga class on Sunday nights. It's an "all levels" course, and the instructor changes from week to week. I plan on going this weekend, as my interim class before I start my 3-month unlimited stint.

If you're ever in Orange on a Sunday, definitely check it out!