Hitting 500 classes with The Barre Code during a pandemic

Today I took my 500th class with The Barre Code, a 6am barre that was equally challenging and celebratory. Our East Lansing studio just reopened this past weekend after the pause on group fitness activities was lifted, making it quite the perfect timing. I was in a place with friends from inside and outside the studio, under the blue lights, and beyond wearing a mask, it felt like old times. My friends Ellen and Linda surprised me with a 500 balloon banner (and a cutout of Linda’s face so she could be there) to make it even more special.

It was just over a year ago that I hit 300 classes surrounded by friends at the end of 2019, a triumphant and exciting end to a really great year. At that time, I set my sights on getting to my 500th class milestone by September 2020 — in time for my 35th birthday.

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Crafty in quarantine: Learning how to cross stitch

In the late fall, we had a parent-teacher conference with our daughter’s wonderful art teacher. Stella loves everything about art, and we wanted to get ideas for crafts that could be done safely in person or right here at home. Because we already have just about every Crayola product under the sun and an arsenal of paper, her teacher recommended trying crafts that were more tactile, such as weaving, knitting, or cross stitch.

We decided to give cross stitch a try.

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