Fall and FiA

We really did enjoy the most beautiful autumn, so it's been sad for me now that the leaves are all gone and everything just looks so... dead.  I really struggle with the cold and the deadness of winter.  Here are some pictures we got of the autumn leaves before a windy & rainy couple of days took them all out:

We'd already lost most of the leaves by the time I snapped this picture, but you can still get the idea of just how gorgeous this tree (named Shockey, by the kids) was!

A gingko tree in our neighborhood-- I love the fan-shaped leaves!

And this sunset was so fantastic Craig pulled into a parking lot so we could snap this pic!

At least right now I have the holiday lights to keep me cheery!  After the Christmas lights come down, I'm just going to hunker under blankets and drink hot cocoa until the spring.

Oh wait-- that's what I'm doing now, too! 😄

Actually, that's a lie: I've continued to go to my MWF exercise group at 5:30am.  It's been really cold for some of these (28 degrees this morning!), but you bundle up enough and start doing jumping jacks, and suddenly it's not so bad.  And then once I'm done I feel awfully good about myself.  Jumping into a hot shower and then snuggling in bed with my foot heater on while I read scriptures for a bit (and then usually fall back asleep for a few minutes before it's time to get everyone on their zoom meetings) is the perfect reward and no matter what else goes wrong in the day, I get to feel like I accomplished something.

I like the group.  It's called FiA-- Females in Action-- and is free, peer-led, all women welcome, etc.  Those all work well for me!  They give everyone a nickname (which you get to approve), so you call everyone by that.  And it sounds weird, but it's a great way to instantly feel like part of the group.  And as I'm getting to know everyone better, it's even more fun.  And when I upped my game by bringing 8 lb weights instead of my wimpy little 2 pounders, I felt like I wasn't just tagging along and sort of faking it any more...

So there's my weird love-hate relationship with exercise and early mornings and cold.  Next week I have to lead one of these workouts for the first time, so I KNOW I won't sleep the night before that.  It's one of those things that sounds really easy until you're actually doing it!  So wish me luck!

This morning's workout.  They always take an awkward, poorly lit selfie at the end.  Everyone's nicknames l-r are: Raptor, me (Soprano), Twerk, Raven, Kondo, Delegate, and Swinger (who's birthday it was today!) led the workout and is the one holding the camera.

This is from Saturday (which I don't usually go to, since that's my one day to sleep in).  There were a TON of people that day, including a couple of kids!  You can see my bright orange shoes back there!

Anyway, this post started out about fall and warped into an exercise post.  I guess that's all right, though, since I've been exercising all autumn.