Are the holidays over yet?

In the past four weeks, I have surely eaten more than my fair share of cookies, candies, breads and just about anything else that converts to pure sugar as soon as it enters my blood stream.

And we still have New Year’s yet to celebrate! Ugh.

I know what I need. A workout.

Luckily, I know just the place to go. About a month ago, before I really started in on the holiday binge, I tried a new workout: BarreAmped.

It just about knocked me to the floor. But right about now, I’m thinking that’s exactly what I need to get rid of these excess calories I’m building up.

If you’re searching for a new workout, too, check out my article: Blanaced Barre & Pilates Opens in Wayzata.

Or go straight to the Balanced Barre & Pilates web site to sign up for a class.

Kelly will be blogging for the Smart Talk lecture series in 2012. As part of her featured blogger status, she has a coupon code to offer: KW12.

The coupon code is good for 10 % off a package of season tickets to the Smart Talk lecture series in any one of its markets, which include Minneapolis, MN; Cincinnati, OH; Des Moines, IA; New Brunswick, NJ; Wilmington, DE; and Tampa Bay, FL.

Read up on the speakers that will be visiting each of these cities at the Smart Talk site.

Check out Kelly’s Smart Talk blog posts from year’s past.

In 2011, I was a featured blogger for a women’s lecture series called Smart Talk Connected Conversations. I attended five different events that brought big-name women to Minneapolis-St. Paul like Bette Midler, Isabella Rossellinni, Sigourney Weaver, Ann Compton and Alison Levine. After listening to each woman speak about her life and career, I got to go back stage and meet each one.

I’m excited to be returning as a featured blogger for Smart Talk Connected Conversations in 2012 — especially now that I’ve seen the line up for the coming year.

On Friday, January 13, Tim Gunn will speak in Minneapolis. It is unusual for Smart Talk to invite a man onto its stage, but the audience will surely be eager to hear what he has to say. Anyone who is a fan of the TV show, Project Runway , will recognize Gunn right away. Besides appearing in a hit reality show, Gunn is also the chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne, Inc.

On Thursday, February 23, Arianna Huffington will speak in Minneapolis. News junkies are sure to recognize her name as she founded the popular news web site, The Huffington Post. Huffington is also a syndicated columnist and the author of 13 books. On top of all that, Time Magazine has TWICE listed her as one of its top 100 most influential people.

On Wednesday, March 21, Kara DioGuardi will speak in Minneapolis. DioGuardi was a judge on American Idol. She rightly deserved that spot as she knows the music industry well. She has written songs that have appeared on more than 159 million albums. Just this spring, she released a memoir called A Helluva High Note: Surviving Life, Love and American Idol.

On Wednesday, April 18, Melissa Stockwell will speak in Minneapolis. In 2004, Stockwell became the first American woman to lose a limb while serving in Iraq.  After retiring from the Army, she invested her energies into athletic competitions, winning the title of world champion in the 2010 Paratriathlon competition. A paratriathlon is a triathlon for athletes of varying abilities.

On Friday, May 25, Andie MacDowell will speak in Minneapolis. Anyone who has ever been to the movies, watched TV or flipped through a glossy women’s magazine will recognize MacDowell’s face as she has appeared in Hollywood movies and in both TV and print ads as a spokeswoman for L’Oréal. Now she is dedicating her energy to promoting healthy heart awareness.

The Minneapolis venue has changed for the 2012 Smart Talk season. This year the events will be held at the State Theater on Hennepin Avenue. The new theater brings cheaper ticket prices. Plus the downtown location guarantees tons of nearby parking. But most importantly, the downtown location also guarantees tons of dining options for patrons to make sure they get a bite to eat and some gab time with their girlfriends before heading to the events.

Season tickets are now on sale. Returning audience members can renew their season tickets now through October 10, 2011. New audience members can also start buying tickets. Visit the Smart Talk ticket page to learn how.

The Smart Talk lecture series also stops in Cincinnati, OH; Des Moines, IA; New Brunswick, NJ; Wilmington, DE; and Tampa Bay, FL.

Follow this link to get a taste of Kelly’s Smart Talk haiku from the 2011 season.

I got to try something new this summer. And I got paid to do it.

I took an early morning spin on a stand up paddle board, and this article — A New Way to See the Lake — was the  result.

The fine ladies of Wai Nani Surf & Paddle taught me the ropes. Their stand up paddle boarding club is a big hit in the Lake Minnetonka area, and after trying it out, I could see why. It was a calm way to enjoy the water, and wasn’t hard to learn how to maneuver the board at all.

In fact, I’m one of those pictured paddle boarders out there in the middle of the lake.

A bright spot in my spring was getting to meet Sigourney Weaver.

Ms. Weaver came through Minneapolis as part of the Smart Talk women’s lecture series. I was a featured blogger for Smart Talk this year, and getting to meet Ms. Weaver was a great finale to a wonderful series of events. I couldn’t believe how tall she was!

And of course I posted haiku about Sigourney Weaver‘s talk.

I also taught English composition courses at a local technical college this spring. I’d forgotten what a chore it is to grade papers! That task kept me out of trouble — almost.

I did find time to escape to San Diego.

And my haiku’ing partner, Alison, and I were interviewed about our haiku habit by another haiku-minded site. Check out the finished interview here: Five Questions for Haiku By Two.

I survived winter! Granted, I’ve lived my whole life in Minnesota, so I’m used to the long drag of dark and chilly months that comprise winter in these parts, but this year it feels like a major accomplishment to have outlasted winter. We had so much snow! What was the final count? 90 inches? Almost 90? Just over 90? Well, you get the idea. There was a lot of white stuff covering the ground.

A key to surviving a snowy winter is to keep busy and not let the snow stop you from getting out there and having fun, and I tried to do just that.

It helped that I had a monthly date to attend the Smart Talk Connected Conversations lecture series in Minneapolis.

As an official Smart Talk blogger, I got to go backstage and meet the amazing women who came to town, like Bette Midler, Alison Levine, and Isabella Rosellinni.

I penned haiku about each of the events that you can read on Haiku By Two.

Luckily, the speaker series isn’t done yet and I still have a couple more events too look forward to this spring.

I also continued to review restaurants for Metro Mix, a web site about all the great things to do in the Twin Cities. And I kept up with my freelancing business by continuing to write articles for my regular publications.

Now that spring seems like it might actually be ready to appear, I’m feeling re-energized. The extra hours of sunlight are helping me dream up new projects. I’m excited to see what spring has to bring.

I picked up a new writing assignment penning restaurant reviews for Metro Mix Twin Cities.

One of my first assignments back in August was to try all the new foods at the Minnesota State Fair. The list was long and included deep-fried bologna on a stick (pictured) and deep-fried pig ears (they weren’t that bad).

I’ll also be blogging for the Smart Talk lecture series in Minneapolis. The lecture series doesn’t start until January, but I’m already excited.

I’ve been attending this lecture series for years so transitioning into a role where I’m writing about it will be a snap. This year’s line up of speakers includes Bette Midler, Isabella Rossellini, Sigourney Weaver, Ann Compton and Alison Levine.

I’ll get to go back stage to meet all of the speakers before their events. Then I’ll blog about the whole experience on my “er files” blog. I’m also going to try and write haiku about each event, which I’ll post on Haiku By Two.

And speaking of Haiku By Two, the site has seen a jump in its daily readership. It’s averaging about 400 visitors a day. At least twice a week that number hits 450. In the grand scheme of things, I know that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what, say, The New York Times sees in one day. But for a little ol’ haiku site . . . well, Alison and I are quite proud.

Promise you’ll stop by and check it out.

My web site is getting a face lift!

Stay tuned throughout the summer months.

Pages will be re-posted, links will be added and details will be tweaked.

So exciting!