taking a break from the cerebral

things i love, the shallow clothing edition:

* cardigans
* ruffles
* ballet flats
** these first three are obvs, as they're lit worn daily, and it was prob not necessary to list.  oh well. **
* toms - and the fact that they're coming out w ballet flats only multiplies my affection
* pleats.  everywhere.
* skinny belts
* scarves.  esp thin, long ones. 
* polka dots
* pink + green combo
* black + white + grey + red combo
* stripes
* yoga pants
* navy blue, anything
* flowers
* change purses - i'm ADDICTED
* darrrrk jeans
* plaid!
* blazers
* hugs.

xo

blink. breathe. remember.

this post changed my life.  or rather, did not but made me this much more conscious.  brought new life to my life.

things are happening.  and yet, here i sit.  with 2 minutes left to blog before my lunch break comes to a close... and so.  in the words of the Terminator, i'll be back.

love.love.

baby names

so it appears to me that naming a person is, like, a pretty big freaking deal.  ya know?  i mean, i picked out puppy names before... but golly gee willikers.  a person?  it's so much of how we identify with ourselves and the world around us.  it determines a lot of which jokes will be poked at you in middle school.  or at family functions.  or at work.  or at the doc's office.  i digress.

i REALLY love miss betty's name.  a little dumb for me to use such a rad name for my dog, but i love her little smunchy cute face and her terrible puppy breath and her crooked teeth and wacky einstein hair. 

okay sorry.  too much coffee maybe?  making the ADHD a bit pronounced...

anyhoodles.  i have my baby's name(s) picked out.  because i'm that kind of a chick, man.  i'm a dreamer and a hopeless romantic and omg is my CLOCK TICKING...  babies.babies.babies.  huh?  okay.  right.  names.  <3

i strongly urge you not to steal THAT NAME.  (the name that i'm too afraid of jinxing.  which is why my silly self deleted it.)

i'm looking at you, MO. 

just kiddin', sis. 

but really.  i'm in LURVE with E names right now.  and apparently, so is every.one.else.  at least, those who are being blessed with offspring.

eleanor.  gorgeous.
ellie.  so sweet.
evelyn.  heart.wrenching.beauty.
evangelina.  just stop.

i can't take it anymore!  so much love...

i always thought i wanted boys.  dirty, smelly, rambunctious, loud, playful...

but the idea of braiding hair, painting nails, ruffles, flowers and bows is starting to sound... sweet.

and there i go. drifting off into dreams of the future.  so, for right now, i'm hanging on to the memories we're making now...

last night: the sound of my roommate and our neighbor clinking sangria glasses, laughing and dancing in the living room.  me, reading and working on my yoga stuff while B chews on - god only knows what that is.  calling my love, whispering some half-conscious murmurings of adoration just before i pass out on my lavender scented sheets... all these moments.  the precious few remaining moments of singledom.

shake, shake, shake...

so, my friend, "swami" let me borrow his omega juicer and i've been really enjoying the heck outta this thing.  i mentioned that i made pecan nut butter but i didn't much get into the juicer.  this guy is quiet, and so easy to clean.  i've really loved it.

i made cantaloupe juice (mixed w berry flavored vega), apple juice (w vanilla chai vega) and grapefruit/apple juice.  i am seriously loving the juice.  over this past weekend, i watched fat, sick and nearly dead.  consequentially i was all the more driven to the juice.  in addition to being tasty, drinking fresh juice really gives the ole immune system a boost, increases vitamin/enzyme intake, helps with mental clarity and about a million other awesome things.  i'm hooked!  :)  i'm all about the green monsters, too!  in fact, i'd actually been struggling with the decision to take the leap and purchase my own juicer.  (swami actually let me borrow his in effort to encourage me to make the right decision about which one to get.  i'm still torn.  i want to check out the breville's, too.) 

last night i actually started getting a migraine... sad face.  i haven't had one of those in months.  the daily yoga & meditation practice have really made a difference.  and experimenting with veganism as well as the short-term juice fast were both highly influential.  but there were a couple of days in my recent history when i went a little too hard on myself - trying to cram everything into 24 hours can sometimes do that to us.  interpersonal conflicts can sometimes stress out those of us who just want everyone to BE HAPPY (and feel it's our job to make that dream a reality).  so, by yesterday afternoon, things were getting a little... tense.  anyway, i got in the kitchen, mixed up a banana/almond butter/chocolate vega shake, did a short 15-min meditation, prayed heartily and headed out the door to my monday night class... and wouldn't you know, all i have left today is some muscular tension and a slight headache.  miracle of miracles!

i feel like i should give that banana some credit.  the texture in the smoothy was still rough, but it did it's job, and i couldn't be more excited. guess i'll keep them in the rotation.  ;)

so, i'm torn.  i don't know if i can commit to saying goodbye to fiber.  with a vita mix or blendtec, you get to keep all of that.  and grind up other things, too...  so anyway, last night, swami brought me his vita mix so that i can try it out.  we'll see how it goes. 

i'm so excited!

oh, and looking forward to the possibility of a juice party... another yoga instructor at the shala has TWO of her own juicers.  (one masticating and one centrifugal.)  i want to get all our devices together and juice the night away, coming up with different concoctions...  maybe make it a party?  i can't think of a better way to celebrate my golden birthday!

gainesville eats

briefly:  i have been traveling to gainesville every evening with my pal Dana to attend a week of Mysore with David Keil.  it's been amazing.  we've been trying out different lil eateries in the evenings, post-ashtanga.  (we've decided we deserve it after our grueling 2 hour asana practices.)

monday:  the jones
no picture, but D had a falafel burger & mint lemonade, i had their stop light sammy (goat cheese, roasted bell peppers, squash) & raspberry/rose petal iced tea.  we halved and swapped our sandwiches and enjoyed fresh summer fruit on the side.  it was divine.  lots of veggie/vegan options (including cupcakes!) and organic wines... there were a man and lady sitting on the bar - he was playing a ukulele, she was playing guitar & singing the good stuff - tom petty, fleetwood mac, etc.  we hope to go back tonight... maybe i'll actually get some photos.  ;)  [recommended by none other than DK.]

tuesday:  subway
they have avocado now!  and they didn't disappoint... we were in a hurry & tired, so we didn't much care that this one wasn't a 'special' place.  it was tasty, quick & healthy(ish).  you don't need a photo of my veggie sub, as good as it was.

wednesday:  burrito bros
oh.my.gah.  we both had the sweet potato burrito.  go there now.  i don't care where you are.  you can order them online.  do it.  you will thank yourself, and me, and the heavens above.  [recommended by my friend & fellow yogi, Danny.]



thursday:  satchel's
holy salad, batman.  this thing changed my life.  and the pizza hit the spot!  the crust was perfect.  it reignited my desire to learn to make the perfect pizza crust at home.  everyone (incl the restaurant themselves) says the food takes a long time to make, but because we got there so late, we didn't have to wait long at all.  we'd driven by this place several times & i kept oohing and aahing at the decor - strung lights, flora literally taking over, installation art in the parking lot and dripping from every corner of the place.  they have a broken down van with picnic tables installed in it.  so cute.  loved it.  just wish i had more pics.  [recommended by D's friend, Susie.]

huh?

sometimes i feel:
chubby
lonely
weak
unattractive
undisciplined
too serious
unintelligent
haughty
depressed
poor
unaccomplished
uneducated
overwhelmed
like a complete failure
disheartened


... and then i remember:
everything is temporary
beauty is not appearance
i am valuable
i am strong
i am a work in progress
i am love
i am loved
i survive
i have all my fingers and toes
(and the ability to roll my tongue)
i am inhabited by God; i am His dwelling
i must empty to become filled


and i remind myself of things that make this life truly beautiful:
vanilla, chamomile, lavender
windows down, music up
writing
a page turning
discovering new likes/loves
learning
whole grain bread + goat cheese + honey
yoga
banjos and harmonicas
freshly shampooed pup
heated debates & bouts of laughter
the rising sun
loose leaf tea
poetry & classical literature
meditation & chanting
antique books
candle light
hugs
being read to
fresh summer fruit
the sound, smell, taste, touch & sight of rain
the pause before a kiss
hand-knits



today makes little sense.
i'm going with it.

nice little saturday

today, in bullet points:

• dr. z's karma class at 8 am. such a genuine energy from him - so sweet.
• laundry/catch-up w Roomie
• lovely lunch w Guy at Delicomb
• visit to Green Market for fresh eggs, organic spinach & red bell peppers, black bean hummus and peanut butter puppy treats for Miss Betty Rose
• watched The Buddha whilst enjoying some Yoga Berry
• perhaps dinner at MM?

i'm such a lucky girl. i can't wait to see what this evening brings. <3

p.s. read this. it's good stuff.

day one

today's my first day going back to college!!

and i'm a scared little bunny, but i'm NOT going to let my anxiety get the best of me on this one...

especially since i had a lovely long weekend.

i finally got around to doing some things on my list:

after THREE trips to various jacksonville public libraries, i finally found and began reading

The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner

and Emma by Jane Austen

i also got back on the knitting. there are many, many works that have been in progress for far too long. nevertheless, i knit a few stitches - it's just like riding a bike. :) and this time, i vow that i'll do it on my own timeline, with NO pressure from anyone. it's my time to relax, breathe and just be - no one's going to turn such a peaceful, restful thing into a deadline-driven, stress inducing headache again.

i saw a few movies with my Guy...

Sherlock Holmes, Avatar, It's Complicated (in theatres)

we also watched An Inconvenient Truth at home.

there was lots of eating take-out, lots of shopping for random whosits and whatnots, and some moonstone mala beads - to aid in much needed serenity, and went to church with the fam.

Guy checked a couple of things off of the honeydo list here at my apt (how lucky am i?)

including but not limited to some window treating, pics soon...

oh, and there was also come good ole fashioned home cookin'!

i attempted to make a little of this and a little of that.

it was SO MUCH fun!

le sigh... today it's back to work & restarting school...

let the adventure begin!!

[Photos located via Google Image Search]

wedding recap

we managed to get to the wedding and back with no trouble... and it was a lovely wedding.

she arrived in a horse drawn carriage:

at the gazebo where the ceremony took place:

and then took the carriage up to the reception hall:

where pat & gary danced the night away:

i think i can speak for all of us when i say that it was a lot of fun!

i do!

today is my uncle's wedding day... we are leaving in about 2 hours to make the 2.5 hour drive to monticello, fl. i hope we get there without any complications.

going to family events such as this always raises my anxiety a little (a lot). and with thanksgiving just around the corner, i feel the stress building. this is a difficult time of year for many people, myself included. this year, i vow to slow down and enjoy the moments and make some good memories. guy will be with his family in atlanta and i will be zipping around northeast florida to see all of mine. amidst the hustle and bustle, i will make a point to savor the time i'll share with my loved ones instead of allowing it to turn into tension - this is my promise to myself.

even though things are not the way i'd hoped or imagined or planned they'd be at this point in my life - even though it sometimes seems like everything's a mess and nothing is as it should be - i have a feeling it is. all is right in my upside-down world. like now, in these quiet moments with a cup of strong, black coffee and only the sounds of my clicking on the keyboard and the pbs channel quietly teaching me how to cook the perfect turkey/mashed potatoes while my love slumbers in the next room... these are the moments i'll cling to when the busyness of the upcoming weeks start to wear on me.

he is so cute in there, entwined in the sheets, curled up with both pillows in an attempt to stay warm despite my body heat having vacated hours ago. he can sleep for days. there's such a peaceful contentedness to him. one that i hope we carry through these days...

[Photo by Jose Villa]