present

pres·ent: [prez-uhnt]

~ADJECTIVE:  BEING PRESENT, OCCURRING AT THIS TIME OR NOW; CURRENT.~

well, hello there little blog.  i am sorry i’ve been neglecting you this year.   

the last six months have been quite … interesting … for lack of a better word.   maybe hectic is a better word.   or crazy.  or blurry.   or heart-wrenching, yet heart-expanding.   or exciting.  or mind-shifting.  or happy.  or confusing.

all would be accurate descriptions of the whirlwind that has been going on within and around me.   

i could get into all the little details here of what has and has not gone on, but that doesn’t seem very productive to  me.  the past is the past.  i don’t have any interest in living there and i’m certainly not heading back that way.

the past is good for one thing, teaching us something.  i think what has resonated with me most of all is this:  change happens.  life is full of, in the words of gilda radner, delicious ambiguities.  the future is unknown, and as much as we’d like to control it, we simply can’t.  

what are our options? 

my opinion?  (which is what ya get, considering this is my blog and all.  : )

let go.  live in the moment.  evolve.  love as much as possible (including yourself).   

i don’t know what this blog is going to be.  what it will turn into or how often i will write.

(however, i do plan on writing regularly, but whether regularly means once a week, or once a month, or everyday is to be determined.)

i know that i miss writing.

i know that i have things to share.

so, that’s what I’m going to do. 

what am i going to write about?

what am i going to share?

the things that I’m passionate about?  the things that i enjoy doing?  the important people in my life?

more than likely, a little bit of all of that.

i’m ready and i’d love to have you along.

love,

grateful

grate·ful:  \ˈgrāt-fəl\ 

~adjective:  warmly or deeply appreciative of gifts received; thankful.  synonyms:  appreciative, glad, thankful.~

today i am grateful for:

* an amazingly fun weekend spent with my best friends.

* pinterest, which makes keeping track of recipes i’d like to try infinitely easier.

* forgiving myself for making a mistake and completely letting go of it.  this is a huge accomplishment.

* homemade tomato soup (look for the recipe in an upcoming post).

* bath and body works “sleep well” bubble bath with lavender and chamomile.

* this quote:

everyday's a holiday (with a little gratefulness) -

shine

shine:  \ˈshīn\

~VERB:  TO GIVE FORTH OR GLOW WITH LIGHT; SHED OR CAST LIGHT; TO BE BRIGHT WITH REFLECTIVE LIGHT; GLISTEN; SPARKLE~

 

i absolutely love the new year.  there is something refreshing about having a clean slate and to actually take a day (or two) to reflect on the last year and where you want to go in the upcoming year.

everything always seems so new and sparkly.

it is as if we somehow give ourselves permission to let go and pack away all the baggage (good, bad, or otherwise) of that pesky previous year.

or at least, we try.

so, yeah, i am a huge fan of the new year.

however, i don't do new year's resolutions.  

correction:  i don't do new year's resolutions anymore.

last year while i was in yoga teacher training to get my ryt 200, my teacher spoke of choosing a "word of intention" for the upcoming year.  

the idea is that you sit and reflect on what you really want for yourself and your life (and ultimately those around you) for the upcoming year.  then, you select a word that reflects that intention.  throughout the year, you can keep coming back to that word and really see if you are creating a life for yourself that is a reflection of that intention.

cool, right?

i was totally on board and chose a word for 2011.

for me, this was much more productive than creating a list of resolutions that, inevitably, get lost in the shuffle of this crazy thing we called, "life."  next thing you know, i'm all cranky because i haven't gone to the gym 3 times a week or read more books.

now, if you love to make resolutions, i say, "go for it."  in the words of tupac, "i ain't mad at cha."

this is just what works for me.

so, i have been thinking the past week about what i wanted my word to be for 2012.  i am a huge fan of this blog and i was so inspired by what she has done for her community.  

the word "shine" has just really stuck with me.

i want to shine too.

i thought of other words, but i just kept coming back to shine.

so, i said earlier that you pick your word of intention, but that really isn't true.

it sorta picks you.

so, shine it is.  

i want to shine in everything i do, from my work, to my yoga practice, to play.  i want to be a light to my family, to my friends, and to the world.  i want to "radiate love."  i want to be thankful.  i want to help those who need it most, even if we've never met.  i want to be happy spot in the life of those closest to me.

i spent a lot of time today on pinterest creating a vision board of sorts that i can refer to (you can check it out here).  i'm inspired and i'm excited.  

here we go 2012.  i'm ready!

everyday's a holiday (when you are getting your shine on) - 

 

grateful

grate·ful:  \ˈgrāt-fəl\ 

~adjective:  warmly or deeply appreciative of gifts received; thankful.  synonyms:  appreciative, glad, thankful.~

today, i am grateful for:

* the unseasonably warm weather, complete with a fall breeze.

* iced green tea.

* a saturday sitting around the fire with my husband, solving all the world's problems.

* french braiding my niece's hair and the fact that she thought it was "so cool."

* a warm home, both physically and emotionally.

* dinner simmering in the crock pot.

* a date on the calendar this week to catch up with one of my friends that i met during yoga teacher training.  we've got so much to chat about.


what are you grateful for today?

everyday's a holiday (with a little gratefulness) - 

asparagus

 as·par·a·gus:  \ə-ˈsper-ə-gəs\

~noun:  any plant of the genus Asparagus of the lily family, cultivated for its edible shoots~

 my husband and i got married a little over a year ago.

i'm pretty sure moving in with a girl was a shock to his system...

...and not just because my couches happen to be a lovely shade of eggplant...

...although, i'm that didn't helped the transition.

i think it may have been more of a culinary shock to the system.  my husband's diet consisted of stereotypical bachelor food.  pizza.  wings.  pasta.  grilled cheese.

then, he moved in with me.

his wife who belongs to a csa and really, really loves her veggies.

one evening, i was whipping up dinner and had some delicious asparagus, which had been grown locally.  it was beautiful.

as i was getting ready to pop it in the oven, my husband looked over my shoulder and crinkled up his nose.

oh boy.  here we go.

him:  "i don't like asparagus."

me:  "have you ever had asparagus?"

{this was obviously not my first rodeo.}

him:  "i don't know, but i'm pretty sure i don't like it."

me:  {eye roll}  "okay.  well, there is a can of peas in the pantry, so i can heat that up for you instead."

him:  "that works."

fast forward 20 or so minutes later as we are sitting down to dinner.

him:  "that looks pretty good."

me:  {smug grin) "it is good."

him:  {stammering, glancing at the peas, glancing back at my asparagus}  "can i try some?"

me:  {big ol' smug grin}  "sure."

my husband's love for asparagus was born.

i think about that evening often.  not just because i was right, {which i was} but because of how many things we don't try and why? because we could've sworn we had tried it before and didn't like it, if we could only remember.

really, what's life without trying something new, even if it scares us?  no life at all.

and life without asparagus?  that's just silly.

image via

the recipe that won my skeptic's heart?  here ya go:

ingredients:

- one bunch of fresh asparagus
- 1 lemon, zested and juice reserved
- olive oil
- fresh cracked black pepper

instructions:

1.  preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2.  zest lemon.
3.  toss asparagus in olive oil, just until lightly coated.
4.  sprinkle lemon zest and cracked black pepper.
5.  roast for 5-10 minutes, depending on your style.
6.  serve with lemon juice on the side.

everyday's a holiday (when you've got fresh asparagus) -

sunrise

sun·rise:  \ˈsən-ˌrīz\ 

~ noun:  1) the rise or ascent of the sun above the horizon in the morning; 2) the opening or beginning stage of any period.  synonyms:  dawn, daybreak ~

 my husband and i have the luxury of being mobile employees for our respective companies.  so, we trade off mornings getting up with little bogue, who usually gets up around 7:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m.

one day last week, he decided to get up at 6:45 a.m.

on my day.

of course.

i slithered out of bed.  brushed my teeth.  threw on a sweatshirt and my fuzzy slippers.  splashed some cold water on my face.  tried desperately to make sense of what was going on.

then i looked outside.

still dark.

after a large sigh and a wistful glance at the bed, i headed to spring the little brown dog from his crate.

i grabbed a cup of coffee (hooray for programmable coffee makers).  i flipped on the deck light and out we went for a potty trip.  as a blaze of brown fur came darting by me, i sat down on the top of the stairs which head down into our back yard.

a flight of stairs which just so happens to face east.

i don't remember the last time i saw the sunrise....

...and it was beautiful.

the colors were soft and muted.  almost as if they didn't want to jolt you into your day.  instead, they wanted to whisper of the possibilities that the new day holds.

bogue came bounding up the stairs and jumped in my lap with a tennis ball.

here is where i would usually pat his head, then rush in the house to check my blackberry or my email.

not today.

all the so-called-important stuff could wait.

today, we were watching the sunrise together.   

because, this?  this moment right here?  i can't get this moment back.

and in 6 months?  4 years?  15 years?

i'll want it back.

i tossed the tennis ball.  he looked at me inquistively for about 10 seconds, looking at me like, "really mom?  you mean it??"

then, he leapt off the top step, clearing the remaining four.

he ran, grabbed the tennis ball, and came running back up the stairs at full speed and jumped into my lap, tail wagging.

the first thing i thought was how this was the cutest puppy ever.

then, i looked at the sun peaking over the horizon.

i realized how quiet it was.

when i tossed the tennis ball again and saw bogue leap into the dawn of a new day, that's when i knew for sure.

this is the important stuff.

every day's a holiday (with a sunrise),

grateful

grate·ful:  \ˈgrāt-fəl\ 

~adjective:  warmly or deeply appreciative of gifts received; thankful.  synonyms:  appreciative, glad, thankful.~

each day, i try to find at least one thing to be grateful for in my life.

sound simple?

it is.

in theory.

however, i found that in the midst of everyday life, i can sometimes forget to be grateful.

i lose sight of the blessings in my life....

....of the simple things that really bring me joy and contentment.

i can get so caught up in what isn't going right or what i didn't get done that day, that i start to focus on the negative instead of the positive.

no good.

so, i have made a conscious decision to be grateful and decided to share those little (or big) things here on mondays.

because, let's face it.

mondays can be hard.

i'm hoping a little gratefulness on mondays can get my week started off on the right foot.

and maybe it will yours too.

here's what i'm grateful for this monday:

* i attended the wedding of a dear friend this weekend.  it was cozy, intimate, and a perfect reflection of the bride and groom.  the energy in the room was palpable.  love.  happiness.  positivity.  hope.  so glad i got to be a part of it.

* the easy walk harness.  it is now a pleasure to walk an energetic 4-month old puppy instead of a chore.

* spiced pumpkin candles.

* the magnificent explosion of autumn colors in our neighborhood.

* sweet italian creme creamer.

every day's a holiday (with a little gratefulness),