2013 reflection

it wasn't until i started clicking through my pictures from this past year that i realized how incredibly full 2013 had been. full of beginnings, dreams coming true, smiles, crafting, inspiration, challenges, laughter, tons of yoga, sweet moments, fond farewells, and even a few tears. 

 "the days are long but the years are short."

as we head into a new year, i hope you take some time to appreciate what this past year has offered (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and welcome the new year with a big open heart!

lots of love and wishes for a shiny, sparkly new year!

xo

gratitude practice: day 30

it's the last day of november which means that i made it through my thirty day gratitude practice. woo-hoo! and as the month comes to a close, what i'm feeling thankful for today is YOU! yes, you reading this post right now. while i committed to posting every day on here to see if i would be able to stick with it, no excuses, writing something every day, what really kept me going was hearing from you throughout the month. your comments on facebook, emails, and text messages inspired me and made sharing my gratitude that much more enjoyable. so i'm sending a deep bow and a big hug out there to all of you!

via // namaste

research has suggested that people who have gratitude practice (e.g. keep a journal of what they are thankful for) are indeed happier than those who don't. speaking from my experience of this past month, i have to agree. there was always something that i could turn my attention and appreciation toward, even on days that were challenging. and this happiness isn't a fleeting sensation, that might come from winning a prize. rather, it's a steadier, more serene feeling that i would liken to santosha, the sanskrit word meaning "contentment." sri swami satchidananda defines santosha as being content with what you have and where you are instead of wishing for things you don't have or daydreaming of the future. so as we head into a new month, i plan to carry with me this santosha, this contentment, this gratitude, allowing it to be a part of my every day and i hope you do the same!

gratitude practice: day 29

while black friday (aka the day after thanksgiving) didn't have me getting up in the early morning hours to hit up some sales, i was out and about today teaching a couple classes over in lake oswego. i turned on the christmas music radio station in the car and took in the signs of the holidays that were all around now - christmas trees tied to car roofs, wreaths hung off of lamp posts, lights wrapped around trees. my favorite moment was driving over to the studio for my evening class and seeing the white stag sign turned into rudolph. it brought a huge smile to my face and i'm thankful (and excited) for the holiday season!

are you excited for the holidays?

gratitude practice: day 28

it's thanksgiving! today was overflowing with love and gratitude so i'm feeling thankful for all the little things that made my day so wonderful...

toasting some walnuts // prepping the stuffing // ta-da! // vincent wanting to sit at the table

a jam-packed yoga practice, led by alex at yoyoyogi. nothing better than starting the day with breath (and maybe a little bit of sweat)...my post-class soy green tea latte from starbucks and the baristas with the big smiles on their faces even though they were working on the holiday...wearing my new top from free people...seeing catching fire at the bagdad theater (i may have been rockin' a katniss-inspired side braid)...spending a couple hours in the kitchen, cooking up (and then eating) a thanksgiving feast for two with jesse...skyping/face-timing/texting with people that i love and letting them know that i'm thankful for them. i seriously cannot wait to visit the bay area in december and east coast in january so i can connect with some of them face to face. 

overall, it was a perfect day (maybe one of the best thanksgivings yet!) and i can't wait to spend the weekend teaching so if you're in portland/lake oswego, come take class with me!

how was your thanksgiving?

gratitude practice: day 27

when it comes to making something from scratch, i usually find a few recipes for ideas and then wing it. usually because i don't have all the ingredients called for in a specific recipe on hand or because i'm feeling impatient and don't want to follow directions. this sometimes work out, other times notsomuch. yesterday, jesse and i sat down together to plan what we wanted to have for our thanksgiving dinner for two. 

i had seen a recipe for pomegranate-cranberry sauce in a magazine and thought it would be a nice alternative to the can-shaped cranberry sauce. i had already seeded a couple pomegranates (for the sangria from sunday) and still had fresh cranberries. i switched out the lime in the recipe for orange (it was what i had) and then set to work this afternoon, making my first cranberry sauce from scratch. i took my time and enjoyed the process - i loved hearing the cranberries pop and then slowly start to break down to create a thick sauce. this time of year can feel so rushed, frantic, busy but the whole experience of being in the kitchen, making something from scratch brought me into the moment and for that i'm feeling thankful.

have you ever made cranberry sauce from scratch? 

what are your thanksgiving plans this year?

gratitude practice: day 26

this morning when my alarm went off, jesse was already awake and reading through the news on his phone. he mentioned that there was a new edition of mean tweets from jimmy kimmel that we had to watch. if you've never seen mean tweets, it's basically celebrities reading not-so-nice tweets about themselves. it is *sososososo* funny. and of course, one video led to another led to another.

i wouldn't want to start every morning looking at a tiny phone screen. but this morning, i had so much fun just laughing in bed with jesse and i'm so thankful that we took that time to be together. it really kicked the day off in a great way!

gratitude practice: day 25

it's been quite chilly here in portland the past week or so - dropping down into the 30s at night, getting close(ish) to 50 during the day. i know for anyone reading this that lives on the east coast that probably doesn't seem that bad. but for someone who spent the past four years living in the extremely temperate bay area, it's friggin' cold. and when it gets chilly, i don't feel my usual cravings for smoothies and salads. 

via // via // via

to counteract the cold today, i put together a quick soup with the ingredients i had on hand - carrots, celery, onion, potato, and chickpeas. i simmered them in some veggie broth for a little under an hour. the whole house smelled delicious. so today i'm thankful for the simple things that bring warmth and joy, like sharing a bowl of homemade soup on a brisk november afternoon with someone that you love.

what's your go-to meal in the colder months? 

do you have a favorite soup recipe?