word of the year

welcome to 2012! i am more excited for this year than i have been the past several years. there's just something about 2012, i have a gut feeling that this year is going to be awesome!

for the past 4 years, i have chosen a word of the year. a word that is my collective overall goal for that year. let's take a little jog down memory lane to see where i've come from.

2009 my word was "focus." i was laid off from my accounting job and knew the accounting field just wasn't for me. my soulful, creative self was dying inside everyday i was in that office with my green visor on and counting on my abacus (HA!! ok, clearly this wasn't exactly what i did, but it sure felt like it!). :)

i need to focus in on what made me tick, what i loved, and what my purpose was. during my stint of unemployment, i really took time to explore myself (swadhyaya for you yogi(ni)s out there). i was seeking my authentic self.

2010 i couldn't decide on just one word, so i went for two: abundance & positivity!
i was changing my life, getting rid of negative situations, relationships, etc. i filled my life with an abundance of positivity. i started my massage therapy career and becoming a better yoga teacher.

2011 my word was manifest. and i did. just. that. i switched gears from massage into bowenwork. i manifested an amazing bowenwork practice and now i'm looking to open the morgantown bowenwork clinic. i'm still working on my website but i've got a sweet little facebook page here and a twitter account already set up. :)

and so, my word for 2012 is.....

because i'm going to make all of my visions, dreams, goals, and planning into a huge success!!

image credit

40 days of yoga - day 37 & 38

day 37 was a long day. i didn't exactly get in a personal practice but i definitely got it a LOT of movement. i taught 2 yoga classes and did 4 massages. i also treated myself to my favorite place to eat in morgantown - mother india for their fabulous lunch buffet & some masala chai! yum!! i also indulged in a mid-day nap since my day was split up nicely.


day 38 - i got in my practice this morning shortly after waking. i did a baron baptiste inspired practice. very inspiring!!

if you are inspired by this challenge and would like to start your own yoga challenge, yoga journal is doing a 21 day challenge starting jan 10th. i signed up, i figured why not, right?! :)

hugs & namaste

image credit & credit

wheel of life/2010 vision board

for those of you that have been reading my blog for a while you probably recall my 2009 vision board, if you are new or need a refresher, click here.

for the last few weeks i've been playing around with making a visual wheel of life. while it isn't exactly in a "wheel" shape, you get the idea. if you are not sure what the "wheel of life" exercise is, you can check out a few variations & explanations here, here & here.

i decided to make an artist's date out of my visual wheel of life. i had magazines, construction paper, scissors, a glue stick, water with a slice of organic lemon (i am on a lemon kick recently), and the drive to make something beautiful and creative.

now for a little closer look into each of the categories...

finances
relationships
health
home environment
self-care
spirituality
creativity
career
(sorry for all of the glare from the glossies)

have you tried the wheel of life exercise or a vision board? why not combine both into one.

gussying up my planner pad & some news

i spent part of this snowy weekend gussying up my planner pad. after hearing kimberly wilson rave about the planner pad i knew i had to try it out. this is my second year with the planner pad and i don't see myself buying any other planner. i am a changed woman ;)

it's too bad that you can't get planner pads in colors, however, you can gussy it up any way you'd like. here's what i did:

front cover
inside front cover
inside back cover
back cover

now for the news... you'll notice on the inside front cover of my planner pad is related to all things buddhism and zen. a while back i asked if anyone had any input as far as a business name. i thought & thought & thought about it and finally come up with "zen from within." i think it's pretty fitting, don't you?!

although i haven't done anything with it, i've registered the domain. since owning my own business is a 5-10 year goal of mine i figured i'd snag the domain for safe keeping. i'm excited!! :)

2010

with a plethora of "stop smoking" and "loose weight" commercials constantly bombarding the television it's hard not to think about what changes we want to make for ourselves for 2010. what do you want to have more (or less) of in 2010? let's not forget to be grateful for what we already have: a place to stay, a warm place to lay our head at night, friends, family, pets and each other.

2009 was a year of change for me. i went from being from a comfortable, well-paying job to being unemployed at a moment's notice. instead of letting it get me down, i saw it as an opportunity to change my life for the better and pursue my dreams of being a massage therapist and a yoga teacher. while i am the poorest that i've ever been, i am lucky to say that i am the happiest that i have ever been in my 31 years. this change has made me realize that money doesn't always bring happiness. you should do what your heart desires and the money will follow. i am half way through my massage therapy schooling and i already have a job waiting on me!!

i chose the word "focus" for 2009. while my focus on different opportunities may have changed, i never lost focus on pursuing my dreams and finding my authentic self. after finding my own path i have never been happier!

i couldn't settle on just one word for 2010 so i am going with "abundance" and "positivity." the first thought to most people's mind about abundance is money. that's not necessarily what i am going for (although it will be great to replenish my depleted savings account!). i am seeking abundance in life, love and all things positive. there is where the positivity comes in, they dovetail perfectly together.

may your 2010 be filled with joy, sparkle, warmth and mostly love! here's to the new year! hugs!!


image credit ici et ici

au revoir 2009

a new year and a new decade is just around the corner. being that i'm uber busy recently i stayed pretty simple with my december goals. let's review shall we?

my december goals & outcomes:

• continuing at my current pace for working toward my massage requirements - yes! i'm so happy to report that i only have 15 left to meet my requirement.
  
• getting straight As for november - yes!
  
• receiving my certificate for my yoga teacher training - yes!! i have completed everything and i will receive my certificate within the week!
  
• buying a massage table - yes and i love it!
  
• spending quality time with my family around the holidays - yes! i took my massage table to my parents and gave them and my best friend a massage - they loved it!!
  
• and looking forward to some SNOW!!! - yes! we got a couple of good snows and i am looking forward to more. :)

hope you had a fabulous december. how did your december goals go?

photo credit ici

december

my times flies when you are busy. can you believe that december is just around the corner?! let's review my november goals:

• eating lots more pumpkin foods - yes, i simply adore this time of year for all of the pumpkiny goodness
  

• celebrating thanksgiving with ryan's family where we get to eat at 3 different thanksgiving dinners including my favorite the peruvian one!! - oh my yes! we took our friend bela with us for her first thanksgiving experience. we had a fabulous time.
  

• keeping up steam in massage school as i am doing quite well - yes, i have fabulous news - i got my grades for the month of october and i got all As!!!!
  

• teaching yoga! - yes, i've been teaching my fellow classmates as part of my practicum and i got to teach vinyasa at bliss last tuesday. i had such a great time and i look forward in strengthening my teaching skills.
  

• knocking out as many of my required massages as possible - yes, i have done 32 massages since starting on oct. 31st.
  

for december i am looking forward to:

• continuing at my current pace for working toward my massage requirements

• getting straight As for november

• receiving my certificate for my yoga teacher training

• buying a massage table

• spending quality time with my family around the holidays

• and looking forward to some SNOW!!!
  

i hope that you have a safe and happy december and enjoy spending time with your family and friends this holiday season.

images credit ici

welcome november

october has been like a dream. things are going so wonderfully for me and i am incredibly happy. i only had a few goals for october mainly because i knew i would be so busy focusing on massage therapy school and becoming a yoga teacher. a recap of my october goals:

• my first and foremost is to stay focused on massage therapy school (i can't even begin to tell you how much i love it!) - YES! i am still loving every second of it. i worked on my first clients october 31st and had a fantastic time.
  
• keep focused on my yoga certification training as well - YES! i only have a few more things to finish up the training that i started. i am teaching my fellow classmates for my practicum and i am absolutely loving it!
  
• take advantage of the local festivals and workshops - i am doing the best that i can here. unfortunately due to my packed schedule and uncooperative weather i missed the hot air balloon festival this year.
  
• eating lots of pumpkin everything - oh yeah! i love pumpkin foods & drinks and i'm looking forward to more!
  
• enjoy each day and live it like it was my last - yes!
  

for november i am looking forward to:

• eating lots more pumpkin foods

• celebrating thanksgiving with ryan's family where we get to eat at 3 different thanksgiving dinners including my favorite the peruvian one!!

• keeping up steam in massage school as i am doing quite well

• teaching yoga!

• knocking out as many of my required massages as possible. i have to give 100 massages - 40 paid ones (the money goes to the beauty school not me) and 60 free ones. if you are local be sure to check out my massage schedule and if you pay for a massage i'll make sure you get a free one - two massages for $37 is unbeatable!! my slots are getting filled up pretty fast so be sure to schedule soon!!

i hope that you have a fabulous november as well.

photo credit ici & ici

hello october

my my my, september slipped away from us. i can hardly believe it's october already. october is one of my favorite months mainly because of my birthday and halloween. i don't doubt for a second that this october will be less than impressive.

if you will recall, i had one gargantuan goal for september - nothing!! needless to say i did a whole lot of it and treasured every single second!

in addition to a whole lot of nothing, i...

• visited my parents and best friend
• had my first ever thai yoga massage
• celebrated mine & ryan's 4 year anniversary
• went to moop and bought an organic market bag & clutch
• walked a labyrinth for the first time
• reconnected with friends i hadn't seen in a while
• organized the tea trade
• attended the bliss soul retreat
• kicked back at the local wine & jazz festival
• saw the wheeling symphony orchestra
  
• did my first ever guest blog post
• did a full corn moon visionboard
• started the joy diet
• started my yoga certification classes
• and started massage therapy school

now that september has come and gone, it's time to focus on a few october goals.

• my first and foremost is to stay focused on massage therapy school (i can't even begin to tell you how much i love it!)
  
• keep focused on my yoga certification training as well
• take advantage of the local festivals and workshops
• eating lots of pumpkin everything
  
• enjoy each day and live it like it was my last

photo credit ici

september

'september morn' by paul chabas

as september rolls around a lot of us see it as a new beginning (or like a new year). we are embarking on new classes, a new job, new projects, etc. the season begins to change from sultry & humid to cool & refreshing.

i see it as a time for renewal and reflection. a chance to really look deep within to see if you are on track to the life you want to live and the person you want to be. maybe you need to lighten your load by getting rid of some commitments that no longer resonate with you. maybe you want to try your hand at something new to spark your creative side. if there is something you want or need to change now is the time. take some time to reflect and see what it is that you really want.

with that being said, i have only one goal for september - NOTHING!

i am taking my own advice and paring down. i plan on doing some reflecting, spending time with my family and friends, celebrating ryan and my 4 year anniversary (!), prepping for my massage therapy classes that start sept 29th, and having lots of FUN!

image credit ici

august recap

august, where did you go? you seemed to slip away so fast.

finish reading 'julie & julia' and watch the movie - yes and yes!
have tea with rebecca at the johnston house - yes!
do some volunteer work at circle h to be around the horses - no, actually there isn't any volunteer work to be done there unfortunately.
gussy up the blog (design, layout, header, etc) - as i'm sure you can tell YES. i do have a couple of things i'd still like to do, one being the header. (i just can't decide on what i want to do for my header.)
walk cadyn for 30 mins everyday - fail! i sucked at this big time.
weekly artist's dates - don't know that they were exactly 'weekly' but i did get some in yes!
memorize all of the bones in the body - after discussing this with my mentor, she thought it best that i start with a specific massage therapy book that i have and dive into the anatomy a little later.
get a $4000 grant for massage therapy school - YES! YES!! YES!!! i am so happy about this.

all in all, i'd say that august was a pretty good month. while i didn't quite get in everything i wanted to do c'est la vie, non?!

image credit ici

august goals

ah, august. let the dog days of summer begin. it's vacation time for some, harvest time, and back to school/work for others. i am one of the lucky ones where august will be a month of fun and relaxation. but i still have a few august goals up my sleeve.

• finish reading julie & julia and watch the movie

• have tea with my friend rebecca at the johnston house

• do some volunteer work at 'circle h' (so i can be around the horses)

• gussy up the blog - design, layout, header, etc

• walk cadyn for 30 mins everyday - rain or shine - because it's good for us both!

• weekly artist's dates

• memorize all of the bones in the body (as prep for my massage therapy classes)

• get a $4000 grant for massage therapy school (details in a later post)

photo credit ici

au revoir july

july has been a bitter sweet month for me. for the first half of july, i was majorly stressed out. prepping for the gmat as best i could and then taking said gmat. one of my best friends, rebecca lost her dog/son coal. coal was just as much a part of the family as anyone. it's still really hard to believe that he is gone.

it was great because we celebrated ryan's birthday, went to delaware to see our friend annie, hung out at lewes beach for a day, cracked crabs for hours, had fun wrecking my journal (last entry to come), received a wonderful package in the mail from michele, got my important papers in order, bought a desk (see pic below) and had a few artist's dates.
i got my desk at target. i got this one but didn't attach the hutch. i just wanted a plain, simple, cute and cheap but not too cheap desk. this one fit the bill perfectly. i love looking out my window and seeing my morning glories (you can kinda see them in the picture). as you can see sanjay is also enjoying the desk. as a matter of fact, i am sharing the chair with him right now.

july goals

while i have lots of little goals set for july the main two i am going to focus on will be:


1. finalizing my statement of purpose

2. taking and PASSING the GMAT.

these goals are to be accomplished by the middle of july.

photo credit ici

july already?

well since it is july already, let's review those june goals shall we?!

• FINISH my statement of purpose - didn't FINISH it but got to draft # 3
  

• study for the GMAT - completed exactly 38 hours and 24 minutes of this monotonous goal
  

• complete Yoga Diva's sun salutation & meditation challenge, details are on the right hand side of her blog - ah, got a little behind on some of the days but did pretty well overall
  

• do yoga every day (and with the above challenge this one should be a no brainer!!) - i did some form of yoga every day (even if that was just one or two poses)

and with that i say this to june:
photo credit ici

bonjour june

bonjour june!! can't believe you are already here!! but, since you are, there are a few things i'd like to accomplish during your presence.

• FINISH my statement of purpose

• study for the GMAT

• complete Yoga Diva's sun salutation & meditation challenge, details are on the right hand side of her blog

• do yoga every day (and with the above challenge this one should be a no brainer!!)

image courtesy of www.lislelibrary.org

au revoir may

wow, it's the end of may. can you believe it?! now it's time to review the goals i set myself for may:

• finish my statement of purpose - rough draft done!! need to do another draft and finish it once and for all.
  

• study for the gmat (mon-fri at least 2-3 hrs per day) - FAIL!! i studied like one day!
  

• break out the scooter & RIDE!! - YES!! (pics to come)
  

• be a better blogger - post more frequently and leave more comments for my fellow bloggers - LOVE you guys!! - didn't blog when i was on vacay but i tried to make up for it when i got back
  

• exercise everyday (in some way, shape or form) - YES!
  

• start a running program (again!!) - well, i started... ok, i did like one day! i need to (and will) do this again.
  

• go to the farmers market EVERY saturday - i did this every day except for when i was in charleston and i went to the farmer's market there.
  

• spend some time w/ my family - YES and had a great time!
  

• have a sewing rendevouz w/ my mom - YES!! check it out here!
  

• spend as little money as possible (shooting for necessities only) - yes except for when i was in charleston and found my kelly rae roberts print & rescue girl button
  

• garden - YES but it's not finished yet

did you guys meet the goals you set for may? i don't think i did too bad. i think i set too many and that is why i didn't focus on the two most important which was study for the gmat and finish my statement of purpose. those two are a MUST for june!!

sewing rendezvous

one of the things on my may goals list was to have a sewing rendezvous with my momma. my mom is very talented when it comes to sewing. me, i do alright when guided, but it's not exactly my thing.

i took a pair of tranquilit perfect pants to make into capris for the summer. seeing as that i have two pairs of these pants i could do with one pair being shorter especially on these hot summer days . i let my momma take care of doing the work on these as i didn't want to mess them up.

with the guidance of my mom, i made a pet bed for our little petting zoo. we made it with a removable cover so that it can be easily washed. my "first born" brak was there to try it out when we got it finished. he loved it. i told my mom that she was going to have to make him one because he loved it so much.

brak's close up

brak enjoying the bed

cadyn and my mom & dad's dog popcorn were taking their turn on the bed too

as you can see, the pet bed was a big hit all around. since i brought it home at least one of the pets (both cats & dogs) are on it at all times. that makes me feel great since i worked pretty hard on it :)

bonjour may

well, it is official, it is may. last night before going to bed, i worked on a goals list for may. we all know that if we write our goals down that we have a better chance of doing them and we also know that if we share our goals that our chances of completing them are even higher. so, friends and fellow bloggers, i share with you my goals for may:


just in case you can't quite make these out:

• finish my statement of purpose

• study for the gmat (mon-fri at least 2-3 hrs per day)

• break out the scooter & RIDE!!

• be a better blogger - post more frequently and leave more comments for my fellow bloggers - LOVE you guys!!

• exercise everyday (in some way, shape or form)

• start a running program (again!!)

• go to the farmers market EVERY saturday

• spend some time w/ my family

• have a sewing rendevouz w/ my mom

• spend as little money as possible (shooting for necessities only)

• garden

do you guys have any specific goals for may? any feedback on my goals?? i'd LOVE it if you shared them with me. you guys are the best!!

au revoir april

i can't believe this is the last day of april. where has the time gone?!

here is a brief rundown of my month:

april 4 & 5th - was spent in dc for the cherry blossom festival

april 9th - got laid off from job (more later as i have been trying to wrap my head around posting about this one)

april 16th - been at this blogging business for a month now (and loving it!! thank you to all of my readers, your sweet comments keep me going!!)

april 18th - i completed my first ever 5k (go me!)

april 21st - received complimentary annual press pass to rouxbe

april 22nd - celebrated earth day

april 25th - met dear friend rebecca in pittsburgh, pa for her birthday celebration

april 29th - celebrated obama's 100th day in office

yes, it was a busy month, with many ups and some downs. but i am ready to put a close on this month and get a fresh start with may.