monday moment of zen

"you are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here; and whether or not it is clear to you no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
~ max ehrmann

image credit ici

travel in tranquilit

in my recent travels i found that one of the easiest decisions was what to take to wear. that part was easy! minus the swimming suit, underwear, shoes & the sort, the rest of my luggage was filled with tons of tranquilit. as the above photos might suggest ;)

for making my travels tranquil i packed:

- black 2-in-1 cami
- peony cardishawl
- black hoodie
- palazzo pant
- palazzo capri pant
- tube skirt (i can't remember the exact name of this one but it's fabulous! you can wear as flowy tube top or a skirt - love that!!)
- and my newest favorite piece - reversible sleeveless wrap dress - in the noir/purple in case you were wondering ;)

that is a lot of tranquilit and made for a wonderfully tranquil trip!

chincoteague & assateague islands

music credit radiohead

memorable moments from chincoteague & assateague islands:

• alas, more lighthouses - the assateague working lighthouse
• wild horses!!! :)
• wild turtles lol
• the historic miss molly's inn where we spent two relaxing nights in the upper deck room with a view of the working docks
  
• more hammock time!
• miss molly's >^..^<
• wonderful smelling roses that surrounded the inn
• tons of birds - such majestic creatures
• drift wood adorned with seashells
• beautiful sunset over assateague island
• more wild horses with babies! (yes i realize that they are in a pen but they are trying to help keep the population up by having more babies - such beautiful foals)

even though i lived in va beach for 3 years, i never visited chincoteague or assateague islands. so it was a must this time around and i have to say, it's well worth it!

be sure to check out part 1 of our vacation and part 2.

obx & crystal coast

music credit: radiohead

some highlights of the obx & crystal coast leg of our vacation:

• getting up before dawn to travel down to the beautiful outer banks & watching the sun come up as we traveled south
• being the only people on the beach at such an early morning hour
• arriving for an 8am for a 2 hr horse back ride through a wooded trail and on the beach at equine adventures (ryan is on tonka and i am on belle)
  
• taking the croatoan ferry from hatteras to ocrecoke island - our first ever ferry ride
• visiting the ocracoke island horse
• more lighthouses!
• feeding the ocracoke ducks
• yet another ferry ride from ocracoke to cedar island - a much bigger ferry this time!
• arriving at the harborlight guest house in cape carteret, nc (we stayed in the beautiful swann room)
• enjoyed doing yoga by the bogue sound and of course some hammock lounging
• spending just a little time on emerald isle before we got rained out

what a lovely trip!

be sure to catch part 1 of our vacation. part 3 is coming soon. :)

virginia beach

music credit moby

my favorite memories of visiting my old haunt, virginia beach

• the ocean front from our hotel room
  
• king neptune
• taking pics of the new cape henry lighthouse from inside the old cape henry lighthouse
• playing around on the fort story beach
• the camouflaged crab who was scurrying away from us - SO cute!!
• visiting the edgar cacye's a.r.e. (association for research and enlightenment)
  
• indulging in a massage at the a.r.e health center and spa
• spending time walking the outdoor/natural reflexology path & the meditation garden
• spotting a dragonfly taking a rest in the lotus pond on the way to sandbridge, va (the local's beach spot)
• the old historic cavalier hotel

stay tuned for parts 2 & 3 of our getaway

monday moment of zen

"the world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. but above all, the world needs dreamers who do."
~ sarah ban breathnach

image credit ici

monday moment of zen

"change is not something that we should fear. rather, it is something that we should welcome. for without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they're meant to be." ~ anonymous

i can't remember where i came across this quote but i absolutely adore it. change is hard to make but if we go into it with the right attitude it will make all the difference in the world. namaste

image credit ici

and i'm off... again

ahhh, our long awaited romantic getaway has finally arrived. ryan and i are off to...

virginia beach for 3 nights,

the lower outer banks for a night

and to chincoteague island for 2 nights
where i am hoping to see tons of wild horses :)

there will be lots of pics to be shared upon our return. now that i've figured out how to put photos in a slide show it won't take me nearly as long to get the photos from our trip up. ;)

have a wonderful weekend all. hugs!!

image credits ici, ici et ici

sweet carolinas

long awaited pics of my trip to the carolinas. lela and i had a blast!!

the first few pics are from the road trip to charlotte, nc. then a ton of pics from charlotte. the last beach pics are from myrtle beach, sc. enjoy!

music credit: "stagger lee" by lloyd price

monday moment of zen

"student says ' i am very discouraged. what should i do?' master says, 'encourage others.'"

~ zen proverb

when we encourage others it causes us to be encouraged. what simple thing can you say to encourage another person today? namaste

image credit ici

monday moment of zen

we experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. this delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

~ einstein

image credit ici

and i'm off...

to the carolinas!

i am heading out with my dear friend lela to the carolinas.

first stop, charlotte, nc

and then onto sunny myrtle beach, sc

i'm excited to be traveling with my friend and even more excited to travel to two places i've never been before.

so, dear friends, i have a few questions to pose to you...

is there anything MUST-SEE and MUST-DO in these cities? anyone know of a place to get my yoga on? any tried & true places to eat? anything i must see before i leave?

thanks in advance for your comments! i promise to have pics of my own up before you know it!

until next time, i bid you ado. hope your tuesday is tranquil and the rest of your week wonderful. hugs!!

image credit ici & ici

monday moment of zen

there are thousands upon thousands of students
who have practiced meditation and obtained its fruits.
do not doubt its possibilities because of the simplicity of the method.
if you can not find the truth right where you are,
where else do you expect to find it?

~ dogen

image credit ici

stop and smell the flowers

when is the last time you took the time to stop and smell the flowers?

earth day

i spent earth day walking around my neighborhood and soaking up mother nature's beauties. how did you spend earth day?

spring

again the violet bows to the lily.
again, the rose is tearing off her gown!

the green ones have come from the other world,
tipsy like the breeze up to some new foolishness.

again near the top of the mountain
the anemone's sweet features appear.

the hyacinth speaks formally to the jasmine,
peace be with you. and peace to you lad!
come walk with me in this meadow.
again there are sufis everywhere

the bud is shy, but the wind removes
her veil suddenly, my friend!

the friend is here like water in the stream,
like a lotus in the water

the narcissus winks at the wisteria,
whenever you say.

and the clove to the willow, you are the one i hope for.
the willow replies, consider these chambers of mine yours. welcome!

the apple, orange why the frown?
so that those who mean harm do not see my beauty.

the rindove comes asking, where, where is the friend?

with one note the nightingale indicates the rose.

again the season of spring has come and a spring-source
rises under everything, a moon sliding from the shadows.

many things must be left unsaid, because it's late, but whatever
conversation we haven't had tonight, we'll have tomorrow.

~ a poem by rumi
~ translated by coleman barks

monday moment of zen

"living your epitaph may be the most important ingredient for inner peace and serenity. when you actively align your choices with your life's purpose and goals, you live more honestly, more courageously, and with greater integrity, and these virtues bring with them a powerful kind of freedom."
~ zoe weil

please feel free to share what your goals are and what action steps you are taking to reach your goals? namaste

image credit ici

if every morning could be like this

oh how i wish every morning could be like this...

i woke up naturally at 6:30am and felt completely rested (for once).

i was able to do my mantra and meditate.

knowing that ryan has to get up around 7am to get ready to go to work, i decided to surprise him by making him breakfast. in which he promptly told me that when he went to bed everything was normal and when he woke up - he woke up in the twilight zone (he completed this act with song from youtube - insert my "meh" here lol).

we shared a lovely breakfast of eggs, toast and fresh strawberries & blackberries, orange juice, coffee (for him) and green tea (for me).

it was a lovely morning.... i wish all mornings could be like this. now off to walk the dog.

image credit ici

artist's date picnic

i've been enjoying kimberly wilson's tranquilista e-course very much.

i've also been having a blast playing with my visual journal.

if you know kimberly, then you know she's a big fan of 'omwork.' omwork is what kimberly coined is homework with a yogic twist. so, it's beneficial and fun!

during our most recent class, part of our 'omwork' was to go on an artist's date. i realized that i haven't gone on an artist's date in a very long time.

so, i gathered my gear and headed for my backyard

a nice lunch

a nice view

and a good companion for a lovely afternoon. (now, i realize that an artist's date is supposed to be solo, but i don't think i'll get any complaints for my date)

and let the creativity flow

of course there was much snuggling

and kisses

(and yes, that is a roll of toilet paper you see there... between all of the allergies & recent nose bleeds i figure i'd better be prepared -boo!)

cadyn and i had a wonderful artist's date - just the two of us.

monday moment of zen

watch your thoughts; they become words.
watch your words; they become actions.
watch your actions; they become habits.
watch your habits; they become character.
watch your character; for it becomes your destiny.
~ the upanishads

everything in life starts from a simple form. take a moment today, watch your thoughts, and see what you find. namaste

image credit ici