i'm SO excited...

and i just can't hide it!! today i'm grateful for:

today is friday

i got my little lovely melita in the mail

(more to come on this later, i promise)

although i don't graduate until april 3rd, today is MY LAST CLASS!


it is absolutely gorgeous outside today


i am teaching happy hour yoga at blissblissbliss


ryan & i are having friends over to grill out for the first time this year!


have a wonderful weekend, i know i will be!!

blogiversary

my how time flies. today i celebrate my 1 year blogiversary! i originally started blogging as a creative outlet and it has grown into more than i ever imagined.

what i've learned since i began blogging:

• never give up blogging - keep on keeping on :)

• you will eventually find your niche even if it takes you a while (and if you never have a niche then that IS your niche)

• it is AMAZING the connections you will make with like-minded kindred spirits

• getting to express yourself is awesome!

• you can find out so much about yourself

thank you all for coming along for the ride of my blogging experience. if i could give you all a big hug, i would. thank you for cheering me on, patting me on the back, and getting me through the tough times. i couldn't have done it without YOU!! i HEART you all!!

"i've learned that what people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel." ~ maya angelou

image credit ici

gifts from far away

my sweet darling brazilian friend bela went to amsterdam, belgium, paris and back home to brazil over the holidays. she asked me what i wanted from paris. well, being the tea fanatic that i am of course i asked for mariage freres tea. and just look at the load of tea she brought me back from all over!! plus i got a fantastic scarf her god mother made for me. i love it!!

she got me mariage freres earl grey french blue tea and it is fantastic!! she also got me teas from brazil and belgium. there is some melitta coffee in there as well. she said it is popular in brazil. of course it is, it's melitta ;)

and for ryan's drinking pleasure there is a bottle of cachaca which we will enjoy plenty of caipirinhas!!

goodies in my mail box

i got something in the mail today that totally made me smile. i got a beautiful new year's card from the adorable chelsea b from pencil skirts & pearls. she was thanking me for the holiday blogger gift exchange present that i sent her.

along with the card was an adorable peace coin. i love it! thank you so much for being so thoughtful chelsea b. hugs!!

tulips & tea interview

i was absolutely filled with glee to come home and find that the darling and adorable analiese from tulips & tea featured moi on her "blogging with heart" series.

the blogging with heart series in analiese's words "is a series of interviews with bloggers whose voices resonate with authenticity, sparkle, and soul." she has features absolute blogging gems such as the adventurous kaileen elise and the heart warming soul lauren of everyday revelry. i am absolutely honored to be among these fabulous ladies.

read my interview, check out previous interviews and be completely inspired by analiese's tulips & tea blog.

if you know of any "bloggers with heart" be sure to nominate them by sending analiese an email ambendorf(at)gmail(dot)com.

thank you SO much analiese, you made my week!! much love & hugs to you sweetie!!

image credit ici

peace rocks

i was the lucky winner of some peace rocks from the lovely sasa. my beautiful package included six hand painted peace rocks, several christmas cards, a peace rocks calendar for 2010 and a lovely note.

i added a peace rock to my collection of rocks, seashells, candles, lavender and buddha statue that is the centerpiece (now it's the centerpeace) on my kitchen table.

i added another peace rock to gussy up ryan's first bonsai tree. rawkus is peeking out from behind the bonsai tree.

thank you so much sasa for the lovely package of peace!

if you'd like a peace rock be sure to visit sasa's etsy page to purchase your own.

blogging holiday love from kylie grethen

i was happy to have participated in a blogging holiday love exchange that was organized by the fabulous kaileen elise, chelsea and carolyn. i am absolutely amazed at the blogging community that we have built online. i love these amazing ladies!!

now onto the goods ;)

i was so happy to come home from a tiring 12 hour day of class and massages to a fabulous holiday package from kylie grethen.

i was so excited to see this package sitting on my table just begging for me to open it. and when i did.... the smell of lavender bloomed out of the package as i opened it. i love love love lavender!

everything was so beautifully wrapped in pretty pink and purple tissue paper

and everything inside was absolutely perfect!!

my package included:

~ an adorable card (the mouse painting the candy canes - so cute).

~ a copy of eat, pray, love which i wanted due to giving my copy away. i am so happy to have it back in my book collection.

~ a note pad with a sparkly effiel tower - perfect for toting around in my handbag.

~ $5 gift card to starbucks - perfect for a gingerbread latte!

~ lavender bath bomb - i love bath bombs and it smells so good!!

~ flower power botanic extract lavender soothing facial mask - i can't wait to use this!

~ aura cacia lavender harvest aromatherapy mineral bath - such a perfect company - love their products and can't wait to sink deep into the bathtub for some quiet solo meditation time.

~ a grow your own pink poodle - this is so hilarious - i love it! according to the package it "makes you an officially 'classy' person." it's ironic because one of my nicknames for cadyn is "poodle." i really love small things so i think i will keep my pink poodle small because it's just so darn cute!

~ a fabulous black & white damask bag - which was perfect for toting my massage sheets to school the other day!

everything from kylie was absolutely perfect! it was as if she's known me for years. she couldn't have done a better job picking things out for me. thank you from the bottom of my heart kylie. huge hugs!!

kreative blogger award

my thanks goes out to the fabulous and awe-inspiring ellecubed for awarding me the kreative blogger award. thanks girl! you never cease to amaze me!

first, 7 things that i am loving right now:

1. the great response i have gotten from my tea traders. i am so thankful that such a wonderful group of women joined in this tea trade. here is to making it an annual event!!

2. sending thank you cards to all of my tea traders. like ellecubed mentioned about the pink heels post about project thank you, i think it's wonderful to show your gratitude towards others. it can truly turn your whole day around.

3. reconnecting with myself. as most of you know, 2009 has been a year of changes. some big, some small, some not expected on my end, some very difficult ones but i know that all of these changes are occurring so that i can become a better person. sometimes we have to go through many changes in life to see who we really are and where we are going. and despite all recent obstacles, i know i am on the right path. i am reconnecting with a melita that had been put on the back burner for many years and i gotta tell you coming back into myself - feels great!!

4. with number 3 in mind, i am extremely happy to be starting "the joy diet: 10 daily practices for a happier life." we all deserve to be happy and that is what i wish for every single one of you!!

5. i am thankful and grateful for the huge support that my friends have shown me on my new path. you all are the best cheerleaders anyone could ever ask for - thank you!!

6. i am getting so pumped for my massage therapy classes to start!! i have orientation sept. 23rd and my first class is on sept. 29th. i am incorporating meditation, reiki, yoga teacher training and massage therapy as the major components to my path of wellness but there are also other things such as looking inside oneself to see what is truly fulfilling and what is not and making the appropriate steps to let go of what is no longer serving your higher self. this involves lots of svadhyaya!!

7. i am happy i'll be spending all weekend at a yoga & mediation retreat (complete with bodywork and energy work) and the local wine & jazz festival. yay for hanging out with like-minded individuals.

instead of passing this onto 7 other bloggers i want to hear from all of you, what are you loving right now?

pass along your pearls of wisdom

if you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out city girl's newest blog post "pearls of wisdom."

she is asking that you write a simple letter to your younger self. she describes it perfectly: "Think of it as writing a postcard to your 22 year old self, or your 17 year old self, or your 13 year old self, or your 30 year old self - the only requirement is that it has to be an age you are not currently at. It could be an age in the past, or in the future."

she will be collecting these pearls of wisdom letters and posting them on her blog soon. join in the fun, i did!

the meme blog award

almost two weeks ago in the midst of my "gmat hell, " michele over at you and me and lucy awarded me the meme blog award.

the rules are as follows:
1. share seven tidbits about myself.
2. share the award with seven blog friends.

seven tidbits:

1. when i first started my blog i never imagined that i would love it or be this involved and it's all because of you my dear readers :) i love the little online community that we have formed. i feel grateful for each and every one of you. you've supported me in through my rough patches and cheered me on during the good times. please accept my huge cyber hug. :)

2. as you already know, i am fresh back from a mini vacay in delaware. i really miss being by the beach. i used to live in virginia beach, va for almost three years and can't tell you how much i crave beach time now that i am landlocked in west virginia.

3. i have a small organic garden in my back yard which i love watching grow. while it's small, it's still hard work but absolutely worth it. i can't wait for the first ripe tomatoes and green beans. i know a lot of people are thinking 'it's almost august, shouldn't you be getting these already?!' and my answer to that is that with our weird weather we got things in a little later than normal. and that is all well and good because i will still be getting fresh stuff from my garden into september and maybe even october at this rate!

4. i am currently reading "julie and julia" and can't wait to see it in the theater!

5. while september 11th is a hard day for everyone it is a bitter-sweet day for ryan and i. we celebrate our 4th anniversary together. the funny part of that is that neither of us thought we would have lasted this long. i love him dearly and wouldn't want to change a thing!

6. despite been unemployed since april, i have to honestly stay, this has been the best summer ever. i haven't had much money (cause let's face it, unemployment doesn't pay that much) but i haven't let that stop me. you don't need money to be happy. i've spent a lot of my summer studying away for a standardized test that i still didn't pass (yes, i took the f-ing gmat twice). but not passing that test led me to realize that i would be doing myself a disservice in not pursuing a passion of mine. which leads me to...

7. i have a meeting on wednesday about "plan b." after that point i will share in the details will all of my lovely readers. (i know, the suspense is killing you by this point. i appreciate your patience.)

and now, onto the seven blog friends i'd like to pass this award onto (i try to pass these onto blogs that have yet to be awarded but i know doing this practically two weeks late is gonna cause some doubling up. if you got this award already, oh well, you totally deserve it twice):

1. everyday revelry
2. naturally jules
3. globetrotting cacti
4. bountiful living
5. the karma project
6. cupcakes and om
7. onyx and alabaster

feelin' the love

i am honored to receive the "love ya" blog award from sarah at the analyst. thank you sarah, you are too kind!


About the award: "Apparently this award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

i would like to pass on this award to fabulous 8 bloggers below:

tulips and tea

life breathing

i go right for the blogular

the cooking accountant

the gnome home

a little dash of this a little dash of that

eco yogini

the everything yoga blog

merci merci

i am absolutely thrilled to say that my dear friends and fellow bloggers carolyn at hang on tomato, analiese at tulips and tea, and lauren at everyday revelry awarded me with the one lovely blog award. thank you ladies ever so much.

along with the blog award i am listing 6 things that make me happy today:

1. being part of this wonderful blogging community!

2. eating fresh mango with my yogurt at lunch.

3. knowing that i am leaving for a weekend in philadelphia tomorrow.

4. for the great yoga class this evening.

5. celebrating our 3 and 3/4 year anniversary today with ryan (it's one of those cute, weird couple things).

6. still reminiscing about seeing nine inch nails and jane's addiction last night.

and now i would love to pass this award onto several of my friends and bloggers:

mindful mindy's musings

the karma project

globetrotting cacti

dirty footprints

naturally jules

onyx and alabaster

darjeeling dreams

these are in no particular order and i tried to pick people who hadn't been picked recently. the above blogs i read on a daily basis. if you've heard of them great, but if not please visit them, i know you'll love them too!!

blog love from blisschick

most of you (if not all of you) are familiar with christine reed over at blisschick. well, today after waking up, going through emails, checking my favorite blogs, ya know, the morning routine, i was absolutely THRILLED to find out that christine gave my little blog some love. as a newbie blogger (not even a full two months yet) i find it super exciting when anyone mentions my blog or leaves me a comment. that just makes my day. although, i have a feeling that any blog love or comments years from now will still make my day. so, yes, christine, i was absolutely giddy (like a little school girl) to see that you had mentioned my blog on yours. i am ever grateful.

check out blisschick's post about other newbie blogs and give them some love as well. and thank you for all the blog love you've show to me. i love you guys!