wow, it's been a while since i posted. i know that's rather unlike me. so, let me catch you lovelies up on what all has been going on recently.

we've been missing our pup sadie for sure. grief is a strange beast. one day it isn't so bad and the next it feels like the weight of the world is pushing you around. we are taking it one day at a time - that's all we can really do. we share memories of sadie and laugh at her silly antics. thank you all so much for your kind words. we really appreciate it, more than you will ever know.

i've been doing more & more massages and building my book. i am really loving what i am doing. plan b is a dream become reality (but that's another post).

tomorrow i'm off to pittsburgh, pa for join these lovelies for another week long intensive yoga teacher training. i'm look forward to sharing more details about that as it unfolds.

when i come back to morgantown (or motown as the locals refer to it), i'll be adding teaching two more yoga classes per week to my schedule. at that point i will be teaching 4 yoga classes per week - yippee!! i'm super excited that hot yoga seems to be a hit at blissblissbliss.

and speaking of bliss, i started a bliss blog. yes, i know what you are thinking... what doesn't she do? well, let me answer that question for you - nothing! :) there's nothing that i don't do and i love it!!

i've also been visiting with my parents while they have been camping at coopers rock. i'm trying to get in as much visiting as i can in my hectic schedule. the above photo is a pic i snapped while visiting coopers rock on a previous visit. nature clearly hearts that rock!! here are more photos of the rock - such a lovely place to get away either with friends, furry or otherwise, or for some solo time in nature.

i hope that you all have a lovely week. i will be thinking of you! hugs!!

what's next

shortly after passing the ncetmb (and by shortly i mean just a few hours) i began doing the metric ton of h(om)ework for my yoga teacher training.


wait, i know what you are thinking, aren't you already a yoga teacher?

well, yes i am. i am a certified yoga teacher but always wanting to learn & grow more i am embarking on the 200 ryt training. i am doing an intensive training this summer in pittsburgh, pa. it starts next week - yikes! i'm already behind on my h(om)ework due to all of the studying i was doing for my massage exam but that's ok, i'll get it!

from one certificate straight into the next... that's how i roll!

if you haven't heard....

i passed my massage therapy exam!!!

i just wanted to take a minute to thank each and everyone of you beautiful souls who sent me your love, thoughts, prayers, vibes, energy, etc. you will never know how much that meant to me!! you all are amazing people and i am so incredibly honored to be connected to each and everyone of you.

may your day be as brilliant as you are!

from the plantar surface of my toes i thank you and sent you all huge hugs!!

my thursday moment of zen

may today there be peace within.
may you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
may you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.
may you be content with yourself just the way you are.
let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love.
it is there for each and everyone of us.
~ mother teresa

today i am in need of a moment of zen. as you know, my massage therapy exam is tomorrow. it's no surprise that i get test anxiety and yes, it's in full force today. i am working with my breath to try to put myself in a state of zen. i've also been using bach rescue remedy which seems to be most helpful.

mother teresa's quote is most helpful in calming my monkey mind. i believe that we are all exactly where we are meant to be and that there are infinite possibilities for us all.

thank you SO much for all of your well wishes, good luck vibes, etc for my exam tomorrow. i will keep you posted.

love & hugs & overcoming test anxiety

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wish me luck

it's SO hard studying for a test that you have NO idea what questions will be on there. ok, well, i have an idea of what will be on ncbtmb (national certification board for therapeutic massage & bodywork) but that covers a lot!!

it can include:
* anatomy & physiology (including hundreds of muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, movements, etc)
* pathology
* eastern philosophy
* hydrotherapy
* hands on techniques
* massage effects
* business practices
* and the list goes on & on & on

have i mentioned that i'm taking the ncbtmb THIS FRIDAY?!?! i am excited and nervous all at the same time. as some of you know, i'm not exactly the best standardized test taker so that makes me nervous! (remember my battle with the gmat?! ugh!!) at least i am (or should be) aware of all material that will be covered on the ncbtmb test so in that regards it will be NOTHING like the gmat (at least for me).

so, if you would, please, send me some extra good study vibes this week and send me some extra, extra love & good energy on friday at 1pm. merci!!

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thank you

i just wanted to say to all of you, thank you!! thank you for being so supportive of my plan b. you guys rock!!

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plan b part quatre

part quatre of plan b is a future goal of mine. it's something that has been swirling around in my head ever since i decided to make my dream of becoming a massage therapist and yoga instructor a reality. once i get those things established and figure out exactly where i want to live, i want to open up a wellness center. a place where you can come in, relax, do yoga, get a massage, talk to a nutritionist, get advice from an ayurveda practitioner (hopefully that will be me as well, ayurveda has always been an interest of mine), have a cup of tea, and relax with friends. a great example of that is bliss bliss bliss here in morgantown and of course tranquil space in dc. both elizabeth (owner of bliss bliss bliss) and kimberly wilson have served as such an inspiration for me.

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gratitude

good morning. i am feeling so very grateful this morning. i wanted to share with you what i'm grateful for:
- looking out my window each morning at my gorgeous morning glories that i planted oh so long ago. they are really starting to take off now :)

- starting this morning off with a great breakfast - oatmeal with a fresh, local peach, a dash of cream and a sprinkling of brown sugar - delish!

- the fact that it's quickly becoming harvest time and all of the wonderful, fresh is pouring in. hooray for fresh fruits and veggies

- trying out a different type of melon yesterday - piel de sapo (and it was yummy!)

- feeling confident about taking my workkeys test on thursday morning

- getting nothing but love & support for my "plan b" (only one more part, i promise) thank you SO much!

- the beautiful mums that ryan got for me (pic to come as soon as they are fully in bloom)

- sharing my desk with dooty - i've taken to calling him my muse :)

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plan b part trois

wia progress update:
as part of applying for the wia program, i have to take a 3 hour test that is called the workkeys test. the workkeys test consists of applied math, reading for information, along with some other basic math problems. i had a practice test today that i did very well on, yay me! guess all of that prepping for the gmat came in handy after all ;) i take the actual test on thursday morning. i gotta say, i'm not the least bit anxious about it!

also part of the wia application involves some interviewing. i have to interview two different massage therapy schools, a potential employer, and another massage therapist. i have done interviews with morgantown beauty college (where i will ultimately be going) and another school in a close by town. for the potential employer i interviewed elizabeth, owner of bliss bliss bliss. she gave me some amazing advice above and beyond what the wia application wanted me to ask. i plan on speaking to one of the lovely massage therapist that works at bliss bliss bliss for my final interview.

the only parts i have left to complete are the last interview, a statement of purpose and the workkeys test. then it's up to the workforce investment board (wib) to determine whether i will be awarded the grant money or not. the whole process takes about a month. that is why i'm trying to get it done as soon as i possibly can considering my classes start at the end of september.
plan b part trois:
the next step in my "plan b" after massage therapy is to become a yoga teacher. i'm sure a lot of you already knew this :) i thought that massage therapy and yoga dovetail perfectly together. i plan on doing a summer intensive next summer to get my 200 hour certification at 3rd street yoga out of pittsburgh, pa. i would love, love, love to get my 500 hour certification from tranquil space in dc.

more about plan b later.

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plan b part duex

as i mentioned in my first plan b post there were a couple different meetings that i had gone to. the first meeting was to the morgantown beauty collage, where i will be taking my massage therapy classes. the second meeting was to the unemployment/west virgina job service office to see about applying for the workforce investment act (wia, pronounced we-uh). if i qualify for the wia program then i will get $4000 grant towards my massage therapy schooling.

i am still in the application process for wia. there are a lot of hoops to jump through but i am more than happy to do so to get grant money. wish me luck in this process.

oh, and if any of you know about any other grant money in general or specifically geared towards massage therapy please let me know. thanks ;)

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"plan b"

alright, you have waited long enough for this....

BUT, before i tell you (and no cheating and scrolling down either lol) i wanted to give you a little back story.

as you all know, i studied long and hard for the gmat. what you might not know is that i am terrible test taker, especially standardized tests. i have never been good at them, ever. i also get test anxiety pretty bad. all of this bundled together with a 4 hour long test that costs 250 bucks makes for not such a pleasant experience. oh, i also forgot to mention that you have to do a palm print verification. i didn't even know what a palm print verification was until i took the test. seriously, i'm not kidding. the big-time security measures only added to my stress levels. i even dressed head to toe in tranquilit but only that can offer so much comfort (honestly, being dressed in tranquilit was the only good part about the whole experience!). so, as stressed as i was, i went in, did the best i could and walked out with my "unofficial score" in my hand with a smile on my face (even though i didn't get a high enough score). i felt a major lift off of my shoulders.

i was so stressed that i booked a reiki session followed by a massage two days before the test at bliss bliss bliss, my favorite local membership massage/yoga studio. during my reiki session i tried to calm my mind and just focus on my breathing. but i had an epiphany (plan b was born)! once my session was over i spoke to the lady and she said that when she had her hands on my head that her hands were literally vibrating from my energy. she told me that that had never happened before. i knew why, but i thought that i would keep it to myself for just a few more days to make sure it was really the right thing to do. my massage with lindsey was fabulous. she is excellent at deep tissue massage and that is exactly what i needed.

i've been debating myself whether getting into grad school for accounting was the right thing to do now. i love accounting but just couldn't seem to get past this one obstacle. trust me, i took the gmat twice so, it wasn't for lack of effort or trying. so i put all of the questions regarding my future out to the universe. it was no longer for me to try to figure out what i'm supposed to do, the universe was going to show me. and laying on that table during my reiki session is when the universe gave me an answer!

if you follow me on twitter you know i've been dropping hints about meetings regarding plan b. both of these meetings went well. i am happy to announce that i will be going to school starting late september for massage therapy and that my friends, is just the beginnings of plan b!

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6 things that make me happy

the sweet, sweet, sweet and sharp as a tack city girl tagged me in this meme. she tagged me in the midst of my "gmat hell" so i am now just responding with my happiness list.

6 things that make me happy today are:

1. knowing that just because i didn't get a high enough score on the gmat to get into grad school isn't slowing me down and causing me any grief (in fact, i haven't shed a tear) - i will now get to pursue on of my passions (yep, still calling it plan b).

2. my beautiful flowers that ryan got me today at the farmer's market (um, on his birthday mind you).

3. getting to enjoy ribfest with ryan and our buddy T.

4. giving the dogs homemade treats from the farmer's market.

5. thinking about our trip to delaware next week - hooray for visiting a friend, eating crab, crab, and more crab and some time on the beach

6. getting ready to have enjoy some ice cream cake for ryan's birthday!

gmat woes & plan b

hey everyone. i can't thank you all enough for being my cheerleaders regarding the gmat. unfortunately i didn't get the score i need to get into grad school. hhheeeyyy, no long faces... i've already got plan b in action. the ever-optimistic melita always has other plans, thoughts, and ideas!
so, i know you are dying to find out what plan b is right?! well, you will have to wait just a bit more because i'm still working out some details. i want things to be more solid before i unveil what my plan b actually is (and i think you'll like it). plus i want to build up some suspense :)