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.

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monday moment of zen

"when we pay attention, whatever we are doing - whether it be cooking, cleaning or making love - is transformed and becomes part of our spiritual path. we begin to notice details and textures that we never noticed before; everyday life becomes clearer, sharper and at the same time more spacious."

~ rick fields

it's all about rush rush rush especially around this time of year. rarely do we take time for ourselves or take time to really enjoy our surroundings. sure we notice the christmas decorations and all of the holiday sales. but how many times do we notice the small details? whenever you feel yourself getting stressed out just stop where ever you are at and look around. take in all of the surroundings, the sights, the smells and see what a difference it makes on your frame of mind. namasate

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feasting

the last week of the joy diet is upon us and it couldn't have been better timing for the chapter on feasting as we all still probably have tons of thanksgiving leftovers.

while feasting isn't necessarily all about eating food - let me tell you about my thanksgiving...

ryan and i always split our holidays up between our parents. this year we went to his families house's for thanksgiving and will go to my parents for christmas. we took our dear brazilian friend bela with us this time so that she could experience her first american thanksgiving. we first stopped at ryan's mother's house and ate thanksgiving lunch there. next onto ryan's dad's house and had a late lunch/early thanksgiving dinner. finally onto ryan's best friend families house for a peruvian thanksgiving dinner. we all had a fabulous time at each dinner. bela had a great time. i was so grateful that she was able to share in her first thanksgiving holiday with us.

here's to feasting!!

check out jamie ridler's the next chapter for other musings on feasting.

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monday moment of zen

"a crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety."
~aesop

thanksgiving is upon us. while for some that may be a welcomed time of year for others it may bring out some holiday anxiety. this year when things become a bit hectic and you think to yourself 'why did i even come, i knew this was going to happen.' just stop... take a couple of deep breaths... and think of at least one reason why you are grateful to be around those people. see if that doesn't change your outlook and mood.

have a happy thanksgiving and namaste

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connection

i simply adore connecting with like-minded individuals and i am delighted to say that in the past few months i have done just that!

i have connected with fabulous fellow bloggers & tweeps. i have connected with lovely ladies that are massage therapists, mentors & role models. i have connected with teachers & classmates that i admire and adore.

i feel so lucky to connect with such wonderful people - each and everyone of you!!

find more wonderful connections by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter.

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monday moment of zen

"if there is to be any peace it will come through being, not having."

~ henry miller

now more than ever humans are attached to "stuff." i'm sure you are already starting to make christmas lists in your head. 'what am i going to buy aunt millie, what about cousin theo," and on and on.

why does everything have to revolve around our material things?! i too am guilty of this as we all are.

do any of these sound familiar:
- "what do you mean you put a dent in my car!?!"
- "i can't believe you took my scarf without asking!!"
- "i just have to have that new shirt (although i have one exactly like it at home)."
- "i need that (insert any material item here)!!"
- "get out of my chair!"

on some deep level we are attached to our belongings, no matter how big or small. in buddhism, the second noble truth is "the origin of suffering is attachment." this is not saying that you have to give up everything but simple give up the the attachment. we don't need these material items, we want them.

this week think of one thing that you are attached to that you can give up. you don't necessarily have to actually give it away (but if you can kudos for you!) but just give up the thought of being attached to that item. after all, it is simply a material item and it can be replaced.

namaste

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laughter

i read somewhere recently that laughter provides a massage for our organs. i truly believe this. if you think about it laughter is really a cure-all. no matter what is ailing you, once you start laughing you feel immensely better. you choose your happiness so when you are feeling bad, watch a comedy, read comic strips, have a conversation with an upbeat, jokey friend and see if you don't feel better.

ryan and i watch funny movies and tv shows to get in some laughs. we play with our pets - that is always good for lots of laughs. we also check out lolcats to get in daily laughs. we are both jokey people and hang around jokey friends. i have always been a very upbeat and funny person. anything for a laugh. i know for sure that my lpd (laughs per day) is way beyond 30. see how other lovely ladies get in their daily laughs by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter. what do you do to get in your giggles?

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thankful thursday

i recently had a conversation with my aunt about how things have been going for me recently. i don't get to talk to her that often so we did a lot of catching up. i love my aunt. she's always been very open-minded and unique in her own way. our talk touched on the usuals, what i've been up to recently, how's school going, when do you graduate, how does ryan like it, where do you plan on getting a job when you are finished and what exactly is yoga?! (lol) the part that struck me the most is that i told my aunt that while i am the poorest i've ever been in my whole life i am the happiest.

money does not create happiness (while it certainly helps to make things tons easier it's not always necessary). i know in time i will start regaining my financial freedom like i once had. money comes, money goes but happiness, that is one you want to hold on to for certain.

after our phone conversation, i thought in depth about what i had said. i am really, genuinely happy - deep into my core. i hope that some of my happiness seeps into this blog post and touches each and everyone of you that reads it and that you feel it too. trust me, i have enough of it to go around. hugs!!

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swapping delights

sofia, one of my darling tea traders hosted her 2nd annual autumn swap this year. well of course i participated! what joy to send a darling little package of autumn comforts to someone and to receive a lovely package from another. i gathered up some teas, coffee, a book about new york, and some other trinkets and sent them on their merry way to spain to ibb.

i received the most fabulous package from the marvelous micaela. what i got in my autumn swap package couldn't have been more perfect. i am amazed at what a fabulous job she did picking out things to send to me. let me share with you my most perfect autumn swap package...

not one, but two packages

have you ever seen a more beautifully wrapped package?!

in the big package

the autumn swap package in all of it's glory

it honestly, couldn't have been more perfect! i love every single thing in the package. thank you so much micaela. you made my heart sing!! many, many thanks my darling!!

monday moment of zen

"life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced."
~ kierkegaard

too many of us (myself including) are doers. sometimes doers can also be problem solvers. we see a situation or a problem and we can't help but try to fix it. but you know as well as i do that problems have a way of working themselves out on their own. so this week make an attempt to observe these problems without taking an initiative to "fix" them. like kierkegaard said, just experience this so-called problem and see how it works itself out. namaste

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play

i want to first apologize to my lovely readers. i have been mia recently because i have been very busy with massage therapy schooling and yoga teacher training. at least it's a good busy. i am enjoying myself immensely every single day.

now, out of all honesty, i've been playing with the joy diet in it's entirety and i've been having a great time. during the risk chapter i wrote in my post about wishing that i had read this book earlier when i was unhappy in the current career path i was in and wanted to do something else that i had always dreamed about. but as sherry lee said, timing is everything and that reading this book now is an affirmation. she is completely right and everyday it just solidifies it for me that i took the right risks and made the right decision.

here is a shot of my new brazilian friend bela and i trying on some fabulous shades while doing some winter clothes shopping. we had such a great time shopping and playing.

to check out the way some other lovely ladies play, visit jamie ridler's the next chapter.

monday moment of zen

"there is a life-force within your soul, seek that life.
there is a gem in the mountain of your body, seek that mine.
o traveler, if you are in search of that
don't look outside, look inside yourself and seek that."
~ rumi

i enjoyed a restorative yoga workshop yesterday and the teacher (love her!) shared this poem with us. it completely resonated with me. too often we seek things outside of ourselves rather than inside. we look to others for acceptance, approval and validation. while recognition from others is great we really need to look within ourselves for this. look deep within yourself and tell me what you see.

namaste

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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.

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treats

i've been fortunate to have tons of treats in my life recently. i feel as though the last month has been one giant treat.

here's a sneak peak at some of my most recent treats:

~ the indian summer we've been having

~ a birthday jubilee teavana present

~ teaching yoga to people who have never taken a yoga class before and seeing their faces light up with delight and hearing them say how much better they feel afterwords

~ cherishing solo time this weekend while ryan is in philadelphia

~ connecting with tons of fabulous readers - you all make my day - everyday!!

~ halloween - my favorite holiday

~ my first day of massaging clients tomorrow - i'm SO excited!!

check out what other treats by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter.

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monday moment of zen

"A man's life is what his thoughts make of it. Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." Marcus Aurelius

i couldn't agree with this more. the power of our thought can change everything. our thoughts are energy . try to incorporate this idea today. whenever you feel a negative thought coming on try to turn it around and think something positive and just observe the effect it can have on your entire day.

namaste

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risk

life is full of risks. whether we realize it or not, we take risks everyday.

martha beck said "what's safe about not being who you were meant to be?" that completely resonated with me.

i wish i would have read this book a year ago. reading it now makes me realize that when i took the risk of switching gears from accounting to massage therapy and yoga was exactly what i needed.

sometimes the risk we most need to take is pushing ourselves and i am so grateful that i did.

follow along with other risk takers by visiting jamie ridler's the next chapter.

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belated birthday gratitude

my birthday has come and gone but gratitude and joy still remains in my heart. i'm still in what i call my "birthday jubilee." what is a birthday jubilee you ask? well, that is the week or so after your birthday when you are still receiving birthday cards and presents in the mail.

i am so happy for:

~ all of the lovely birthday wishes on facebook, twitter & e-mail

~ all of the lovely birthday cards in the mail

~ all of the birthday presents

~ ryan paid for me to have a massage for my birthday

~ a gift certificate to tranquilit from a friend

~ money from the parents

~ the friendship over the blogosphere

~ each and every one of you my lovely readers

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monday moment of zen

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"peace comes from within. do not seek it without." ~buddha

creativity

when i first picked up "the joy diet," i randomly flipped to a few pages and one of the main things that grabbed my attention was on the chapter of creativity. it was "uncomfortable truth #1: you are always responsible for creating your life, whether you like it or not." (i couldn't agree more!!)

i also love how martha beck explained that "criticism is an alluring substitute for creation, because tearing things down, unlike building them up, really is as easy as falling off a stump." i think that in general, we humans criticize because we are upset that someone else has thought of our idea first. we should congratulate them on their achievements and try to work on another idea. martha said "before you make negative comments about other people's creations, require yourself to do a better job than they did, under similar conditions."

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." ~albert einstein

find out what other creative people are saying about the creativity chapter.

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monday moment of zen

"cultivate peace first in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of lust, hatred, greed, selfishness and jealousy. then only you can manifest it externally. then only, those who come in contact with you, will be benefited by your vibration of peace and harmony." ~sivananda

i love this quote. really pay attention and read it again. we have to have peace within our own hearts before we can send peace out into the world. so many of us have a good heart and want to help others but we have to help ourselves first. only then can we make a true difference on the world around us.

photo credit ici