Local Summer

Maybe you know, maybe you don’t. But September and the still warm part of summer is known around these parts as “Local Summer.” It is surely the best. People go away and you can enjoy all the good parts of summer life without the crowds. This year, both regular summer and local summer took me all around. Here are some of the best parts:

A fun yoga photoshoot in Tom’s River. I’m slowing expanding out to see other shore towns. I’ve loved Point Pleasant and Asbury Park. There’s so much more to get to know.

Glad life has brought me back to my old stomping grounds at the University of Delaware. I got to visit my favorite ice cream shop of all time (Woodside Farms Creamery). And I’ve eaten a lot of ice cream, so that’s saying something.

No summer is complete for me nowadays without a couple of trips to Harrisburg, PA. My sister lives there (she’s engaged now!!), and I appreciate being near enough to visit her for a weekend.

Central PA frequently exceeds my expectations. We tubed down the river at Sickman’s Mill.

I made a quick stop in the Hudson Valley to celebrate my dad’s birthday, retirement from IBM after 40 years (!!!), and my cousin’s wedding. We went to the Dutchess County Balloon Festival.

Back in Jersey, I walked around Stockton University’s pretty campus for the first time.

Oh yeah, and there was another dead whale.

That’s all the update for today.

Springtime in New Jersey

This is really just a photo dump of sunsets and flowers before I forget! And who could leave out a lighthouse pic…

I might say that I liked winter here better than Spring? Of course, there are the random 65-degree days that are everyone’s favorite because they smell like summer. But in general, I could leave behind the blustery 40-50 temps when the calendar says it’s supposed to be April.

At least in winter you know it’s going to be cold. You’re prepared and expecting it, so you can only be pleasantly surprised when it’s above 30. But Spring… I never know what to wear and I’m just riding it out til June.

We still have the best sunsets for every season, of course.

And my friend Ashley and I went to u-pick tulips at Holland Ridge Farms.

They were everywhere and in every color!

I accidentally picked 11 instead of 12. But I can get behind Spring if there are flowers involved.

I tried my first pork roll of almost two years living here. It wasn’t bad and tastes like ham to me, but I’ll stick to my usual bacon, egg, and cheese.

Or maybe breakfast at home.

Had some yummy pizza up in Brick.

And here’s one more sunset for the road:

A Room with a View

Sorry for the brief bout of silence. I moved! I’m about 2 km from Mike’s place now and close to a few big parks which are very good for running:

I’m getting some much needed nature time in:

And the neighborhood has yummy coffee shops and cafes where I get to eat things like this:

I have a comfy bed with a lot of nice, natural light. One of the housemates drove me around on Sunday to transport my bags and purchase bedding and other necessary room items. That helped a ton because, even when you only have four bags, moving can be tricky business!

The blinds are a bit broken, but it’s feeling like an otherwise good fit! And picking out bedding on the fly can be a bit stressful, but I’m pretty pleased with my decision.

White Rabbit

I’m writing this from the future where I’m trying to throw together a last minute Halloween costume, but my first weekend in Sydney was full of things I love. Of course, Friday was a hit, what with Noodle Night and all. On Saturday, I took two dance classes at Dance Central Sydney. I used to take dance as a kid and it still really makes me happy, so that’s what I want to spend my time doing, ya know?

Sunday started with yoga— as the best ones always do. The studio I’ve been going to has live music on Sundays, and it makes the practice really special. I never want to miss one! It takes a little less than an hour to walk back to Mike’s, so if I’m not in a rush, I’ll skip the bus and take the path through two nice parks and the center of the city. It’s been nice to get a little tour of all the neighborhoods; my biggest problem is that I like them all and can’t decide where I want to live!

As I walked back on Saturday, I needed to stop at the grocery store for a few items. I bought some new deodorant that I don’t really like the smell of, so I’m currently dealing with that. I also walked past the White Rabbit Gallery, a Chinese Contemporary Art Gallery that I didn’t have time to visit during my last trip down under. It’s open on Sundays, so I decided to pop in.

Wow! I didn’t know that I was into contemporary Chinese art before, but I guess now I am. There were so many interesting pieces; I took my time and didn’t want to leave. There was one very long scroll of cartoon illustrations that takes you through much of Chinese history, and I was glad one of the attendants handed me a guide so that I could understand some of the intricacies.

I’m kicking myself for not taking any photos Sunday night, because Mike brought me along to an experimental music gig at the Petersham Bowling Club, aka the PBC. The type of bowling here is lawn bowling, which I assume is kind of like bocce, but I have no idea. It’s had a bit of a resurgence with hip young people in the past few years, kind of like our shuffleboard trip to Brooklyn. They had good beer, fun-looking lawn bowling (although we didn’t have time to play), and two stages for musical activities. Hope we’ll be back there soon!

Hi, I'm in Delaware

Since my mom is possibly one of the few regular readers of my blog, she addressed my last post and said that she was feeling sorry that I’m lonely at the beach. She wondered how I could say that I don’t have a social life when I have her. True, I am lucky to have her to hang out with and to accompany me on expeditions. And while having a mom is not the same as having friends, I did convince her to join me on a long, random Tuesday adventure upon which we had a lot of fun.

The length of the trip for one day may scare some people off, but it was all broken into two hour chunks, so it didn’t feel like too much to us. We started off with morning yoga class at Yoga Bohemia, then we set off for my old stomping grounds at the University of Delaware.

We started off with the best bagel place, which was so sadly closed the last time I passed through Newark. We brought them up to arguably the best coffee place and ate them on the deck. I felt only slightly old, but mostly wise and experienced as we walked around campus. Almost everything looked the same, except for the area of my freshman year dorms which has been drastically improved.

We took a tour of the houses I lived in—home of many good times and drunken endeavors. I remember one year after a blizzard when a four foot blanket of snow covered the street, and I lost my phone trotting from one house to another. Someone picked it up, put it in rice for me, and returned it a few days later! Oh the joys of pre-smart phone days. I reflected on the fact that I haven’t lived in single place for more than two years since 2006, so… that’s something.

Next, we drove all the way down Delaware (ie. not very far) for the true purpose of the trip, a visit to the Dogfish Head Brewery near Rehoboth Beach. I learned that Milton, DE is wonderfully cute with enviable Southern-style front porches and the charm of any New England town. I also learned that the steampunk treehouse at the brewery originally came from the Burning Man festival in Nevada. The owner bought it for $1 and had it shipped all the way across the U.S.!

We took the ferry from Lewes, DE to Cape May, NJ just in time for sunset. It was my first time taking my car on a ferry and will probably remain the best time ever, because we saw a group of dolphins diving in front of the boat! It was so surreal!

We grabbed ice cream at the alleged * best ice cream parlor in New Jersey * and who am I to argue with that title? We both had black raspberry with chocolate chips.

Mom was full of treats and ready to end the adventure at that point, but you know me and you know I am usually jam-packing all of the activities into each and every day of this lifetime. So we added in a stop in Atlantic City at Dock’s Oyster House because I had found this article about Anthony Bourdain’s (R.I.P.) New Jersey food trail. Fun fact: the restaurant I’ve been working this summer is on the list. I’d love to hit some more while I’m in the area. The oysters were very delicious and the bartender was very friendly and yoga-knowledgable. A worthy pit-stop!

We got back home late at night, and it was really a dream of a day! Remember, travel doesn’t have to be a big huge deal to give you an escape. You can create your own adventure wherever you are.

Off the Reservation

Woo hoo! I went from being a girl who didn’t leave the island for two to three weeks to a girl who leaves every day. Since the summer traffic is gone, it takes me only 16 minutes to get to this yoga studio that I really like:

And twenty minutes to go to the gym. Yup, you read that right. I’m back to the gym. I thought I could survive off yoga and some Pilates classes for the summer, but I really missed lifting weights and having access to all of the equipment. There’s something about working out in a gym around other people that makes me train harder. And I like making my own schedule, so it’s nice to have the flexibility to go at different times in the day. Most of the exercise classes on the island take place between 8 and 10 am, so if I can’t make those, I wouldn’t be able to go at all.

Bonus: I signed up for a one-month pass this week, and the manager gave me back $10 since I’ll only be here for three more weeks. Thank ya!

Both of those places are in Manahawkin, NJ. It’s the nearest town right over the bridge, and I’m starting to quite like it. New Jersey as a whole has surprised me this summer, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know it better. I’m learning that you don’t need to live in a big city to find awesome people, good yoga, or a juice bar. I’m not sure if it’s true for every town, but I think the stuff you’re looking often finds its way to you.

Beach Days

Wow! Hi! It’s been over a month since we (I) have been at the beach in LBI, NJ. Can you believe it? We (I) can’t! What have we been doing while here, maybe you are wondering? Well, we have been…

• Watching some incredible sunsets over the bay

• Working… a lot! At a yoga studio (first and foremost), and a Pilates studio, on the internet, and at a restaurant. We are really filling up the days.

• Actually going to the beach. To watch some surf competitions, no less. But not actually surfing yet, which is something that needs to be rectified in the coming weeks now that I’ve been sufficiently inspired.

• Making art, sporadically, as usual. I usually like the things I paint, and then I celebrate by not painting anything for the next six months or so. Consistency is key.

• Enjoying the outdoors. I played beach volleyball for the first time since the year before leaving Austin, so it’s probably been about 2-3 years since then. It shows! I also ran a five mile race last weekend! (I’ll tell you more about it soon.) Here’s the view I get to see at the end of every run:

We’ve got a month left of summer here in the states! Soak it in, soak it in.

Sunday Special, Vol. 13

Last week, my mom took me to a special wellness retreat in Tuscon, AZ to celebrate my belated 30th birthday. It felt strange to be basking in luxury while giant parts of LA were on fire, but pleasant to reconnect and practice self care. I’m home now, and the smokey air is smelling like campfire, but it’s nothing here in my neighborhood compared to people in Malibu losing their homes and seeing their whole lives go up in flames. This week is heavy hearted, but it’s another chance to witness the power of people and communities coming together.

Health

This had to have been my healthiest vacation ever. Most guests stay at Canyon Ranch to relax, refocus on health, or reconnect with their spirit. Every hour of the day was loaded with fitness classes, lifestyle lectures, spa services, creative classes, and nature activities. Since it was my first time there, my mom and I kept very busy and wanted to try as many different things as possible. We went for morning walks among saguaro cacti. We took yoga classes (of course), Zumba, water aerobics, kettle bells, acrylic painting, and I received a tarot card reading. I’ll have more to details to share later this week, but this getaway really took the idea of healthy living up a few notches. (+)

Family

Getting to spend a week with my mom was nice. I wonder if people whose parents are still together get the same chance to connect with each parent one-on-one. It’s a special thing, and I’m grateful to have had this time. (+)

Friends

When you’re a yoga teacher, it’s hard getting started out with new classes. Sometimes no one shows up or one person comes and you’ve got to give an awkward private session. If you move to a new city, it’s like restarting the entire experience all over in a new place. I am so thankful that I found friends here who have been willing to come to my classes. Friends, please always let me know if you’re starting a new venture and need an extra show of support! (+)

Mission/Work

It was nice to take a few days off from teaching classes to visit Tuscon. I ended up going to quite a few yoga classes anyway, even when I said I’d branch out and try new styles of exercise. But I did end up learning a lot and coming back with fresh ideas to incorporate into my classes. (+)

Finances

Since it was my birthday celebration, I was treated to so much this week! You know I welcomed it with open arms, and that has to be a plus. (+)

Adventure

Canyon Ranch was a totally new experience for me. It was kind of like an all-inclusive vacation mixed with summer camp and a spa and a health club. I wished that we had a tiny bit more time in Tuscon to see life outside the ranch, but I spotted enough saguaros and javelina that I can’t complain. (+)

Hobby

I painted some mountains! And finally finished the bag I’d been crocheting for about a month now. (+)

Spirituality

It was reassuring to learn that Canyon Ranch doesn’t just focus on restoring fitness and physical beauty. They have really developed a holistic approach that lets visitors focus on what concerns them. I liked that we were able to try some new classes and learn about unfamiliar topics while still getting to enjoy our old favorites. There was plenty of meditation and quiet stillness to go around. (+)

Emotion

What a rollercoaster! I was thrilled to be experiencing a whole new type of vacation and getting away from it all. But news of the shooting and fires in SoCal had me worried about my friends and our city. My mind was definitely in two different places at certain points of the trip. (+/-)

Sunday Special, Vol. 12

We had yoga teacher training both days last weekend and both days this weekend, so it’s gotten to the point where it’s hard to tell anymore where the week and the weekend diverge. I’m leaving for a trip to Arizona with my mom on Wednesday, and it’s all hustle until then.

If you’re in LA and you’ve got the time, I’ll be subbing the 9-10am class at Mockingbird Yoga tomorrow morning. This week, I’m extremely grateful for that cozy little space.

Health

Strangely enough, I felt that my Halloween candy intake was relatively minimal this year. I didn’t think we were likely to get trick-or-treaters, since we live in the upstairs of a duplex and the entrance is on the side of the house, so we didn’t buy any candy to hand out. I did go to a friend’s house to be festive with them, so my candy consumption was limited to that night. That has to equal a win for health this week. (+)

Family

I’ve been planning my trip home to New York for Christmas already, and I’m excited to be meeting up with my mom in a few days. (+)

Friends

I feel so fortunate in this category. On a few nights this week, I had some genuine, deep belly laughs with a great group of friends. I know that can take a pretty long time to get to when you move to a new place. I am grateful that it’s happened quickly for me here, thanks to loving friends of friends and acquaintances with big hearts. (+)

Mission/Work

I taught my second class at the GFC this weekend, and tomorrow morning I’m subbing for the second time at Mockingbird Yoga. I can’t say enough good things about these two groups of business owners! I’ve been bowled over with their willingness to support and take a chance on me. I’m impressed with their small-business knowledge and drive, and I feel like I’m learning so much in case I ever want to do more officially do my own thing someday. (+)

Finances

Make fun of me all you want, but I read my Astrology Zone horoscope at the beginning of every month, and this week is the last time that one of my planets is in the House of Other People’s Money (yes, that’s a real house) for the next ten years! What do you know, my grandma sent me a generous Halloween present, and while I can’t take credit for her financial savvy, I will count it as a plus for me. Now to work on summoning all the forces into the House of Making and Saving My Own Gosh Darn Money… (+)

Adventure

Celebrating Halloween in LA was a new thrill for me! After assisting my mentor’s class on Wednesday, I headed out in Santa Monica for my usual lunch and coffee break before going to tutor a student. I found that from 3-6pm on Montana Avenue, the neighborhood kids can come in their costumes and trick-or-treat to all of the local businesses. There’s also a huge haunted house nearby at a movie director’s residence. I loved being in the area to experience it all. (+)

Hobby

This was the last week of pug drawings for Inktober. I was a little delayed, and some of my drawings were half-assed this time around, but I finished them all by the end of the week, and that has to count for something. (+)

Spirituality

At the best times, when you aren’t even looking, spirituality comes knocking on your door. I went to take Steffany’s class at Mockingbird Yoga on Friday, and she kindly invited me to a Kundalini yoga workshop that night which was part of their yoga teacher training. I had only done Kundalini a couple of times before that, and I was usually too confused or out of my element to really get into it. The instructor took us through some sample exercises and mantras and went deep into an explanation of each chant or practice. It was rewarding to learn a bit of the background behind this esoteric form of yoga. (+)

Emotion

I would say I felt content this week, but honestly, the whole thing just sort of disappeared. Maybe that’s a good thing, since I was so caught up in the doing of my day-to-day that I didn’t have time to reflect on how I was feeling. (+/-)

Sunday Special, Vol. 11

Health

I’m typing this while eating a cheeseburger from Shake Shack, so I don’t really know what I can tell you! I visited some gyms and did a lot of yoga, too. But I am learning how important it is to take care of your body when your body is part of your job. Of course, it’s important to take care of your body no matter what your job is! However, I notice that after teaching 2 classes and taking 1 class in a day, my joints feel pretty tired and I really have to get enough rest. And fill myself with healthy foods, besides this Shackburger… (-/+)

Family

This week, I wrote a letter back to my aunt because she had sent me a surprise card full of Halloween stickers. I might be 30 with a computer phone, but I’ll love stickers and snail mail til the end of time! (+)

Friends

I’ve had the house to myself this week since my roommates are vacationing in Europe, so I’ve definitely been taking advantage of some relaxing introverted alone time. But my friends are the sweetest and brought me out to a few Halloween parties this weekend, so I was able to put together a last minute costume.

Mission/Work

I’m so so so excited and thankful to be teaching quite a few weekly classes. This Saturday, we started a new class at GFCLA and it was awesome. It’s a bright, feel-good space where I can see potential for a strong Saturday morning community. Check it out!

Finances

Y’all, I did not win the Mega Millions. (-)

Adventure

Right now, I am all about Chinatown! That’s where I’ve started teaching my Saturday class, and the owners of the studio also have a sustainable vintage store in the Far East Plaza. I’m a little worried about how this new class will impact my Saturday shopping habits, but I’m looking forward to exploring more of the plaza. (+)

Hobby

Steady drawing pugs up in here. (+)

Spirituality

Ok, I told you I had dropped off my 20 minutes of morning meditation routine lately, but this week I got back to it. However, some days I allowed the meditation to be me laying in my bed in a half-wake half-sleep state for 20 minutes. I don’t think it counts. Fear not, though, because tomorrow Oprah and Deepak are back. (+)

Emotion

This week, I flew back from New York and the rest of the week felt like I was just going through the motions. The best days are when my alarm goes off and I spring out of bed, excited to get into the day (I swear, sometimes it happens!). Unfortunately, this week I usually pulled the covers back over my head and wanted to stay wrapped up in them all day. And there must have been something in the air, because I was a little disappointed in myself for making more mistakes in my classes, like mixing up left and right or getting tongue-tied. Oh well, I got my oil changed and made an appointment for an eye exam. Sometimes we need a bum week to get back on track. (-)

Sunday Special, Vol. 10

Ok, so it’s Monday and ok, so I skipped a week. But I’ve been to the desert and now I’m writing this from a cafe in New York City, so that’s just what is happening over here. We celebrated a family wedding this week and I’m eating a plate of fish-shaped waffles that are filled with Nutella, and that seems like enough.

Health

During the music festival I kept things very calm, cool, and collected by drinking usually only one drink per day, which made me feel very 30-years-old. I even went to a morning yoga class, and there’s always a lot of walking or dancing at these types of things, so I think, overall, it was a healthy time. Then this weekend before the wedding there were a few extra hours to kill at the hotel, so I went to the fitness center and did some stuff, which made me feel very LA high-performer. And actually it was good to get the blood flowing after a full Friday of traveling, so I think a visit to the hotel gym is something I feel comfortable recommending. (+)

Family

My cousin Candice got married in Purchase, NY and everything was beautiful! Many relatives were gracious to remind me that it had been a long time since I attended a family gathering, so I will be more careful not to let as much time pass until the next one. (+)

Friends

I’m not sure that there was much time for seeing friends in between the coming back from camping, returning to teaching, and flying to New York, but there were surely many great times had at the festival. And I’m becoming pretty close friends with these Nutella-stuffed fish as this post goes on, so… (+)

Mission/Work

I started tutoring a high school student in Spanish a few weeks ago, and now I’m building a life by teaching a lot of yoga and a little bit of Spanish and that’s a pretty cool feeling. In my twenties, I remember fearing that I had to choose one career and stick with it, and now in my thirties (that’s something you can say when you’ve been 30 for six months), I’m thinking I might be able to try a little bit of everything I enjoy and see how it all works out. (+)

Finances

I got a free flight from LAX to JFK based on my own credit card points and my dad’s kindly contributed frequent flyer miles, so that can’t be a negative. And I bought a Mega Millions ticket last night, so see ya later, financial burdens of the world. (+)

Adventure

There really isn’t anything quite like New York in the Fall. (+)

Hobby

Something about traveling shakes everything up in me and always helps me burst out of a creative rut or reconnect with the hobbies I most love. I forgot my headphones, returned to some drawings, and read a whole book on the flight over here. (+)

Spirituality

I slightly dropped off my first-thing-in-the-morning 20 minutes of meditation routine, and I’m slowly crawling my way back. (-)

Emotion

I think there were a few weddings in the past two years where I felt kind of jaded and sad, trying to fake it til I made it while lamenting the loss of my own past relationship plans. On top of that, there were times when I came home and hoped no one would ask what I was up to because I wasn’t really sure; I was hoping for a change and it hadn’t become clear how to get from point A to point B. This weekend, as I celebrated the wedding, I realized I felt genuinely happy for everyone involved and, later on, I hoped that someone would ask how I was doing because I am deeply excited about the day-to-day world without wanting to escape it for something else. Not every day is an emotional walk in the park, but I was happy to take a moment realizing that things feel pretty right. (+)

Sunday Special, Vol. 9

This week was a special one, since I spent it in nearby Silver Lake babysitting a cute little doggie. I found that housesitting or dog sitting is a nice way to change up your life without permanently changing up anything in your life. It was definitely refreshing to get a change of scenery and learn the streets of a new neighborhood.

Health

I’ve been living in a vegetarian household since I moved to LA, which is totally cool with me! I was a vegetarian for a pretty long time, and I respect all dietary choices. But when I signed on, I didn’t realize how much I would miss cooking with meat or seafood. I don’t eat it every night, but when I see a cookbook recipe or a blog post, sometimes I get bummed if it’s something I know I won’t be able to make. I’ve also found that including meat/fish in my diet usually helps me to eat healthier. I can have protein and veggies for dinner without feeling like I have to add something starchy or processed or a lot of beans. To my delight, the friends’ place where I stayed this week was not a vegetarian kitchen, so I got to indulge in some baked salmon, turkey chili, and turkey meatballs. Yum yum yum. Plus, living with a dog had me out and about on long walks 2-3 times per day. (+)

Family

We’ve got an exciting cousin wedding coming up in two weeks, so there was a lot of planning going on for that. I’m excited to see my dad’s side of the family, and I’m so thankful that some members are willing to pick carless me up and drop me off at our various destinations! (+)

Friends

One sticky thing about being an adult is that is kind of hard to make new friends! Do you agree? I think it’s because we know ourselves a little better so we are more protective of quality alone time where we can rest and recharge (because we’re old!). We’re also juggling work and other responsibilities and sometimes just trying to manage our relationships with our already existing friends. But I’ve made some quality friends here in LA, so I really try to balance where I spend my time, even when part of me would rather go to bed early or watch mafia crime dramas on HBO GO. It’s important to have friends, new and old, so I’m proud of myself for taking time to build and maintain those friendships. (+)

Mission/Work

I’m excited to see my schedule filling up with classes, but at the same time, I took some time to reflect this week on the best way to manage a yoga teaching schedule. I think the best teachers are not only teaching their own classes, but still finding time to take classes with other instructors. That’s a little harder when we’re teaching 2-3 times per day or more. I’m curious to find out if the best way is to develop more of a home practice while attending a couple of studio classes each week, or if it’s really important to keep taking a lot of classes in-person. I’ll need to do some experimentation. (+)

Finances

I may have taken myself out to a few too many classy lunch and coffee dates in Silver Lake, while getting to know the neighborhood, of course. (-)

Adventure

I had a whole new area to explore, so this week was full of adventure. Pootie the pup and I walked to the reservoir and the park. And yesterday a few friends and I checked out the Eagle Rock Music Festival. There was a bunch of live music, melted cheese, and sweet cupcakes, and that’s really all you need to know. (+)

Hobby

For artists of Instagram, October brings Inktober, a drawing challenge where people complete one sketch per day and can share it with the world of social media. While I’m still on the fence about calling myself an artist, I like to draw, and last year’s Inktober led to the eventual creation of my Enlightened Pugs Coloring Book. Who knows what this year’s will bring? (+)

Spirituality

I’m trying Sam Harris’ Waking Up meditation app . I don’t necessarily like apps like this and Headspace where the instructor keeps interrupting to give pointers. But that’s probably because I start getting lost in my thoughts and I don’t like being called back to the present, so I think this may be good for me. (+)

Emotion

I’m coming off a fun week that felt like a vacation, and I know that this coming week will be a little short, since I’m attending a music/camping festival next weekend. I apologize in advance if there’s no post next Sunday! It’ll be nice to leave computers behind for a while. (+)

The Brown Skirt

Ok people, hold onto your own skirts because I have a story for you…

Early this summer, I was driving around LA, as we do, and I saw a girl crossing the street wearing a skirt that I liked. It was brownish tan or suede-looking, had buttons down the front, and hit a little above the knee. I thought, “Hm, that girl looks good and fashionable. I think I would like a skirt like that.”

Please note that my closet is bursting with of all sorts of clothes, and I certainly don’t need any more of any type of clothing, especially not skirts, because I spend all of my days not wearing skirts but doing and teaching yoga.

However, my capitalist self came home and perused the pages of the internet for a similar item. I looked on Poshmark to try to find something used, and later ventured onto Forever 21 and even Madewell, pretending that I am an actual person with an actual salary. I found a few pieces that might have suited my interests, but I am not a very impulsive online shopper, so I decided not to purchase anything right away. As days and weeks went by, I decided I didn’t really need a new skirt and eventually forgot about it altogether.

Let us flash forward to September when my mom and sister went shopping together in Boston for a bridesmaid dress and other “back-to-school” clothing necessities and/or maternal bonding that, of course, daughters are in need of long after we’ve finished school. Afterwards, my mom called to tell me that Elayne had tried on a medium skirt which ended up being too big, so the store had ordered a small for her. But, when they finished checking out and got home, my sister realized that the sales clerk had accidentally included the medium skirt in the bag.

The small skirt arrived a few days later, and my mom called the store, but since my sister lives in New York and the store is in Boston, it was decided that it wouldn’t be worth it to return the skirt. Flash forward to me, a size medium, relaxing in my yoga pants when my sister sends me a description followed by a picture of the skirt and…. IT’S THE SKIRT! An exact replica of the skirt I had coveted, let go, forgotten about and subconsciously been aligning myself to all along.

Now it’s here and a little big, but we are making it work because what else would I write this post about if it didn’t fit? Anyway, this isn’t a story about shoplifting skirts or fulfilling all your consumerist dreams; the skirt is a metaphor*. What are you holding onto that you don’t really need or aren’t sure is worth the trouble? If you release your grasp on it, you may find that it works its way back to you in an effortless and delightful way.

*It’s also an actual skirt that I plan to start wearing later this week.

Sunday Special, Vol. 8

Here I am checking in on another week! This one was a bit confusing, since on Thursday I basically forgot where I was supposed to be and what day it was, so I showed up to teach a 7am yoga class one day early, and later started driving to my Friday yoga class. Hi self, let’s slow things down and get our footing!

Health

Since I’ve always been an athlete and now I work as a yoga teacher, it’s usually easy to get myself to exercise. There aren’t many days where I spend my days fully couched, so moving my body is never really an issue. But, since I grew up extremely active, I’ve mostly been able to eat whatever I want, with some level of reason, and still stay on track as a fit and healthy person. However, on the nutrition side of things, when my schedule gets crazy, it becomes much hard to control my eating out habits! As much as I love veggies and home cooked meals, I have a super sweet tooth and find it hard to resist carbs. This week had me running all over the place, and I did not do a great job of planning my meals. There were a lot of skipped breakfasts and then quick meals grabbed in a very hungry state of mind, ie. not the best choices! I’m starting Sunday with a lot more green stuff, and a lot less bread, cheese, and sugar. (-)

Family

Phone calls, phone calls, phone calls. (+)

Friends

Fortunately, my not-quite-so-healthy regular eating out habit provides me with many opportunities to connect with friends out in the world. I’ll be spending the next week in Silver Lake watching a furry friend, while her non-furry humans are vacationing in Iceland. On Tuesday night, they treated me to yummy falafel, wine, and good conversation, which in retrospect may have contributed to me getting all the later days of the week mixed up. I tried a Zweet new coffee shop with another friend and then convinced others to join me for beer and pretzels at the Golden Road. (+)

Intimate Relationships

I prefer to keep this section private for now :) I leave it on here in case you want to conduct your own personal check-in, a la High Performance Habits.

Mission/Work

The yoga continues to grow, and I feel fortunate to have the time and space to practice and teach in this bustling city. It is nice to have a solid community of teachers, students, and supporters of the practice, so there is always somewhere to come back to when I feel a little off balance. My roster of classes is still mostly unpredictable day-to-day and week-to-week, and I’m setting an intention to sit down and schedule out my days the night before. (+)

Finances

Actually, not too shabby this week in spite of my endeavors as a restaurant enthusiast. Dog sitting ventures may indeed pay off. (+)

Adventure

New coffee shop! New brewery! And, starting this weekend, a weeklong staycation in Silver Lake to switch up the scene. (+)

Hobby

I’m very close to finishing my crochet bag (three weeks later)! I’m so glad to have crochet as a skill/hobby. It’s easy to learn and I recommend it to anyone with a flighty mind that’s always planning 5 minutes, days, or years into the future. Speaking of flighty, I imagine it might be good for people who get anxious while traveling in planes, trains, buses, or cars (in the passenger seat, silly). It also weirdly helps me stay focused while watching TV shows or movies. And has saved me in past relationships with video game addicted boyfriends. (+)

Spirituality

I prefer to do my meditation first thing in the morning, but I’m not much of a 5am riser and I had to set two 6am alarms this week, so I tried sitting on my cushion later in the day. It was a bit more challenging to make myself stay there, but repeating a mantra with prayer beads usually helps me focus. The more I sit and breathe, the better I become at forgiving myself for little slip-ups, like showing up for Friday on Thursday or stopping for an In-n-Out cheeseburger on the way home from yoga teacher training. I am able to step back and see how we all swing back and forth from on top of things to underneath them, and we do what we can to find the middle way in between. (+)

Emotion

Driving from place to place with a scattered schedule made me feel like a bit of a non-human, running on coffee and “fast” food (or sometimes no food!). I’ll be using the next week to manage my time a little better and question where I really need to be. (-)

Weddings in Austin

If anyone wants to get married to me, please just send me an Instagram DM and make sure you’re ok with getting married in Austin! I know it’s become THE place for bachelor and bachelorette parties, but after attending my friends’ lovely wedding this weekend, I’m thinking it could be one of the best places to do the actual thing.

Austin is sweetly located a few quick steps away from beautiful Hill Country. It’s a fine place to dance and eat catered BBQ, but they also have tacos if you’re not so into smoked meats. There are lots of trees surrounding precious barns for celebrating, and a short ride into the city will get you to the afterparty scene. What better way to celebrate love?

I felt incredibly lucky to be a part of the couple’s special day. We had a blast two-stepping into the night.

Sunday Special, Vol. 7

Whew, y’all! I just got back from a whirlwind weekend in Austin, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. It featured BBQ, boots, and 2-stepping in a barn, so you know it was a good ol’ Texan Time. Here’s the Sunday rundown:

Health

I was actually feeling very revved up about getting to the gym first thing in the morning for most of the week. Between that and yoga, I think I carved myself a nice little deficit, which I then filled with barbecue and booze for the celebratory weekend. It’s all in the balance. (+)

Family

I bought my ticket home to New York for Christmas! That was… breathtakingly expensive, but those times are precious and I wouldn’t miss it again after last years solo festivities in Nicaragua. (+)

Friends

All the pluses! I feel so fortunate to have reconnected with so many dear hearts in the past two days. Somehow we all managed to cross paths over the years and can reconvene to make Central Texas an extra special place. (+)

Intimate Relationships

I prefer to keep this section private for now :)

Mission/Work

I finally started a monthly newsletter to highlight some of my class offerings and schedule updates— send me your email if you’d like to receive it! It’s tricky to be business-minded when most of your work is just reminding people to breathe, but I’m trying to grow here. (+)

Finances

Well, if you’ve ever been to a far-off wedding or friend weekend, you might understand the minus that follows. However, I’ll take this unsponsored chance to highlight the Chase Sapphire card for usually giving me enough points to get one domestic flight leg free! (-)

Adventure

First attendance at an Austin wedding! Congratulations to my friends Katie & Cory! (+)

Hobby

Does watching a bunch of episodes of the Sopranos count? (-)

Spirituality

I feel bad giving myself a negative for spirituality, but I did welcome a lot of interruptions and skips in my meditation practice this week. (-)

Emotion

I’m over the moon to have had the chance to check back in on my Austin fam this week. As much as I long for stability and permanence, I still feel most myself when I’m jet-setting from place to place with light luggage, sleeping on friends’ couches, and already on a plane the next morning. (+)

Finding My Voice

When was the last time you did something you were really, genuinely afraid to do?

That was me last weekend—not for anything actually scary, but in the face of going on stage to sing karaoke… solo! I’ve been to karaoke a lot of times, but I usually watch from the audience, or join a group of at least three friends and stand in the back, far away from the microphone. Then afterwards I dream of choosing my own song and rocking out without caring what anyone thinks of my performance. “Oh well,” I think, “maybe next time.”

Apart from the past few years where I’ve pushed myself hard to step out of my comfort zone, growing up I was actually very shy. I was a hardworking and focused student, but it always made me extremely nervous to ask a question in class, and I think I would rather have died than present in front of a group.

This summer, I went to a friend’s family party and one of our middle school teachers was there. She remembered me— “You were such a good student, but painfully shy!” I’ve been working so hard to be outgoing that I had almost forgotten about those days. Her words reminded me. One year, I even wanted to run for student government but decided against it because I would have had to give a speech.

Somewhere along the way, I found my teaching voice. I still get nervous in front of a class (or recording videos of myself!), but I love the rush of connection so much and find the information so important that I keep stumbling through it. Singing karaoke on my own was another story. I’m always envious of the people with beautiful voices, and even more of those who can get up on stage and put their whole hearts into it when they don’t sound great. Like most humans, I usually want everyone to think that everything I do is excellent. A totally realistic goal, haha! Unfortunately, my singing voice is not one anyone would describe as “excellent” by a long shot.

Last Friday night, my two girlfriends and I sat watching and cheering on the other performers at the Joshua Tree Saloon. I had chosen and practiced a song for days, but I could sense the familiar heart racing, cold sweat feeling that usually keeps me in my seat. I procrastinated, waiting until we ordered drinks (of course!) and looked over the food menu. The crowd was small and friendly, and the performances were sparse since it was early in the evening. Would tonight be my night? I remembered back to a discussion with one of the brave women on our Thailand yoga retreat. She loved singing and did it as much as she could. She’d told us, “We don’t sing because it sounds good, we sing because we have a voice.” I swallowed pride and fear and walked up to put my name in. And when it was time to sing, I sang!

It wasn’t very excellent, and I kind of tried to hide behind the microphone, so stage presence is something to work on for next time, but I sang, by myself and for myself. And as a bonus, my friends and I were so supportive of the other singers that later in the night, we got called back onstage to perform background vocals for another performer. A little hype goes a long way!

Sure, there are truly terrifying things in life—disease, losing a loved one, going skydiving for the first time—but most of the time, what we worry most about are the little things. Should we speak up in a meeting? Can we state our boundaries or ask for what we want? Is it the right time to tell someone we love them? It’s easy to back away from taking risks because, for most of us, life as it is can feel pretty comfortable.

This year, this decade even, for me has been all about breaking through that comfort zone to find out what’s on the other side. Try the skill you’ve been wanting to try. Say the words you’ve been wanting to say. Sing the song you’ve been wanting to sing. Eventually, you might find yourself living the life you want to live.

Sunday Special, Vol. 6

This week was fast! It feels like I just finished writing about the last one and, bam, here we are again…

Health

l went to the gym a bunch of times this week. And, I must say, if you’re looking for a way to get yourself to the gym more often, find a job where you work at the gym. It’s hard to make excuses to avoid working out when you’re already there. I also read this book/listened to this Ted Talk which could be helpful in your own workout motivation. (+)

Family

I didn’t even have to ask and my mom sent me a new water bottle decorated with pugs. Now my sister is sending me the most perfect skirt that is the exact skirt that I’ve been waiting for. That’s really about what my family is doing for me instead of what I’m doing for my family, but let’s count it anyway. (+)

Friends

Went to Wednesday night hip hop night at a new bar with a new friend. She’s 23 and I’m 30, so I did get a little sleepy after the 11pm hour, but I’ve gotta hold onto my youth while it’s still in sight. I also got to Facetime catch up with a few friends back home. I’m thankful to the technology that makes long distance friendship a little easier! (+)

Intimate Relationships

I prefer to keep this section private for now :)

Mission/Work

This week held news that I’ll be adding 3 additional permanent classes to my teaching schedule in October. More info on that coming soon! (+)

Finances

So, it’s hard to explore a new city, try to be a frugal business woman, and keep control of your finances all at once. Could use some more self-control in this department. (-)

Adventure

On Saturday we went to the LA County Fair! I think I’ll tell you about it in a separate post this week because it was a whole exciting thing. They have two chairlifts for goodness’ sake. (+)

Hobby

I crocheted two halves of a bag and now I need to link them together. It’s slow progress but something is happening. And I have no updates on my keyboard playing abilities at this time… (+)

Spirituality

Our yoga teacher training classes this week were focused on pranayama (breathing exercises) which is pretty new terrain for me. I’m learning more than ever about mantra and meditation, so it has been interesting to expand meditative techniques. (+)

Emotion

 This week really felt like a blur, but I believe it was an enjoyable one! (+)