Weekend Fun

First things first, I apologize for being MIA these past few days.  I had an amazing weekend filled with fun, friends and laughter, and I can't wait to share it with you in this post!

It all began with Friday's afternoon trip to Port Aransas with Bo.  Port A, as it is affectionately called by the locals, is a quaint, artsy, beach town that draws a lot of tourists from Texas big cities like Dallas, Houston, and Austin.  This time of year it is pretty quiet, but still so much fun! 

I recently picked up a flyer for a glass artist located in Port A, so we decided to check that out first.

Here is the kiln.  That machine was huge and hot!

The artist knew so much about her craft; it was amazing!  Her work was so unique.

Bo and I loved this little sailboat! 

We wanted to buy it for ourselves, but we decided to buy something for my best friend, Liza, instead.  She has a little one on the way, and we saw something that would be just perfect for the nursery.  I would show you a picture, but she might be reading the blog and I don't want to ruin the surprise. :)

After the glass studio, we decided to head over to a working pottery studio.  On the way there, we saw this (?!?).  Interesting, huh?  I just couldn't resist taking a picture...

We didn't see anything we couldn't live without at the pottery shop, so we decided to cruise down the "main drag" of Port A, and then we headed home.  We have already talked about heading back to Port A for Christmas shopping, so stay tuned!

Friday evening, after teaching my yoga class, I headed down to Rivera, Texas with about a dozen girlfriends for a women's yoga retreat.  A fellow yogini hosted the retreat in her beautiful home!

Here is a peek at the guest house (where I stayed):

Here is a look at the back of the home:

I was never able to get a great picture of the whole house.  It was so large that I couldn't seem to fit it all in my frame.  You'll have to take my word for it.  The house was stunning!

There were a couple of trees in the backyard that took my breath away.  If you ask me, they were just itching to be climbed!

Here is a picture of our gracious hostess Michelle, her son, me, Lindy (owner of Youga Yoga Studio, where I teach), and her daughter, Purusa.

The weekend was filled with fun in all different shapes and sizes!

We spent hours talking in the kitchen (and may, or may not, have solved a couple of the world's problems):

We had several yoga classes:

Ahhhh...Savasana (Corpse Pose)

We colored (really, does that surprise you?!):

One guess as to who brought the coloring supplies :)

We made meditation bead necklaces (also known as mala beads):

Lindy was gracious enough to bring lots of supplies!  There were a plethora of beautiful beads to choose from.

Here are a few samples of the beautiful finished product(s):

I think it is so neat that each mala seemed to perfectly represent its creator.  I think if you would have laid the finished products out on a table you could have matched each one with its owner.  So neat!

Of course, the weekend was also filled with a ton of great, healthy, yummy food!


Squash and Polenta Bake



Everything Salad



Seasonal Squash w/ Brown Sugar and Grapeseed Oil


In the end, the retreat was all about learning:

• I learned how to make a mala necklace;
• I learned interesting things about new friends;
• I learned more about my yoga practice;
• I learned about new foods and cooking techniques; and
• I learned more about myself.

I am so grateful for weekend getaways with amazing women.  As always, God knew what he was doing when he sent Bo and I to Corpus Christi!

Here's to always learning!

Tomorrow - maybe I will finally get around to that ice cream post!  Yum!

Question of the Day:

What are your favorite "getaways"?  What do you learn when you "getaway"?

Blessings,
Ally and Bo