Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts

November 19, 2012

Long Weekend in Cape Cod and Boston

I know that I haven't posted in a week, my apologies.  As I mentioned in my last post, I've been in and out of town all month.  Yesterday I got back from my trip to Cape Cod/Boston, and today I have a LOT to share with you from my weekend away from home (apologies ahead of time for the HUGE PHOTO BOMB that you are about to experience).  Originally I was going to break these pictures up into two (or maybe even three) posts; but since we are leaving again on Wednesday morning to head up to Alabama for Thanksgiving, I just don't think that I am going to have the time to get more than one post done.

Here goes nothin':

I went up to the Boston area to visit my friend Colbi.  She and I met while Bo and I were stationed in Corpus Christi.  Colbi went to grad school in Texas, and was working in Port Aransas (just outside of Corpus) at the time.

Since then, she has gotten married and moved up to Cape Cod to live with her husband.  Long story short, Colbi and I both love the Twilight franchise.  In fact, if you have been a reader here for a while, you might remember that we went to the midnight showing of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 this time last year.  Outside of Twilight, we also have a ton of other similar interests, including:

In fact, she has one that I gave her framed and hung in her yoga room. :)


I also sort of (OK, totally) fell in love with Colbi's house.  It's an old one, and it needs quite a bit of work; but if you had the time and money to put into it, you could really turn it into something special.  Colbi and her husband, Brad, are just renting, so they won't be putting any blood, sweat, and tears into the house.  Regardless, it has a TON of potential that I couldn't help sharing with you all.

For instance, I just loved the little built-in shelves in the upstairs bathroom.  The woodwork is amazing, and adds something unique and special about an otherwise common feature.


The staircase was beautiful.  I especially loved the railing (original to the house) and the hardwood floors - which you can't really see in this pic, but were also gorgeous and seemingly original to the house


The kitchen needs some work, but the bones were really good.  The room itself has P-L-E-N-T-Y of room for an island or small breakfast nook set, and lots of natural light makes its way in through the kitchen's four large windows.  

The floor and countertops would probably need to be replaced; but the cabinets were in good shape, and the windows are brand new.  
I LOVE the wood details around the windows and cabinets.  
In the end, I think that a coat of paint and new fixtures would do wonders for making this kitchen look brand, spankin' new!



Also in the kitchen (directly across from the sink and windows) is this large, GORGEOUS, built-in shelving unit.  I would love to display some of my china or great-grandmother's silver on these shelves; and once again, the wood detailing is stunning!


Continuing with the theme of built-in character, the formal dining room includes two of these corner cabinets.  These would be the perfect place to display old family heirlooms or family pictures.  


You could always buy a piece of furniture like this to put in your home, but - in my opinion - it just wouldn't be the same.  Something about it being a part of the house really makes it special.  It's like, before you even put anything of yourself in the home, the home itself has a personality.  

The living room has a large portrait window that opens into this unobstructed view of New England's fall colors. 


Here's a view of the house from the front yard (I was standing right in front of the trees from the previous picture.  You can see the portrait window right in the front of the house).
Isn't it adorable?!
Granted, if you owned the house and wanted to refurbish it, you would need to redo the outside quite substantially.  Regardless, I think that the house itself is so cute!  It has a personality all its own!


Old tree, outside.


Colbi and Brad's chickens!


Beautiful fall foliage.


View from one of the stained glass windows in their home.



By some strange stroke of luck, when we arrived at 7:40PM on Thursday night we were the only ones there!  
I couldn't  believe it.  
Last year we had to stand in line - outside - for 30 minutes, before we were even allowed to enter the theater and wait.  


Whatever the reason, we were stoked!  
By being the first in line we were certain of having the best seats in the house for the grande finale!
WHO-HOO!
The theater ended up being packed, so we were really glad that we got to the theater as early as we did.  Our earliness really paid off!



YES, we are that big of fans!
YES, we loved the movie that much!
AND YES, we were first in line AGAIN!


Again, the theater ended up being completely packed, but our pre-planning paid off.  We sat in the best seats in the house for the second time in a row; and the movie was just as good, if not better, the second time around.  
I won't spill any spoilers for any of you who have yet to see the film; but let me just say, if you are a fan you WILL NOT be disappointed.  The franchise's finale film is awesome, action-packed, full of surprises that you won't see coming, and concludes with an ending that will leave each and every fan satisfied.

On Saturday we took the T into Boston for a day of exploring!


We started off by walking parts of The Freedom Trail.


And, of course, stopped along the way to take pictures. :)


I loved the cobble-stone streets.  
As we were walking around downtown Boston, I could imagine horses trotting along these roads, people protesting before the Boston Tea Party, and some of our countries greatest leaders walking to meetings that would change our countries' history forever.  







And then we walked by the Christmas tree that was going to be lit later that evening.  
As you can see, it was HUGE!
I'm not even sure that the tree in Central Park, NY is that big!

Originally, we were planning to stay for the tree lighting later that evening; but truth be told, after 5+ hours walking around in the city, we decided to head home.  Downtown Boston was getting CRAZY busy, and the cold factor was getting chillier by the minute. After all, we did get to see the tree, it just wasn't lit yet.


I had never eaten there - or even heard of it - but Colbi promised me that it would be a good time.  
For those of you that don't know the premise behind Dick's, it's this: the waitstaff are rude, a little mean, and a lot condescending...but the whole thing's in fun.  The restaurant is an attempt to loosen people up, make people laugh, and give everyone a chance to enjoy their delicious food (especially dessert)!




Colbi and I split one of their infamous Mile High Peanut Butta Pie's and it was TO. DIE. FOR. delicious.  Seriously, this is the best peanut butter dessert I have E.V.E.R. eaten, and it was HUGE!  
Colbi and I couldn't even finish our piece.
(Well, we could have; but we would have been miserably full afterwards, so we didn't.)


Beautiful downtown Boston.






Mike's Pastry is a local legend, a national treasure, and is known for its cannoli.  
We ended up buying four cannoli (Don't worry, two were for Colbi to bring home to Brad.  We weren't THAT greedy...especially after our Mile High Peanut Butta Pie for lunch!): strawberry, chocolate chip, pumpkin spice, and pistachio.  
Of the two I tried, the pistachio was the best.  I would be in serious trouble if I lived too close to this place!





Before we left to head back to the hotel, Colbi snapped one more picture in front of the Christmas tree.  


I had an absolutely amazing time with Colbi in Cape Cod and Boston.  I feel so blessed to have several amazing friends in my life, of which, Colbi is one.  We share so many interests, and have so much fun when we are together.
I can't wait to do it again!

Until then, I do have a new book series to keep me company.  


I finished reading the second book in The Mortal Instruments series on the plane to Boston, and am starting the third book today (there will be six books total, only five have been published so far).  The movie version of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones comes out in August 2013.  Colbi is going to start reading the series soon, so who knows, maybe BOTH The Hunger Games trilogy and The Mortal Instruments will be our new series to enjoy together!

Question of the Day:

Have you ever been to the Boston area?  If so, what did you think?  Did you like the city?  Did you have a fun time exploring?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

November 7, 2012

The Struggle to Stay Present

I've written about the importance of "living in the present" before; and I'm sorry to tell you that neither that post - nor this one - is filled with particularly groundbreaking information.  (What can I say? I'm no Eckhart Tolle or Swami Satchidananda.)  Regardless, recently I've really been struggling with the idea of embracing the present moment.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I feel like I am living right on the periphery of life-altering change.  

Source

It's as if I am standing at the edge of the cliff, and I know that I have to jump.
I also know that I will land safely.
But the moment right before I leap...
...as I'm standing and looking over the cliff...
...is utterly terrifying.
The result is that I want to be anywhere, anywhere but there, on that cliff.
I just want to have jumped already.
I want to have already landed safely.
I want to skip over the actual act of jumping...
...the free fall...
...the terror of transitioning from one place of stability to another.
Source

As Bo and Lola and I finish up our last few weeks here in Jacksonville, FL, I feel the tides of change swirling around me.  And even though I feel that change coming, and I KNOW it is coming, it is also really crazy to think that everything from where we live, to who our friends are, to where we grocery shop, is about to change.

And this change is different in so many more ways than ever before.

I have never lived in the Pacific Time Zone before.
We will have real winters.
I will work...somewhere I'm sure...but, as of yet, I have no idea where.
We will live in the same house for three years.
I won't be this close to my family again for a long time.
God willing, we will start a family in this new home.

Source

For all of these reasons and more, I am having a hard time staying present, living in the here and the now, and embracing today.  I catch myself rushing ahead, wanting to skip over this time of "goodbye," and I find myself wanting to hurry through this time of transition just so that I can feel "settled" again.

I'm not sure, but maybe our best growth happens during times of transition.  Maybe personal growth requires you to feel a little unstable.  Maybe, when I am at my most uncomfortable, I have no other option than to "let go" and just "let it be."  And perhaps the greatest gift of all is learning that when I "let go" and just "let it be," happiness and joy are still mine.

Source

Maybe it's all as Swami Satchidananda has said:
[Life] is all just a carnival.  We meet people and sit with them on a carousel for a while.  Your neighbor might be sitting on a tiger, you might be sitting on a horse.  You say, "Hey, hello," and go around in a circle.  When the ride is over you get down, but he may continue.  Or he may get down and go somewhere else.  Just think of the whole [life] as a carnival." (Source)
Yes, life it just a carnival.
Get on.
Get off.
Get on.
Get off.
Be happy.
Be joyful.
Always. 

Question of the Day:

How do you stay present when things are about to change?  Any and ALL suggestions are welcome in the "Comment" section below!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

October 14, 2012

Northeast Florida Yoga Fest

Yesterday I had the honor of teaching in - and helping to organize - the 2nd annual North Florida Yoga Fest!  Since I wasn't around for last year's inaugural event, I didn't quite now what to expect.

But let me tell you, this event was OFF-THE-CHARTS AMAZING!

Savasana - Corpse Pose

Hundreds of yogis and yoginis circulated throughout the days' events.  There were children as young as 7 and 8 year's, as well as men and women in their 70's, all practicing on their mats at the same time.  It was truly AWE-inspiring!  The event also raised funds for Off the Mat, Into the World: a non-profit organization founded by yogi Seane Corn that uses the power of yoga to inspire conscious, sustainable activism and to ignite grassroots social change.  100% of the funds raised will go directly to Off the Mat, Into the World!  According to the donation page this morning, almost $5,000 were raised for the cause: power of yogis/inis UNITE!

Savasana - Corpse Pose

The North Florida Yoga Fest is a collaboration of the Northeast Florida yoga community  to share yoga with everyone regardless of age, size, or ability.  Our mission is to preserve the integrity of yoga and share all the practices in a playful, loving, and  non-intimidating environment.  Yoga studios from all over North Florida come together once a year to bring you a family friendly yoga festival with some of the best teachers and classes in one place!!
Chandrasana - Crescent Moon Pose


Chandrasana - Crescent Moon Pose

Look at those two cutie pie's practicing Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Muka Svanasana) with their mother!  Just imagine, by the time they are teenagers they will both be rock-star yoginis!


Just look at all those three-legged doggies!




Later in the afternoon, I served as one of twelve teachers in the "108 Sun Salutations to Benefit Off the Mat, Into the World" class.  Although it's blurry, below is the photographic evidence that I did, indeed, teach on a stage in front of hundreds of yogi/inis!

My, oh my, that was both thrilling AND a bit nerve-wracking!


Just look at all of those gorgeous Downward Facing Dogs!


Anjaneyasana - Low Lunge

Shining the heart towards the heavens in a gentle backbend!
Opening the heart space can feel SO yummy!


If you don't want to take my word for how AWE-some yesterday was, then here are just a few examples of what people had to say about Yoga Fest on Facebook last night:
  • "Amazing group of energy today!  Thank you to all the yoga fairies who sprinkles their pixie dust under the bridge today!
  • Awesome event! HUGE thanks to all! Organizers and participants!  Offering gratitude!!!
  • You all did SUCH an amazing job!  Thank you!  Peace!

Talk about words of praise!  

Although I won't be in Jacksonville for next year's Yoga Fest, I can only imagine that it will continue to grow and grow, and become more and more empowering for practitioners all over North East Florida.  I feel incredibly blessed to have been a part of it this year, and know that I will take this passion and beautiful energy with me as I head to Whidbey Island, WA in a few weeks.

JAI Jacksonville yogis/inis!
(P.S. Jai means "victory" or "victorious" in Sanskrit.)

Question of the Day:

What's the most recent event you have attended in your community?! (i.e. Fall Festival?  Summer Concert?  etc.)

Blessings,
Ally and Bo