Subtle Serendipities

Six days to go

2010-06-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

I probably shouldn't be blogging right now. Instead I should have my nose to the book, but I need a break!!! Tuesday I take the Ohio Massage Therapy Exam. Why is this such a big deal since I am already a therapist? Because Ohio requires 750 hours of traing, and Texas only requires 500. Most of the 250 extra hours of training is in Anatomy, which I love, but it's been a tough job trying to learn all of this stuff on my own. I am just so grateful they are letting me sit for the exam without going back to school! Anyway, wish me luck everybody! I fly to Ohio on Sunday and then I'll be back in Texas on Wednesday. My sister is taking me to see TOOL for my birthday (hehe), then I am going to the beach to have a last hoorah with my Texas friends. Then to Rainbow, and finally on to Costa Rica with my bff Sara. ( p.s. I haven't figured out how you always make my name into a link?) I am going to be much rested before our move back to Ohio.

Still Pending

2010-05-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Lots of things are still pending in my life right now. To name a few...
1. The Ohio Massage Exam
2. Rainbow
3. My Sanity :) (This is always pending)
4. A New Car/Truck?
5. Whether or not I am going to rent a u-haul (leaning towards yes)

Things that are no longer pending.
1. Tim is on board (he always was...I guess I worry too much sometimes)
2. Paperwork is in the mail
3. Costa Rica with my besty Sara!

I'm feeling better! I still don't know what is going to happen with this move back to Ohio, but I am a believer that we create our own realities. I need to stay positive and open to the paths that are being opened before me. I Don't want to miss any Serendipitous moments ;)

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

~Robert Frost

What Am I doing???

2010-05-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

I turned in my letter of resignation at the spa today. I have so much anxiety lately and I have been trying to knock things off the list that are causing all of this stress, but something else keeps coming up. I'm teetering on the edge of insanity...
On top of my psychotic worries about if Tim will be happy in Ohio, I quit my really great job today with pure faith that everything was going to work out with me taking the Ohio massage exam and passing it on June 15th. So, I arrive home from work this evening to check my email and find out that some of the paperwork for my application never made it to the Ohio State Medical Board. I knew there was a possibility that I wouldn't pass the test, but I never really thought that would happen. I especially never thought that I wouldn't even get to take the test! What am I going to do? I don't want to go back home and be more lost than I am now... I just feel like I am in a tail spin right now. What am I doing? I am trying so hard to get my life in order and it is total chaos. I want to be in Ohio... so why is everything and everyone fighting against me? Hopefully I can talk to the board tomorrow and get an extension on my paperwork, but it feels like all hope is lost.

Excited and Seriously Stressed Out!

2010-05-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm going home! I have been saying it for months, but time has flown by and I only have a month and a half left in Austin. Moving is scary... it was scary when I moved to Austin, and it is scary moving back to Ohio. I still don't know whether they have accepted my application to take the Massage Therapy exam in Ohio and it is getting down to about a month before the exam. What if I don't even get to take it? What if I don't pass it? I will have to go home and find a job doing something else... Am I moving backward?
The difference between this move and the last one is that I am going home to a huge support system. I can't wait to go home, and on days when I feel like I have no one that gets me, I can call my Mom and say I'll be over in a couple of hours. I get to start thinking about putting down roots. I get to start saving money to build an Earthship out at our farm Rootdown. Before there was always a voice that said I needed to get out and explore, and live somewhere outside of Ohio. Now that I have done that I feel like I can go home and be content.

In the next couple months:

I am taking the Ohio Massage exam
Quitting my Job at the end of June
Traveling to Ohio with some things
Going to the Rainbow Gathering
Taking a trip to Costa Rica with my Best Friend Sara
Coming back to Austin for one week
Packing up to go home.
Starting a new life in Columbus, Ohio.

Who knows what will happen... hopefully my heart is leading me in the right direction. Sometimes you have to take a leap even when you are unsure about what the future holds.

Are we truly open?

2010-05-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

For a bowl of water give a goodly meal
For a kindly greeting bow though down with zeal
For a simple penny pay though back with gold
If thy life be rescued, life do not withhold.
Thus the words and actions of the wise regard;
Every little service tenfold they reward.
BUT THE TRULY NOBLE KNOW ALL MEN AS ONE,
And return with gladness good for evil done.

-Gujarati

I come from a family without religion. I have spent my life surrounded by peers who base their beliefs on the teachings of different books, prophets, and traditions. I don't understand them. It all seems so trivial to me, because I know in my heart that no matter what religion or faith you are that we are all one. We will never agree, but at least we can try to RESPECT each other, and realize that the core of our belief systems all coincide. We can FORGIVE, tolerate, respect, and work together despite our differences or religious beliefs. This is freedom. No exceptions.

Staying Active Makes Me Happy

2010-04-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

I love being healthy! People always say that if you can stick with it long enough you will get addicted, and I see what they mean. Since January I have been going to the gym a minimum of 3 days a week, and it has changed my life :)

1. My hormones are more balanced
2. My relationship is more fun!
3. I have so much more energy
4. I see life more clearly
5. I am happier
6. I am more conscious of my diet
7. I get more done
8. I feel more grounded at work

I thought I would share this with you, just in case you were thinking about starting that work out routine back up :) It's for the best!

I Get Out - Lauryn Hill

2010-04-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

I get out, I get out of all your boxes
I get out, you can't hold me in these chains
I'll get out
Father free me from this bondage
Knowin' my condition
Is the reason I must change

Your stinkin' resolution
Is no type of solution
Preventin' me from freedom
Maintainin' your polution
I won't support your lie no more
I won't even try no more
If I have to die, oh Lord
That's how I choose to live
I won't be compromised no more
I can't be victimised no more
I just don't sympathize no more
Cuz now I understand
You just wanna use me
You say "love" then abuse me
You never thought you'd loose me
But how quickly we forget
That nothin' is for certain
You thought I'd stay here hurtin'
Your guilt trip's just not workin'
Repressin' me to death
Cuz now I'm choosin' life, yo
I take the sacrifice, yo
If everything must go, then go
That's how I choose to live

That's how I choose to live...
Hehehehe, awhh
No more compromises
I see past your diguises
Blindin' through mind control
Stealin' my eternal soul
Appealin' through material
To keep me as your slave

But I get out
Oh, I get out of all your boxes
I get out
Oh, you can't hold me in these chains
I'll get out
Oh, I want out of social bondage
Knowin' my condition
Oh, is the reason I must change

See, what you see is what you get
Oh, and you ain't seen nothin' yet
Oh, I don't care if you're upset
I could care less if you're upset
See it don't change the truth
And your hurt feeling's no excuse
To keep me in this box
Psychological locks
Repressin' true expression
Cementin' this repression
Promotin' mass deception
So that no one can be healed
I don't respect your system
I won't protect your system
When you talk I don't listen
Oh, let my Father's will be done

And just get out
Oh, just get out of all this bondage
Just get out
Oh, you can't hold me in these chains
Just get out
All these traditions killin' freedom
Knowin' my condition
Is the reason I must change

I just accepted what you said
Keepin' me among the dead
The only way to know
Is to walk then learn and grow
But faith is not your speed
Oh, you'd had everyone believe
That you're the sole authority
Just follow the majority
Afraid to face reality
The system is a joke
Oh, you'd be smart to save your soul
Oh, and escape this mind control
You spent your life in sacrifice
To a system for the dead
Oh, are you sure...
Where is the passion in this living
Are you sure it's God you servin'
Obligated to a system
Getting less then you're deserving
Who made up these schools, I say
Who made up these rules, I say
Animal conditioning
Oh, just to keep us as a slave

Oh, just get out
Of this social PURGATORY
Just get out
All these traditions are a lie
Just get out
Superstition killing freedom
Knowin' my condition
Is the reason I must die
Just get out
Just get out
Just get out
Let's get out
Let's get out
Knowin' my condition
Is the reason I must die

Since We Last Spoke...

2010-04-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

I have Baked my first and second cake from Scratch!

Double Layer Dark Chocolate Cake with Raspberry's and Chocolate Chips on top! I got this recipe from my Best friend Sara's Mom, and tweaked it to fulfill my dark chocolate fetish!

This One is a Double Layer Cookie Cake with Cream Cheese Icing! It was for our friend Sanjay's (aka: Dragon) hence the cheesy drawing of a Dragon on the cake :)

Next Tim and I started building a bed frame for our bed! I love building things, and it is awesome to have a handy boyfriend to push me in the right direction.

Now we just have to stain it, and we plan to wood burn a tree into the front of it!

Big Kid Track and Field Day for Sanjay's Birthday!

We played Tug of War, Sack Races, Three Legged Races, Egg Toss...

and Wacky Costume Relay Races! This was such a great day!

Finally, our two wonderful friends Sanjay and Emily got engaged!

The best birthday present he could ask for!

Love to you all! Hope your days have been as much fun as mine!

Water for Elephants/ The Red Tent Book Review

2010-03-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't been keeping up with my Book Reviews lately so you get two in one today!

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a novel about a boy whose perfect life completely falls apart right as he is about to graduate from the University to become a Veterinarian. In his state of sadness and confusion Jacob throws everything he has worked for away, and wanders out of his final exam. With nowhere to go and no family left Jacob finds himself a job on a circus train and falls in love with a with the wrong woman. The stories in this novel are based on true stories of corruption and injustice of the old circus days. The drama is inconceivable and engrossing. This book is a roller coaster of dangerous excitement! I love the mixing of fact and fiction, and definitely recommend it.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is another historical fiction book. It is based on the story of Dinah in the biblical book of Genesis. The whole book is told from the perspective of Dinah and the days of the red tent and the celebration of each new moon, birth, death, midwifery, betrayal, and love. This book was so touching and beautiful. It made me feel grateful for our advances as woman, but also long for the days when a Woman's gift for childbearing was still seen as a miracle to everyone. Being a person that did not come from a religious background, I still enjoyed this book without knowing the history of Jacob and his sons betrayal to their sister. I really loved this book!

Hope y'all enjoy my book reviews! I am always looking for a new recommendation, so if you have one, please spill the beans!

Finding Peace with Mother Nature

2010-03-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today I went for a run down at the greenbelt, which is a creek that flows through Austin. It is so beautiful this time of year when the water is rushing through. I had just been running some errands and had my gym gear on when I passed the entrance and decided to go for a run outside instead. I have never felt Mother Natures power more than I did today. My mind has been filled with big questions these days about which direction I need to go in life, and mother nature reminded me today where my heart truly lies.

My head was so clear as I was jogging over rocks along the creek bed and soaking in natures beauty. She reminded me that whatever decisions I make in the next few years, they are all leading to her. I belong in nature, and I can feel it with every little part of my being. I can't wait to make the next big steps in life toward building my sustainable homestead and living off the land... there is nothing I want more in life.

Spring Things

2010-02-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

I now own a bocce ball set! We played a round with a good group of friends Saturday morning at Zilker park here in Austin. So much fun!

This morning I started a bunch of seedlings. I think we are past our final frost here in Austin, so it is time to start planting! I am trying to do herbs again this summer. I planted some chives, lavender, rosemary, cilantro, basil, and dill.

My Echinacea plant from last summer is starting to sprout up already!
The wind is blowing and we are getting ready for a rain storm tonight so I already had to throw a tarp over the seeds, but my wind chime collection sounds beautiful. Tim has picked all of my wind chimes and bird feeders up from old apartments that he is refurbishing. They are all quirky but that's why I like them so much! My favorite is the one with the ducks. hehe.

Tim and I took a nice walk down to the local video shop, Vulcan Video today. Now we are getting ready to plop down on the couch and ride the rest of this Sunday out!

Hope this brought good thoughts of spring to everyone! Don't worry northern folks! It's right around the corner!

First Video Blog and a Brand New Song

2010-02-18T11:13:00.001-08:00

Hey! This is a new song I wrote yesterday. I really like it, and I wanted to share it with you. My camera wouldn't film the entire song, but it will give you the idea. Hope you like it!

Double Trouble

Long years have I spent lovin you
When we met it was right then that I knew
But as the years roll on by
How I sit and wonder why
How much longer till the day I say I do

Chorus:
It's been a long and winding road
One with laughter and with struggles
Well we've had our high and lows
But there's one thing that I know
That my trouble would be double without you

When I was lost you stood by my side
When I was found you loved me satisfied
But when it comes to settlin down
You won't seem to come around
What on god's green earth am I to do

Chorus

If I had a nickel or a dime
For every time you told me that old line
Well I'd be rich with all the things
That don't mean much to me
When all I really need, is you

Chorus x2

Lots of New Things

2010-02-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

This past week was absolutely crazy. After Last weekends campout I started the week off a bit tired... We have been super busy at the spa lately and on top of that Valentines Day was huge for us. My books have been 100% filled since Monday of last week. I know I shouldn't complain about having tons of clients, but man... I am officially spent.

Thursday I gave my first pregnancy massage ever. Which went okay... I was too worried about myself doing a good job, instead of focusing on my client. I didn't realize that until it was over though. Better luck next time on that.
Saturday I taught my first class at the spa. I taught an hour class on how to massage your partner to a lovely couple. I was so nervous, but it turned out awesome! I can't wait for the next one.
Sunday I did chair massage at the Austin Marathon, and it was my first chair massage event. My friend Ram Rattan and I busted out 3 1/2 hours straight of massage to live Salsa music, on sweaty runners with no breaks! We had a blast!

Sunday Evening was great though, my honey made me Salmon and Lobster Tail for Valentines day Dinner. With a bottle of wine outside on the patio :) What a sweetie .

Hopefully I can make it to Friday without falling over and not getting back up :)

Here's What I Recomend...

2010-02-09T10:18:00.000-08:00

Friday night

1. Arrive at your friends ranch and set up camp.
2. crack open a beer.
3. start a fire.
4. Chat with your beautiful friends and friends to be all night.

Saturday Morning

1. Wake up late.
2. Breakfast and Coffee.
3. A game of disc golf or botchie perhaps?

Saturday Afternoon

1. Break out the Corona's, because of course it is Sunny and beautiful out!
2. Eat a fabulous picnic lunch.
3. 30+ against 29- Tug of war. (29- wins... by the way!)
4. Play the most fun game of kickball ever, and make a great catch!
5. Birthday Cookie Cake!
6. Take a ride around the property on the John Deer Gator:)

Saturday Evening

1. Grill out!
2. Build a fire.
3. Break out the Whiskey!
4. Dance Party!
5. Arm Wrestling ( Hilarious!)
6. Sleepy Time.

Sunday Morning

1. Cinnamon Rolls and coffee
2. Pack your things and head home, having made some great new friends:)
3. Oh, and don't forget to stop and have lunch at a random location on your way home with your honey!

*This is definitely what the doctor ordered. If you haven't had a blast in a while, put it on the top of your list :)

The only thing I regret is not stopping to get batteries for my camera on the way there... but there may be pictures coming to me soon :)

An Awkward Evening

2010-02-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

A month or so ago I wrote a blog entry about how something wasn't sitting right in my life. Something drastic needed to change but I couldn't grasp what it was. Shortly after I decided what was wrong was the people that I had been surrounding myself with. Although they were good friends in that they were there when I needed them, they weren't bringing me up in any way, only dragging me down further. I was latching on to them because I have been lonely here in the state of Texas with out all of my loving friends back home.
There were a lot of really late nights of binge drinking, and a lot of regretful mornings. One night in particular got too crazy and it put me over the edge. Late December I decided to cut these people out of my life. Since then I have had a lot of guilty evenings, wondering if I made the right decision. I never really explained to anyone how I was feeling, or why I had dropped of the face of the planet.
Since I made this hard decision I have been feeling so much better about myself. I wake up in the mornings with energy. I have been taking care of my self and surrounding myself with positive people, and it has been great, but I still feel like a bad person for abandoning them.
Tonight I received a text from one of them saying that it was her birthday and that I should come to her art opening because it would mean a lot to her... I decided to go. Two of them welcomed me back with open arms, but one of them was not having it. She told me she just couldn't understand why I would drop off the face of the earth like that and not even call. I explained to her as best I could, but it just wasn't good enough. I left shortly after feeling bad, awkward, and confused. I told them that coffee was in order and that a party with loud music just wasn't the place to really explain myself.
Now I am wondering if I should have just stayed home. In some ways I wish I could just be around them every once in a while, but I just don't know if that is possible... I've never really had to cut someone out of my life before and it's really hard. Isn't there a saying out there "if you love them, let them go" ? Sometimes I wish I had all the answers. That would be nice right about now.

On a lighter note, I am going camping this weekend with some really great people and I plan on having a kick ass time! Oh how I love waking up outside and breakfast over the fire :)

Time is moving Slowly...

2010-01-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

I had a random thought this morning. Life is always seeming to fly by so quickly, I am always wondering "where has the month gone?"... Sometimes I wonder if I'll have enough time to get everything done. The catch is, I haven't been doing much in the past year besides sitting around thinking about changing my life and experiencing things.

Now that the new year has come, and I have been exercising and taking initiative on my goals, time has slowed down a lot!!

There is time for everything... but we have to do it! Be in the present and experience each second of our lives:)

Ten in Two Thousand and Ten

2010-01-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

10 in 2010

I know that it is January 12th already. Some may say it is a little late for New Years Resolutions. Others may say that New Years resolutions are silly, and some may say that they are a joke! Well I say hooray for New Years resolutions! Hooray for anytime a person can feel like they can start over, grow, or change for the better. That is what 2010 is all about for me.

I have decided to make a list of 10 things that I must do in 2010. I started with a list of 5 and then realized that 10 in 10 was a way cooler idea, thanks to my friend Katie :) So hear it is:

1. Write atleast 7 new bluegrass tunes. In order to create a complete album. (One down Six to go!)
2. Take better Care of my Body. Including: exercise, yoga, weight loss, eating better, and less abusive substances. (Already on top of it! I am on my second week at the gym, and just finished a yoga class today:)

3. Explore Texas. I need to stop grumbling about being so far from home and start exploring more. (exploring is my passion)

4.Leave the country (I plan on doing that with my besty some time in August I think... which leads me to number 5...)

5. Save more money ( I need to stop spending my money at the store right next to my work... you wouldn't believe how much $$ I waste there... it's packing dinner from now on)

6. Try something new quarterly (I am the kind of girl that gets the same thing at the same restaurant time and time again. It's time to brach out... a little:)

7. practice patience... which also goes along with number 8

8. No more creating lists of things I desperatley want in my head. I need to learn to set goals, but be content with what I have at the same time. "tomorrow will never come, all we have is today."

9. Concentrate on me, and my own ambitions. ( Sometimes I forget that I am one person and not two) Don't get me wrong... I love my man, but I think this will be beneficial for both of us. I let my self blame my partner too often for things that are in my control and not his. Love love him :)

10. Find something creative/crafty/artsy that I enjoy making. (I'm thinking of trying Mosaic Art, we'll see :)

Here we go!!! Happy New Year!!!!

Bartering is Cool !

2009-12-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of working the Keep Austin Bizarre Christmas Bazaar this weekend with my Bf Tim. He did really well selling his Twisted Tree Jewelry:) I love hanging out a behind the booth at the festivities. I always meet the coolest, craziest folks. There was fire dancing, tons of hula hooping!, music, and lots of homemade goodies. We even had a couple folks camping out on our living room floor last night!
On the first day of the bizarre I noticed this mozaic peice of art with the yellow rose. I went directly up to Mrs. Candace Beck and asked her if she would like to trade her peice for massage. I told her to think it over and I'll come back around on Monday to see if someone had bought it from her. Candace actually ended up coming to find me and we came to a fair agreement! I now own this beatiful peice of art for four hours of massage. What a beautiful thing to have something valuable to share with other people:)
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! I can't wait to go to Ohio and celebrate with everyone I love :)
ciao for now

Feeling like I need to restore

2009-12-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

Today I feel like I need to recharge my battery. I need some passion. I need a swift kick in the ass. Will someone please tell me how a person like myself... can get herself so far down in the dumps? Someone who is not okay with being in the dumps. I am not okay with this! Since when am I not happy? What the hell is going on? It's like I am on a big ass wooden rollercoaster going a million miles an hour... so fast that I can't even catch up with my own thoughts. I don't have time to think about which way to turn becuase it's all just flying by. One big blurry mess...up and down.... up and down. I want off!!!
On a lighter note... It is time to change something. I need a break. Some mental relief. Not sure what yet... I keep thinking about spending some time at like a yoga/meditation retreat. No alcohol. No sleep deprevation. No work. No money! Nada. Just peaceful time to catch up with my brain. The problem is... responsibilities. I have an apartment to pay for. I have people that depend on me. (There I go again!) I want to make this happen.

Sometimes I feel like I am already becoming this old woman...Where is the carefree self I used to know? I want her back! It's time to change. It is time to restore my temple.

I'm thankful for Laughing!

2009-11-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

Thursday Tim and I hosted our annual Orphan Thanksgiving potluck for all of our friends who couldn't make it home for the holiday. What a blast. I feel so blessed to have been there. Everyone one was bursting with gratefulness and laughter.

The food was absolutley amazing! The fun was absolutley amazing! We played games, music, had too many drinks, and ate goodies all night long. I made my Mom's homeade chicken dumpling soup from scratch. Which I tried to make last year but the dumplings didn't turn out right. This year it was delicious. Tim made a Turduckin... if you can believe it. It is a Turkey stuffed with a duck and a chicken, with cranberry walnut stuffing all around it. I was so proud of him. It was definitley a work of art! and delicious as well

Everyone brought a different dish without it being coordinated. It's so amazing how it all came together. Thank you Thank you Thank you! I still feel fulfilled from all of the smiles and laughing!

I am also grateful for my new baby neice Lyla Grace Chapin. She was born last night at 4:27 am. Still can't wait to come home to you guys!!! love love love

Strawberry Surprise

2009-11-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

Our kitchen has needed a painting for a looong time. It has a neon green wall with nothing on it! I have been trying to get my sister to paint something for it, but she hasn't been inspired and neither have I. Last time I tried to paint something it didn't turn out so well. But check out my strawberry! I am so excited! It's perfect for our kitchen and I don't have to stare at a blank wall anymore:)
I don't know what's going on... maybe it's the cooler weather or maybe I'm just finally feeling better, but it feels so good to be out of the slump i have been in. I wrote a new song and now I'm painting. Maybe just what I needed was that visit from my Besty Sara! It seems like the clouds have lifted ever since she was here in Austin.
Oh and I'm almost finished reading Middle Sex! Not sure how I feel about it yet... maybe the end will clear those feelings up. What a weird book.

Thinking of home

2009-11-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

I wrote a song yesterday about waiting for Tim to finally marry me. It's funny because I don't know if I can really play it for him. Which sucks cause I think it's a pretty good bluegrass tune. Anyway, I was practicing it today and it just got me thinking about home and my vision of how things will be different when I go back. When in reality I will still be in the same position I am now. I am just so ready for the simple life I have envisioned for myself. Will it ever exist? Why can't it start now? What am I waiting for? I don't want to be fifty years old before I am living sustainably and actually enjoying every moment of my life. It's like my life can't really start until this pivotal moment. Until I can get a commitment, and start making real decisions. I don't want to wait anymore...IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!

The worst and yet most inspiring yoga class

2009-11-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

I missed my yoga class Tuesday morning because I could not get out of bed, and I have been feeling guilty about it until this morning. It turns out the normal instructor is out of town this week and we have a substitute teacher... hehe Our usual teacher does a Vinyasa flow style, which is pretty fast paced and I LOVE IT! Today was... interesting... to say the least. We started of on our knees for about 5 min... massaging our feet and rubbing our knees, and I'm thinking "when is class going to start?"... this is how the practice proceeded for the next 3o minutes... slow movements and her asking "what do you want to do now?" and I'm thinking "uh... you're the teacher...", until suddenly it turns into a freestyle movement class. She says " Let's just... move our bodies" I'm like "What?" and we start doing the crazy hippie dance right in the middle of the coffee shop where I do yoga. I was like you have got to be kidding me!!! :) Although class was a bit strange this morning the substitute reminded me of my old reiki/belly dancing instructor, and from that, somehow I am seeing things in a different light. On Tuesday I got a email from my boss saying that I have to sign up for a prenatal massage class by the end of the week, and I was not happy about it. I'm like, really, in November? I have so many other things I need to spend my money on right now... plane tickets, gifts, and whatever else the holiday season brings. I asked her if it could wait until after the holidays and she said no... I was pissed. But after this morning's yoga class I am more willing spend the money and learn something new. In fact, I am excited and inspired to learn prenatal massage. So all in all I am grateful for my weird eccentric yoga instructor this morning. Yay!

Late Bloomers

2009-11-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

My mother is an amazing gardener, and both Grandmothers as well. Regardless, my thumb is not so green. Last Summer I planted a raised bed, and it was a complete flop. I planted peppers, tomatoes, herbs, garlic, and it just didn't work. I blamed it on the soil and shade :) This year I decided to try pots. I got a few tomatoes, but for some reason before they would ripen they would get rotten, my rosemary is brown, and my melon is deceased. To my surprise, I now have a bloom and large tomato! It's November... a little late, but I'll take what I can get:) Maybe my thumb is not so brown...maybe more of an olive color:)hehe

Lavendar Clay Masquerade

2009-11-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here in Austin there is a great little place called the Herb Bar. I go there frequently for teas and tinctures. It's the cutest little place ever. A little brick building all covered in Ivy with all of your natural cures. While my Best Friend Sara was in town visiting this week we decided to go check out some stuff for her allergy problem. I have been trying to talk her in to using the neti pot, it works amazingly for me whenever I feel a cold coming on, or have allergy symptoms. While we were there I also talked to someone about my acne issue. She gave me a lavender clay mask to try for 8 to 10 days in a row. I'm mixing it with Lavender Hydrosol. She said that it will completely change my skin! I am excited to see the results. Today is my second day. It feels really nice. I was using a bentonite clay mask before which is supposed to be really good, but she said that bentonite might be a little harsh for my skin type. I Hope she is right. I have had so much advice, and I've tried so many natural products on my face. I'll let you know how things turn out.

My first Attempt at Blogging

2009-11-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

Today I (Erika) am starting a blog... I'm not really sure where I am going with this yet, but I think it will be good for me to pass the time while I am so far away from home. I moved to Austin, Tx a couple of years ago from Columbus, Ohio with my boyfriend. We met when I was a sophomore in College. We have a really great meeting story by the way... maybe I will share later on. The point is, that when we met 6 years ago he was on his way to Austin to live closer to his sister Kat. Also, becuase Austin really is a great city to live in. Instead he decided to stay in Ohio with me while I finished school, and then a couple of years after that. Now here we are in Austin... Since I have lived here I have finished Massage Therapy School, and now I do that professionally... which leads to the ultimate issue. I want to go home! Unfortunatley it is not that easy for someone that does massage therapy for a living to just pick up and move to another state. Licensing is different in every state! So now my anxiety about home is starting to get the best of me... I have to wait until next June to take a test in Ohio to see if I can pass and get my license to practice there. The moral of the story is ... I am not feeling much like a healer these days... my mind is focused only on one thing, and that is... "when do I get to see my family next?". I hope this blog can be a positive and inspiring outlet for me to overcome the weirdness that I am going through right now... It's kind of like having someone to talk to:)