a little pomegranate treat.

i am currently away on my honeymoon, but i hope you enjoy this pre-scheduled post. xo.

i drink sparkling water like it's my job. so, every once in a while, i like adding a little pizazz to it.





the seeds add a little crunch along with a delicious splash of flavor. it also works well with champagne... i've been told! :)

cheers!

our honeymoon journal.

i am currently away on my honeymoon, but i hope you enjoy this pre-scheduled post. xo.




ever since simon was young, he has journaled about every big trip he has taken. it's the sweetest tradition.

i learned about it for the first time when we traveled to norway last spring, and he diligently wrote down all of the little details about our adventures.

so, for our honeymoon, i decided to surprise him with a special new journal. i decorated it in vintage new zealand maps and created questions for him to answer every day, such as "favorite moments" and "wines we tasted" etc.

i hope he likes it! so, tell me, did you journal on your honeymoon?

signing off...

it's time!

my sweet readers, thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support over the past year. you have made the wedding and honeymoon planning so much fun. i can't wait to tell you about every little detail... and of course, show you pictures.

i have some posts scheduled for you while i am away, and i will be back on october 11th to tell you all about our adventures. lots of love to you all.

your friend, almost mrs. simon.

i feel like i might burst.

i sat down to write a post yesterday, and i just kept writing, deleting... writing, deleting. i think i am too distracted to write anything coherent at this time. :)

the wedding festivities (sort of) start tomorrow... my best friend and parents are arriving! then other friends and family will quickly follow. it's all such a joyful whirlwind... i can hardly believe it.

sometimes i am so excited, i literally feel like jumping. so far, i've managed to avoid doing it in public.

now off to clean up the guest room, and pack pack pack!


(photo credit: im on tambourine)

on coffee.

(a scene from this morning)

my love for coffee is about so much more than the caffeine. even, dare i say, the flavor. although, the flavor is divine: rich, rustic, and earthy goodness.

my morning cup of coffee is a ritual of pausing. a moment to acknowledge the start of a new day.

i measure the grinds, pour in the water, listen to the hissing steam of the machine as the coffee starts to drip, drip, drip. then the swirl of the cream, slow deliberate sips, the warmth of the mug, and my thoughts.

of course, some days, simon does all of the above, (he he) and the cup of coffee delivered to my hands becomes a ritual of love.

together, we drink coffee, side by side... talk about the day ahead. and we cheers.

a cup of coffee, a new beginning. it really is quite wonderful.


p.s. lately, i have been educating myself about fair trade coffee, and if you're interested in learning more, please visit here.

have a gorgeous weekend!

(lately, it's hard to separate me from my camera.)

as i type this, i am sipping some new zealand wine, watching a silly show on television, and looking forward to an evening of pure relaxation. tomorrow, i am going to take a long walk. ahhhh.

have a lovely weekend, and enjoy the cool breeze of autumn (should you be so lucky).

yoga in the park, quiet time and pumpkin spice lattes.

hello, my lovelies! how are you?

yesterday i taught my first yoga class as a certified teacher and i was so nervous. we practiced in a shady little spot in the park, and my two students were encouraging and supportive. but honestly, i still struggled. i guess it will take some time to find my groove.

in other news, this week i am taking a wee break from our never-ending wedding to-do list. i am determined not to fret over the little things. instead, i am planning to write thank you notes, watch a silly romantic comedy and start brainstorming a yoga business name.

i'm also on a mission to enjoy my inaugural pumpkin spice latte of the season. hurray! have you had yours yet? :)


p.p.s. thank you, thank you, thank you, to those of you who sent us mixed cds for our honeymoon. you are so kind. i can't wait to listen to them!

(photo credit: flora douville)

what really goes on at yoga school, part 2

i want freedom for the full expression of my personality. -gandhi

one of my favorite aspects of being at kripalu was meeting complete strangers and slowly getting to know them, and then growing to love them. the process was particularly rewarding because our teachers were always reminding us to be ourselves and embrace the notion that we're all human beings just doing the best we can.

we were encouraged to talk to new people daily, listen to each others' struggles without trying to "fix" them, and work through challenging moments together... like teaching for the first time!

a great lesson for me was noticing how i am drawn to people who are unapologetic about who they are, confident in themselves despite being imperfect, and honest about how they feel. it's a quality i am striving to embody, particularly as i develop as a teacher.

i am also infinitely grateful to my new friends, who embraced me despite my insecurities, my daily need for time alone, my silliness, my occasional complaining, and my sensitivity to well... everything.

and wow, we had a blast. seriously, if you want to meet like-minded souls, who are as "real" as they come... go to yoga school. :)

what really goes on at yoga school, part 1

(our yoga teacher manual a.k.a. the bible.)

what am i doing here?
when we first arrived and were seated in a large circle, i think every single one of us had a moment of panic. "all these other people are going to be better yogis than me. this is going to be nuts. i want to go home!" luckily, it turned out we were all terrified. and we made it.


(my kripalu mug)

fifteen hour days:
i woke up at 6 a.m. every day and usually fell asleep around 10 p.m. it wasn't nearly as hard as i thought it would be... i got tired, yes, but the constant yoga and healthy food was very energizing. (and i still had my daily cup of coffee. of course!)


(a little nook in my room)

speaking of...
the food was local, organic, mostly vegetarian, fresh, and made with love... what more could a girl ask for? i became addicted to the fresh avocados, the kripalu house dressing, the chai tea, the kale (i know!) and the morning granola. yum. i really miss having all of my meals prepared for me... :)


(hilary and me)

the silliness:
we all bonded immediately, laughing about the fact that one our teachers resembles a ninja, sharing our life stories, and taking walks around the campus. i am so proud of all my friends who blossomed into yoga teachers over the course of the month.


(my friend athena doing some yoga in the grass)

and i'm even more appreciative that they let me talk about my bowels. :) yes, there was constant talk of bodily functions. maybe that's what happens when 57 people eat more fiber than ever before!


(ding! time to stop meditating.)

camel pose:
my favorite new pose is ustrasana. i used to avoid it like the plague, but several other yogis encouraged me, helped me, and supported me... and now i love it. funny how that happens.

om shanti! until tomorrow.