Monday Musings: Settling into 2015

NORTH PARK - 2015

Let's get real for a minute. You know how at the first of the year, your mind is brimming with all these great intentions for the new year and you get off to a running start and think, this year is going to be the BEST year? Well, I still think that, but already, I have slipped behind on some of my goals. 

Case in point, this blog. I was proud of keeping up my blogging on a daily basis, planning out a content calendar a week in advance, but then life stepped in and I was sidetracked by other things, i.e. writing for other people. So goes the work/life balance when your life is writing...but, so is your work. 

No complaints, of course. I just think January threw everything up in the air and I had to wait to see how it was going to land. A lot of things started falling into place rather quickly (after what seemed like a long time of waiting!), which left with me little time to blog for pleasure. I feel now for the start of February, the dust has settled a little and I can start a new routine. A new routine that is more balanced and more to my liking! 

One of the big things with starting a new year is getting rid of things that no longer serve you and for better or worse, that's exactly what I got to do last month. Most of the time we hang onto things because we feel like we have something left to prove either to ourselves or others, but once we just let go, it's freeing. It opens up the door for more opportunities, better opportunities.

I also STILL have not finished my book that I made such good progress on during November and December, but though stalled, I still plan to finish. Why is it so tough to just get to the end?!

January is that time to take all the excitement and zero in on what you want to achieve, but February is realizing that those goals may change or may be less important than what you initially had wanted. 

I continue to write creatively as much as I possibly can. I am still focused on doing one thing each month outside my comfort zone. In January, I learned how to samba. While most of the time, I felt like a newborn horse stumbling around, I had fun and stopped taking myself so seriously, which was the point. And, I added more walking into my life, which is so good for the soul. 

How have your goals shaped up for the first month of 2015? Have they taken a new direction? Mine have, but I'm embracing just going with the flow.

My Floating Penny

Didn't it seem like the 4th just happened and now all of a sudden it's the middle of the month and before you know it, it'll be Christmas and you'll wonder, what the hell have I been doing?!

The fast-forward feeling of time reminds me of that part in "When Harry Met Sally" when Sally is crying to Harry and says, "I'm gonna be 40!" And he responds, "In eight years." Then, she adds, "But it's out there just waiting for me" or something like that. 

It's a constant balance of chase down everything you want to accomplish in life but oh no, slow down and enjoy it. Which is it? Chase or enjoy? How could I possibly do both simultaneously? Half the time I wonder how I am able to do anything simultaneously! 

But I will say this, time does fly when you're having fun. And luckily, while I feel like my wheels are going a mile a minute (much like yours, I'm sure), I feel like it's, for the most part, it's a fun movement. And that is a blessing.

There has been a lot going on in the past few weeks which is why there hasn't been a post. Too much to really detail to you, but I have to tell you about this class I went to about shifting your energy and getting in touch with your spirit guide. Before you brush it off, let me say that I am a believer in the power of positive thinking (necessary to both bold and italicize!) and you should be, too. Who wants to be a believer in "oh well, shit happens"? 

Anyway, the class was way beyond my current spirituality level, but one exercise we did stood out. We had to secure a penny to the wall by willing it. As in, I was to make it my intention to make it stick. I tried and tried, and it didn't work. Other people in the class were doing it no problem. They didn't have to hold it there, they just put it up and walked away. 

I decided I would take the exercise seriously and put my full concentration into it later at home and what do you know, it worked! Granted if shifting energy was so simple, then I'd make it my intention to win the lottery and travel the world, but of course, it's more the intent of challenging your mind to be positive when sometimes it wants to be a downer. Saying "I will" rather than "I won't." Seems simple enough. 

the action was more impressive than the photo

I end each day listing what I am grateful for and "setting my intention" on what I want my life to be. Say out loud, with confidence, what it is you want and how you intend to get it. Don't be half-ass about your dreams. 

At the very least, it clears my mind so I have peaceful sleep. At the very best, I am changing the energy around me one molecule at a time, so don't be surprised if you see me on TV holding that winning lotto ticket in whatever form that might be.

Life in Balance: Barre3 + San Diego County Fair

I work out. I do. If I'm being honest, I mainly do it so I can eat more. And I want to be strong in case I ever need to kick anyone's ass.

This past month I've been able to try a different rotation of workouts in addition to my typical kickboxing/yoga/body pump classes. First, I have tried reformer Pilates. When I walked into the room, the machines looked like torture devices. Those suckers are designed to sculpt you. I've only taken three classes so far, so if you see me, just know results may vary.

Then, the Yelp Community Manager, an awesome dude named Brad, organized a Yelp Elite Event at Lorna Jane. The store, brand and vision are all incredible. They gave attendees free workout tanks emblazoned with positive messages. After our yoga workout, we were treated to Tender Greens salads, charred bread and edamame hummus and grilled veggies. Super good!

Tender Greens has the best salads

And most recently, I was invited to attend a free Barre3 event held at Hotel La Jolla on the 11th floor with a gorgeous ocean view. 

#thatSDlife

Following their yoga class they gave us free smoothies and provided a make-your-own granola bar and refreshing fruit-infused water. 

My point with all of this is that working out can actually be fun. You just have to look out for the opportunities that align with how you like to be active. If you're anything like me, you're sitting down most of the day and doesn't it worry you that one day your legs literally may be fused into a sitting position? I think about this all the time. If I had delicious, but healthy drinks and salads always prepared for me to enjoy post-workout, I might even work out more.

Whenever I'm "good" I like to balance things out by being bad and eating something like this:

MEAT!

Or, this:

Beer-battered potatoes with CHEESE, but what makes them Australian?

What is it about fair food that's so dang good? The fat? 

I spent seven freaking hours at the fair this year, which means I was able to see and eat everything I wanted. I went on the lift to get a good aerial view. The only thing I kept thinking is, what if I lose my flip flop?

No flip flops were lost in the capturing of this photo.

The things my friend and I wanted to do: go on a ride, watch a milking demonstration and cheer on the turkey stampede, because when else in life would you have the chance to do these three things in one day?

I learned I am officially too old to ride fair rides. I went on the long row one that flips you upside down three times in a row and then you hang upside down and when I got off, I immediately began forming a headache. Later that night at home, I thought I was dying as the headache settled in full force. I actually thought I saw the light, but I think it was the aura from a migraine.

I also became paranoid thinking about my aligned spine (from yoga and all) and how I just jacked it all up for some ride that cost me six tickets. I had to get ice cream to recover.

You can also see by the above photo that I decided making large bubbles might be cool. I waited my turn in line with all the other kids.

I can't tell you about the turkey stampede. It's just something you have to experience yourself.

Despite all my eating, I do have a tracker on my phone that supposedly monitors all your steps, although I have my suspicions about its accuracy. However, it made me look like an absolute champ. 

It was just an all-around wonderful, San Diego day. Do I think a life in balance really means work out and then eat like crap? Some days I do. Life is too long to be doing or eating stuff you don't like all the time. 

Eat the fried potatoes, the salad will still be waiting for you tomorrow. Watch turkeys run around. Sniff someone's prize-winning flowers. Eat ice cream. Indulge in all the small things that make summer and life so great.

#MotivationMonday

When life gets a bit overwhelming or my worries seem too big, I listen to the ocean and I remember how far I've come, the dreams I've made come true. I am brought back to the moment and I am grateful I am here.  

A seagull's perspective 

A Swaller and a Holler for Nashville

Earlier this month I had the chance to visit Nashville! I am going to go ahead and admit something knowing full well that I may be labeled an idiot, but...I didn't know that Tennessee was so far south. As in, it touches Georgia. I imagined it to be where Northern Kentucky is. Geography has never been my strong suit.

Anyway, they do love their sweet tea (the best!) and man do they every enjoy their fried pickles, which is a good thing because so do I!

Fried pickles became an addiction.

I drank a lot of beer. My friend and I were there as part of Yelp Elite Spring Break, so there were events already scheduled included the Nashville Brew Bus which was oh-so fun, and highly recommended. They seem to love their craft beer in Nashville almost as much as they do in San Diego.

Just one tray of the many beers I consumed.

And then there was honky tonk a.k.a country music...

 

There is an ease about Nashville that makes you feel welcome, but the heat and humidity will definitely kick your ass. If you're planning a weekend getaway, it's always best do some research first.

Use that thing called Google and get advice from friends so that when you get to where you're going, you at least have an idea of things you want to see. That's not to say make every hour appear on your itinerary; you always have to leave room for fun surprises, but if you don't plan a little bit you could end up wasting money and a lot of energy.

When I started thinking about my travel plans this year, I didn't anticipate that I would already have been to San Antonio, Chicago, and now Nashville even before the year was half over. 

It makes me think, do I simply work so I can afford to travel?

The pictures and blogs don't do enough to capture the actual adventure of travel. It makes my heart and soul happy to experience as much as I can as often as I can. 

My next travel adventure is this week back to Kansas to meet my new baby niece. Then, plans for a summer trip to NYC is already in the works.

Working my way across the U.S. and hope to include some international travel soon.

For a more in-depth guide of where I went, what I saw, and the things I ate (and drank) visit my Nashville City Guide here. 

And Then Comes 30...but Why Worry?

One evening after browsing through my latest issue of Glamour, I came across an article dedicated to the feelings of turning 30. Women are worried about wrinkles and child-bearing and meeting the right man. Women lament that they thought by the time they turned 30, they would already be married with one or two children. You know what I have to say to these women? PUH-LEASE. I was thinking about all that at sixteen - well, not the wrinkles part.

When I was 16, I thought by the time I was TWENTY-ONE, I would have a successful career, be married to a gorgeous man, maybe living in a fancy NYC apartment, baby optional. I even went on to confirm this plan as a Senior in high school. The night of our Senior Dinner, we were to step into a room setup with a video camera like some Real World confessional and say where we thought we'd be in 10 years. The only part that came true about my prediction is that I moved to New York. I did not, however, live in a fancy apartment. I lived in a studio way up on the "Upper East Side" that really a few more blocks and I'm in Harlem.

As my 21st birthday came and went in a drunken/throwing up/hungover blur, it became clear that my sweet little sixteen-year-old self was way off the mark. So, I woke up the next day not knowing where my phone was or how many shots I had consumed the previous night. But I wasn't worried about Mr. Right and I was for damn sure not worried about having children. And, I haven't worried about it since. A friend of mine who Botoxes advised me a few years ago that I should look into it for preventative purposes. I'm sure I have "crow's feet" and "smile lines", but uh, that's just my face. That's how I LOOK!

You know how I feel about turning 30? I feel excited! It might not have anything to do with the age either. I just feel like every birthday is a chance to do all those things you were supposed to do in the past year. For me, it's finish my book (a never-ending struggle). Travel to foreign places. Seek new adventures. You get to make birthday resolutions. I don't think about marriage or babies or even my career, really. It doesn't mean I'm not focused, it just means I have a bigger picture in mind.

The success of all of those things would make my picture prettier, but as it is right now life is unfolding the way it should. Hectic at some points, leisurely floating along at others. I make decisions in the moment and appreciate each experience for what it is. One thing I can celebrate about turning 30 is all the things I learned in my 20s - a bitch of a decade it's been, but a FABULOUS one as well.

It's great to have a plan. It's fantastic to envision how you want your life to turn out, but I tend to mark down my accomplishments and look forward to things yet to be achieved instead of moping about all the things I haven't done. I like to think about how much better things get with every passing year and how lucky I am to wake up most mornings perfectly HAPPY. Make the lists. Create goals. But, for God's sake, don't forget how to LIVE.