Resolutions

What are your new year's resolutions?

Every year we make a specific resolution that probably makes it through the first month or two (ok, maybe that's just me).  This is what I want.  No, this is what I NEED:  I need to live a healthier, more balanced life.  Do I need to lose weight?  Sure!  Do I need to eat more vegetables?  Yes, ma'am!  But what about just living life?  What about PAYING ATTENTION?  Listening to my body ... more exercise, better nutrition, better energy balancing, more attention to the earth.  These are not resolutions.  These are lifestyle changes.  So here are all of the things I want my life to look like.  If I can make a step in each direction, I should feel good:

- Eat more local foods
- Eat more vegetables than protein
- Start composting
- Connect with the earth at least once a week
- An exercise plan that includes aerobic activity, flexibility, strength, and FUN
- Meditation, starting with 5-10 minutes per day
- Self-reiki and eventually to help others
- Being a better friend
- Keeping in touch with those that are important to me
- More natural remedies for health
- More natural cleaning products for my home
- Learn about supplements that I need for my body
- Start my path as an herbalist and a healer

And I am leaving this blog open - I may edit it at any time and add more things : )

I am working my way ... towards a more Serene Life.

Winter

I know it's been a long time since my last blog.  I am counting down the long and arduous internship that started at the end of August.  While my activity has improved at work, my extra curricular physical activity has come to somewhat of a standstill.  I have no excuse.  It's vital to my health, both physical and mental.

Sooooo .... here's my question .... Im not much of a fan of being cold.  So here I am just after a snowstorm, and there is no way I want to frolick outside.  What can I do during the winter to keep wellness a balanced part of my life?  Exercise, nutrition, alternative modalities - how do I incorporate them during these "white stuff" months?

Cottage

I'm a little bit behind in writing the last couple of blogs, but it's because it is coming down to the end of summer, and there is always more to do because people are trying to get in their last hoorahs!  It was the middle of August, and I had the cottage all to myself for a couple of days.  It was perfect.  This is me, enjoying the peace, the wind, the serene water.  :)

So, Im a pretty social person.  I don't need much "alone" time.  But WOW.  It is amazing to be here in the woods by myself.  It wasn't even bad coming here by myself in the dark at 11pm.  The creep-factor was relatively low!  And the best part, after spending dinner time with my momma last night, I came back to the cottage where it thunder stormed all night, which is pretty much my favorite sound ever.  THANKS EARTH!

Being there reminded me how important it is to get out of the city, and just feel the grass under my feet.  Hear the water splashing up on the shore.  Hear the crisp sound of birds waking up in the early morning. Experience the sprinkle of rain on my face as it escaped through the trees.  I was lucky enough to have my newly purchased used kayak there, which I used every day - just me and the water.  I even attempted a sunrise ride, but the overcast skies foiled me.  After that, sleepiness foiled further attempts.

On my final day, my Mom came back out and we went out on a boat cruise to see the pictured rocks (http://www.picturedrocks.com).  These cliffs were formed by glaciers, with some perfect points, and various other really cool formations. (See pics that follow).  The painted lines on the rocks are formed by minerals in the rock.  When water seeps through the rock, the minerals create these amazing colors.  We saw reds, oranges, turquoise, gray, and black.  Highly recommended at least once.

It IS the end of summer - get out there!  Take a hike.  Drive to a park and just listen.  Take a tour.  Fall is a great time for getting out too - just dress warmly!

Miners Castle

Bear Face

Peering Eyes

Indian Chief

Ship's Row (lined up ships)

Sphinx

Birthday Ride

A new year, a new celebration.

Usually birthdays around here mean bars, but this year for my birthday we needed a change.  My friend Samantha and I were trying to think of something fun and different.  We discussed murder mystery theatre, or an interactive show such as Tony & Tina's wedding.  We ended up on this idea:  and hour and a half on horseback at night, ending up at a bonfire with hot dogs and s'mores.  Sam wouldn't go without the s'mores  : )

Who puts on such an event, you ask?  The Brighton Recreation Area Riding Stable.  And I encourage everyone to mix it up this year.  Do something different.  Try to have a birthday that is not centered around alcohol.  Sounds easy, right?  So do it!

Pittsburgh

This weekend I visited my sister in Pittsburgh for the first time.  She's lived there for a year already!  Rebecca and I arrived at 5:30pm on Friday to a Sonya who was ready to go!  We dressed and visited Matt's (sony's boyfriend) restaurant, Willow, where he served us AMAZING food!  Bec also came up with a new drink, Guava rum and house-made lemonade ... they are putting it on their summer menu.  GO BEC!

We followed that up with a trip up to Mount Washington to see the view of the city.  It was amazing.

We visited the South side with great people watching, and a couple of cool little bars.

On Saturday we went shopping and ate sushi.  We visited Finnigans, by PNC Park, and watched the Bucs win (on TV).  We headed home to grill veggies (Sony is a vegetarian), drink wine, and played UNO.  The longest game of UNO ever.  Nobody won, but it was so much fun.


On Sunday we headed to brunch at Pino's (click here for the brunch menu).  It was the best eggs benedict with REAL crab I have ever had.  Well done, chef Joseph Mico, well done.

We followed up with a walk at the waterfront.  This river is beautiful.  Sony had never been there, and I feel good that it is somewhere she wants to go back to and spend some time.  I feel like I have been a small link to connect her to nature, and the feel of the water.  Next time we will find the rented kayaks and take a trip down the river.








The best part of the walk was stumbling upon the WATER STEPS.  This is one of the coolest things ever.  Cascading water with dozens of small waterfalls massaged your feet.  Watching the people relax and enjoy themselves, the kids playing, and the dogs get a cool down.  I believe there was a happy energy flowing through that water.  I could FEEL it!  And I think everyone that touched that water was infused with that energy.



It was a great weekend, and it just reiterated to importance of family, and experiencing their lives.  I encourage everyone to go spend a day or a weekend with a sibling or another family member.  Trust me, your life will feel more balanced.

Water

I went to Kensington Metro Park with Rebecca today.  There was a wait list for the kayaks, so we went around the lake on a paddleboat.  There was a platform on the front, so we got to dangle our legs in the water and chatted.  Beautiful day.  The water was so nice that we also stopped at the beach and went swimming.  AND we saw a fish totally do a "look at me mom!" above the water.  Sorry, Bec, for making you swim in shorts.  : )  Next time we go its kayaking and frisbee golf.

Every day I get my nature on I am feeling more and more balanced.

Yoga

Many people have tried yoga, but not everyone likes it.  I have only done it a few times, and never liked it enough to be excited to go back.


WELL I now know that everyone should try different styles, different clubs, and different teachers.  I have really connected with the class at LA Fitness!  The instructor goes slowly and doesn't use any complicated moves.  And she always welcomes people to stay in a pose for longer if we need it and just catch up, which is great when Im getting a really good stretch.  She also talks about when the body shakes (like my muscles do sometimes) and that it's ok, and the body is just warming up.  It helps so I don't feel self-conscious about my arms shaking all over the place.  : )

There are two other yoga places in the area that I plan on trying - and they both give a week or two free!  Does anyone want to join me?  Namaste Yoga, and Yoga Shelter

Weekend Fun

So this weekend was my first weekend that was really integrated into my new life.  Yes, I had laundry, yes I had homework and paperwork ... but I wanted to take advantage of good friends and opportunities, so here is what my weekend looked like:

Fri:  Met with Jennifer Champagne of Milake Pictures and crew.  I have been invited to help out with throwing a VIP party at a hot club in downtown Detroit.  The party is to shoot a video for the band, Vinyl Station, and their new song, "Gone."  She graciously assigned me the title of "associate producer" although I don't know how deserved that is.  : )  Its been a long time since I have been in media, TV, and events.  I forgot how much I liked it, and I am very very excited to be a part of this!

Fri:  Ann Arbor art fair with my good friend and fellow elementary catholic schoolmate, Michelle.  She was a wonderful tour guide!  Unfortunately we saw about 6 booths before a downpour with tornadoes started, so the fair was closed up for the day.  She did show me around campus and show me various buildings at UofM and their histories.  It was awesome.  I especially liked the law school complex that looked like it belonged at Harvard or Cambridge.  Oh!  I did buy an amazing pottery berry bowl, with holes in it so the water from rinsing falls into the saucer below.

Sat:  2nd part of my Reiki 1 class.  I now know how to perform self-reiki for energy balancing.  when I take Reiki 2 I will be able to help others!

Sun:  Kensington Park water park with my GREAT friends Samantha & Michelle, and their little ones.  It was so great to watch all of these kids have SO MUCH FUN!  And I even went down the water slide several times.  Water slides are fun.  It just make SENSE to drive a little bit to put priority on people that really make my life more enjoyable.

Sun:  Donna's (my boss at Bloomfield Gymnastics) birthday celebration!  GREAT food, garden walks, refreshing NEW pool, cards, and almost a bonfire.

So it was a great busy weekend with GREAT friends!

Background

I suppose I should talk about my education and background in order to know where Im coming from:

1998 - BA in Telecommunication, Michigan State University
2001 - Work toward an MA in Computer Art, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA
2010 - M.Ed in Exercise Science, Wayne State University
2010 - Graduate Certificate in Complementary Medicine & Wellness
2010 - Internship at Cardiac Rehabilitation & Prevention, Beaumont Hospital (future)

- Working towards a certification in Reiki
- Wellness Coach Training

The first days ...

A week and a half ago I was in my hometown of Marquette, MI. I have been there for every 4th of July since I left. Usually we (my brother and I) go to the bar and the lower harbor festival, and see all of the other people that are home for the weekend. I leave exhausted but I feel like I have made some connections. But THIS YEAR I realized that I rarely keep in contact with those people, and I have missed out on all of the beauty of the city.

So this year was different ...

THIS YEAR I enjoyed nature. I went kayaking with an elementary school friend (thank you Jessica!), and I found a spot. My spot. Do you know what Im talking about? That spot where you sit down and you just don't want to leave. It was on the end of the black rocks on Presque Isle. I closed my eyes and listened to the waves that were crashing 3 feet from me. I breathed in the fresh air, and listened to the seagulls. I smelled the water, and the hot rock, and the seaweed. I was far enough away that I rarely realized anyone else was there. It felt so good that I did that every day. I sat there until I felt it was time to leave.

So THIS YEAR I realized that the life I am living doesn't fit me anymore. I spend too much time at the bar and with people that aren't a priority. People that I don't have real conversations with. That I need to reconnect with earth. I need to garden, and kayak, and swim, and hike, and all of the things that gives me that deep-down energy you just can't get anywhere else. That although it takes a little bit more time and energy, I need to hang out with the people that MATTER.  The people that challenge me and teach me and make me laugh.  I came home full of energy and ideas. Changing my life isn't going to be easy, but Im the only one that can do it. And I believe my life is going to see some amazing things as I go through my transformation.

This blog will cover my transformation. Activities and learning such as: gardening, hiking, kayaking, making good friends a priority, composting, recycling, farmers market, cooking, wellness, my internship in cardiac rehab, yoga, exercise, nutrition, appreciation, reiki, integrative medicine, decorating, energy, family, and rain.