summer break 2010 review

Today is my official last day of summer break. There is always a small part of me that mourns the end of this wonderful time and the return to getting up at 5:30 a.m.; however, this summer has been incredible. Here's my summer break 2010 review:

*sold house
*moved into a new home (& all that goes into that!)
*saw Sex & The City 2 with friends
*went to winery with Sweet Husband & friends and then headed to see Eclipse
*saw Inception with Sweet Husband
*Italian dinner night with family and friends
*pool day with my Momma
*watched Lovely Bones at home with my Sweet Husband, Momma, & step-dad
*movie night with Sweet Husband--we watched The Book of Eli
*BBQ w/ Sweet Husband's parents
*lunch with friend at Kampai
*lunch with friend at Addisons
*lunch with friend at The Macaroni Grill
*Girls' Weekend--dinner at Baxter's & mini-golf at the Lake
*July 4th party at Little Brother's house
*lots of Houlihan's Happy Hours
*deck warming party at friends'
*fajhita night with Sweet Husband
*started art journal
*began playing some tunes on the piano again
*started learning guitar
*Grandpa's Lake house for Dad's day celebration
*BBQ at our house for another Dad's day celebration with my Dad & Little Brother's family
*reading & internet browsing at Starbucks
*yoga at local studios
*books read: Carrie's Diary & Best Friends Forever
*books in process: You Can Heal You Life, Women, Food, & God, Wherever You Go, There You Are, & Fly Away Home

Goodby summer break. I will miss you, but I know good things are still to come!

Namaste'
Leslie

home and yoga month 09.2009

We are back from KC. It was a good trip (The Q Hotel & Spa was great), but as always, it's nice to be home again. Here are some photos of all the places we explored:

Vinyasa Flow Yoga at Maya Yoga was incredible. We took the noon class with Kathleen, and we definitely got our money's worth! It was a very rigorous class (to say the least). Half way through, I was wishing I had a towel because I was drenched in sweat, and it was running down my face and in my eyes. But, it felt oh so good to be challenged!

Speaking of yoga, Yoga month 2009 is quickly approaching! Creative Space Yoga will definitely be participating. Encourage your family and friends to receive the gift of yoga! Check out http://www.yogamonth.org/ to see if a studio near you will be a part of the wonderful event!

Namaste'

Leslie

mini vacation 2

Tomorrow we will be going here for a noon yoga class: http://www.mayayoga.com/classes.html

Then, we will be checking in here: http://www.theqhotel.com/index.php

Then, we will be hanging out here for the rest of the day and evening: http://plazabuzz.blogspot.com/

Friday, we will be heading here: http://www.thecitymarket.org/

Then, back home again.

Namaste'

Leslie

mini vacations

For a variety of reasons, we don't go on vacations very often. We married in Jamaica, and we took a trip to Mexica two summers ago to celebrate finishing my graduate degree. Those are really the only two big trips we have taken together (besides going to Colorado, but we drove and didn't fly, so I'm not counting it as a "big" trip). I would definitely like to travel more in the future. This summer we've decided to do a little in-state, budget friendly traveling.

This weekend we are off for a little retreat in the woods with my mom, step-dad, and one of our favorite couple friends. We will be staying in cabins that were specifically built in order to create jobs during the depression. Our cabin is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath cabin overlooking the river. It has a screened in porch and air-conditioning (thankgoodness!), but no computer access, so I will be taking a small blogging break. We will spend our time relaxing and floating down the river in rafts before heading back home. I always enjoy a short retreat into nature (especially when we stay in cabins rather than a tent!) to connect with the simple, yet grand, beauty of the earth.

Another mini vacation we have planned for the month of July is going to Kansas City. We will be hanging out all day at the Plaza, staying in The Q Hotel & Spa (it's a green hotel located on the Plaza, you can see it here: http://www.theqhotel.com/index.php) and then going to the Market the following day.

In Aug., we will be doing another mini-vacation to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. We haven't decided where we want to go or what we want to do just yet! Any suggestions? (Think mini-weekend getaway on a budget!)

Here is your yogathought for the day from one of my all time favorite transcendentalists, Henry David Thoreau:

"Let us first be as simple and well as Nature ourselves,dispel the clouds which hang over our brows,and take up a little life into our pores. Do not stay to be an overseer of the poor,but endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world."

"...let us first be as simple and well as Nature...take up a little life into our pores... and endeavor to become one of the worthies of the world" Love that!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Namaste'
Leslie

summer list

Today, I spent a bit of time brainstorming how I'll fill my time during the summer days. (I often get asked the question of what I'll be doing since I don't work during June and July. I am definitely not one to get bored. I can always find something to do!) Here's what I came up with:

• retreat to a cabin in the woods for a weekend floating trip with husband, family, and friends


• do lots of yoga
• spend time with sweet husband


• teach yoga


• go to the 2nd annual girls weekend with my fabulous girlfriends


• have a father's day bbq


• complete my summer sun salutation and meditation challenge


• lounge by the pool with great summer reads


• go to the farmer's market


• eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies


• visit local coffee joints to chill, read, and write


• take a shopping trip to st. louis


• eat breakfast with my husband at different locations throughout town


• walk to starbucks early mornings with my husband and pups


• spend time with grandparents


• take pups to dog park


• visit local parks and hike on trails


• remodel master bath


• get a garage keypad


• learn more about blogging...maybe even try a vlog entry or two


• clean and organize closets


• make t-shirts with fun, creative, zen sayings


• take a 3 credit hour graduate course


• make jewelry


• make creative inspiration folders--home, fashion, & lifestyle


• renew my AFAA certification


• spend time reconnecting with friends
• browse in bookstores
• take short afternoon cat naps


• clean out file cabinet


• transfer i tunes to new computer


• get external hard drive and back up computers
  

So, this is some of what I'll be doing this sacred summer. I'd love to hear if you have any summer plans.

Namaste'
Yogadiva

(photo by laughing dog on flickr).