goodbye 2009 - progressing into 2010

one way my 2010 word choice is leading me is to choose to be organized and dedicated to the blog. mid-january the blog will have a complete and exciting re-do. i can't wait for the new design to be inspiring and maybe draw some more readers!!!

i also want to focus a bit more on my fitness life yoga teaching, practice & philosophy, and my modern dance world. i think i need to choose to have a little more focus on the blog. starting on mondays - i'm gonna bring in some inspiration for the week with mindful mondays. the rest of the week is a little up in the air - like i said....i am working on finding focus - i haven't totally gotten there yet! it'll come.

on to....10 for 2010.

here are my 10 goals for this new year. i wanted them all to be achievable and realistic cause i tend to over commit and then end up being disappointed. for 2010 - i choose to:

1. train (12-15 weeks) and run the biltmore classic 5k in may (last time i ran a 5k, i really hurt my knee, but i didn't really follow and sort of training program, so this will be different!)
2. practice yoga daily (even if it is just for 10 minutes!)
3. read and review on the blog one fiction and one non-fiction (probably health, mind/body-based) book per month
4. give my husband a hug and a kiss first thing when i walk through the door at the end of the day (no more running to the computer or doing anything before that happens)
5. limit computer. blogging, blog reading time to 30 minutes a day (yes - i can veg out on it forever - not being to mindful - and want to spend time commenting on other blogs and building some readership, but have to live my life in order to have something to even write about!!! the internet totally zaps my time too often and i really must focus on living this blissful life!)
6. use the planner pad for scheduling, to do's, ideas and goals.
7. journal often on ideas and life musings
8. begin word document with writing for book i hope to one day finish and publish on living the mindful life. actually spend time writing at least 1-2 times per week.
9. have lunch with a girlfriend once per month (at least!)
10. 15 minutes a day of speed cleaning to stay on top of my house (which so easily gets out of control if i am on the computer or reading too long)

ok - so reasonable and doable goals. not too large scale, but i sometimes feel that all of my thoughts and goals, etc. are super large and big picture and know that i have a hard time scaling down and looking at how i can actually succeed on the day to day. (hence: my general life goal to live an insightful, mindful - in the present life - however successful or unsuccessful that may be!) more on that in 2010.

peace to you and yours.

WORD of 2010

decision made.

my word for 2010 is CHOICE.

there are so many words i want to choose like: balance, harmony, mindfulness, peaceful, compassion, creativity, self-love, grace, spirit, adventure...and the list could go on and on. i decided the most powerful word for me is choice because i can choose to live with all these other fabulous words in mind. all i have to do is choose what's best for me! i did gave it some journal love and want to share some of these thoughts with you all.

in 2010, i choose to:

• put my family first and spend more time at home
• make conscious scheduling decisions
• limit my alcohol intake to once per week
• exercise daily
• spend reasonable time on the computer
• use my time wisely
• practice yoga daily
• eat healthy meals and resist over indulgence
• keep my home organized
• read even more
• not react on the defense (it's a bad habit i am trying to break)
• sip hot tea
• spread love and compassion
• be thankful for my body and all that is does for me
• be creative
• avoid things that zap time and energy
• drink oodles of water
• home cooked meals
• send more snail mail
• take weekly yoga class
• put energy into all that serves me

and the list will go on and on as the year progresses. there are lots more in my journal o' me, but some too personal to post. any other takers on the word of the year? cheers!

organizing for 2010

in my quest to get it together for 2010, i have been journaling a ton about goals and - dare i say - resolutions, etc. i am resistant to use the word resolution cause i think it can sometimes set us up for disappointment when life gets in the way. i stumbled across this post from christine kane's blog about choosing one word to guide you throughout the year. i really like the idea and so today's thoughts and journaling are going to be around what that might be. don't get me wrong - i am still going to set 10 goals for 2010 and lots of other organizational ideas on setting myself on the right path for the new year - but, the idea of having one word to guide my other intention is inspiring and grounding all at the same time. here's a list from the post i linked to above. she suggests resisting the urge to pick four or five (cause we over-achievers are convinced we can do it all!) and just choose ONE. this will take me all week to settle on ONE, but i will succeed and post about it later.

which one resonates with you for 2010?!?!?!

Compassion
Delight
Generosity
Effortlessness
Wealth
Gratitude
Abundance
Creativity
Willingness
Change
Growth
Freedom
Mastery
Kindness
Health
Presence
Acceptance
Courage
Confidence
Self-Love
Action
Forgiveness
Forgive
Release
Trust
Knowing
Patience
Friendship
Fun
Grace
Laughter
Love
Expansion
Exploration
Adventure
Openness
Discipline
Awe
Awareness
Risk
Gentleness
Choice
Spirit
Prayerfulness
Power
Allow
Artfulness
Attention
Beauty
Joy
Focus
Ritual
Heal
Order
Clarity
Pioneer
Peace
Laziness
No
Yes
Deliberateness
Commitment
Savor
Integrity
Listen

looking forward to the next week of goal setting, intention choosing and continued organization.

holiday crazy

whew. slacker blogger here to be thankful that the beast, the hubby, and i survived another holiday tour of homes. we visited four cities in three days. i am home and tired! our agenda went like this:

wednesday: we left bright and early from asheville and met my mom at a gas station in columbia, sc (about a 2 hour drive) sent the beast home with her and continued on to charleston, sc (another 2 hours) to have lunch with the hubby's grandmother. post lunch, we drove to beaufort, sc (1.5 hours) to have dinner and spend the evening with a good friend and his mom.

thursday: had brunch with the hubby's father in beaufort, sc (we can never stay with them as i have a severe cat allergy and they have four...yes, four felines). post brunch, drove to hilton head, sc (1 hour) went to hotel (mom-in-law has a cat, too) and crashed for a much needed nap. woke up, dressed up and went to oh-so-fun christmas eve gathering at the hubby's mother's house. big blended family! about 20 of us with yummy dinner, wine, and white elephant exchange!

friday: woke up a bit grumpy due to excessive wine consumption. (note to self: wine in excess of 1 glass = grumpy morning....be mindful when celebrating). went to mom-in-laws for stockings and gifts. left around 11am to drive back to columbia, sc to attend christmas day at my aunt's house with my family. met mom & dad (with the beast in tow) for big holiday dinner and crazy gift exchange. super fun. got in car around 7pm to head back to nc. the beast crawled into the front seat and into my lap around 8pm. (he missed us i think! my 70 lbs. lap dog!) arrived home around 10pm.

saturday agenda:

• find home for oh-so thoughtful gifts & unpack
• look into new car purchase (yes, it will happen soon. my brother needs my car!)
• yoga & exercise
• 2010 exciting blog plans (to be announced soon)
• 10 goals for 2010
• more snuggles with my pup
• continue to read the new barbara kingsolver book. am loving it. book review to come.

hope you and yours had a marvelous holiday. cheers to recovering!

more snow and some love talk

many many thanks to cristina @ when is there time to sleep? for my first ever blogger recognition/award. i heart it so and am excited that she loved my planner pad post on becoming the best scheduling goddess possible and all the pursuits accompanying living the mindful life (or at least giving it my best!!) cristina is a momma goddess doing at all and i so enjoy her blog! she always makes me laugh!

as a newbie in the world of all things blog - i am still working on meeting new and inspiring folks. i am supposed to give this award to five people and if in the future i find someone new, i may pass is along to them cause right now i've got 2 people i'd like to give this to:

emma @ the joy of yoga: this gal is great! i love her yoga sequencing posts and am so honored to be a guest blogger on her site. she has many a great post sharing the passion that is yoga and inspiring the practice itself!

shannon @ milk and cuddles: super cute name and super cute site with awesome musings on being a stay at home mom. i love getting the insight into that life!

with this award, i have to share 10 things that i LOVE.

well, here they are:

1. coffee & blogs in the morning! don't always get to have mornings like that, but when i do i am always grateful.
2. pilot colored pens. purple and pink being the favs.
3. the planner pad. ok, i know i am a little over the top with getting organized, but it really helps my life stay mindful and my brain focused and ready for anything!
4. YOGA. can't live without it. brings me peace and mindfulness and a stretchy good feeling body.
5. quite moments with space and lots of deep breathes.
6. on the flip side of that - i LOVE music. so grateful for all the music i love and the countless bands i've seen live. i love the soundtrack to my life.
7. being my own boss. need i say more?!?!
8. MODERN DANCE and the women i move with. check us out here. the process of choreography and creating and, of course, performing.
9. my fabulous, snuggly, warm creature who i lovingly call in the blog world: the beast. see his love here.
10. my hubby. he's the best. what can i say?

on to the SNOW.....we were out of power for about 36 hours. thank goodness for our gas stove. it kept our bellies full and thank goodness for the beast to curl around my feet in the night and keep them toasty. nc is just not uber prepared for this much of the white stuff!

my hubby and brother-in-law just a few minutes before frosty fell over.

that's a lot of snow for a southern gal.

the snow ball fight in action.

hope you are warm and toasty. cheers!

snow: day one

it has taken this southern gal a few years to adjust to living in the mountains. we've been here for 6 years now and today is the most snow i have ever seen! i'm guessing as of the moment there's about nine inches out there and it's still coming! according to weather.com, it's going to keep snowing through monday. makes me a little nervous cause we cancelled our dance rehearsal today and i don't want to miss it on sunday. BUT, this gal - no matter what - does not drive in the snow. i know people who grow up doing it and who are used to it think it's no big deal, but the hubby and i were in a wreck in the snow our first year here and i just don't risk it anymore. it's homeward bound for me when it snows! today is also the beast's 3rd birthday and family members have asked what he got for his birthday and my response has been SNOW!!! he loves it and has been super energized all day long!!!

here's our street.

the beast celebrating birthday 3 by burying himself in the snow! so cute!

beautiful mother nature.

still energized and happy.

just before dusk measurement. wow.

we'll see what tomorrow brings after snowfalls all evening. currently we are still with power and hoping to stay that way!

happy white christmas!

mindful goal musings

i am totally on my way to making the top 10 resolutions list and on the way got an email forwarded to me with some life goals for 2010. i took this list and revved it up a bit and added some comments and thoughts on mindful living in 2010. it's from this list that i will begin to derive the 10 for 10 list.

Health:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.(most days - truly i fancy a nice royal dinner every once in a while!)
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in factories. (already do and will continue to do so - it's always a good reminder)
• Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy
• Make space and time for quiet.
• Play more games.
• Read more books than you did in 2009. (this one i really love - i thought i did great in 2009, so here's to 2010. you can find some of my favorite reads from previous years here)
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. (yes! yes! yes!)
• Sleep for 7 hours each day
• Take a 10-30 minute walk every day ---- and while you walk smile! (this one would fall into my spend time giving the beast the best life ever everyday!)

Personality:

• Do not compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. (meet people where they are on their journey and they will meet you where you are on yours!)
• Do not have negative thoughts or worry about things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. (one negative thought i am always working on is my body image and a goal of mine in 2010 is not to ask my hubby "do i look fat?" because i know i am beautiful inside and out and am embracing that! getting rid of negative thought only makes more room for the positive!)
• Don't overdo; keep your limits. (and stick to them. that is the goal of the decade for me. honor my time and commit only to what is nourishing and reasonable. always make time for family.)
• Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does. laugh as often as you can!
• Don't waste your precious energy on gossip. check out my thoughts on the gossip train here.
• Dream more while you are awake. (journal and get those dreams out so they can become a reality.)
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
• Forget issues of the past.
• Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. (learn from the past and move toward the future)
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
• Don't hate others. LOVE LOVE LOVE
• Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you. (a simple, but amazing thing to realize. the hubby always says "you are in charge of you" and it is so true. embrace your needs!)
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
• Smile and laugh more.
• You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. (such a great lesson. check out my post on mindful arguing.)

Community:

• Call your family often. (i am thankful to talk to my mom and brother just about everyday!)
• Each day give something good to others. (even if it's just a smile or holding the door - there is always something to give.)
• Forgive everyone for everything.
• Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6. (i am so grateful that i get to do both of these things. i am blessed with a client who is my "asheville grandfather." he's 85 and i adore his company!)
• Try to make at least three people smile each day.
• What other people think of you is none of your business!!! check out my post all about this! i am energized by it this year!
• Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch!

Life:

• Do the right thing.
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
• However good or bad a situation is - it will change.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
• The best is yet to come.
• When you awake alive in the morning, be thankful for it.
• Your inner most is always happy. So - be happy!

i must say i love all of the life suggestions! there's always a way to look up and find that the glass is totally half full! yeah for these thoughts!