Bonjour, Weekend!

I know I've been slacking a bit lately on zee blog front, but it's because I got (surprisingly) slammed at work. I'm really happy about it though because I'm hoping to make up some of my hours. (I never thought I'd ever be happy about working on the weekend! Bonjour, adulthood!)

Speaking of le weekend, I'm so glad it's here!! Here's a sneak peek at what I'll be doing:

- driving to Dallas for my Papa's bithday (today!)

- having breakfast and seeing Julie & Julia w/ this pretty lady (yay for blogger meet-ups!)

- having Afternoon Tea w/ my London ladies (i ADORE afternoon tea - it's one of the things i miss most about living in Londy)

- working and snuggling with Miss Lola

- eating lots of delicious (and hopefully vegetarian) Korean food

- working on my planner pad, reading, journaling, attempting to draw, etc.

What does your weekend look like?

Oh and next week I'll tell you about how I got mistaken for a high school student... le sigh.

August Full Moon

This is my first full moon dreamboard, but I am loving the idea of creating them monthly. For moi, this month is all about moving forward (turning 26!), indulging in everyday luxuries (reading, building forts, sipping coffee at a local coffeeshop), and simplifying. Won't you join us and create your own full moon dreamboard?

If It Makes You Happy

Remember that Sheryl Crow song? (...it can't be that baaaad.) I loved it. Anyhoo, I am... well, VERY happy right now! And I have been for the last couple weeks. And for someone who spent the majority of the last 3 years of her life very unhappy and often depressed, it feels AMAZING.

It feels like slipping into cold, clean sheets after a long day in the Texas heat. Like the first time the boy you like holds your hand. Like lounging on the beach, sipping a frozen cocktail and reading a really good book. Like laying in this hammock. It's divine.

Why am I so happy? Because...

- My birthday is in 8 days, and so far my plans include: (1) taking the day off (of my actual birthday - a Tuesday) and spending the day doing yoga, swimming at Barton Springs, and having a delicious sushi dinner, all with a gorgeous friend; (2) a fancy afternoon tea at The Crescent in Dallas with gal pals from law school; (3) spending this weekend with my Momma in good ole Rowlett, TX; (4) a few hours at the spa next Saturday; and (5) a super fun birthday potluck dinner Chez moi with a bunch of fun and fabulous friends. YAY 26!!

- My BFFEFEFEFF from college and i have decided to go to Miami over Halloween weekend. Holllaaaa!! I've never been 2 Miami, and I can't wait for our fun reunion! :)

- I'm eating the best green tea ice cream ever.

- I'm signing up for a knitting class AND a running class!

- These were two of the BEST decisions of my life.

I hope YOU are happy, dear readers, because you often make my days the happiest.

Weekly Menu

Monday:

lunch - Indian food @ Clay Pit w/ dear amie
dinner - homemade pizza with spinach, goat cheese, & fresh tomatoes

Tuesday:

lunch - bring pb & honey sandwich* and fruit from home (yay!)

dinner - black beans + brown rice, roasted sweet potato, zuchinni sauteed with garlic

Wednesday:

lunch - sandwich or leftovers from dinner (depending on what i feel like)

dinner - leftover pizza

Thursday:

lunch - sandwich or leftovers OR, if neither sounds appealing, Chipotle

dinner - NACHOS!

Friday:

lunch - eat @ home (have to swing by for Lola)

dinner - in Dallas, at Momma's house!

*I know I said I don't like sandwiches (and I typically don't), but I got some uber delicious multi-seed bread from Whole Foods, and I do enjoy pb & honey every once in awhile. :)

Home Practice

Many of you have blogged about home yoga practices before, but I rarely comment because I've had very little to say about it. I always assumed that I just couldn't have a home practice, not in my small, cluttered apartment, with my 2 animals, and lack of self-discipline and guidance. But this past weekend I headed to Castle Hill for a class with one of my favorite yoga teachers in Austin, Hannah Emlen, only to learn that there was a substitute (AGAIN). After too many sub-par substitute teachers, I decided to save my money and walk away. There weren't any other classes I could take at the time, and my body was really really craving some yoga. So I went home, pulled out my mats (need double love b/c of my hard concrete floors), Kimberly's Get Your Yoga On cd, and indulged in my first real home practice.

There were a few minor mishaps. In the first 5 minutes or so of the CD, Kimberly has you sitting on your mat, hands on your knees, eyes closed and doing the 3-part yogic breath. This was all well and fine until I felt a tap on my nose. Opened my eyes to see Lola right in front of me, smiling and pawing away. After several unsuccessful attempts at shooing her away, I finally had to pick her up and plop her on the couch (which, btw, is where she stayed for the rest of my practice - hooray!). I also forgot to light a candle and/or incense, and I forgot to pull out my block ahead of time. Still it was a lovely practice overall, and I felt awesome afterwards (and sore on Sunday, which is always a good sign). I think I'm going to indulge in more home practices and save some money! :)

Afterwards I kept my yoga mats out because someone rather enjoyed laying/sleeping/playing on it...

Any little tips/preferences/rituals/extras you incorporate into your own home yoga practice?

August Goals

Can you believe it's August?? I cannot, but I'm thrilled that Autumn is getting nearer, as it's my favorite season. August also holds a tres special place in my heart because it's my birthday month. :) And unlike most women, I don't mind getting older (although - ask me again when I'm 29). So, before I leap into my August goals, let's revisit July, shall we?

JULY GOALS:

1. Create a morning ritual - Not quite, but I'm working on it!
2. Weekly artist dates - Oui!
3. Add more to journal besides words (aka collage, drawings, whatev!) - Oui and it was SO fun. Hop on over to SWIM to check out some of my journal collages.
4. Finish 2 books (already finished one this morning!) - Oui! In fact, I think I finished 3 including the giant World Without End (which I highly recommend).
5. Lose 4 lbs (um.... help?) - Ha FAIL, but it's a miracle I didn't gain 4. ;-)
6. Give running another shot - Yes! Well I just started a week and a half ago, but that's something, right?
7. Weekly yoga - Yes and oh my gosh, it makes a world of difference in the way I feel both physically and emotionally.
8. Make progress on Le Book - A little bit, yes. :)
9. One hour of Rosetta Stone per week - FAIL. I did one lesson... but that was awhile back. Need to restart this!
10. Be a little more content with life (b/c having 9 goals just doesn't seem right) - Check! (Thanks in large part to Pink Heels & Dr. G.)

Wow I did pretty well in July, surprisingly. Yay! Now onto August...

AUGUST GOALS:

*Stick to cash-only envelope system

*No clothing purchases

*Bring lunch to work 2X/week

*C25k 2X/week (Couch to 5k running program)

*Bed by 11 p.m. and other Abundant AM's steps (micromovements to a morning ritual)

*Complete 2 lessons of Rosetta Stone French

*Ignore inner critic and squash judgmental voice (more on this later)

*Embrace 26 (Happy Birthday to moi on August 11!)

My darlings, what are your goals for August?

Oh Happy Day!

I adore City Girl's happiness lists so much that I'm going to do my own today, as I have beaucoup to be happy about. :)

1 ~ Got a pedi over lunch, and now my toes are a gorgeous shade of flirty fuchsia.

2 ~ I'm getting back on the SWIM bandwagon. Absolutely adore these ladies!

3 ~ Hit the gym yesterday after work, and tonight is Bollywood Bhangra! Yay for working out and feeling good about it.

4 ~ Starting my cash/envelope system budget this week (as prescribed by Pink Heels), and I'm weirdly excited about it! (Ask again how I feel later this week...)

5 ~ And last, but certainly not least, I booked my (absurdly cheap) tickets to DC last night for Kimberly's Hip and Tranquil Year Gala!!!!!! Kimberly said that we can even do some collaging at Beau's cabin afterwards, too! How fun is that?? I am beyond stoked. All you DCers, get ready because this little tomato is going to be in your 'hood from January 15-18, and I want to meet you ALL! :)