You Know It's Time For Yoga When...

You know its time for yoga when you have a muscle twitch on the side of your knee so huge that you can literally see it through your jeans. And it goes on all day. 

This is definitely not the only way to know. I'm lucky in that my body sends me pretty strong messages to remind me when I've gone too long without doing yoga. For example, when my vertebrae feel like they're being squeezed togehter by a giant stapler, I'm like, "aww thanks, body! I knew you'd remind me to do my yoga!" Or, when the only I can fall asleep is by lying down in tree pose (causing my hips to be more elevated), I'll go, "haha, got me again, body! You trickster you, always remembering yoga before I do."

Yes, I actually look like this when I'm sleeping. Yes, it's weird.
source.

I'm not sure why I neglect to do yoga so often. Actually, that's a lie. I have a very one-track mind. When it comes to fitness, it's amazing that I can expand it to two tracks. When synced together, the two tracks sound kind of like this: "lift. cardio. lift. cardio. lift. cadio..." And so on. Even though everyone who ever took a gym class in junior high knows that you kind of have to stretch after you work out. Go figure.

The funny part is that I really like yoga. I don't just like the after effects of feeling less stiff and sore. I actually enjoy the practice of it. It's one of the few things that I can do and feel truly "in the moment." Sometimes I'll go a week doing yoga every day....but chances are I'm neglecting my cardio. Something's gotta give in that one/two track mind of mine, I guess. Blergh. 

Anyway, one of my favorite things on all the internets is the Ekhart Yoga channel on youtube. My sister introduced me to it during Christmas and I was instantly hooked. 

I want to go to there. 

While there are tons of yoga videos to be found on youtube I keep going back to Ekhart Yoga because I can find whatever I'm looking for on their channel. Their videos range from short instructional guides to hour and a half long practices. They also post some really great guided meditations. Sometimes, I'll turn on a playlist and follow along until I feel ready to stop. Plus, their instructors have very soothing voices which is great when you're trying to relax. 

Before I go to bed (hopefully not in tree pose this time) I'm going to open up a playlist of restorative yoga videos and follow along until I feel so nice and sleepy that I could just melt into the floor. 

Namaste. 

I Liebe You!

Happy Monday, everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was filled with some great workouts, delicious soda bread and fun rehearsals.  I also had the fun surprise last night that Avery at Southern Belle Living Well nominated me for a Liebster Award!  (Thanks, Avery!) 

What’s that, you ask? And I quote:

The Liebster Award is for any up and coming blogs you enjoy reading and a great way to promote them!

1. This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

2. The award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.

3. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.

4. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you.

5. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.

Yay! I love surveys J This will also be super fun because I haven’t had much of a chance to tell the internets you guys about myself. (Plus, I now have no shame talking a ton about myself after reading in Time Magazine that it’s good for your brain.) While I was coming up with things to say, I actually started thinking of some great topics for future posts. (So stay tuned!) 

[Side Note: Funny story…I was really curious to know where the Liebster Award came from, because I’ve been seeing it on a few others blogs lately. Turns out, according to this blogger, the earliest google-able appearance of the award is on a German blog post from 2010, but I have not found anyone who knows the source. Kinda adds a cool little element of mystery, right? J)

So here goes. 11 Random things about myself:

1. I was born in Maryland but moved to Texas right before I turned 7. Every previous summer, we had traveled to Texas to visit my grandparents, so I actually believed for a long time that living in Texas would feel like a perpetual vacation. It didn’t.
2. Green is my favorite color.
3. I love foxes!!! But—very sad story—I have never seen one in real life. It’s pretty much a life goal of mine to see one. 



This is my shrine to foxes.


4. I cannot express how much I love my wonderful boyfriend, Art. He means the world to me.

5. Over the course of my life, these are the things I’ve said I wanted to be when I grow up (in no particular order): A ballerina, an artist, a writer, a rock star, a college professor, a director, a teacher, a paleontologist, a wedding gown designer, and a politician. None of these ambitions are, in my estimation, as great as my brother’s—when he was 4 he wanted to be either a) a baseball, b) a mad scientist, or c) a roadrunner. That kid has dreams.

6. A favorite game that my siblings and I invented as kids was called “Escape from the Insane Asylum.” I played the escapee. After hanging upside down from the roof of our playhouse, I would chase my brother and sister around the yard as they attempted to drive away in the little tykes car. Good times.

I miss that car. 

7. I spent a semester studying in Italy during my sophomore year of college.

A view from my spring break travels in Germany.

8. 2 favorite musicians/bands: Sufjan Stevens and Crystal Castles.
9. A few of my favorite writers: Dave Eggers, Vladimir Nabokov and T.S. Eliot.
10. I am a middle child. I have an older sister and a younger brother who are both freaks wonderful. I also have a godsister and a facebook sister (more legit than it sounds) who I love dearly!

11. I really want to go on a road trip right now. At the end of said road trip, I would arrive at a beach.

 And now, the questions...

Questions:

1. What's your favorite movie of all time?

 I officially suck at answering this question. Therefore, I will cheat and name 5: Garden State, Lost in Translation, The Fellowship of the Ring, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and Where the Wild Things Are.

2. What do you do as soon as you walk in the door from work?

Usually I open up my laptop. Sometimes I eat string cheese.

3. Do you put your toothbrush in a drawer or toothbrush holder?

Neither. A cabinet.

4. What veggies do you love? Hate?

Love: spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked broccoli.

Hate: mustard greens, raw broccoli.

5. What is your favorite go-to outfit for a Saturday?

Other than pj’s? Haha jus kidding….usually jeans and sneakers, something practical for working with kids (my job on Saturday mornings.)

6. What's your favorite workout?

Weight lifting!! I also love yoga.

7. What does your Tupperware cupboard look like?

I have virtually no cabinet space so my Tupperware goes where all my dishes go: in bins above the fridge.

8. If you had to chose one thing you couldn't live without, what would it be?

Coffee.

Freshman year of college. I wish I could say this was when the  coffee addiction began, but  it was more like freshman year of high school. 

9. What's your favorite thing to order when eating out?

Some form of sushi or seafood

I'll keep eating seafood until it eats me!

10. What's the temperature outside when you're happiest?

Changing. I love the weather when it’s on the cusp of a new season. It just fills me with good memories and a feeling of excitement for what the new season will bring.

11. If you could pick anywhere in the world to be right now, where would that be and what would you be doing?

I would really like to be in Ireland right now exploring small towns with Art.

Phew. Hope you made it all the way down here. Now, to pass on the fun, here are my nominees:

(Honestly, I have no idea how many followers most bloggers have, so If you’re actually a blogging superstar….don’t be mad, I’m just a newbie :P . Also, I don’t know of 11 off the top of my head, so...here are 5 instead.)

1. Picnic-ing the Hell out of Life
2. The Pursuit of Decisiveness
3. Fit ‘N’ Cookies
4. On A Pink Typewriter
5. Perfection Isn’t Happy

If nominees would like new questions from me, just let me know!

Stay wonderful, world. 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I hope everyone is wearing green today! Art and I are both quite proud of our Irish heritage, so St. Patrick’s day came early for us.

It started with my leprechaun socks.

haha these make my already long feet look ginormous!

I spent the afternoon in rehearsal and then made a quick stop at the grocery store for some St. Patty’s day goodies. As soon as I got home, I blended up a green smoothie. I used almond milk, Greek yogurt, banana, spinach, cinnamon, and ice.

It looked a little better than it tasted. I think the proportions of the ingredients could have been better. (I do hope to share smoothie recipes with you in the future. I can create a pretty delicious smoothie once in a while!)

After the smoothie settled, we headed to the gym. Not gonna lie, it’s been a while since I’ve had a good workout. There are several reasons excuses for this, mainly that when I got sick a couple of weeks ago, it was just too easy to fall out of my habits. Added to that, I lost my workout buddy when both my and Art’s schedule changed. Working out together is a huge incentive for me to get to the gym. Despite all this, I’m done making excuses. Feeling so sore this morning reminds me of how great it feels to get consistently great workouts. My workout included some HIIT on the stationary bike and strength training for upper body.

Then it was time for dinner. Along with our (in no way Irish) omelettes, we had this:

I’m sorry to say I didn't make the soda bread myself. However, I think my Irish heritage (or was it my leprechaun socks?) granted me a bit o’ luck because I managed to snag the last remaining loaf at the grocery store. Some of that soda bread definitely made it into my breakfast this morning. We enjoyed our dinner while watching Michael Collins.

I love this movie, but haven’t watched it several years. I’m not always in the mood to watch something so sad, but I’m glad we watched it again. For something a bit lighter, I’m hoping we have time to watch Once tonight.

For now, I’ve got a ton of work to do. Luckily, I have all of my Celtic music on itunes set to shuffle.

Slàinte!

What are you doing for St. Patrick's Day? 

Did St. Patty's Day come early for you? 

5 Things that Brightened My Day

Happy Friday, everyone! Yesterday was a pretty great day. That's why I'm a little bummed I forgot to take many pictures. I'm not really in the habit of taking pictures but I always find myself looking back on both big events and daily routines and wishing I had a better way to remember them. 

I was going to make a visual list of the things that made my day great, but I guess I'll have to do a partially visual list and just work on taking more pictures in the future. So, here it is…Things That Brightened My Day:

1. Coffee

Let's face it: coffee always brightens my day. In fact, it's kind of an essential. 

2. Signs of Spring!

I'm the kind of person who gets wildly excited about the changes of season. I get ecstatic about the start of winter, but even with these short Texas winters, I'm still ready for spring pretty soon. This pretty bouquet is chilling in the corner of the kitchen at work right now. Gorgeous, right? 

3. Pie for Pi Day

This is totally not my photo, but I obviously had to have visual representation for something as delicious as pie. A friend at work pointed out that it was Pi day, so out of respect for the honorable 3.14 etc. we took a walk to a local cafe and ordered some pie. I was all about the Strawberry Rhubarb a la mode. 

4. A visitor at work 

This little guy made an appearance at rehearsal yesterday. Nope, sorry to say he's not mine. He belongs to a couple working on the show. Would you just look at those eyes? You can guess who the superstar of yesterday's rehearsal was. 

5. Dinner and drinks with some fabulous people. Yep, forgot to take pictures again. Art (my wonderful boyfriend) and I met up with my sister, Audrey and her boyfriend for dinner at a fantastic burger place. It was super delicious and great to hang out with everyone. 

So, there you have it: 5 things that brightened my day! I hope everyone enjoys their Friday. 

What are you looking forward to today? What's already made your day great? 

Champagne and Glitter

Good morning! Want to guess what I had for breakfast? Nope, not champagne. Just this:

Kashi Go Lean Crisp with half a banana, soy milk, and plenty of my favorite...coffee! It was pretty delicious. 

So what's up with the Champagne? Well, to back up a bit, I was asked to be a bridesmaid by a very good friend. Not only was I very honored to be asked, but also very excited. I am looking forward to doing all the things that go along with being a bridesmaid. One of those things will be throwing a bridal shower. The theme? Pink Champagne. It will be a girls-only brunch, so I figured why not make it girly and feature her favorite color...pink! (I've never been a big fan of pink, but I think she had an influence on me after all our years of living together.) Needless to say, this decision had to be followed up with some Pinterest research. 

Don't even get me started on that site. Literally. Once I start, I'll never stop. 

Pinterest raises questions that I never thought I'd be asking myself like, "how crazy do I want to go with the pink food?" For example: 

Pink hummus, anyone? 

Of course, no matter what I end up doing, in my mind it all looks like this: 

Picture perfect. Soft lighting and all. 

Does anyone have good recipes for pink, champagne flavored, or simply cute party food? 

No More Waiting

Hello World! I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this moment. For months, I've been telling myself, "I'm going to start a blog tomorrow." And the next day I said "tomorrow," and so on. Well, I'm done waiting. It may not be perfect, I may not have it all planned out, but it's my blog! And I think that's pretty exciting.

One thing that has kept me musing for way too long is the question: what kind of blog do I want it to be? I am a big fan of many healthy living bloggers out there, and I really wanted a place where I could talk about my ups an downs with fitness and healthy eating, my love of lifting, and my crazy kitchen experiments. On the other hand, this whole fitness thing is, in a way, a new-found struggle love of mine. In fact, I really see it as just one part of the very big struggle journey that is my life right now.

(I also wondered, how was I going to feature foxes..the most amazing animal in the world? Well, as you can see the title and the photo of my toy fennec fox, Eno in the header are my tribute to them so far.)

I have always wanted to be an artist--not necessarily a visual artist (though I'm pretty sure that's what I told people from the age of 9 to 13) but I do love/want to dabble in many areas. For the longest time, and up to today, I've wanted to be a writer. I often have a tough time fining motivation, but I can't think of anything more satisfying. Writing makes me feel "in the zone," and accomplished, even when I'm just working on a short article, poem or story. My jobs have me working in theater on a daily basis, and I've also been writing and recording songs with my wonderful boyfriend.

As you can imagine, being this "all over the place" may sound awesome, but often leaves my scattered, unfocused and unmotivated. I'm ready for that to change. In the end, I realized that a "healthy living blog" and  writing about my many creative adventures would really go hand in hand. That's because these things all start with the same thing (inspiration) and point toward the same goal: living an energetic and adventurous life. My goal is to use Wide Eyes Quick Feet to tie all of these things together...in a fun, and entertaining way, of course!

So, I hope you will follow along and enjoy my many adventures with me!

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