finally Friday | looking forward

The beginning of the week was amazing; yesterday, not so much. Work is a bit stressful these days. But that happens. And even though tomorrow is a working Saturday I am looking forward to the holiday weekend. TGIF

finally Friday | let the celebration begin!

May is my favorite month of the year. Warm but not too hot weather. Longer days. Our anniversary. My birthday. What's not to love?

I am super lucky in that the hubs always plans something special for my day. This year some friends are unable to attend so they invited us to dinner last night to start celebrating early.

My goal moving forward is to keep better friends with friends who are genuine and low drama. These boys are so sweet and we love them to death. They are actually getting married in July - wedding outside of Santa Fe. Can't wait!

The past 2 weeks have been super busy and stressful at work so I am happy for the next few days off. TGIF!

friendship | reconnecting

One of my goals for the month of May (hello there May!) is to reconnect with friends, both near and far. I am so guilty of taking the people I most love for granted and being lazy about our friendships. After a long day of work the last thing I usually want to do is talk on the phone, but writing a letter or even sending a text doesn't take much time at all. And who doesn't love to receive a little happy mail every now and again?

In the spirit of that we had dinner with dear BC, whom we haven't seen in months. He had a major life change recently - quit his job of 18 years and is now in what he terms, "semi-retirement." He plans of taking the summer off to enjoy life and decide what he wants to do next. What a great night we had, talking, drinking wine, catching up, eating yummy food and reconnecting. And all it took was a simple text from me asking if he wanted to have dinner. A little effort for a big reward. 

Now to decide who is next on the list :)

finally Friday

Yes, a day late on this but better late than never!

I've been doing a lot of writing lately...practice journal, morning pages, 5 things, Joe...all of which has been therapeutic and boosting my creativity. 

My favorite so far has been the 3 morning pages. My new routine (started Apr 8) has been to go downstairs for a cup of coffee then come up and write 3 pages of randomness in this cute journal. Love it so much I want to continue. I am hoping this inspiration will motivate me to give a jump to the old blog, but so far no. I guess you say yes to one thing which means you say no to another!

Here's to a great weekend.

finally Friday

The weather has been unusually cool this week - wasn't quite prepared for it, but don't mind it too much. I'm sure the heat will hit us soon!

James was unexpectedly in town this week so we had dinner with him on Wednesday night. Always good to see family. 

And the Kiwi edition may have come home with me on Tuesday as a reward for getting our taxes done. I've flipped through the cards and they are so freakin' cute! Can't wait to use them.

Happy Easter!

on the mat | moon day, you rest!

Traditionally ashtanga yoga is practiced every day of the week except Saturdays and moon days.

Why Saturday? I think way back when Guruji was teaching he actually taught every day of the week but his family convinced him that he needed to rest himself. Hence Saturdays of rest were born. But when I was in India, Saraswathi's students rested on Friday and took led Primary classes on Saturday so actually practicing on a Saturday is not strictly against the "rules."

Why moon days? From what I understand, mainly to honor the cycle of the earth. On full moon days the earth's energy is especially high and on new moon days especially low. So take rest on those days. Now moon days are non-negotiable.

Today's full moon was especially auspicious because of the lunar eclipse. While I didn't wake up in time to see the blood moon, I still rather enjoyed the sight of a full Mr. Moon early this morning. Hopefully this bodes for a good day.

Namaste.

on the mat | learning to be a teacher but always a student

My teacher asked me if I was interested in learning to teach a couple months ago. And of course I said yes! Loving this practice means I love to learn and practice it but would love the share that as well. We are starting slow...I am observing her teach after I practice on Sunday mornings. Today I actually helped her adjust a few students (one of them being my husband). And I practice adjusting her on our self practice days.

After practice on Sunday she goes over things she wants me to learn. And it's been so interesting - not only seeing how other people practice and their strengths and weaknesses but also using that knowledge to deepen my own practice.

One conference in India I remember Sharath saying that people always want to be teachers but never students. This girl will always be a student but hopefully can pass a bit of knowledge along in the process.

Namaste.

finally Friday (on Saturday!)

Somedays work is enjoyable and other days not so much. I suppose this is the way it is with almost everyone. Thursday was super busy but luckily Friday was better.

We went to the Spring Street Studio art opening and found a Photo Booth last night. That's always a good thing.

And I've been more inspired to dress up lately. Just not inspired to actually take photos of the outfits. ;)

Happy Saturday!

a little shop shop

Something about spring makes me want to shop. Maybe because I'm tired of my "winter" (used in quotes because who are we kidding, winter in Houston is balmy compared to most places up north) wardrobe and too lazy to get out my spring clothes (bad, I know).

A lot of it has to do with sales, sales everywhere! I love these style jeans and stalk them at Anthro.

And sometimes it's nice to treat yourself to some pretties. Especially when they are 40% off sale price (love those) and you have a gift card to use.

Seriously though, MUST.CLEAN.CLOSET. sometime in the near future...

on the mat | shanti

Yoga has been so good this year. Feeling strong and flexible. Injuries fading away. This practice can heal what hurts you, both inside and out. 

Sometimes I find it funny that something that can be so taxing on your mind and body bring such fulfillment to your soul. Peace, indeed.

Namaste.

finally Friday

Mom came to town at the last minute to see the boys before she leaves on her 6-month trip to Japan. Always so good to see her!

I am looking forward to a restful weekend. How about you?

TGIF!

project life 2014 | week 12

{mar 16-22}

full spread

A quiet week. I am doing my best to pick out random moments from the week I want us to remember.

left side

Lots of people pictures and writing. Our life is full of boys :)

right side

Some highlights:

My sister actually took that adorable pic of DD - social media can be a good thing. I love being able pics of the boys when I am not there. 

Joe bought Kylie's new album and it has been on repeat in my car for the last 2 weeks. Definitely some gems in it - hope she comes on tour soon!

Cards used from Midnight core kit and Plus One mini kit.

on the mat | we love our yogis!

The new moon cycle started today so to celebrate, my friend S had a potluck and movie night at her shala.

Lots of good food to be eaten (and the best part about eating with yogis is that, while everyone may not be vegetarian, no one actually brought any meat!)

Relaxed time with our friends is always a good thing.

As is hamming it up for the camera!

I took full advantage of the moon day today and didn't even do any exercise at all. But sometimes rest is what you need. Namaste.

finally Friday

This week has gone by super fast yet - a super busy work week will definitely contribute to that! And tomorrow is a working Saturday (boo) but we have fun plans every night or day this weekend (yay) so that always helps.

At any rate, hope you have a  fabulous weekend. TGIF!

project life 2014 | week 11

{Mar 9-15}

full spread, no inserts

Another week in the books. 

full spread, insert right side

Another insert for this week - we threw a "Moon Day" party on Saturday night in celebration of not having to wake up early to practice yoga on Sunday!

left side

I had fun picking coordinating cards and using circular photo templates as a change.

insert, front side

We also celebrated March birthday on Saturday night - we had 4 Marchies :)

insert back side

Our yoga peeps are definitely becoming more important people in our lives.

right side

My everyday life photos are all taken with my iPhone these days. As much as I love my Nikon, it's just SO BIG. Using it at a party or event is fine, but I have less inclination to drag it with me everywhere like I used to.

full spread, insert left side

I have recently reorganized my PL cards so I can see them all easily, which explains the appearance of all the fun bright colors this week. Stars make me happy.

Cards used from Studio Calico, Midnight and Honey Editions.

project life 2014 | week 10

{Mar 2-8}

full spread, no insert

This year I have made the conscious decision to "design" each weekly spread instead of put photos and cards in willy nilly. And I've really loved the result. I haven't been consciously taking less everyday photos but I don't take a photo of every single meal that we eat either ;)

full spread, inserts right side

We celebrated DD's 3rd birthday this week so naturally I had to include the party invite and extra photos.

left side

My title card was actually taken by JJ - it's a blurry photo but looked interesting to me. Our Amsel Adams in the making! And how could I not include Ellen's Oscars selfie - what a fun pop culture moment.

insert 1, back side

My sister's family is too beautiful to me. Love these guys so much.

insert 2, front side

DD loves watching Woody Woodpecker on YouTube with my mom, which is how the Woody theme originated. Super old school so my sis had to create her own decorations.

insert 2, back side

Collages are my friend when lots of photos from one event need to be included. Joe and I bought his first bike, like his brother, for this birthday. We love to be included in their lives like this.

right side

Not a ton of photos (besides party photos) this week, but that gives me an excuse to use the gazillion Project Life cards I have in my stash!

full spread, inserts left side

White space is making me happy. And I bought a bunch of new style page protectors, which are going to be fun to include this year.

Cards used are from Seafoam, Midnight, 5th and Frolic, and Vintage Travel Editions.

on the mat | Happy Sunday

Yoga talk has been low over here lately - practicing itself is better than talking about practice - but sometimes having an outlet for one's thoughts is a good thing too. The time change has done a bit of a number on my sleep schedule - getting adjusted to the dark mornings and light evenings! Since we wake up between 4 and 4:30AM, we like to get to bed and sleeping by 9 but that doesn't always happen. 

What I love about Sunday practices:

-they set the tone for the practice week

-we don't have to get up before the sun rises and our bodies are warmer, making practice flow better

-we don't have to hurry to be at work so can take our time.

I've decided to join in the #100daysofhappy challenge on IG. Can you be happy for 100 days straight? I'm going to try!

project life 2014 | weeks 8&9

{Feb 16-22}

left side, part one

I say this all the time, but this year is flying by. Been a while since I posted my layouts, although I have been keeping up fairly well with the project. I am still loving the minimal look with lots of white space. 

I am making an effort to include more of Joe's POV this year and more meaningful writing. Not always easy, but always worth it.

insert one, front and back

We went to Crested Butte to celebrate a friend's birthday as well as ski, this week. Our first trip of the year! Loved using an enlarged photo as an intro to the trip.

insert two, front and back

I had fun using different sized inserts to include more photos and cards from the Vintage Travel Edition for this week.

right side, part one

But instead of including every single photo I took from the trip, I chose my favorites from different moments that I wanted to remember. That cereal photos still cracks me up (notice the strategically placed vodka bottles, which the boys did NOT drink with their breakfast, thank goodness!).

left side, part two

Taking a trip, however, will always inevitably include tons of photos so I made this week a double spreader. I know I will never make a mini album I want to document as much as I can here. Maybe someday I will transfer all my trip pages from my PL albums into an exclusive travel album.

right side, part two

More favorites of lots of people from the trip. Our friend had over 40 people from childhood friends to new friends to help him celebrate. That's love for you!

{Feb 23 - Mar 1}

left side
Photos from the last couple days of our trip. I love all the blue in this layout.


right side
Coming home after a good vacation is always hard. A bit lacking of photos because no mountains around to inspire me!

finally Friday

DD just celebrated his official 3rd birthday on Monday. I can't believe my babies are 3 and 4 now! DD still has a bit of baby about him but JJ is all little boy these days. I still seriously adore these 2 little boys.

I broke down and bought these mini Project Life kits at -gasp- full price because I really want the Amy Tan kit and buying more would get me free shipping. 

Happy Spring! We are still adjusting to the time change, but are really enjoying the longer days. 

This week has felt especially long and I am super thankful for a long weekend. Enjoy yours!

full house

We had a full house of people over on Saturday night to celebrate the moon day on Sunday as well as the start of spring and March birthdays. This is my favorite thing of the month and now my heart is full as well :)