A guy + a girl + a couple of years

"When we accept each other, we help save each other." - Stephen Chbosky

Year One

Year Two 

Year Three

There are those people in your life that change everything. Thom, you are one of them. 

I've have lived and breathed transformation these past three years. I've seen several versions of myself emerge and be irrevocably altered. I've been at my worst and try everyday to be at my best. This man shows me how to be my most honest self, my most vulnerable self, my most secret self, my most happy self, my most beautiful self, my most confident self, my most open self, my most challenged self, my most blessed self, my most intimate self, my most trusting self, my most transformative self, my most buoyant self, my most loved self; my MOST self. These past three years he has taught me more about myself that I ever thought I had to learn. 

I felt the need to say thank you to the man in my life. Thank you for being you and for chasing your dreams, and for always making space for me and mine. 

Late Night Thoughts on Gratitude

Tonight, in a moment of stillness, I truly missed writing on here. So here's to recommitting to share and grow through this space. 

I've been reminded a lot lately of of the impact that gratitude plays in our lives. When life throws us curve balls and we find ourselves struggling with our demons every hour of the day; find time to just stop, breathe, and get grateful. Just for a few quiet moments, be open to finding space to create something new and potentially life changing. 

These moments of trial and tribulation are opportunities to show us how much a friend means, how much we need a few more moments of love towards ourselves, these moments teach us how we are supported, how we are loved, how we are appreciated, and how we change the lives of those around us. When we can quiet our minds and find a moment of stillness, gratitude can be the ripple. That first thought creates the multitude of thoughts that come after, so concentrate, and make that first thought one of love and understanding. Be compassionate, first and foremost to yourself, we are all on the same road through struggle. Start with you and create a ripple effect in the lives of those around you. 

When you find that you can't possibly move forward, just get grateful, it will light the way to begin again. 

                       

Turn Your World Upside Down

Last weekend, a dear friend of mine took me to the ocean. Even through I have lived in Los Angeles for almost four years, somehow I NEVER make it to the beach. Every time I venture back onto the sand, I wonder, "why don't I come here more often?" Sometimes seeing the world through a clear blue sky, feeling buttery sunlight streaming down onto your face, and hearing the ocean waves crashing against shore, puts the world back in perspective. You take a few moments to notice that some things are meant to be truly savored, some things demand your full attention, some things are worth slowly down to really examine and explore. Try, in this very moment, to find something in your life worth really slowly down for, and find a way to put more of that delicious goodness into your everyday life on a regular basis. I'll try and do the same!

Note to self: Downward facing dog, in the sand, while the waves kiss your toes and staring at the clearest blue sky up beyond you, could change the way you see the world. It's changed mine. 

A little bit of yum for your holidays

Last week, I took a small moment in the middle of my day to stop off at a small French cafe before work. I needed something delicious, somewhere I could sit quietly in the sun and take a moment to breathe in something beautiful. I savored every bite of my cauliflower quiche. I went home lusting for the quiche, so I found a moment to make something beautiful and yummy at home. I hope you find a moment to breathe, to rest, and eat something delicious this week.

2 pre-made pie crusts (you can totally make this from scratch, but for time saving just pick up from the grocery store) 

1 lb. of fresh baby Swiss cheese (the better quality cheese, the better the quiche) 

1 pint of Half and Half 

8 oz of milk (any kind of regular milk) 

10 eggs

6 strips of turkey bacon 

1 large cauliflower (broken into small pieces) 

5-8 Baby Bella mushrooms 

Place the dough into two pie dishes. Set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Cook the turkey bacon until browned to the desired degree. While the bacon is cooking, begin shredding the Swiss cheese. Set cheese aside. Then, cut up the cauliflower and baby Bella mushrooms to the desired sized chunks. I diced the mushrooms and broke apart the cauliflower. 

Beat the eggs, half and half and half of the milk together in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper into the egg mixture to the desired degree. Lay the shredded cheese into the crust, making sure the cheese is even in each dish. Sprinkle the turkey bacon over the cheese and add the mushrooms and cauliflower to the dish as well. Then, pour the egg mixture over the cheese and other ingredients. Make sure the milk mixture has a bit of space before the edge of the pie crust. This will prevent the pie from overflowing in the oven when it rises during baking. Add more milk if necessary to fill the crust completely. 

Place the filled pie dishes into the oven at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes until the center of the crust is firm. If the crust gets too brown too soon, turn the temperature down, place foil over the edge of the crust and cook until done. 

Happy Holidays!!! 

New Spaces: Liberation Yoga

Liberation Yoga welcomes you into the studio the minute you step off the street. There is a front desk directly through the front doors and signing up for my first class was as easy as filling out a waiver and putting my name on a sign up sheet. There are two large studio spaces, lovingly titled "Cave" and "Garden", both rooms have hard wood floors. They have a filtered water station, with cool, refreshing water near the front door! They have a very limited retail space and a small bench to wait for class to begin. There are no lockers, but there is plenty of space for your belongings. Just double check that your electronic devices are on silent, as your bags will be in the space where you and others are practicing.

I took Antonia's Flow and Restore Class in the Garden on Friday from 4:30pm-6pm. The Garden studio was really an oasis from the noisy and overwhelming store front on La Brea Ave. It was quiet and there was a small fountain which filled the space with sounds of a trickling stream all throughout class. It was very easy to become immediately present and at ease with the space. I would recommend bringing a light layer if you tend to get cold easily. I was happy to be in the outdoor space, but also happy that I had a small sweater nearby! Antonia's challenging flow was set to music. I wouldn't recommend this class to a beginner, as the peak postures were handstand and half moon, but every movement held space for a deeper connection and intention. The 90 minute class really allowed us the time and space for a flow that built slowly and mindfully to several peak postures and ended with an extended savasana. It was a beautifully calm and centering class from start to finish. During class, the traffic level outside the studio often found it's way into the space, which caused a minor disturbance to the final resting poses of class, but didn't ruin the overall feeling of the class. This studio offers a wide variety of class for every level. And what have you got to lose? The first one is FREE!

Additional Information:

Website: Liberation Yoga for all class schedules, pricing, and special events/workshops

Location: 124 South La Brea Ave. Between 1st and 2nd Street (Meter Parking on La Brea and Surrounding Neighborhoods, restricted hours during the mornings and evenings)

Pricing: 
First Time is FREE for New Students
Lots of New Student Specials, including a 10 Class Pack for $105
$12 Weekday Drop In Class
$15 Weeknight and Weekend Drop In Class
Special Discounts for Qualifying Membership Programs (check website for details)
A variety of class packages, memberships, and workshops are available

Props Available: 
Blocks
Blosters
Blankets
Straps

Reflections: One Year Later

I apologize for the three week long radio silence. My life was thrown some amazing curve balls this month and I am relearning how to balance my life with all the new and wonderful things that are all vying for my attention. 

Yesterday, my apartment was filled with the sounds of laughter, friends who have become family, pumpkin spice, apples baking, and a whole lot of wine. It's funny, a year ago I sat down in my parent's kitchen and talked to my mom about the direction for my life. I was tired, ill, unhappy, and un-joyful: all of which is not my normal. I was convinced that the road I had been on for two years was not the path I was supposed to be on, but I was paralyzed by the fear of changing it. As I sat and talked I realized that there were so many things in my life that I wanted to be different. I wanted time for friends, for community, for yoga, for coffee chats, for reading, for my family, for my boyfriend, and for myself. The life I was living left no room for all of the things that I held most dear and the thought of continuing down the same path was frightening to consider. 

So I made a plan. A life altering and seriously divergent plan from the one I had set for myself (and if you know me, you know that new plans terrify me). But I was convinced that my life needed to be seriously overhauled, and one year later as I sit in my kitchen surrounded by my family of friends, flowers, and candles, I realized that I had done it. I had truly leapt into the unknown, dreamed big, opened my heart, mind, soul, and stepped fully and presently into the dark and you know what the amazing thing was: I accomplished everything that I had dreamed of last December.

So today I am filled with miles of gratitude and have found the courage to lean in to the uncomfortable. 

I hope that you had a moment to say thank you to yourself and those around you who alter your life everyday. We all could use more people to uplift, support, challenge and change us. Be that for yourself and for someone in your life who has made all the difference. 

It's Fall, Y'all: Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Bread

The weather shifted, the scarves came out, the slippers are on, and that means we NEED all things pumpkin. I didn't have to look very far from my kitchen to find everything in this recipe.

I hope your fall is full of falling leaves, your favorite mug, your favorite blanket, and some good old fashioned snuggling up.

Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Bread
(tweaked from Joy the Baker's recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Bread)

3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups of light brown sugar, packed (pack it, that is important)
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon backing powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of all-spice
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 cup canola oil
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup water
1 cup chopped pecans

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8x4x3-in loaf pans and set pans aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soap, salt and spices. In a medium bowl, carefully whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, maple syrup, and water.

Add the oil mixture all at once with the flour mixture. Use a spatula to fold the ingredients together. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl well, finding any remaining bits of flour and sugar that might still be in the bowl. Fold in the chopped pecans into the batter.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of each load comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Let rest in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.

Serve bread warm, in thick slices. Loaves can be wrapped and kept at room temperature for up to 5 days.