Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood

My office is moving today.  Moving is the absolute worst, especially when you are responsible for moving 50 people.  I wish I had time to write to you more about my heart and my head, but my exhaustion and preoccupation is getting the better of me this morning.  I need a vat of coffee and a nap.  Please forgive my absence.  Monday I will return with something lovely.  In the meantime, remember this post does not reflect my love of blogging or my love of you for reading my ramblings :)

Sometimes I honestly feel like the only things I need to be happy are sunshine, a good cup of coffee, and the company of a wonderful person.  This past Saturday, I felt happiness from my head to my toes.  Bill and I went to Kean coffee and sat outside with flip flops and sunglasses on.  My long yellow skirt and white tank top hung loosely on me in a way that made me relax and sink into the situation.  The smile on his face when he looked up at me made me happy to know he was excited just to be next to me.  He read the Wall Street Journal and I read a lovely book my mom gave me for Christmas.  It really is simple things that make life great.   After we finished our coffee, we strolled hand in hand down the street just to walk… no destination in mind.  I love to just be.

This post has been a little delayed, as the pictures were not taken on my camera and Mikaela and I have had a tough time getting our internet set up over the past few weeks!  However, it is here now :) Two weekends ago Mikaela's family was in town and Bill and I joined them at a restaurnt in Santa Ana, CA to watch the women's World Cup soccer team play Brazil in the quarter finals and from the moment we walked in I knew it was a great decision.  I love soccer fans, SO MUCH.  Bill is a huge soccer fan, and these men and women were cheering and screaming and chanting and yelling at the televisions and the refs and drinking beer at 9 am.  It was fantastic.  The game was highly intense and back and forth and came to a shoot out and the US came out on top!  The celebration was epic and I literally couldn't get enough of it.  I always want to watch soccer that way!  I've never been so proud to be wearing a US jersey (that Bill got me when we were wat

I arrived 25 minutes early (as my groupon directed) and got a brief explanation from the woman with the accent at the front desk.  "Have you ever done hot yoga before?" - "No" - "Ok, your whole goal today is to make it through the entire class."  I wanted to ignore her from that moment on... of course I would make it through the class.  She then went on to explain dizziness is normal for first timers and to sit down as much as I needed to.  I felt a little insulted until about 25 minutes into the class when I felt like I would pass out.  I had a little pride check, I have a lot to learn!  My respect for those who do yoga grew ten fold yesterday, and I have since done research and decided to take all 10 of my hot yoga classes in the coming weeks very seriously and get the most out of them I can!  If nothing else, I will definitely be sweating out all my toxins and getting the full health benefits of the program (which I will explain in one moment)... Firs

I have been researching festivals in different nations, mainly out of curiousity, but also out of sheer enjoyment of finding out what other culutres celebrate on an annual basis.  My sister, Joy, has mentioned wanting to do a trash the dress photo shoot (one day in her future) at the Festival of Colors in India, so I thought I would see what it was all about.  What I found was both exciting and entertaining. Every year, Hindus greet the turn of winter into spring with a splash of color -- in some areas, a geyser of color. They call their celebration the festival of Holi, and Hindus across India and throughout the world share prayer, camaraderie, special food, and a general sense of mischief as they douse each other in dyes and colored water. The large festival has roots to many Hindu legends associated with the triumph of good over evil. One of the best-known stories tells the tale of the demoness Holika, who tried to kill Prahlad, the son of the demon king Hiranyakashyap, for refusin

I am a little ashamed to admit I have been following the Bachelorette this season.   However, I do want to justify my actions (for those of you that instantly rolled your eyes).   I am fascinated by the psychology of this show, and also by the quest for love that people think can be fabricated and discovered over three or four spectacular days together.   I could go on and on, but the reason I preface my post with this tangent is to say, that I saw a couple of the participants on this show partake in an event in Thailand that I found myself wanting to get more information on, and when I did it did not disappoint. They took part in a Floating Lantern Festival in a small Thai village.   When I looked up this festival, I found that there is one in Thailand where the lanterns float in the air and one in Japan where the lanterns float on the water.   Both fascinate me and intrigue me.   The floating lantern festival in Thailand looks overwhelmingly amazing.   In the show, they painted wi

So yesterday's post and today's go hand in hand.  Over the last couple months I have challenged myself physically (and mentally) to get healthier.  I have lost ten pounds and been actively seeking out healthier ways to prepare dinners and learn what will treat my body well.  It has been really eye opening to be reading the ingredients on packaging and realize that some things I considered healthy or at least "not bad for me" are in fact part of the problem. This life style is starting to become a second nature.  It is less stressful, and unlike many who diet, I do not see myself putting the weight back on.  This lifestyle shift brought to my attention my need to focus on a few other areas.  While my career snapped into focus and I had a list a mile long of things I could do to advance myself both financially and emotionally, I realized that my spiritual life needed attention as well.  Before I get my real estate license, look into other options in my current compan

Psalms 20:4  May he give you the desire of your heart    and make all your plans succeed.

I am planning an upcoming trip at the end of September to Boston and Maine, and I am already on the edge of my seat in anticipation.  We are going to see the Red Sox play the Orioles at Fenway Park, we are going to tour the Sam Adams Brewery, and we are going to walk the streets of Boston and enjoy the accents, culture, and company. Next we will head up the coast to Maine where we will go shopping in Portland, have clam chowder in Bar Harbor and of course cook our own lobsters and sit on a deck with a glass of wine and great conversation. I am so excited!  I have been to Maine and Boston once before, but I feel like I did not appreciate the simple beauty it all had to offer.  I can't wait to be with my family and my boy in this wonderful part of the country, feel the crisp air, and smell the fresh seafood.  Come on September, Get Here Soon!

I have to admit I have not tried any of these recipes, but they are looked so light and delicious I had to share!  Real Simple Collections  are one of my favorite places to look for recipes and ideas because they cook the same thing ten different ways or they give you ideas for holidays and themes and everything under the sun.  The magazine is also great, and I love flipping through it's lovely pages :)  Here is just a sample of what they are highlighting today, but make sure you check it out for yourself! They are all No-Cook for your simple enjoyment! Lemony Shrimp Salad with Cous Cous Ingredients 1 cup couscous kosher salt and black pepper 1 1/2 pounds cooked peeled and deveined shrimp 1/2 pound snap peas, trimmed and cut into bit sized pieces 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 3/4 cup town fresh basil leaves 2 scallions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons finely grate lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Directions Place t

We're adrift on a sailboat My love is the sea Yours is the horizon Constant and steady You set my limbs locked hard afloat Lifted my lonesome sails The tide is out, the moon is high We're sailing Darling, your love is healing It makes the bitter sweet Warms the winter to spring again Secures the colds defeat We're cutting anchor Casting out into the glorious deep The tide is out, the moon is high We're sailing When we've succumb to decrepitude Still our love will remain in its youth The tide is out, the moon is high We're sailing We're sailing We're sailing ~ Brooke Fraser - "Sailboats"

 For some reason, I feel like I need to carefully choose my words today.  Articulation is under-rated, but I want to make sure I am clear.  Lately, I have been thinking about excusing our behavior.  I cannot tell you how many people say, "I've always been this way," or, "I'm never going to change," and that is all they have to say about a bad habit or misunderstood ideal that they know is off.  Seriously?   Just because you or I have a natural inclination to something does not mean that you have to be that way; it actually doesn't even mean that it is easier to be that way, because you can constantly be hating yourself for the way you are.  I'm not even sure what triggered this in my mind, but I just can't believe what people excuse in their own day to day.  Ignorance, racism, rudeness, crudeness, violence, anger, and a million other tendencies and attitude problems.  I do not understand the lack of desire to fight these inclinations.  If you ha

 Happy Friday Everyone!  I have a full day of work ahead and then I'm taking Bill to a drive-in up near LA tonight.  I promise to report on it all next week!  I hope you have a lovely weekend filled with sunshine and BBQ and I pray you each are blessed with something unexpected that warms your heart.

I have always loved bunnies.  They make me all giddy and silly and I get down and talk to them like they are babies.  After I leave their presence I want one always, and when Mikaela and I talked about our new place I told her how important it was to me to get a bunny to keep that smile permanently on my face, and she said she was down, so Spoon came into my life! This particular bunny is so happy :)  He runs around in circles and love being in the sunshine.  He makes me laugh, but also loves to snuggle while I watch TV.  Bill and I got him a little play pen and a few toys (as you can see the carrot above).  I think what is most important is that Bill also loves him and can't get enough of his little face! I'll make Bill and Mikaela take a family photo soon, but as for now here is me and Spoon loving each other.  He makes me so happy and I have already fallen for him, and it hasn't even been a week!  

It has always been a dream of mine to be published and to have people read my words as a professional.  If I could do it all over again I might have gone to school for photo journalism.  If you follow my blog at all, you know I enjoy writing alot!  I recently entered a Memoir writing contest for an internet publication entitled  Womens Memoirs  and by golly they picked me! ;)  While they did not give me the first place prize, I can tell you with a great amount of pride that I will be published in the fall. Just click here to see My Name on the Contest Winner's List.  The title was chosen by them, and not something I would have chosen (lesson learned), but it still gives me goosebumps to be chosen out of hundreds of qualified applicants. Since you will not be able to read my story directly from Women's Memoir's right away, I've decided to post it here.  The pictures following will be published with the memoir itself!  Remember, this is just one person's vision and v

It's finally time!  Here are a few pictures that give you a better idea how our place turned out.  I highlighted some of my favorite areas of the apartment.  If you wanted to see more angles, I apologize.  I just wanted to give you a taste of how lovely it all turned out and how well it all works together. Our dining room.  How wonderful it all turned out!   The mustard yellow shelf, the wine rack and wine glasses out in the open, the chalkboards and cork board could not have turned out better.  Mikaela and I had a vision for it all, and I think it turned out just the way we wanted! The bottom of the wall being brown is perfect, and it came that way.  It really adds an extra touch of hominess :) These are Mikaela's new couches that she brought from a friend.  They are SO comfy.  She also re-covered the throw pillows with fabric we picked out together, and I have to say they turned out amazing.    Someone was getting rid of the giant mirror at my work, so I took it on an

I cannot believe the number of things I have to tell you this week! However, I am making myself take the day off to celebrate the fourth with exercise, friends, and family. When I return Tuesday you will finally be able to see our new place unveiled. This week you will hear of a new gadget I have acquired, a fantastic furry friend, and some surprising news even for me :) I can't wait to fill you in on it all, make sure to check back every day this week and have an amazing fourth of July!

Well, I guess you will just have to keep waiting for pictures of our new place, because I do not have them to share yet!  This week has been exhausting and relaxing.  Having our own place is a dream come true and I think it is exactly as we both pictured it.  I feel so at home already and tomorrow marks one week.  We both keep saying, "I just love it all so much." Last night Bill and I made dinner, got in the hot tub, and returned to the apartment to play cards and drink tea with Mikaela.  It is hard to explain why, but last night was so perfect to me.  It is all I really want in life.  Just having my boy and my bestie sitting at a table, drinking tea, laughing, and talking were amazing and lovely and everything I wanted our new place to be.  I know the next 14 months (the length of our lease) will be so incredible, and just shraing with these two, our friends, and our families is honestly all I need. I'm sorry to give you only half a post, but this is straight f