Archive for » July, 2011 «

30
Jul

Life Through the Lens of My iPhone

Good morning! (Or evening, I suppose!) I looked through my iPhone and realized that I had a lot of neat photos and experiences that I’d like to note and remember for my future enjoyment. Plus, if you enjoy them too, that’s a lovely bonus! Winking smile

Here goes: Life though my iPhone as of late!

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This is one of my clients from work! SHE IS SO AWESOME! Always smiling, always happy, and I LOVE when she comes in to visit! She had just gotten her brand new Jeep Wrangler (My dream car at the moment!) and I was so excited for her I told her I had to get a pic of her next to her sweet new ride!! This woman is so awesome! I Swear she’s my soul sister! I love her style, I love her spirit, and we have so much in common!! Plus she’s a long time vegetarian! Bonus!

She’s so rockin’!

 

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This is a photo of me hangin’ outside on side of the building I work in! I take my 30 minute lunch break out here on the reg to try and escape the phones and breathe some fresh air! I love soaking in those rays! I guess I was trying to take a sexy photo of my dress and  boots (look at those knees, man those are smokin’ hahaa! What was I thinking?!)! I wish I have gotten the beautiful tree I sit under and the tiny cross bridge they have over the ditch…

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I’ve been blogging a lot lately and my new fav place to do it is at random coffee shops and bookstores. Its usually quiet enough with some relaxing music and fabulous aromas. I had a gift card for $25 worth of Starbucks so its been my go-to lately, but I’m also a fan on PJ’s (It’s the closest to my house that stays open until 10pm). Must have taken a quickie pic! 

 

 

 

IMG_3009This is a snapshot of a scene from one of my favorite movies, . I love everything about this movie! The imagery is incredible and every time I watch this movie I am memorized by the intensity and the beauty. I stumbled across this particular photo and saved it on my iPhone. Every time I see it, I get this feeling in my gut. Can you imagine, having that incredible cosmic connection? This bond between 2 people? Can’t you just feel the powerful vibration coming from this scene? I know its just a movie, but what is represents, is just… wow… (::Blush:: Can you tell I’m one of those hopeless romantic types? hehe! I just love to dream about this mushy gushy love stuff!)

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So I bought this “Bliss in a Box: Weekend Retreat” almost 3 years ago and had yet to actually do it! I stumbled upon it while organizing my massive book collection and decided its about time I give it a go. IT WAS AMAZING!! Yoga, Meditation, Silence, Contemplation, Reflection, and Pure Healthy Eating! Amazing weekend! I’ll elaborate on it more a bit later (in another post, I hope).

 

 

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The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen!! This is a snapshot from my favorite book at the moment, Crazy Sexy Diet, on the 12 fruits and veggies to avoid unless organic (due to the high amounts of pesticides and chemical contamination) and the 15 fruits and veggies that are ok to purchase conventional if you can’t find organic (as very little chemicals and pesticides are used). For 3 days straight I was singing out the Dirty Dozen trying to get those suckers memorized! It was actually pretty easy! I just have to remember to think about it while I’m grocery shopping, which isn’t always so easy… 

 

Just LOOK how adorable my mom can be!

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Seriously, how can this NOT make your day instantly sun-shiny and bright. This was just SO cute I have to screen shot the convo and send it to a few friends to make their day a little better.

 

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This is a shot of my new gorgeous plants all wilted and sad!! Apparently if you don’t water your flowers for 5 days in LA weather, they get quite sad. Lol!! BUT I watered them and within a few hours they were bright and happy and radiating love bubbles for the world to enjoy!! Ahh! the beauty of Mother Nature!

 

 

 

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This is just a picture of me playing around with new tiny tat ideas. This says “ily” which represents: I Love You. I’m a huge fan of showing love for yourself and sometimes a little reminder can go a long way. If you don’t love yourself, how can you expect anyone else to fully love and appreciate you..? Its not like other people just fill in the missing love gaps. Like I told a friend the other day “You are a complete, whole person, and you don’t need anyone to complete you. You love yourself fully then other people that love you are bonus! Cup over flowing kinda thing! You fill your own cup and everything thing else that people add too it just oozes out over the brim, spilling happiness over-flowage for everyone else to enjoy! “Oh, I’m sorry, did my love over flow just spill on you? Oh, Whoops! Oh, is that some of my happiness splashing on you?! Oh man! Whoops again!”  Winking smile hehehehe, I’m such a love nerd.

 

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That’s Dita. My cousin won tickets to her show here in New Orleans… If you don’t know who she is, just look her up! She’s amazing. She does burlesque shows, but they are more retro and old schooly with a tiny bit of a modern edge. She’s very tasteful in her art. And very very famous! Really, Look her up! You wont be disappointed. She’s beautiful.

Apparently I missed a good show! 

 

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I went blueberry picking one last time for the season! One gallon on Organic blueberries, $10! You pick your own! Amazing! I went with my mom and dad! They had a really great time as well! And there is nothing like a fresh, right off the bush, blueberry! OMG Fantastic!

 

 

And lastly! Primping for Remie’s wedding! That’s a photo of my practicing my hair for Remie’s big day! The next 2 shots are from Remie, Erin and I going to get our mani/pedis done. Can you believe both Erin and I have never had a pedicure!? 25 years old, and never had one! The employees couldn’t believe that either. It was fabulous!!

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Well, That’s it for now! Life through the lens of my iPhone! Hope you enjoyed it!! I had fun! Happy Love Bubbles to You!!

Category: Fun, Love  Tags: , , , , ,  6 Comments
28
Jul

F.I.T. – Females In Training

I SIGNED UP FOR THIS! Yay!

Groupon

So, I stumbled upon this GroupOn and after a few days of going back and forth in my mind about whether or not I wanted to throw down the money, I decided that this might just be the extra little push I need to keep me on track. So! Here it is! I’ll keep you posted on how things are going! I’m so excited! Because the open hours are not as widely available as most gyms, I’m going to have to either get there when they open at 7am and hit the gym for an hour before I have to shower down and clean up for work. Either that or I’ll have to go straight there from work and squeeze in a work out before they close at 7pm. They are open on Saturdays but by appointment only so I will be scheduling some of those I’m sure. But because this is so restricted on the times I’m able to go I‘m hoping it’ll get me to fall into a pattern. Either same time in the morning or same time in the evening. No excuses! I go or I miss it. No putting it off! Right? I hope this works!

Or rather IT WILL WORK!! That’s how I have to approach this! Right?! Winking smile 

So this GroupOn includes 30 days of membership with 3 days a week of personal training, also nutrition counseling and a personalized plan. Also a journal to keep track of how I’m doing! Plus a T-shirt as a bonus!! WooHoo! Sounds fun!! Wish me luck!!!

Category: Exercise, Health  Tags: , , , , ,  Leave a Comment
25
Jul

Mexican Bean Salad!

I’ve recently come cross the most amazing dish and I would love to share this with everyone! Its so light and refreshing! And so very yummy! Addicting almost!

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I was looking for a new recipe that was light and healthy and something that I could keep in the fridge that was easy enough for me to just grab and go. Plugged in “Top Vegan Recipes” in Google, and voila! Mexican Bean Salad! There were several “top” dishes, but out of them all this was the only one that caught my eye enough to give it a try.

And I’m so glad that I did! I loved everything about this dish! The flavors are perfect together and the lightness of the entire salad is so perfect and appealing. You feel GOOD after eating this!

Here goes:

In a large bowl mix together:

1 can each of black beans,
1 can kidney beans,
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed!

Chop and add

1 green bell pepper,
1 red bell pepper,
1 purple onion,
1 10 oz. pack of frozen corn. Set aside!

Look how pretty! Its like a veg food rainbow!! Ooooooo! Aaahhhhhhh!!!

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In a small bowl, whisk together:

1/2 cup olive oil,
1/2 cup red wine vinegar,
2 Tbsp. lime juice,
1 Tbsp. lemon juice,
2 Tbsp. sugar,
1 tsp. salt,
1/2 tsp. minced garlic,
1/4 cup chopped cilantro,
1/2 tsp. cumin,
1/2 Tbsp. black pepper.
Add hot sauce (I used the roster sauce, yum!) and chili powder to taste!

Look how gorgeous! Would you ever think food could look so pretty and uplifting?! I love it!

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This recipe makes a HUGE bowl of this stuff! I wish I would have snapped a photo of my holding the bowl so you could see how large it actually is! I was feeding off this dish for a few days and It tasted wonderful every time!

*Today I am grateful for telephones, as I was able to catch up with a good friend that I miss that is living in Cali and also my brother Daniel in Colorado! Daniel has been gone for about a month now! Can you believe it?! I miss him and his girlfriend Paula already! Hmm, I’ve always wanted to visit Colorado! I think its about time I mark that one off the “Will Do” list! Winking smile 

Category: Food, Health, Recipes  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  4 Comments
25
Jul

Ethiopian Food

I’m going to play a little catch up about the happenings from this past week. I’ve been a smidge too busy doing stuff to actually post about what it is I’m doing.

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So, Catch Up Blog #1! Ethiopian Food!

This past April, when I took my trip to Cali to visit my friend Harold and take a break from the working world (I’m about due for another one), I was pleasantly surprised to be introduced to Ethiopian food. We have nothing similar to it in my part of Louisiana and having never had any before so I was so down for that ride!

I’m so glad I did, because I was instantly a fan. I actually had to have it again before my Cali trip ended, as I knew it would be a long looooong time before I’d be able to experience the thick saucy lentil dishes and hearty spinach and potato concoctions. Lets just say on my return home, I must have been texting Harold to mail me, ship me, FedEx me, or hand deliver me some Ethiopian food on the reg, probably weekly if not daily at first!

So after 3 months of not being able to fulfill my craving for the tasty ethnic dishes, I finally gave in and did ANOTHER (as there were many, each with no luck) search for Ethiopian food anywhere near where I live. One place showed up on EthiopianRestaurants.com, The Red Star! I swear it hadn’t shown up on my previous searches! I jumped for joy and set the date, that night I was driving the 45mins to New Orleans to hit up some amazing grub.

Having waited the entire day with great anticipation, I was super bummed out when my date for the night told me he couldn’t find it on Google! I called the number and yup, disconnected! Sad smile 

Trying yet again, somehow I stumbled across another New Orleans Ethiopian restaurant!! How had I not seen this other place before!?! And right on my fav. New Orleans street!!Magazine!!Game On!!

When we pulled up, we were a tiny bit confused, but upon seeing where the place was located, (in the back of some other building in a little bitty place that looked nothing like a restaurant) we knew we were in for something fun! Its always the little Hole-In-The-Wall places that have the best food! Eeeeee! I couldn’t wait!

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We walked in and snagged the last open table and we were ready to grub down! Having thought and talked about the food for the entire 30 minutes across the causeway and then another 15-20 to the place, we were so ready to order the entire menu!

Our waitress was  really nice, we mentioned we drove in from Mandeville to come try their food and she was impressed. We immediately ordered some appetizer that I had tried in Cali. Not sure what its called but I just described to her that it was some little triangle ouches with lentils and she knew exactly what I was talking about. These were so delicious! Even better than what I remembered, as these seems to be made with the same or similar dough as a beignet! The flavors and textures were right perfect and flaky! We were happy!

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We both ordered the Veg Platter as everything sounded so good! And after having taken such a long trip we wanted leftovers! Winking smile 

(I’m not sure if you can read these but I just wanted to share what the menus had on them and what kinds of foods their dishes consisted of! I wish I could have tried everything!)

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While we waited for our food I explained how the food was eaten at the other Ethiopian places… With no utensils!! Just your hands! And this special spongy bread stuff. You scoop and dip and grab globs!!! So much fun!!

Check it out!! I Should have taken action shots! hehehe! Winking smile

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This stuff was amazing!!! I’m so glad I found this place! Everything tasted wonderful and I really enjoyed it! I cant wait to go back again! AND after trying this I got excited enough to go online and look up a recipe for the red lentil dish! Daniel went and found a store online where we could buy the spices and the flour for the bread! I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY MAKING THIS DISH! Post to come!

Category: Food, Fun  Tags: , , , , , ,  4 Comments
21
Jul

Today I am Thankful for…

There is a special person in my life that I want to recognize here in this personal space of mine, that I feel deserves a shout out because of all the amazing accomplishments he’s achieved. He’s such a beautiful soul and an amazing ball of radiant energy and we have shared many many hours of laughter and happiness, especially in the past couple of weeks. He’s brought an immense amount of joy into my life and I’m so proud of all his effort and hard work. I love this person dearly.

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I don’t think I’ve met anyone with a kinder heart and with a greater gift of bringing joy to so many others. He’s been my best friend for the past four years, and in those years I have grown so much with the help of his constant support and encouragement. He’s never passed judgment with all of the absolute crazy things I have done and ideas that I have had.

His dedication to goals are admirable and I believe that he will accomplish all that he sets his mind too. I’m so proud of him for choosing to make such a drastic change in his life, including eating more healthfully, cooperating meditation and yoga into his routine, and enjoying the beauty in simplicity. I’m proud of the way he has been able to take something he loves so much and put it to the side, to carve out time and put effort into trying something so foreign to him, and embrace it with open arms.IMG_0896

He has taken the meaning of commitment to another level by relying on his ability to create his own personally compatible concoctions, like wheat blueberry pancakes, and even taking that extra little step to purchase the cruelty free butter alternative (::the little things mean so much::)! AND! By also taking note of recipes that he can easily incorporate into his own life with little distress or frustration. What a smart cookie!

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He is an excellent cook and is unafraid of trying something new and completely outside of his comfort zone. I’ve introduced him to every foreign food I could possibly get my hands on and he accepts the experience happily and with great curiosity and excitement. He jumps into experimenting with unique and strangely foreign ideas as if fear was a concept never incorporated into his life and never introduced to his vocabulary. This can be said with everything he has ever attempted, as he takes life head on and never gives himself the option to fail. From sports to computers and technology he has always been on top of his game and far exceeding everyone’s expectations.

He succeeds in everything he’s ever chosen to do and I don’t have a smidgen of doubt that he will accomplish everything he wishes to achieve.

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I’ve managed to go into a little bit of a rant here, but I really believe in this person and I know he can stick to his goals of changing his life in a healthier and kinder direction. He means the world to me. I’m so proud of him, especially with all the effort he’s been putting into our personal relationship lately.

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I miss him when he’s gone (and so do his pups!). I love having him around to share water in glass jars with neat straws, or to grow wheatgrass with (or rather helping to fix my errors), and also for picking new plants and hammocks to help me have a more relaxing and enjoyable outside space. I love conducting symphonies with him in his car, and having him laugh at me (while I continue to conduct my orchestra while everyone at the 4-way stop light watches and wonders what is going on with the crazy girl in the car, hehe! Fun!). I love that he laughs at my craziness and thinks it’s a remarkable and quite desirable quality rather than an slightly annoying or immature. I love that we can crank up singing lessons in the car and belt it all out at the top of our lungs and with all our breath and energy and still think the other is the coolest kid on the block! I love that we can play! Always play! As play is so important in my life. And so is he.

I cant imagine my life if I had never met this wonderful being. I’m sure that I wouldn’t be the person that I am today, the person I’ve finally learned to love and accept, because I had someone so loving and accepting to show me that it was ok to be me.

Thank you so much, Daniel, for being exactly who you are and for loving me for exactly who I am and for helping me bloom.

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I love you more than words could ever express.

Rachel

Category: Love  Tags: , , , ,  2 Comments
18
Jul

Origami Sun Catchers!

PLAY IS MY FVORITE PART OF EACH DAY!!!

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I got myself an Origami Sun Catcher kit from Barnes and Noble a couple days back and thought it was the perfect moment to pull it out and play! It was about 9pm and I had just gotten done cooking the most delicious meal of Thai Curry with Daniel and we were kicking back with our Blue-Moons and Orange slices. It was relaxing and we had full bellies and nice little Blue-Moon buzzes… why not throw in some origami? YAY!

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We set up our little craft stations (2 tiny fold out tables I had), cranked up the tunes (I was craving a little Bone Thugs but for some reason it was o longer on my iPod?! Ek!! So we listened to Weird Al – White and Nerdy instead!), and started busting out the creativity!

I was busy busy cutting and pasting, folding and flipping…

when I looked down to find this sweet face looking up at me!!

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TIME OUT!

I just had to take a snuggle kissy break!

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You can totally tell she loves getting mommy kisses and snuggles! In love

(I know she LOOKS like she’s quite terrified in this picture, but on the inside I just KNOW she was screaming ILOVEMYMOMMY! Or so I like to believe. hehehehe)

But, anyway…!

Check it out!! A little bit of this… and a little bit off that…

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And you get THIS!! How cool is that?!

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I cant wait to get some tape so I can put some of these up on my windows! I have enough of these special papers to whip out 28 of these beauties! My house is going to be bright and colorful and shooting out all kinds of happy beams all over the place!

I LOVE THESE!!

Category: Fun, Love  Tags: , , , ,  Leave a Comment
18
Jul

Easy Avocado, Tomato, Onion Salad

This is a salad that I just threw together that came out absolutely delicious and surprisingly satisfying. It consists of 1 onion, 1 avocado, and 1 tomato. This makes enough for 2 people to have a nice lite meal.

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Basically you just chop everything in tiny bite sized pieces.

I used my go-to dressing that is tasty and actually quite good for you. Its 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp. Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, and 8 squirts Braggs Amino Acids. I just eye-ball the measurements and add each to taste. This dressing is quite strong so a little goes a long way.

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I hope you give this one a try, as its very simple to make and is packed with a ton of wonderful vitamins and minerals! It’ll give your body an extra boost of happy! Red heart 

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So, since this post is pretty short, I thought I’d add in a bit of brain splewdge on where I am at right now in my little world, in reference to mental clarity and life in general…

…

Um, on second thought… Lets not over think it…!

Silly me! Smile with tongue out

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!! I’ll fill you in on how mine went in an upcoming post. I’ll give you a teaser though, it has to do with growing my own wheat grass and also an at home intense yoga meditation retreat!!! WooHoo!! It was a perfect weekend! My brain feels so refreshed!

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18
Jul

How Many People Can You Fit In An Elevator?

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17!!

Scrunched like Sardines! But we got it! I’d explain, but I’ll just say, we only had one opportunity to take the elevator and there was no stair option.

Category: Fun  Tags:  2 Comments
14
Jul

Brothers Are Great!

Woke up this morning around 6:30am, headed out the door for a full speed run with my two pups. Pooped them out in about 15 mins. Dropped them off and grabbed my youngest bro, Timothy. We continued to jog and run (and even sprinted for a quick moment) up and down each block. Made it to the pool area where I jumped in and swap laps while timothy continued jogging. GREAT moring!! Feel awesome!

Category: Exercise, Health  Tags: , , , , ,  Leave a Comment
13
Jul

Oh Jeez, Typos Galore…

I’m so not a fan of going back and reading a post that I had wrtten and posted quickly, to find that it doesnt make much sense and has typos galore! Sheesh! Too bad I’m too tired to fix… lol ;)

Category: Uncategorized  Leave a Comment
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