Full Life, Full Heart

Ashley Turner and Me Skull Shores Frankie Stein
Mmmmmm Rainy Night on May Street
Pretty Day in Naperville Pink!

The weather has finally warmed up in Chicago. But I’m not being fooled again. I’m still keeping sweaters and hoodies at the ready, because I know that in two weeks it could be the 30s again.

It always confuses me when people on TV or in movies are like “What, we’re going to talk about the weather now?” Like it’s a bad thing. I mean, weather is a big part of our lives, especially for people like myself, who is so sensitive to temperatures. So, I’m OK with talking about the weather, until someone in a movie or a TV show starts scoffing at that particular topic of conversation. Then I start to doubt myself.

Well then. That was a tangent.

Wednesday, I got to see one of my favorite authors, Laurie Halse Anderson, again. This is one reason I love living in Chicago. So many authors come through and I get the chance to meet them! Laurie is an inspiration beyond inspiration. This woman loves writing, she works damn hard on it, and she’s damn good at it. She gives everything to her books and to her readers, and that makes her amazing. She’s just an awesome person. I adore her!

Here we are:

Laurie Halse Anderson & Me

So far this week, I’ve learned some serious shoulder strengthening yoga vinyasas, attended a marketing meeting and dinner at Moksha’s owner’s home, cried over Make It or Break It, visited Naperville, and got my Skull Shores Frankie Stein doll (now I have them all).

I ate lunch at an amazing place called Prasino, and enjoyed a very delicious but expensive juice. I got a pedicure, a really cool new bag from Katmandu Imports (I didn’t even notice it had an Om on it until yesterday!), read two books, and cuddled with the kitty cats.

It might be Friday, but I have a full weekend scheduled. Teaching, volunteering, apprenticing. I’m going to see Maya Tiwari speak Sunday morning. Lots of yoga-related stuff to keep me busy. Not to mention that I have homework and library books to read. On top of all this, there are some exciting things happening in the Mickey Mouse Club world and I’m so eager to see what happens next! So many Mousketeers are talking again and sharing their memories of the show with us fans and it’s SO FREAKING COOL. Love it!

Tonight, I’m going to take it easy and prepare for the busy weekend. Adam’s watching Ironman, which is way more violent than I like, so I’ll be watching something sweet and/or funny to counteract it when he heads out to work. Or maybe a few episodes of Downton Abbey, that first season. We’ll see.

So yeah, I’m busy, but it’s a wonderful busy. I’m making new friends, meeting new people, and learning so much. Summer is coming! Farmer’s markets are starting up. Flowers are growing everywhere. AND Aidan will be here before long!

I am happy. πŸ™‚

May the 4th be with you!

"It's Fun To Stay At The ..."
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‘Til next time! πŸ™‚

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Teach

Lilacs

As I move along in my training, I’ve started giving thought to the kind of yoga teacher I want to be. For a while, I’d thought I wanted to teach children, but no. Then I thought about teaching hatha–for I enjoy hatha yoga the most. I’ve also thought about restorative yoga. See, I’m not an athletic person. I don’t like aerobics, unless it’s low impact. I like cardio, but I do not like running, jumping, that sort of thing. So what business would I have teaching it?

I like hatha yoga because it allows one to really get into the pose. You hold the poses longer than you would in vinyasa (which is more of a flow) or ashtanga (which is pretty aggressive), but you’re still working. BELIEVE ME, you are still working. I like that deep work in a pose, especially the heart openers or the hip openers or the forward folds. Like, when you’re right at your edge, and you think you can’t take it anymore, then something releases, and you relax into the pose. Love that.

I want to be the kind of teacher who helps her students *get that*. Who inspires them. I want students who love and respect me, and who generally enjoy coming to my class. But right now, I’m having a hard time taking myself seriously as a teacher, probably because I’m still SUCH a student. And it’s true–one is always a student of yoga–but I’m REALLY a student! One day I was practice teaching, and it just felt so weird to tell people to do things and watch them actually DO IT. I’m sure that’s something I’ll get over… but it’s still a bit odd.

I can’t ignore the fact that instead of singing in the shower, most of the time I’m making up yoga practices, or practicing my cueing. Is that weird? Sometimes I can’t sleep because I’m trying to put together the perfect practice in my mind. Yeah, it’s definitely weird.

Every week in teacher training, we practice teach, either with a partner or a small group. I’m learning that I am SILLY. I’m going to be one of those teachers, like Moksha’s Rich Logan, who’ll have the entire class cracking up while trying to hold a pose. And honestly? I would LOVE that. Yoga doesn’t have to be all serious and frowny face all the time. I love when I can laugh during a pose. A lot of people do. His class was packed today!

I know I have time to worry about it, and I have time to find my voice. First, I need to get the cueing down and keep learning as much as I can. Then everything else will fall into place, just as this entire journey keeps falling into place. I can’t believe how amazing it’s been.


linking up here:

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What I Wore: Wedding Edition

So, this is my first and probably last ever What I Wore link up post. You know how I am about fashion. As in, I have no sense of it whatsoever. But I couldn’t help but hop on this What I Wore: Wedding Edition one from Absolute Mommy because well, it’s easy! πŸ™‚

Adam and I got married July 27, 2008. It was a guerilla style wedding. We told a bunch of friends we were going to “elope” at Edgewater Beach at 10:30 am, and if they wanted to join us, they were more than welcome. We had a pretty good turnout, too! πŸ™‚

Adam and I…we just are not into huge, formal events. We wanted to spend most of our money on our Disneymoon. So, we kept it very simple.

I wore a simple sundress off the rack from Macy’s:

Ronni is Happy!

A string of pearls that I’m actually not sure where they came from. (Probably my mom.) I found them in my jewelry box and thought they were perfect.

Getting Ready

My shoes were a simple pair of white sandals from Payless. But mostly, I was barefoot.

The Bride

My bouquet was made by my ex-husband; that was his gift to me. Isn’t it pretty? I told him he needs to go into business.

My Bouquet

But here is the most important thing.

Getting Ready

Didn’t want to be funky on my wedding day, now did I? πŸ™‚

I remember feeling so excited that day. I got up and blasted that Andrews Sisters wedding day song. I ate a lemon donut.

Having Some Breakfast

And I was surrounded by so much love! The weather was perfect and there were dragonflies flying over the lake.

It was a good day.

Ronni & Adam

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Cray Cray

A Stuffed Beast????? WANT!

You guys, I’ve been so busy. Somehow, I still found time to play FarmVille though…BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT.

Ahem.

Seriously, when I filled out my planner, I swear it didn’t LOOK like *that* much was going on. But I guess looks are deceiving. Because now it looks a LOT more full. Maybe I had a veiling mechanism in place to keep me from freaking out.

What do you think?

Wrapping Up A Busy Week

All I know is that the life planner is a life saver. Seriously. I don’t know how I lived without it. And I swear, no one is paying me to say these things. It really is that awesome.

Monday, Adam and I ran errands. We went out to the mall to get more glassware (I’d developed an aversion to our plastic cups because they tasted like dishwasher soap–ew) and a few necessities. We also hit Stanley’s to get fruit and other yummy goodness. Tuesday was a whole day of yoga teacher training, where we worked on Balancing Poses pt. 2. We also worked on some advanced poses. YES LORD, they were advanced! Poses like Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (Extended Hand to Big Toe) and Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance). (The main reason I constantly use the Sanskrit names for the poses is that I have to know them! I’m considering making or purchasing flash cards, seriously.) Anyway, Natarajasana just about did me in! Even though I was against the wall, it was still REALLY HARD. Whew.

Wednesday was yoga, practice teaching, and a lecture. Oh, and I got my first apprenticeship sorted. I’m going to be apprenticing with Amber Cook. I am SO excited, you guys. Amber is amazing. She’s beautiful (inside and out), strong, smart, and one hell of a teacher. I’m going to learn so much from her! My apprenticeship starts in June. πŸ™‚

Thursday was more yoga, meeting with a friend, and hitting the library. Friday, I stayed the heck home and caught up on some homework (assignment is due this upcoming Monday) and talked to my mommy. YAY. Imagine my surprise when I called her and Aidan answered the phone! Aidan’s dad surprised her by bringing Aidan to see her for the weekend, which I know made her month.

Life is wonderful, you guys. Pleasantly busy and full of good stuff. I’m crazy about my yoga teacher training classmates. I look forward to seeing them when I go to class and when I’m hanging around Moksha. I’ve been running into yoga friends I haven’t seen in months or years lately and it’s been so cool seeing their faces. Seriously, the community at Moksha is amazing, and I am so blessed to be a part of it. Weather is still stinking cold, but it’s supposed to warm up next week. I doubt it’ll actually stay warm, but one or two days is better than none, and definitely better than this 30s-50s crap we’ve been having lately.

Saturday (today), I have homework, homework, homework. The sutras questions are kicking my bootie. They’re so hard! But the Anatomy Coloring Book is fun. πŸ™‚ Then I have the Urban Priestess Workshop with Ashley Turner which I hear is going to be um, AMAZING. And then Sunday will be super busy again. Master Teacher Roundtable (I’ve never been to one of these, so I’m interested in what it’s going to be like. I have to attend a bunch for my certification.), lectures, yoga class. Moksha River West is indeed my second home. And then the madness starts all over next week! But I’m not complaining. No way. πŸ™‚ This life is a blessing.

But now I’m going to go and read. I’m jumping between three books now: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, There is no Dog, and Akata Witch. Plus my text books for training. Multitasking much?

Oh, and that first picture? Yeah. There is a stuffed Beast now. It EXISTS, you guys. IT IS A THING. It must be mine. But maybe once it stops being $29.50. If it doesn’t sell out before I can scratch up the cash for such a frivolous purchase. He’s so cuttteeee. I wannnnttt itttt!

OK then. Bye for now!

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I’m Featured at Skinny Scoop!

Dude. I got the coolest email yesterday. The nice folks over at Skinny Scoop decided to feature ME as their Coffee Break: Blog of the Day.

Pretty awesome, right? Skinny Scoop is a pretty neat site, and if you like making lists (I do), then get prepared to fall in love with another total time suck (and I mean that in the nicest way possible)!

(more…)

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