EASE

Posted on January 2, 2012 by

definition:  the state of being comfortable

a. freedom from pain or discomfort
b. freedom from care
c. freedom from labor or difficulty
d. freedom from embarrassment or constraint

Over the past few years, I have not made resolutions but instead have focused on a word that encompasses what I want to bring to that new year.  Last year, I chose two words, Trust and Balance.  I worked a lot last year on trusting myself and others and bringing balance to my life.  I’m still working on both of those.

This year when thinking of a word, I pondered a few but the one that stuck with me and kept playing over and over again in my head is EASE.  Not Easy as in I want my life to be easy but Ease as in quit fighting so hard.  Ease on down the road…don’t make things harder then they need to be.

We will see what 2012 holds for all of us.  I think its going to be a good year indeed.  And I hope that all of you incorporate some EASE into your life too.

Posted in Inspiration, Life Lessons | 5 Comments

Merry Christmas from me and Allie

Posted on December 25, 2011 by

Wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The Pursuit of Healthfulness – Week 3

Posted on December 23, 2011 by

It has been a challenge the last week and a half to stay on track with my goals.  I was traveling part of the time and this week has been busy getting ready for the holiday.  I’ve been sleeping in late (or should I say oversleeping) every morning so my breakfasts this week have been protein bars (pictured above).  I like these particular bars because they have 20 grams of protein and I don’t know about you, but I need crave protein in the morning.  And if I’m planning on getting a workout in, its a must.  I would much rather enjoy some eggs or oatmeal with fruit and nuts but this week I’ve been rushed so these bars have done the trick.

I did indulge a bit while traveling in LA so my weight loss had a little set back.  I enjoyed prosecco at the big book launch and fries with oysters which is Christine and my traditional meal.  I have decided not to beat myself up about it because I enjoyed every single moment.  I’m learning what food means to me, what it represents.  I’m not quite ready to share that yet but I will very soon.

I’m learning some very interesting lessons on this pursuit and I can’t wait to share more in the new year.  I think I’ll be taking a week off for the holidays and will see you back here in 2012!

Now go check out Karen’s latest post as I think she has some good stuff to share.

And if you are joining us on this pursuit and want to share, be sure to link up here.

Posted in Health & Wellness, The Pursuit of Healthfulness | 2 Comments

Guest Post and Giveaway by Christine Mason Miller

Posted on December 16, 2011 by

****The Giveaway winner is (drumroll please) Karen Delaney Dino aka Deldino!  Congratulations!  Christine will be in touch to ship off your extra special wall art!****

Today I am excited to have Christine Mason Miller here to share her new book, Desire to Inspire.  Christine is my best friend and she has been inspiring me for the many years we have known each other, since the day she whipped up bigger than life silhouettes for the Virginia Tech Homecoming Dance in 1987!  We became friends shortly after that day and I can’t imagine a better BFF.  Through the good times and bad, she is always an inspiration.  I am so proud of her latest endeavor and cannot wait to hold this book in my own two hands.  Check out a snippet here…

Christine Mason Miller’s latest book – Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World – is a collection of stories, exercises, images, quotes, and anecdotes from twenty extraordinary contributors, all sharing insights and experiences of how they create a meaningful life and, in turn, make a positive impact on the world. Each chapter discusses a different aspect of living a passion-fueled life, and this month Christine is offering a 60-Second Snapshot of each chapter as part of her Desire to Inspire Virtual Book Tour. Click here for all her online book tour dates!

Today Christine discusses Chapter 5 ~ Twists, Turns, and Other Beautiful Surprises

“The unpredictable nature of following dreams and creating a meaningful life is perhaps the only certainty that exists along these journeys. There are no guarantees in even the best laid-out plans; one way or another the details of life are going to trickle in and force me to re-evaluate, venture into unknown territory, or abandon certain items in my metaphorical backpack.” ~Desire to Inspire

Both of these statements are true, and beautiful for their own reasons:

My life has turned out exactly the way I dreamed it would.

My life has turned out nothing like I thought it would.

Leave a comment today through 5pm December 21st and be entered to win one of the three wall art pieces pictured below!  

The winner will be selected at random and announced on December 22nd.

Christine Mason Miller is a Santa Monica-based artist, writer, and explorer. Her next book – Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World – is now available at bookstores everywhere and Amazon.com. Follow her adventures at www.christinemasonmiller.com.



Posted in Guest Post, Inspiration | 13 Comments

The Pursuit of Healthfulness – Week 2

Posted on December 15, 2011 by

Sweet Josie Amber Ale

As you read this post I will be in Los Angeles getting ready to attend the big launch party for Desire to Inspire.  Another reason for this post on Thursday is that on Friday, Christine Mason Miller will be a guest here with a little snippet from her latest book, Desire to Inspire.  There will be a Giveaway too so be sure to check back tomorrow!

Now on to my health observations since last Friday.  Normally when I face a stressful situation, I eat whatever is quick and easy and I tend to add alcohol in the mix too.  On Friday, when Allie got home from her surgery the first thing I thought was I need a glass of wine.  I didn’t necessarily want it though.  I think there is a trigger in my head that says, you have stress then have a drink.  Don’t get me wrong, if I really wanted that drink I would have had it.  Instead I had some sparkling water and celery with hummus.  This was not the best meal to have either but it was far more healthy than pizza and beer.  Again, I’m not saying that if I really wanted those things I would have denied myself, I’m just listening to my body more and realizing what I do and do not need or want to eat.

I haven’t had coffee in a few weeks so on Saturday I thought I’d try a cup to see if I really missed it.  I learned I didn’t miss it one bit.  The cup was not at all satisfying so I’ll continue to drink my tea instead.  I’m sure I’ll try again at some point but for now, no coffee.

These past two weeks have been a great kick-off to eating healthier.  I know when I get out to LA, I will have lots of temptations but with this foundation I am building, I will focus more on what feels right for me to eat or drink.  I will pay less attention to what everyone else is doing and more on what works for me.

These lessons I’m learning about my eating habits can easily apply to all other aspects of my life.  I’ll focus more on that at a later date.  Until then, I have dropped 2 more pounds since Friday.  I like seeing the scale go down but I am less focused on that then how I feel.  I am feeling so much better in the last two weeks than I have in quite awhile.  I know I’m on the right track.

Don’t forget to go check out Karen’s latest post on Journey Back to Self and see how she’s doing on her Pursuit to Healthfulness.

And if you have decided to join us and want to link to this post, please add your link below.

Posted in Health & Wellness, The Pursuit of Healthfulness | 3 Comments

Slowing it down a bit

Posted on December 11, 2011 by

This is Allie post-surgery wearing her collar.  You should have seen the first collar they gave us, it was 2.5″ bigger than this one.  Poor thing couldn’t do anything in it.  This one keeps her from licking her incision but she can still function fairly normally.

Last Wednesday, I discovered blood in Allie’s urine which would be the 3rd time that’s happened.  The first two times we treated her with antibiotics and she was better for a little while.  This time, my vet suggested x-rays to see if she had stones in her bladder.  Sure enough that’s what it was and they were able to take her in for surgery on Friday.  Now I did not want to go the surgery route but looking at months of pain if we tried to dissolve it by changing her diet versus a week of discomfort, I did what I thought was best.  And once I saw the stone they removed, I was glad we went this route…it was huge!

Allie’s surgery has slowed us both down a bit.  All my plans for the weekend were immediately cancelled and the two of us have cozied up at home for a bit of rest and recovery.  There are so many things that need to get done, shopping for Christmas gifts, getting ready for my trip to LA, but there is nothing more important right now that making sure Allie gets better.  Yes, I am still leaving for LA on Wednesday but by then she should almost be done with her meds and feeling close to normal.  Lucky for me I have the best cat sitters in the world, Zoe & Bob, who will take great care of her…even though I do feel guilty for leaving.

If you had asked me seven years ago, if I would ever think of a pet like my family, I probably would have said, are you nuts?  I grew up with pets who would arrive one day and be gone a short time later so I never had that bond.  When my friends would talk about their pets and what they would do for them, I didn’t get it.  I thought they were a bit crazy, but now, I’m part of that group.  One of those people who treats their pet like their child.  Yup that’s me…one of the crazy ones…and I wouldn’t trade if for anything.

Posted in Home, Life Lessons | 6 Comments

The Pursuit of Healthfulness – Week One

Posted on December 9, 2011 by

I have a love-hate relationship with the scale.  Actually, I haven’t owned a scale in years so the only time I know my weight is when I visit the doctor’s office.  And you know those scales are off by like 10 pounds right?  So this week I went out and purchased a scale, its digital and has BIG numbers so I can read them.

Since I didn’t purchase the scale until this week, I am going to start with the weight I had at the doctor’s office and track my progress from there.  As of this morning, I have lost 6 pounds since last Tuesday (10 days).  It hasn’t been too difficult to give up bread or the sugar.  I put Agave in my tea and even though its probably got as many calories as sugar, I put much less in (about a tsp will do).

Some other changes I’ve made to my eating:

  • I have veggies and hummus, instead of chips or crackers
  • I eat pistachios or almonds for a snack but limit the numbers instead of munching on endless amounts of trail mix
  • If I eat a protein bar for breakfast, I don’t eat anything until lunch, those bars fill me up
  • I haven’t eaten out in over a week which may be the biggest change of all.

One of the biggest challenges I have encountered is coming up with healthy creative meals.  My go-to meals are quinoa with just about anything, black beans, chicken, veggies, more quinoa or egg whites with spinach or black beans and rice.  I try to spice things up with a little salsa, avocado but it gets boring.  If you have any great recipes you want to share with as few ingredients as possible (the longer the recipe the less likely I’ll make it), please do so.

Karen and I have had a lot of comments from you wanting to join us on this pursuit.  If you want to share on your blog, we will be including a place for you to link to your blog posts on our sites.  Also, if you need any support, please leave a comment here or send an email to melissa52767@yahoo.com.  I will be happy to give you any support or tips that I can.

Don’t forget to visit Karen at Journey Back to Self to see what she’s been up to this week.

And please feel free to link to your blog posts about your pursuit below.

Posted in Health & Wellness, The Pursuit of Healthfulness | 7 Comments