Soy Joy

Things I would like to have today:

2011-03-17T09:59:00.001-07:00

1. Faux Leather Jacket
2. To lose 10lbs
3. A bigger selection of high heels

It's been a while...

2011-03-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

since I posted anything...
This weekend I flew to Texas with my boyfriend to visit my dad! We arrived at LAX about 4:30am and flew out around 6:30am. The flight seemed amazingly short and we arrived at lunch time in Dallas. It was so great to see my dad, like it always is. We spent time eating, cruising around in the car, visiting their bakery and catching up over coffee and cupcakes. The weather was beautiful and I got to see his wife's kids, and their kids. It was a blast.
The voyage home was a bit delayed by American Airlines. My mom picked us up and dropped us off at our homes and I was so tired I went right to bed.
All in all it was a wonderful, but quick vacation.

Twenty Nine

2011-01-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

I turned 29 today. I really wasn't born until 9p.m., but who's counting...besides my mother.

I am doing the usual work day, out to drinks with my mom after work, dinner with my boyfriend, and then City Walk with my sister, her hubby, the bf and some friends.

29...so far, I love you.

Two Thousand Eleven

2011-01-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

Dear 2011,

I have high hopes for you. I promise to put in the effort for what I desire and realize what I sow, I will reap.

Please, be good to me.

SWAPTREE

2010-12-22T09:17:00.000-08:00

This might be the greatest idea ever...

swap.com

Catch A Falling Star...

2010-12-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

Put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day.
Rain, I mean really, please stop.

Fortune Cookie Break

2010-12-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

Oliva brought me a fortune cookie today before work ended, and it read:

Courage and optimism are your best traits.
04 15 26 38 41 12

I will agree with this statement.
Thanks Oliva!

Resolutions

2010-12-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

IN 2011 I WILL:

1. Stop biting my nails
2. Let go of judgment
3. Get back to Art

Love is....

2010-12-13T09:45:00.001-08:00

"Love is meant to..
heal-
renew-
make us safe-
inspire us with its power-
make us certain, without doubt-
oust all fear-
unveil immortality-
bring peace-
harmonize differences-
bring us closer to God." -Chopra

For myself, I want love to make me certain, without doubt.
I want to let go of the doubt I have within myself. I want to be certain
about who I am, that I am loved, and that I am capable of loving others
purely, and intensely.

Write down what you want from love.

Family Tree

2010-11-04T08:31:00.001-07:00

The roots of my love for my family grow deep. I treasure the relationships I have with my mom, dad, and sister. I have been extremely lucky to have had such wonderful people be a part of my life; happy times, sad time, and everything in between. I now have a niece and nephew I love more than words can explain and a brother-in-law who couldn't love my sister any more wonderfully.
As my family seemed to break apart right before my 20's, it then came back together with even more pieces. I now have a step-mother and father, a total of two step-sisters and two step-brothers. As my mom would say, I like to find the glue that 'binds' us together. I'm not one to just be satisfied with putting on a happy face while in the midst of a family get together and then leave with nothing more than that. I want the new members of my family to mean something more to me, and me to them.
Family really is the most important thing in my life. I couldn't imagine conquering most of what I have in life without my family by my side. I didn't realize what exactly they meant to me until about my early/mid 20's. I can leave this world when my time comes with a knowing heart how much I am loved, and how much I love them.

Believers vs NonBelievers

2010-06-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

"Religion, to a large extent, became divisive rather than unifying forces. Instead of bringing about an ending of violence and hatred through a realization of the fundamental oneness of all life, they brought more violence and hatred, more divisions between people as well as between different religions and even within the same religion. They became ideologies, belief systems people could identify with and so use them to enhance their false sense of self. Through them, they could make themselves "right" and others "wrong" and thus define their identity through their enemies, the "others," the "nonbelievers" or "wrong believers"..."
-Eckhart Tolle

Finally, I found someone who put my thoughts into words. I am not a church goer, but, I am not a non-believer. I find that all religions, in my mind, are one. It is a commonality among almost every religion to be kind to others, love God, love yourself, and do good in the world while you are here.

I have never been able to feel comfortable labeling myself. I find myself taking parts of different beliefs that resonate with my soul in many religions, and trying to use those principals to make me a better person. I hear frequently that you must 'choose' a religion and be faithful to that 'one'. That goes against what my heart and brain tell me to do so, in being honest with myself, I chose to believe what I know is right for myself.

Gratitude List

2010-06-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Whenever I forget what it is I have in my life that is truly important, here is my Gratitude List to remind me:

A roof over my head
A warm bed to sleep in
Food to eat
Money in the bank
A car to drive
Colors
Glue
My computer
Clothes
My true friends
(LOVE)mm
My family and their support
My loving and crazy dog Macy
A healthy body
A creative mind
Lily and Jacob who remind me to love the simple things
and so much more...

Monday Monday

2010-06-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

The vegan conquest fell short of my two week goal. I lasted about 3 days. Getting all the veggies and fruits back in my diet felt great, but it was a tedious effort trying to get myself full each meal. I'm back on the vegetarian bandwagon, enjoying my cheese and loving some shortbread cookies. Mmmmmmm!

It is monday, again. I am a full time babysitter for my niece and nephew the next two weeks. I love spending time with them, learning new and funny things about their personalities. I am going to try and make the next two weeks as fun and energy exhausting as I possibly can. We will see what today brings...
It's Monday, so this is just a warm up :)

Vegan-izm

2010-06-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today, I am becoming a Vegan.
I am doing this to cleanse my body of all the daily crap I eat. I want to see what my body feels like when I eat more purely; fruits, veggies, and less unprocessed foods. My goal is to do this for two weeks, asess the situation and go from there wether or not to continue.
Today I ate:
Oatmeal for breakfast with coffee and water
Fake chick'n and broccoli, water, and jicama for lunch.
I will be making red quinoa with broccoli and cauliflower and some raspberries for dinner...

After dinner:
Time to start paintin'!

What I Learned Today...

2010-05-25T21:21:00.001-07:00

I went to the library today, part of my weekly visit, and checked out a few books I think will prove to be very interesting. This is what I have read and learned so far...

Excerpts from 'The 7 Spiritual Law of Success' by Deepak Chopra.

Every morning wake up and say "Today I shall judge nothing that occurs."

"When you discover your essential nature and know who you really are, in that knowing itself is the ability to fulfill any dream you have."

"Your true being is fearless, free, immune to criticism, and does not fear any challenge."

Hot Yoga

2010-05-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

I took a Hot Yoga class tonight with my girlfriend. It isn't the first class I have taken there but by far the best!
The room is about 90 degrees, even though it feels like 200 degrees. When I walked in it was dim, soft music playing, and HOT! I lay my mat down and sat atop taking deep breathes. The class began laying down with eyes closed and just paying attention to your breath. This alone was amazingly relaxing and mended my soul. By the first 30 minutes of the class I was drenched, in sweat. The last 30 minutes of class I had to take a few breaks because I thought I might pass out.
As we ended with clam stretching, we went to do 'fire breaths'. This was a first for me in any yoga class. I thought, how the heck am I going to be able to breath like that and not pass out?! But, I tried it, didn't pass out, and really liked it. Needless to say, I will be going back to this class and seek out this same teacher.
If anyone wants to join, let me know!

I Quit!

2010-05-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

I quit my job in April. I worked there for 5 years this coming summer. This is the longest I have ever worked at one place. I really loved what I did; retouching, digital art, graphic design, photography, front office. I made some really great friendships there.
There comes a point when you get tired of being sick and tired. Employees did not get treated very well, including myself. It seemed to be a daily constant battle to not get put down, or told for the millionth time how to do something you had been doing for years. I could have stayed there forever if it hadn't been for the ongoing abuse. But, sometime you have to take a risk and do it for yourself because I certainly deserved to be treated better.
I am still unemployed and looking for a job in the same field or anything else really. I hear that when one door closes, another one opens. I'm looking closely for that opening door...