January 2015

Happy 2015!! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season surrounded by friends, family and everything else that makes you shine. 

I had a great holiday this year- I stayed here in Colorado with my husband's family and we had a lovely time together. My daughter lost her front tooth (finally!), Santa delivered some great stuff, and even Buddy, our "Elf on the Shelf" ended up in some rather interesting places (hanging from the chandelier, arms and legs wrapped around a Nutcracker, in the Barbie jeep WITH Barbie, etc). But, I can whole-heartedly say that I'm glad the craziness of the season is over and I'm ready to move forward!  

So, are YOU ready for 2015?! Have you set your "intentions" for the New Year yet? As I mentioned in last months newsletter, each year I try to come up with something creative, and avoid the typical "lose weight, get healthier, etc" resolutions. I mean, those are great and hold a lot of value, but I try to think about what would truly make my life better/easier/simpler on a much deeper level. What resolution can I make for myself that will help me evolve more fully as a person (and Yogini!)? I came up with a few good ones, but one really stuck with me. Are you ready for it? Ok, here goes: This year, i'm going to STOP MULTI-TASKING! YES!!  Now, I'll admit I've always taken pride in how many things I can do at one time- I considered it a gift of sorts. I remember Christmas a few years ago I was wrapping presents, making dinner, baking cookies, talking on the phone and on-line shopping all at one time. Yikes. But seriously, who was I kidding? How can you possibly be mindful if you're doing so many things at one time? You CAN'T!!

Now, I'll admit that example is pretty extreme. But what about the "simple" act of talking on the phone while driving, or making dinner? Isn't that multi-tasking? Or how about texting and driving? Yup- that's multi-tasking too and I'll admit that from time to time I do it! No more I tell you. It's time to take my sanity back! NOTHING is so important that it can't wait.  All this multi-tasking is making me scattered- and this is NO LONGER the way I choose to live my life. I heard once that once you've been focusing on one thing, when you get pulled away it takes around 30 minutes to get back to the focus you had before you were pulled away. Think about that! We are wasting so much of our brains and energy trying to get "more" accomplished. But are we really saving time, or wasting time? 

OK, enough about me! When thinking about your resolutions, what can you come up with that would truly make a difference in your life? Dig deep people- go BIG! And as they say- Go big or go home:)

December 2014

I just returned from a week away with my family in the Caribbean. It was our first "official" vacation in many years, and the first time my kiddo has ever been out of the country. We had an awesome time and we able to share our Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends and warm temperatures! I loved seeing the island version of Thanksgiving- coconuts, shrimp cocktails and pina coladas- YUM! I sincerely hope your holiday was as memorable and wonderful as mine. 

It's unbelievable to me that it's already December! It's always in December that I find myself reflecting on the year that's past, wondering where the time has gone.  I ask myself if there was anything I could have done better, or if I was able to live up to my own standards as a human being. Did I do the best I could? Did I learn from the mistakes I made? All things considered, I think 2014 was a pretty great year! 

It's also always around this time that I go searching for my next new yearly planner (yes, I still use a paper planner), and once I find it (this can be quite a process for some reason), I begin diligently filling in important dates and upcoming events that I already have scheduled in the New Year. And, of course, I begin to start thinking about my resolutions for the New Year. Each year I try NOT to create your typical "lose weight, get healthier, etc" resolutions, but I try to really think outside the box. What would truly make my life better/easier/simpler? What resolution can I make for myself that will help me evolve as a person (and Yogini!). Have you started thinking about this yet? Do you have anything in mind? I have a few I'm pondering and I look forward to sharing them with you in next month's newsletter!

In the meantime, let's enjoy the last month of 2014 and make it incredible. After all, this is the time of year to enjoy family and friends and share in the holiday spirit. I truly hope it's the most magical time of your year.