WANDERLUST

This is an experience that I truly won't forget. Wanderlust is an event that takes place in a few locations every year. It is comprised of many many yoga classes, meditation classes, hikes, kirtans, dancing, and new to the mix, hula hooping. When I heard about wanderlust, I knew that I had to go, and bought my tickets shortly thereafter. Every single day had a full schedule of yoga, hooping and meditation. Parke came with me and also had an amazing time. I went to wanderlust Vermont, on top of Stratton mountain. It was at the ski resort, and it was set up like a yoga town. Everyone had their yoga mats and were shuffling along to their next class. After a long day of yoga and sweating, there was musical performance and a big party to enjoy. The part that I particularly enjoyed was the fact that perfect strangers did not seem like strangers at all. Everyone was there for most of the same reasons, to have an absolutely blissful 4 days. And we did. Many of the classes that I signed up for were very liberating. The energy of these classes were something that I have never encountered by myself, or with anyone else. For example, The kirtan I went to was a very large group. We started out with a few asanas (yoga poses) to get warmed up, all while letting out sounds. It seemed as if we were letting go of stagnancy and then came into unison with a fresh and new sound. We then rolled up our mats and came into a circle for our first mantra, which then turned into and mobile drum circle. Everyone was  chanting and clapping and dancing and looking at one another. Everyone was feeling and experiencing the same thing. When I walked out of that class I felt like my barriers were down, I felt open and unblocked. Another class that I went to was JAMMIN' power flow, by jill abraham. This class was awesome. We started our sun salutations and then were told to roll up the mats and put them to the side. She instructed up to get a partner, keep in mind you don't know these people. So I paired up with another young woman, and we were told to stand facing one another. Closer. Closer, like uncomfortably close. So here we are with our sweaty faces standing SUPER close to each other. Everybody was giggly and weird and feeling awkward. Jill told us to close our eyes, and think about how the person in front of us is not so different. They have a life, they have a family, they get sad and angry and happy too. She then told us to open our eyes and look into their eyes and try to see that. It was incredible. Then she told us to dance, and we did. It turned into one giant dance party, everyone was jumping around and dancing. Then we still had a yoga class to get on with! So we got back on our mats and we did some tough yoga. I don't think I have ever sweat so much. I loved it. I could go on and on. I will definitely be heading to another Wanderlust, it is too beautiful of an event to miss. Here are some pictures from WLVT. Enjoy!!

Now you see me now you don't!

This seems to be a recurring theme for me, I have developed a case of spotty blogging. Last semester at school was very difficult. It was comprised of all of my least favorite subjects, math, math and more math. So, most of my free time went into studying. On the bright side, there were a lot of fantastic things that happened for me. I left my job at the nursing home and got a new one at a children's hospital. It is on the total opposite end of the spectrum, but I love the work. I went to WANDERLUST! It was a beautiful and transformative experience and I plan on a post exclusively about that. I am Still in the swings about what I really want to do and which path is best for me, but I'm working on that. I will fill in the spaces with some posts about excursions and fun little things along the way.
Happy Sunday! xox
Julie

Life has been life lately

You never know what your going to get in this life. You think everything is going along, just the way it should be and then all of the sudden "BOOM!" change of plans. And I don't mean in a bad way, I mean in a confusing way. Okay, I'm talking about me right now. Recently I have been struggling with the idea of what I want to do as far as my career goes. I believe it is not-so-coincidental that these thoughts started to emerge while tuning into the root chakra. It's all about security and survival. Your roots. What more of a fitting dilemma than, "What do I want my career to be?" After all, income is your survival in this world. And conveniently, this is all happening while I'm currently majoring in nursing .__.
I know that I want to be in health care, however, the health care I really want to be in may prove to clash with the one I am currently pursuing. Recently, the idea of Ayurvedic medicine has been a reoccurring thought. I feel like this is what I need to do. Ever since yoga has changed my life, I have been on a much more holistic path. I didn't consciously make these changes either, they seem to have just fallen into place. This is a great thing. In fact, I don't even want to imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't made these changes. To make a long, and unanswered story short, I am stuck at a cross-roads between doing what I want right now or doing what I may have wanted to do in the past. Maybe this too will resolve itself by just, "falling into place."

"Love-ly" Shorts

This project was so fun!
I had a pair of red hand-me-down American Eagle shorts. I have been keen on re-fasioning clothing lately. I hand painted little white hearts on the shorts with a small bristled paint brush, and they came out beautiful! have a look! 
Click "READ MORE" for the "How-To" or the "Buy-Now"

Busy Bee

I've been writing these types of posts more often than I would like, but what can I do. I have been very busy with work and school, chemistry is proving to be a challenge. Recently, all of my spare time has gone to studying and homework and cramming. This past week was my spring break and I tried to enjoy every minute of it. I manage to do a decent amount of crafting and was able to RELAX (a notion that was becoming foreign to me).

What We Missed:
Completed my Reiki II certification!!!!
Made a wire wrapped necklace 
Made a pair of "lovely" shorts
Made an absolutely marvelous dinner
Continued my wood burning project

I plan on making a post about each one of these things.
Happy Saturday!

The Groove Strikes Back

Guess who's back on tour?! If you guessed Event Horizon, then you are correct! They will be on the road for 6 weeks. If you are in the area make sure you check them out! you can get a preview by going to their Facebook or listen to a few songs here.

The Crazy Pin Lady

During my month of recuperation I had plenty of time to get in touch with my creative side. I bought wooden discs from the craft store and got to work on these adorable pins. I think people forgot about pins/brooches. They are such a great accessory for a coat, sweater, hat, bag, you name it! This was a great project because I had the time to sit and paint (somethingI haven't been doing enough of up until now.) Have a look-see. Tell me what you think or which one is your favorite. Click "READ MORE" to see more pins!

Baked Acorn squash with Indian rice

I haven't posted a vegetarian recipe in quite a while now. I was stumped the night I made this one. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to make with the ingredients that I had. But then it all came together pretty well. This dish is full of flavor and its very filling. Click "Read More" for the recipe!
Enjoy!

Pyrography

After seeing this a few times I figured I'd Give it a shot: Pyrography. Otherwise known as wood burning. I bought the pen at Michaels craft store for a little over 20 dollars. I did a few practice doodles on a scrap piece of wood. It is really cool! It takes a lot of patience though. I can tell there will be some fun pieces to be created in the near future!
Here are a few pictures of my practice doodles.