Holy Karma Batman!!!

Well karma does exist... not to mention, a little prayer helps!
For various reasons unknown to me, I have been blessed with an amazing amount of work! In the past 2 weeks I have gone from teaching one class a week to picking up an additional 6 more! PLUS I have an additional email out there for what might be 1-2 more classes on top of that!
So when all is said and done, I will definitely have 7 by January & potentially could have 8 or 9. Wow...
Let's just say that I have faith and I do believe in how things work. I have never been perfect by any stretch of the imagination and I have made TONS of mistakes, blunders, pitfalls, sins, whatever you want to call them... I won't get too spiritual on those of you who are not but as someone who has found God in her life more and more the past several years, I truly believe that he helps you and leads you in the right direction... even if that means going in the wrong direction first to learn things the hard way...and more than once....
Not to get off track but...
I had some nasty comments posted on this blog a few months back & I know exactly who they were from. Am I mad about it? No... do I feel sorry for those who feel the need to judge others when they are far from perfect? Yes. I only hope that those who have made their mistakes are willing to pay before judging others. I am a firm believer that "those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"... and those comments were definitely from some fragile houses.
...at any rate, things can change for the better, even if you have ever felt like you are at rock bottom. Sometimes it just takes time and asking for forgiveness...over and over again... deep and from the heart....'cause He knows if you are sincere or not!
Happy Holidays to everyone! xoxo

I need a fix...

I need my needles... my knitting needles.
I've been home sick for 3 days & outside of have an Office marathon yesterday, I've done nothing, which I suppose is what you're supposed to do when you're sick but I don't sit still well.

I've been facebooking & watching all of my old Stitch N' Bitchers still talking about their needles. It only seems like yesterday that I couldn't get enough of my sore shoulders, wrists, & back from cranking through 2 hours of stitches. Now, I haven't finished the scarf I started LAST AUGUST. How sad is that?
So with box of tissue in hand, I think I will drag myself out into the garage & dust of the box that clearly says "Closet of Doom"... which is where all of my knitting gear resided in Chicago.

K1P2K1P2K1P2K1P2

Step-?

According to GNR, it is supposed to be "the cold November Rain"...yet it's still 80 degrees where I am. Funny that I know that all of my Chicago friends are bitching about the cold rain & dreary weather yet I'm dying for a reason to wear a sweater!
One thing I will not miss how the time change affects the midwest. At its peak, the light fades away & disappears at 4:15pm... seriously. 4:30 looks like midnight & SAD disorder sets in, hard.
Halloween has come & gone & I was super proud and excited to put together my first costumes for the little people. I even got a pretty good response from the face painting. Surprisingly enough, Kieron was far more receptive to the make-up application than his sister was. He'll be in good shape for his future days in drama class... 'cause with the dance moves & the voice that boy carries, I predict some stage stardom in his not too distant future.
I am super jazzed about being daddy's girlfriend. They've decided that stepmom isn't appropriate as that means 2 mom's & they only have one mom so until we come up with another term, I'm just Kristen... daddy's girlfriend...and that's just fine with me.

Pooped...

So with this move I've been the sucky blogger. I WISH I had time to blog! In one month I've bailed across the country, changed careers, bought a house, moved twice, and become Stepmom For Dummies...
I'm toast....

Workin' 9-5... well not really

After a week of not working, I've decided that I'm meant for the job market. I am SO ready to teach!!! I did a few hours at the "office" today which was a nice change from sitting 'round the apartment watching the dog & the cat try to get along.

Aside from that all is well. I learned that I am almost as smart as a 3rd & 4th grader based upon my help with this weeks homework...and I've also learned not only from this experience but from the frustrations of my other friends that 4th grade is apparently one big bitch all the way 'round. These kids are CRAMMED full of hours upon hours of homework. No down time whatsoever.

When do they find time to enjoy Space Invaders? Galaga? Going to Six Flags & eating Pop Rocks with Coke?

...a 10 year old should NOT, I repeat should NOT have digestive problems....

Sunshine State!!!???

Well here I am! Officially in Florida! We arrived late Thursday night after 2 days & 22 hours on the road... quite the trip...especially while holding a 10lb. dog the entire way!
All went pretty smooth with the small exception of a flat tire on the car trailer. Lucky that there are not only helpful people in small town Georgia, but that you can always count on a Wal-Mart when you need one!
Everyone is settling nicely... dog & cat are working things out...slowly but surely.
Today was my first real day not having to get up for work! I can't really decide how I feel about that... I should start work by the end of the week & early next week. A few more gigs will begin in October.... not to mention we close on our house in two weeks... woo hoo!!!
Now if I could just get used to seeing cows & hay bales on the side of the road...

Summer Fun

This has been the year of no summer... at least that's what the locals are saying. I for one have enjoyed not haveing the A/C on, not sweating my nuts off, and having good hair.

This was the perfect time for a bike ride... 23 miles to be exact. Who knew I had it in me? I love this city.

allo allo!

I am sitting in humid Florida with a houseful of Brits! Well, actually Julian's mum corrected me and said, "no, we are not British, we are English".... so there you go...
I have been here since Wednesday evening & leaving tomorrow. This trip has been a blur. We ended up working at the factory a few days this week to help Julian get the office somewhat pulled back together as he had to fire yet another office manager.
You would think that in the current economic situation this country is in, that it wouldn't be hard to find good, dependable, trustworthy help. Yet the thief seems to be a recurring theme. Is it small town USA? ... or just hillbillies in general? I am not only speaking on behalf of his current situation but from my own experiences in business. There are plenty of trustworthy folks out there but it seems that the pieces of scamming, lying crap out there tend to come in droves.

As I teach this week I am going to focus the intentions on trust and truthfulness... 'cause if you're not truthful and trustworthy, it all comes out in the wash my friends.... trust me.

Solo Efforts

I spent the weekend alone again... not that this is anything new as I spend many weekends alone, but I really enjoyed this one.
Being alone is complicated. Some people love it, others hate it... there are those of us who are torn in between.
I've lived a life with someone who I was around all waking hours of the day (by my own choice) but occasionally felt smothered. I have also lived alone and dialed my fingers off looking for someone simply to have coffee with.. with no success.
I'm not exactly sure what it is... the weather, the events, hmmmm... I didn't really run any errands which as we all know can suck the life out of you. Now that I think of it, I don't think I did any errands (out & about) as I tried to complete them during the week (is that the key?).
I did beach yoga Saturday morning, then taught a class shortly thereafter. I took myself out for a wonderful lunch & coffee break and then headed home. As I parked my car I thought, "what are you doing? you were going to hang flyers this weekend?"... but that interest wained on Friday night after I thought it through. At any rate, I decided to hang one flyer at Whole Foods and on route, stopped at both a vintage clothing store and used book store that are in Evanston. I have seen these two establishments there since I moved here 2 years ago & never made the time to stop.
I found a great shirt and 5 books all for about $20. Hung my flyer, headed home.
Instead of banging on Facebook all weekend, I actually READ an entire book from cover to cover... yeah me.
I taught an amazing free community class today at Lululemon and when I arrived, I was informed that we were taking the class to the park... absolutely perfect.
I cleaned, did laundry, changed the sheets, walked the dog a few times, took a 1 hour bike ride along the lake, then drug out the grill & cooked a steak & a baked potato.
...and here I sit writing about it comtemplating a bowl of vanilla ice cream with blackberries & raspberries...

I'm not sure why but this weekend gave me a fresh outlook on life... and I like it.

too much techno

I have a blog, I'm on Facebook, and I've joined Twitter... do I really need all of this freaking technology while I'm working something like 5 jobs??? What the hell is wrong with me? I should go meditate... and twit about it.

A-B-C

..."it's easy at 1-2-3".... and now I say R-I-P???

While I have always loved Michael Jackson's music, I must admit that his ever-changing looks and behavior over the past few decades has made me say "what the hell" more than once. At the same time I have always felt sorry for him for feeling the need to continue to change his appearance over and over and over again. While my senses tell me that he was happy with success, it also tells me that it was unhappy with the same.
For some odd reason, within the past 6 months or so, I saw something about MJ and thought to myself, I wonder if he will live a full life? Will he live to be an 80 year old man?...or will he die an early death as the few icons of his statute have?.... strange... question answered.
I drank a beer and listened to my Off The Wall album the night of his death... and yes, it was an album, on vinyl, on my turntable.
I am deeply a child of the 80's & remember vividly sitting at Francesca Sabara's house watching the Worldwide Premier of Thriller....and stunned at how amazing it was for it's time.
My heart goes out to the family and I hope that they are able to be left in peace as much as humanly possible at this difficult time.
R.I.P. and thanks for the music

Yoga life

I have been teaching now for 5+ months. What have I observed? Well, taking on a part-time job is a bit more than I bargained for. Not because it's such hard work but because I find that all of the sudden, I have NO time for anything. Maybe that's just the beauty of being ADD & struggling with focusing!!! Seriously, with all of the yoga added into my life, I am WAY more calm, things just rooooolll of my back, and I am the fittest I have ever been in my life. My weight has not fluctuated in the past 5 months AT ALL... and the reality is, I don't really give a flip about the scale.
I am happier, more content, less-stressed, lighter (mentally and physically) and have a better sense of who I am.
I recently launched http://www.traveling-yoga.com/. My newest enterprise. I have a strange but good feeling about this as we just returned from the first event and got really amazing feedback. Beware, I might be traveling to you soon!!!
On a different non-yoga note, I think Radar is losing his hearing... of all the senses, his EARS... for goodness sakes, his name is RADAR!!! Bloody hell... I guess considering he's an unknown age of which I predict to be around 13-14, the little guys is not really doing that bad. He doesn't hear me call him that well but I'll be damned if he doesn't hear the front door open!
Anyway, I did 3 1/2 hours of yoga today... taught 2 classes & took one of my own. I can't really decide how my body feels about that. I guess I'll find out tomorrow!
Until then... I'm going to make a fabulous dinner for myself!
Here is a link to the pics from the first Traveling-Yoga event... enjoy and namaste...

Announcing...

The fruits of my labor....
www.traveling-yoga.com
Check it out & pass it on!

:(

I am so sorry I have been gone for so long! Unfortunately my day job that pays all my bills has gotten a little insane.
Now, the YOGA is going smashing! I just picked up another 10 week session at Crate's corp. fitness center, I love teaching at Know-no-limits gym in Andersonville, AND I have contracted a gig at the Beneteaus Rendesvous in Annapolis, MD at the end of May!
I am also currently building a web site which I will reveal when it is complete. I spent way too much time last weekend in front of this screen so now I'm jumping into it in bits & pieces.
On random other things....
I am attempting to be a greener individual... both for the planet, my yogic beliefs, and my wallet. I am making a conscious effort to unplug anything I can when not in use, and especially when I'm out of town. I think it has visibly lowered my electric bill! I'm on a crusade to reuse/recycle what I can. I am disgusted with all of the plastic I am accumulating. Anything that can be reused at this point is taking up space in my bathroom cabinet. I know I'm a girl & all but even trying to clean out all of the freebies & samples that I've gotten (by actually using them) has brought on a stupid amount of plastic waste. If I didn't already have a zillion things going on... I would attempt an art project about this.
Another weird thing... I recently read an article which stated that it has been proven that plants leaves perk up when their owners walk into the room. So in the interest of experiment, I have begun talking to my one, lone, plant. Not only have the leaves stopped turning brown, but it is FLOURISHING with growth! It's a type of palm tree which was really doing poorly. Now it has busted through the side of the stalk with an entirely new branch of greenery! I am super jazzed about my horticultural efforts... in other words, I am a dork.
That's all for this shitty weather Sunday morning in Chicago. I hope all of you in the rest of the country (and beyond) are enjoying spring/summer like weather as it is 45 degrees here on April 25th, 2009!

Things are a happenin'

I picked up another teaching job! I am on a roll!
I will be teaching at Know-No-Limits on Clark Ave., Saturday's from 12-1pm. Yipeeeee!!!!

what time is it?

This may sound stupid and/or not much of a "wow" factor but I spent 2 days not knowing what time it was. I am amazed and stunned not only at how difficult it was sometimes but how liberating it was simply not to care.

While camping in St. Augustine this past week, the watches came off and the cell phones were turned off after about 3 hours. That evening it didn't really occur to us what we were doing but the next morning it hit home. As my eyes opened (to a confused little dog), one time it was dark outside, the next it was light. The first instinct was to look at a clock & wonder "what time is it?". When I realized I didn't have a clock, the next instinct was to find one. Instead I just layed there & thought, " do I really care?" "does it really matter?".
It's sad how our lives revolve around the fucking clock. So the order of the day was... No Time. We ate when hungry & slept when tired & showered when dirty... and gaged the time by the sun.

How primative and lovely all at the same time. I can only dream of living an entire week this way!...but wait! What about my Facebook addiction???

Health Class 101... or not...

I just spend the weekend in a 3 day Ayurvedic workshop. My head is totally spinning. Not only did I completely fill my head to capacity with information... but I think I have found one of MY teachers.

As someone who got my certification through a program not associated with a studio, I have been wandering the city like a nomad in search of a studio to call home, as well as hoping to resonate with more teachers as I have with Bhakti at Chi-Town Shakti.

James Tennant presented the workshop which covered how to apply Ayurveda to your asana practice. His teaching was amazing, the content was insanely comprehensive, I could just feel the passion he has for Yoga and Ayurveda in how he presented the material, the practices we did made a huge amount of sense, and well, he's pleasing on the eyes (bonus) even if he's not on my team AND, well, I'm head over heels in love with my Brit...

I am STOKED about going to one of his full practices. It's like when you find the perfect pair of shoes... I think that he might be my perfect pair of shoes... for yoga.

For you yogis & yoginis out there, I recommend checking out Moksha Yogas studio at 700 Carpenter if you haven't been there before. The staff was super friendly and they have a great boutique full of yummy yoga goodies.

Namaste :)

Give me the flip flop

... not in terms of the weather, although I'll take that too! ... but in terms of career. I can't complain, I'm working a full-time job and a part-time job... but the place I spend the most time all week is the one I loathe the most. I should be and I am, greatful to be employeed in this oh-so-shitty economy. But does that mean I can't complain about REALLY NOT LIKING the job that I do? In addition, I KNOW what I want to do when I grow up, but once again, we are in an oh-so-shitty economy so pounding the streets for a new job ain't the easiest of tasks.
In the spirit of yoga, I will say that I am happy with what I have. I have a good paying job, an amazing relationship, family, and friends, and the most super-uber cool dog.
... but that damn day job is truly sucking the life out of me. If it sucks anymore I'm gonna start looking Lohan...

The luck o' the Irish... and British

Saturday Julian & I went to the Chicago St. Patricks Day Parade. I was SO excited about it! I am Irish, (duh, booze!) and have wanted to attend this since I moved here. Chicago has the 2ND largest Irish population in the country so this has to be balls to the wall right?

Wrong... Before I criticize, let me say that about 1/3 into the parade I looked at Julian & said, "okay I guess considering that we are in a horrible, global recession, a parade is the last thing that anyone wants to put there money in". This I understand. So there were a handful of marching bands, and LOTS of random family's of politicians walking behind banners. Not my idea of a super exciting event. BUT whoever was supposed to be organizing the parade did a fairly crappy job. A great bagpipe band would march by & get everyone geared up, then POOF!... nothing... for, like, 3 minutes. There was no flow & huge gaps of space in between groups. There was little or no excitement from the crowd and overall everyone seemed bored.

Maybe I'm spoiled 'cause my idea of a PARADE is what cruises down Cedar Springs in Dallas every year for Gay Pride. I mean come on, even in the worst of times, you KNOW those G&L's can do some mean shit with some crepe paper and no recession is going to stop that!!!

...and what the HELL does Ronald McDonald in a humongous red shoe have to do with Ireland????

Working on da J-O-B

It's really frustrating knowing you've finally figured out what you want to do when you grow up and you can't do it fast enough.
That's how I feel right now. I feel very fortunate to have the classes that I do but going to my FT job every day is sucking the life out of me. I am EXTREMELY blessed to have a job in the current times so don't think I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth. I do realize that there are millions of people who would kill for me job.
I just continue to think positive and pray hard.
Today it paid off... I went to yoga myself at Chi-Town Shakti and I was the only person there so I got an amazing private lesson with Bhakti! I can't believe how much I learned from her in an hour & 1/2... she rocks.
Then I went to Lululemon in Evanston to poke around and after much conversation with the girls there, I signed up for the Research & Development discount ('cause I'm a teacher!)... bought a great top, and got signed up to teach a community class in May! Who knew....
The weather was crappy but it was bright & sunny inside my little world.

going holistic part 1

I forgot to mention my change o' diet.
I did start to eat MUCH healthier this past weekend since I was sick of being sick. Couple that with some major exercise and I felt like a million bucks... until Monday night when I got the most KILLER migraine I've had in years. Not so much the intensity of it as the length of time I had it. It crept in behind my right eye around 2:00 in the afternoon & I didn't finally crash until 4 migraine pills later at 2:00 am... good Lord.
The migraine is a bitch. I don't care for her, she's ugly, she's mean... and she'll borrow your favorite jeans and never give them back... whore.

The early bird catches a plane

I have a 5:50 am flight tomorrow. What the hell was I thinking booking that???? I think that means i have to rise & grunt around 3:ish. The good part about it is that I will be in FL by lunch time. I'm flying Delta who I haven't flown in forever. I will be doing a comparison between them and AA. I used to be a huge Delta fan until they pulled back from DFW. AA has much better non-stops & their pricing is awesome... BUT, their flight attendants tend to be kind of crabby bitchy.
It's sad, there are no more restrictions that say you have to be thin, cute, & perky... now you can be fat, old and bitchy... and WE pay for these people to be rude to us and serve us cranapple? I'm in the wrong business....

resume, resumE', resume, resumE'

Okay I'm trying to emphasize the two words in case you're a fool...
I'm a fool. I'm plastered to this f-ing computer sending yoga resumes out like mad. I have only once done the unthinkable... I forgot to attach the attachments. It's what I get for trying to do this while I'm STILL sick.
Did I mention I'm sick? I'm sure if you're on Facebook then you are all too familiar w/my illness, drugs, and misery.
I've decided today that if I don't start feeling remarkably better by tomorrow... I'm going holistic. The new antibiotic they gave me is used for various bacteria's... like anthrax. Good lord... the body is NOT made to inhale all of these chemicals. Antibiotics, steroids, Mucinex, ventolin...
I have realized that stress and my somewhat shitty diet are the reason I'm sick. No doubt about it. I don't care that everyone else in the free world is sick, if I was taking better care of myself on those two scores... I think I would be healthy. So girls & boys, here goes... tomorrow I'm going light. Not as in consumption, but as in what I'm consuming. Fruits, veggies, tons of water, & light meats.
I have been sick for two freaking weeks... stick a fork in me, I'm done.
News report tomorrow at 6:00, complete with news anchor hair!

Who the hell is???

Yogapest... who and why...

I've been bartering with a girl from my student exchange program at school. Not not battering, BARTERING. She is a personal trainer who is also in the massage therapy program. Long story long, we (try) to meet every Sunday to swap services (not nearly as kinky as THAT sounds) as in 1 hour of yoga for 1 hour of personal training.

I emailed her a few weeks ago to discuss utilizing her as a reference. Throughout several emails I finally signed myself off as yoga pest. The name seems to have stuck but is now one word. It seems to be my name and I like it.

I think I've mentioned before that I'm not looking to be a yoga pimp. I'm sure the money's good but I have no interest in beating my bitches.

Seriously, I REALLY want to share everything I've learned... mostly because it has affected me so positively and because I know just how good it is for you! However, I don't want to push yoga like a Shaklee, Amway, or Mary Kay representative. Then again maybe I could???... Have my own yoga pyramid scheme? Pass out pink yoga mats for the instructor who recruits the most students???

Hmmmm.... I may be on to something...

A-N-Y-W-A-Y I like the name Yogapest better 'cause it fits... and it sounds like Budapest.

I'll buzz around you... but I won't land close enough to be slapped away.

Oh yeah... thanks Jackie :)

Meet the Crisps

A couple of weekends ago I flew to Florida to meet Julians children. We hit it off wonderfully. They are amazing and I felt totally at home with them. I guess it helps that I'm perpetually a 10 year old myself... no wonder they liked me so much... that and I bribed them each with a dollar :)

Part-time madness!

Wow, first off I haven't updated this blog in a long damn time!
Well now that school is finished and the holidays are over, life is back to normal... HA! not really... I've started two teaching jobs back to back. I'm teaching Monday nights at the Crate corporate fitness center, and Thursday nights at a local coffee shop (for a community class). I also have one private client on Sunday mornings. All in all this is AWESOME!...but I now officially realize that I am working a part-time job. Realistically... it doesn't feel like work to me at all and I love it!
I don't want to be a yoga pimp, but I can honestly say that it has changed my life for the better. The physical part is good, but the mental part is stellar. I have an amazing amount of focus, and I'm no longer bitchy. Everything just kind of rolls off the back... and I can't even attribute that to booze as I've quit drinking all together!
What's wrong with me?!!!!
Seriously, I've never felt better in my life... now if I could only get that silly Brit in the same town with me, I would be in heaven.

Happy New Year!

Well hello all... it's really 2009. That's crazy. I remember when the big millennium scare was going on & that doesn't seem that long ago.
With this new year I have reflected on the last one and how crazy it really was. I went through a ton of emotional upheaval for a multitude of reasons, came full circle with my job (and how devoted I was going to be to it), began yoga school & got certified as a yoga instructor, and most importantly, met my soul mate. Yes I know that's the cheesiest most cliche word to use in a relationship... but it's true.
I look at 2009 not with resolution, but with intention. Intention to strengthen my faith and get back to church (even though I missed this morning...not on a good start!), to take yoga to a completely different level in my life, to help others who are less fortunate than I am, to continue on my alcohol-free path (which I haven't really advertised up until now!), to enjoy the relationship with my parents that has come to a completely different level, and to work towards getting my relationship with my sister back.
I call these intentions because it's all about the act of working towards these things, rather than a goal or final outcome. It's easy to say, "I need to lose weight" but if you don't, then you've set yourself up for failure. If you say, "I intend to eat better and work on my health", then you've got a much better chance of change then the previous statement. It's all in how you look at it and how you perceive it.
With all that mumbo-jumbo, I want to with each and everyone of my friends, family, and strangers who may read this, a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year full of good things and happy memories!!!