Recap

It was an extremely busy but fun wedding back in C-bus. I flew out insanely early and arrived in the OH to help run around with some last minute wedding tasks. The jet lag was bad. How did I travel around the world and not feel this bad yet I fly to the other side of the country and I am beat? It was an early night Thursday before getting up to do some yoga to try to make myself right. I found a great little studio, GoYoga, in Upper Arlington. I love checking out new studios! That day was followed with nails and of course the rehearsal dinner. Saturday I was up early to get the hair did before all the normal wedding festivities including lots of drinking and dancing! My bro and his wife looked so happy and I am so happy for them! There were difficult times but I think overall I am better at just not thinking about it all. Not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing so we will just go with it is what it is. Sunday I spent a couple of hours with the fam before the long journey home. I had hangovers and delays to contend with so it was a long one. The ignoring probably added some emotional exhaustion as well. So happy to be back to my happy place in SoCal. Plus my mom came home with me so this week will be filled with many touristy SD activities. Pretty sure I will be an expert at this city by Sunday! Check out the pics from the wedding below. Can't wait to see the photographer's pics! 

The Happy Couple dropping off gift bags 

Gorg!

Kind of my favorite part of being in a wedding... false eyelashes! 

Embarking on the next chapter of their life!

the new Ralston family!  

Me and the other bro celebrating!

Matthew and my Nanny

My little family 

She goes by no other name... Nanny

Rehearsing!

Me and my Mama!

Me and the Bride's sister

So jealous of their cupcake cake!

I am not doing a very good job of only writing about yoga... life is to exciting to limit one's self! 

namaste

Melissa 

Yogi Luv

Yogi Luv

Yogi Luv

Headed back to the Midwest already! Mazel Tov!

I can't believe that I am headed back to Ohio already! It must be something special to pull me away from my Cali love so soon and it is! It's my little bro's wedding! I really can't believe it! I am quite a few years older than him so it seems a little surreal. At the age when I was still torturing him while I was "babysitting", I remember wondering what he would turn out like as an adult. It's weird that I distinctly remember this thought, it must have been the point that I realized all adults were kids at some point because it is a vivid memory. I am happy to report that he turned out to be a very cool guy. He just graduated with his Masters in Nuclear Engineering, found a great new job, and is marrying a wonderful woman. I guess to be honest I am a little sick of celebrating all his accomplishments this year!  Just Kidding! He and his wife are fun to hang with and he always answers my very basic computer questions without making me feel like the idiot I am. He is probably the most chill person I know and defines the absent minded professor. 

I am so happy for him to embark on the journey of marriage. Being married rocks. I miss it very much. There was a lot of wedding talk today and while I am so happy for those getting hitched, it hurts. It hurts my heart so much. I found my one! But now I have to go to these things alone without him by my side. We would have had so much fun celebrating this weekend. I will still have a blast but it would have been better with Matt by my side. 

Can't wait to get back into the blazing humid heat of the Midwest and party with my bro and his new wife! Mazel Tov! 

Me and the little bro, James. Just look at my brace face! 

Let's hope he doesn't do this at the altar on Saturday! 

Just look at those red curls... cutest kid ever... and yes he's still a ginger! 

namaste

Melissa 

Yogi Luv

Going to steal some inspiration from one of my friend's new blogs... http://myblondeambitionblog.wordpress.com ... and post a little daily yogic luv. I have so many of these cute little yogi pics and sayings it just wouldn't be right to keep them from you! 

namaste!

Taco Tuesday!

I know that doesn't sound very yoga related but I thought it was just a cute way to name today's post. I will get to the workout portion of the post momentarily... 

I have been going at the workouts pretty hard the past week or so. The thought of wearing a strapless dress in my bro's wedding has slightly spurred this but well it's also to further my career! I have been scooting my booty all around town trying to hit up every Yoga Studio possible. I started practicing at a studio, Yoga Six, that offers six free classes within the first two weeks of joining so I have been taking advantage of this as well. There are several Yoga6 locations in SD as well as in St. Louis. After talking to the Manger I also learned they just leased space in Chicago. I am loving this studio so I am happy to get the word out on the Windy City streets early... be on the lookout fellow Chi Yogis! I wanted to check out the Yoga Sculpt class and today was the only day it fit in my very busy social calendar so I woke up bright and early to get my sculpt on. I knew it was going to be a tough day since I also teach Zumba tonight. If you aren't familiar with the Yoga Sculpt format, it's basically Yoga bootcamp. Yep. If either one of those weren't enough. And it's in a hot room. It's an amazing workout especially at this studio. I am obsessed! But my body not so much. After teaching again tonight, I remember why athletes start their careers so early. It's not that bad but I am a little out of practice on the two a days and need to use tomorrow for some restorative yoga to recover. Midway through YogaSculpt as I did my jumping jacks I started to feel nervous about the day's activities when I realized, wait this is awesome! I am lucky enough that I am alive and that my body can do two workouts a day! I started smiling ear to ear as I finished my horse pose lunges. The teacher caught my grin and smiled back but also probably thought I was slightly delirious. I finished my Zumba class sweaty with a smile so now I am headed out for Taco Tuesday and I damn well deserve it!  

namaste

Melissa 

Back to the Yoga

As you can tell, I haven't been in the writing vibe since I moved to SD. I am not quite sure why but it's where I am at. I am honestly thinking that it's probably the subject matter. I will always be a widow at heart (lucky me!) but since moving here it has felt like I have been able to get out of that mindset a bit. People here don't immediately know my story and it's my choice as to when they get to find out. This is typically after a few drinks where I can quickly glide over the topic to avoid the mopey eyed I feel so sorry for you look. It's still a big part of my life but moving to a beautiful new place with new surroundings, I am in a completely different place. So it probably makes sense that I don't feel the urge to write about the same things although I am sure some widow tales will come out from time to time especially on big events such as wedding anniversaries. 

Thinking about going forward with this space, I would really like to focus on why I put this blog together which was to understand yoga better and how it has helped me on this journey. So perhaps not completely leaving the widow perspective but merging it more with the yogic perspective. Hopefully in the future I will be sharing more about my yoga practice with you and of course getting my love for yoga out into the world! So let's do this! With that, I leave you with a yogi funny... this one plagues me... especially during morning meditation. 

namaste

Melissa 

Ocean Air

Since I am typing, you can tell I made it past the 2nd Wedding Anniversary without Matt. It sucked big time. It will probably always suck on some level. Both last year and this year I felt debilitated. The day is solely about us but now there is no us. On the 11th, I mostly laid on the couch then went to the beach with Lila. I also referred back to my journal from last year and thankfully I seem not quite as neurotic but also spent the day on the couch and then on the beach with Lila. In each journal entry I wrote about how the air by the water seems to be a cure all for me. This is true for my worst days or just an average day where I need a pick me up. Since moving here, I try to get outside for at least an hour to breath in some ocean air. That being said, I have been cooped up all day and need to take my own advice and get myself by the water! 

My fav beach... Ocean Beach

namaste,

Melissa 

4 years ago today...

I married my best friend and love of my life. I miss him so much every day. Life was so much better sharing it with him. I am happy where I am at but our anniversary will always be a tough day. It seems like cruel and unusual punishment that we didn't make it to our 4th anniversary... not even to our 3rd. I wonder what we would have done to commemorate this special day. Below are some pictures of the two anniversaries that we were able to celebrate together. 

As you can imagine, I did a lot of the wedding planning but Matt did get involved with certain areas. Of course, music was one of those areas. This included picking our first song which was "Thank You" by Led Zepplin. Our amazing band even learned how to play it. I leave you with a few words from the song. It has definitely been on repeat the past few days... 

If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. 
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me. 

Kind woman, I give you my all, Kind woman, nothing more. 

Little drops of rain whisper of the pain, tears of loves lost in the days gone by. 
My love is strong, with you there is no wrong, 
together we shall go until we die. My, my, my. 
An inspiration is what you are to me, inspiration, look... see. 

And so today, my world it smiles, your hand in mine, we walk the miles, 
Thanks to you it will be done, for you to me are the only one. 
Happiness, no more be sad, happiness....I'm glad. 
If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. 
When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

For our 1st anniversary we played putt putt and pinball. How romantic right? He looks damn happy though!

For our 2nd anniversary we went camping in Michigan. I was the coolest wife ever... pinball and camping? 

And of course the cutest wedding picture ever... you can just feel the happiness!

namaste

Melissa 

where to begin? perhaps with this beautiful new blog design!

Someone finally brought it to my attention, I haven't written in awhile. I knew it but I simply didn't know where to begin. And perhaps I needed to settle in and shed my Midwestern skin before I wrote again. 

Then I realized there is no time like the present and you are no where but here. I couldn't decide what to write about since so much has happened in the last month so I will just write about where I am now. And on the one month anniversary of living in SD and the 16 month anniversary of Matt's passing, here I am. You have to start somewhere. 

I love San Diego, it is so me. The beachy laid back SoCal lifestyle is all that I hoped and dreamed for. Just like everything in the past year there have been lots of ups and downs. I continue to look for the gratitude in my grief. I am still unpacking. I didn't think unpacking could be worse than packing but it has been and luckily it's almost over. I have been busy redecorating and changing things up which has been fun but busy. The place is starting to come together especially my yoga/meditation room. 

As you can see, I got a new blog design, isn't it perfection? I used HubbyJack Blog Designs. Jack did a great job of putting my vision together using my favorite colors! Even this shouts SoCal to me. I plan to use my blog as the landing pad for spreading my love for yoga in the SD so look for more to come on the Services page! 

If you follow me on Instagram you may have already seen these pics but below are a few of my favorite SoCal pics! 

Oh how I love a good sunset especially at a place called Sunset Cliffs

Although Lila loves to dig a good hole... she did not dig this hole... the nerds sitting behind us dug it when they realized they forgot their towels and needed a place to sit... Lila took advantage even when they were still there...  

Celebrating one of Matt's friend's birthday with a pool party and sporting a Crew hat that you only see in SoCal! 

namaste

Melissa