The Widowed Yogi: December 2014

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

pre-new years cleanse

thus far i haven't been very successful in completing a cleanse. the first time i ever really tried was in Bali during teacher training. truth be told i had never even had a green juice so it was probably a bit aggressive to start a three day cleanse with only green juices while in training in one of the hottest places i have ever been. basically being in Bali you are detoxing because you constantly sweat. the day i started my cleanse i later found myself eating dinner at one of my favorite local restaurants which may or may not have included a brownie sundae. i then tried an auyrveda cleanse when i got home and lasted a bit longer but ended up stopping after about day two because well things weren't moving along as they should. a local juice company, Suja, sells a cleanse at Costco and I have bought this a few times. the first time i tried, i quit at the end of day one because i wanted to go to the movies and eat popcorn and candy. the second, i just wanted to supplement my meals with some juices. and now here i am again. kyle and i bought the cleanse again and split it not intending to do the full three days. i was going to do only do one day but here i am on day 2 sipping another juice eating some raw oatmeal! day 1 was rough though, i literally had a headache all day. yes, all day. it could have been from caffeine withdrawal or it could have been from my toxins crying. not really sure. but point is, i am sticking to it! only problem is i know that new years festivities won't keep me on this cleanse and i don't want to come off it too abruptly so i am starting to come off gently today including a cup of tea. it was tough to get much done at work yesterday so i am going to try and cut the caffeine a little more slowly to avoid the horrific headache. it's crazy to know that my body was in so much pain from withdrawing to my addictions to sugar, processed foods, and caffeine. it's prompting me to start the new year off with a little more intention though, only putting foods in my body that heal it not hurt it! and perhaps a full blown three day cleanse is in my very near future!

namaste

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

the holiday season is here!

that's it! i am going to quit apologizing for not blogging! i enjoy it especially sharing my story with other widows but life has been busy lately. i recently heard a little saying or quote that, "every time you say yes to something, you no to something else". it's so true, there is only time for so much but with the majority of our wedding planned and work slowing down, hopefully i will have a little more time for this in 2015. for now, on to the good stuff.

i have really settled into my new Cali holiday traditions this year and eagerly looked forward to a visit from my mom and nanny for thanksgiving. they came out the day before tgiving and we spent the first day dining by the sea and enjoying a couple of glasses of wine before they headed to their little cottage down the street to recover from the time change. on thanksgiving, my mom and i attended an amazing yet extremely packed donation yoga class at a local studio (happy-u namaste). we headed back and kyle and i prepped to host our first thanksgiving! i handled the sides and he sat outside in the sun frying our turkey. my family was there along with another couple that live nearby. although i wish i had a little more table and space to host, it was perfect. while we did most of it, nanny was there to help and it was so comforting to have her in the kitchen with me.

and in one of the dumbest bridal planning moves ever, i scheduled some dress shopping for the weekend after massive eating. me, my mom, nan, and my matron of honor headed to a couple of shops to check out some dresses and i said yes to the dress! i tried some on at david's bridal before heading to brides by demetrios and found a dress 70% off on the rack! i think it will be perfect for our causal beachside wedding and can't wait for kyle to see me in it! although we had already found the dress, we headed up to beverly hills to check out another store the following day. the bridal dresses were beautiful but i was still happy with my choice and even found a sale rehearsal dress! then we went to one of the housewives new restaurants and ended up sitting right next to Lisa Vanderpump, the housewife herself! as most of you know the housewives are absolutely my guilty pleasure and it was so fun to get a pic with her and my nan!

the rest of the weekend was filled with walking the beach, watching sunsets at our wedding venue, eating fish tacos, and enjoying all things that SoCal has to offer during the holidays! i have really been able to start some new holiday traditions out here and i am so happy to be celebrating in this new way with both new and old family and friends. kyle and i started dating last year right before thanksgiving and then our relationship really started getting serious around christmas so it has been especially nice to have traditions with him this year. we are looking forward to a quiet christmas here near the beach filled with our 2nd annual Christmas Eve fondue followed by chinese food and a movie on Christmas Day to celebrate kyle's Jewish heritage.

wishing you and yours an amazing holiday season that may include old and new traditions... whatever you do... do what makes your heart happy and warm! merry christmas and a happy new year!