The Widow Pad

You have certainly heard me moaning and groaning about getting settled in my place the past couple of months. The whole moving out of my condo and creating a new home for myself was kind of a big deal. Being true to my Cancer sign, I am very into my shell. Some people might call it anal retentive but I call it very susceptible to the energies of my home.

I loved our condo in Chicago. It was nice and pleasantly decorated although there were certainly some manlier decorations but that's what marriage is about, compromise. I took my time in getting rid of things before moving although doing it before the one year mark. Every widow has to find the right time to do this horrific chore. It was hard to decide what to bring and what to get rid of. I wanted to keep a lot but when thinking about moving across the country, it became a whole other question. I did the best that I could and in the end brought way more memorabilia then I would ever need. But that's a task for another day at this point and thankfully I have a storage closets. Things don't make the memories.

Moving on to travel the world, I realized just how much stuff I really needed to survive, not much. Still, I a nice place to call home. I had sold most of our furniture which was a good plan for me. I think if all of our stuff would have been in my new place, I might have felt a little stuck between my old and new life. I am the creative genius behind this decor and it feels like this crab's home for now! I have had lots of requests to see pics of my place (and by lots I mean one) so I thought I would dedicate some posts to showing you what I have done. I kept waiting till everything was completely put together but then I realized that could take awhile! Just like life it's a work in progress!

come on in! lila is loving her new pad too! this has always been one of her favorite places to lay. i have had this shagtastic rug since college and i still love it!

my newly built bed (yep finally roped a man into helping me!) from overstock and a new nightstand from pier1 duvet cover from west elm

one of the hippie neighborhoods around here has a great street of antiques found this shabby chic piece there! i used a french memo board (another gem from the college days) to hang my cosmetic jewels, still want a mirror to hang on the other side of the wall but haven't found the right one yet...

still undecided with what to hang on this wall at the foot of my bed. check out lila's dog bed... i got this from Molly Mutt... you pick the cover and then buy stuff sacks to recycle old clothes and make a doggie bed. i was able to use some of Matt's old clothes to make a bed for her!

walk in closets are life changing. think this is my first one ever and its so much easier to dress yourself and keep the closet clean when everything is right in front of you!

namaste

Melissa

Back to the Mat

The past few weeks, I have been busy teaching Zumba classes and training to teach a Sculpt class at a local yoga studio. Between all this action, there hasn't been a ton of time to just take a regular old yoga class. Last night, all though it was still part of my training for this local studio, I got back to my favorite type of yoga class, an Advanced Vinyasa Flow class. The teacher was one of the studio's Lead Trainers and she gave a fierce class. This style of class allows for a good workout as there are lots of chatarungas (yogi push-ups) and all of the poses prepare the class for a peak posture. This is basically an advanced pose that all the prior classwork opens your muscles and works towards. Last night's peak posture was Bird of Paradise. Balance is a challenge for me in bird of paradise but it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. I am easily able to get out of my mind in this type of class and stay present in the moment. After class I felt renewed and remembered what inspired me to get to this place and how important it is to continue my practice even though I am staying active in other ways.

bird of paradise

link here to master class for bird of paradise

back to the mat tomorrow! 

melissa

Yogi Luv

feeling in the flow today!

Where have all the real men gone?

Furnishing my new place has been a chore for many reasons. One of those being that most furniture these days requires assembly (even from the expensive stores not just Ikea!). Most men that I have asked quickly change the subject after noting their inability to operate a power drill. What happened to all the manly men coming to the rescue of a damsel in distress! 

where is this guy when you need him?

namaste

Melissa 

WeekEND Slump

I had what I don't think could be described in any other way besides a perfect San Diego weekend. I went lots of places, hung with a bunch of new friends, and drank a few drinks. Coming home I was feeling satisfied with it all but then in crept that familiar feeling, loneliness. I remembered having a perfect Chicago weekend with Matt and just snuggling on the couch being grateful for it all. The feeling of summer as a kid, being so exhausted but perfectly content. I am really trying to get back into the swing of things and have been dedicating my weeks to grown up tasks so perhaps it's just the Sunday slump. Perhaps its just the feeling of happiness and loneliness all at once. 

goodnight moon

Melissa 

Winning!

I woke up this morning to an email that I had won a blogger's (Walking in Memphis) giveaway that I had entered a couple of weeks ago. To be honest, I forgot about it! And it's just a pair of socks by KushyFoot but they look like cool socks and will be great to try out for Zumba! Who knows, these socks could change my life! It always amazes me how winning something small like socks or having a free meal (this one always gets my spirits soaring) can really change the course of your day! It truly is the small things in life! The socks still need to be shipped, once I receive them and do a couple of salsas in them, I will let you know how they fare! 

namaste

Melissa 

Yogi Luv