Simple Joys of the Week, January 27th Edition

Welcome to the end of January...can you believe it?!? 2012 is in full swing and so far it's been quite a year :) The same goes for this past week--for me, it was chock-full of fun, work, CrossFit, yoga, and painting--the PERFECT combination for this girl. So, as always, my simple, sensory joys from the last 7 days are below...I hope you've been able to enjoy similarly wonderful simple pleasures this week...

Hear: "The Winter" by Balmorhea

I know it's kind of weird to post an instrumental as my favorite song of the week, but it's a really great one. I've been using it as the first song on my yoga playlist this month (during centering), and I find it to be a great song for the beginning of class. Give it a listen and see if you agree!? I really know nothing about this band and haven't even heard any of their other songs (haven't had the time to look into them!?), but I bet the rest of their music is good, too :)

Take a listen to this song below!

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See: The SuperFit Games (and all the funny t-shirts there!)

As I mentioned in my post earlier this week, I had an absolute blast watching Ben compete in the SuperFit Games. You already know that I loved the whole experience, but I also LOVED all of the hysterical CrossFit t-shirts that people were wearing--they crack me up! One of my favorites is pictured here, it says "My girl is stronger than you." Other faves? "Running Sucks." "Deadlifts and milk." And of course, my favorite of all time, "Strong is the new skinny" (I actually bought a tank that says this at SuperFit!). So yeah, really funny and made me smile. Gotta love that CrossFit humor...

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Image via lovelyhealthylife.com

Taste: Brussel Sprouts

Believe it or not, I've always loved brussel sprouts. I hadn't had them in forever, but since they're a very "trendy" food right now (isn't that funny?), I've recently had them a couple of times at restaurants and they made me really happy. So, this week Ben and I decided to steam a big batch and have them with dinner. Yes, they do stink when they're cooking (kind of like broccoli--many apologies to my college roommate for always cooking it in the room!), but wow, do they taste scrumptious and healthy! Do yourself a favor and make some soon...it's great to mix it up when it comes to veggies--it does the body good!

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Image via insiderspassport.com

Smell: Eppie's Restaurant in Charlottesville

OMG. If you ever go to Charlottesville, VA, you have to eat at Eppie's. We had two meals there in the 2 days we were in town, but when Ben goes there for a week for work training (which he does once or twice per year), he eats both lunch and dinner there EVERY DAY. It's that good. Amazing soups, salads, sandwiches, and daily specials. Plus, with almost every meal you get the choice of a small pumpkin bread or cornbread loaf (!) and they are both to die for. I wish I could go there for lunch today! But honestly, it's good we don't live near Eppie's or Ben would spend our life savings eating there. Needless to say, it's a pretty yummy place. I would file it under taste, but that was already taken and their food also smells delicious :)

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Touch: Paintbrush and paint

Due to a last-minute meeting cancellation, I was able to sneak in two (yes, TWO!) painting sessions this week. It was glorious! The picture to the left is a small painting that I'm going to be selling in the Tranquil Space boutique starting this weekend (yay!). I've just been having a blast creating these colorful, playful, whimsical "paintinis" (that's my name for small, fun paintings, hehe). I'm working on two more yoga-inspired pieces, and can't wait to finish them. There is NOTHING like getting lost in creative play for an entire day. Yesterday I lost track of time and painted the day away without even realizing it! The best.

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So there you have it! What made you smile this past week? Try and take some time this weekend to reflect on the first month of 2012. How did it feel? What kind of tweaks can you make in your life to include more of what you loved from this past month, and less of what you didn't quite enjoy? Great weekend for a bit of reflection...

...And I have absolutely NOTHING in my planner this weekend for the first time in ages (it's crazy!?!?!), and am SO looking forward to doing whatever I feel like doing. I hope you can find a bit of time like this, as well!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine