Simple Joys of the Week, July 27th Edition

We're back! It's time for my favorite moment of the week...reflecting on my simple, sensory joys!

So, here's what brought me a bit of pleasure over the past 7 days. What made you smile, laugh, or sigh with happiness? 

Hear:  "Dogs" by Damien Rice

I have to admit, I had never heard this song until I heard it on Pandora this week. BUT, one of the main refrains includes the words, "the girl who does yoga," so of course, it caught my ear, if you will. And now, I really like it. I've always thought that Damien Rice has a very beautiful, very calming voice, and this song is a perfect example of that. You can listen and get to know "the girl who does yoga" below...and please, give me a break, as I already know that I'm obsessed with anything and everything yoga ;)

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Image via vanityfair.com

See: The Newsroom

At this point in my life, I've come to realize that basically, if HBO makes it/supports it, I love it. It's a very simple equation. I've loved almost all HBO original series that I've given a chance over the past couple of years (although there are still some that I've never given a chance, like True Blood and Game of Thrones), and The Newsroom is no exception. Now don't get me wrong--it's no Girls--but I think it's very, very good. We just started watching it so I've only seen the first two episodes thus far, but what I've seen, I've liked. I'm looking forward to watching another eppy or so this weekend! Isn't it *such* fun when you get into a new series and have some catching up to do? I simply adore it. 

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Taste: Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bars

You know those people who buy granola and/or protein bars by the box, because buying them by the bar just doesn't make financil sense anymore? I've become one of those people :) My new favorite quick snack for in-between classes, before early morning workouts /yoga, or when running errands, is a Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and it's got a lot of protein and vitamins for such a little bar. Also, Luna bars are made specifically for women, and although I may just be a total sucker for advertising, I really like that. Obviously, you have to be a fan of coconut (which I definitely am!!!) to enjoy this particular flavor, but if you are, I think you'll love it! As a side note, though, I do have to mention that due to the crazy hot weather in DC lately, carrying any type of chocolatey bar around in your purse right now = a melted mess. I ate one while out yesterday and I'm sure I looked like a 5-year old when I was done... ;)

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Image via crossfitforum.net

Smell: Rubber (tubber tires at CF, that is...)

After taking over a week off from CrossFit to let my back heal up, I finally got back to class last night. Um, wow, was this ever the night to come back!? We did this amazing station-based workout that included tire flips (one of my favorites!), slamming a sledgehammer into a tire repeatedly, a rope pull where you had to pull a rope with a sandbag attached to it across the gym, dip walks and L-holds, and a sandbag lifting/moving thing (sorry, I obviously don't know the official names of all of these movements!). Anyways, the gym was about 95 degrees, the stations were intense, and it was all SUPER fun. It felt so good to be back, to get out a little aggression with that sledgehammer, and to sweat my face off. So yeah, yay CrossFit!

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Image vie teuxdeux.com

Touch:  TeuxDeux.com

You all know that I'm slightly psycho when it comes to to-do lists, right? Well then you'll understand my latest obsession, TeuxDeux.com. It's a site and an iPhone app (they sync--which is great!) that allows you to create a to-do list. Simple enough, right? But then anything that you don't check off get's moved to the next day's list. It's magical. I decided to give it a try last week and have become totally addicted. So simple, yet SO useful! And now I don't have to re-do my to-do list every couple of days as it gets too crazy looking! Now don't get me wrong, I'm still using about 3-4 of my other hand-written lists (I haven't forsaken them yet!), I've just been implementing this for my daily/weekly, non-work, non-wedding to-dos. I'm sure this sounds confusing to you, but makes total sense to me. Try it out! I think you'll really like it :)

So, that was my week and my simple pleasures in a nutshell! On the schedule for this weekend? Swimming with Ben, attending my first ATT Thesis Presentation, working on some fun new wedding projects (pie stands and my cake topper--woohoo! I'll post pics when I'm done...), and preparing for teaching the upcoming Level 1 Teacher Training at TSA next week...

What do you have planned? No matter what, take some time to relax and reflect on the past 7 days--life moves quickly! 

Oh, and to close, I had to share this little cartoon, which gave me a big laugh this week: 

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So true, isn't it? We're all guilty of it, but this REALLY cracks me up :)

Namaste!
Mary Catherine