Simple Joys of the Week, October 28th Edition

Hello, Halloween weekend and almost-November! Um, yeah. Crazy! Before I go on and on about how fast life goes by (I have a tendency to dwell on this each Friday), I'm just going to share my simple joys of the week. This week, they're very simple, as I was basically just focused on getting well and getting back into normal life. But sometimes, isn't normal life just the best?

What brought happiness into your life this past week? Pour moi, it was the following:

Hear: "This is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack

Last night I took a yoga class with the lovely Lisa at Tranquil Space, and she played this wonderfully amusing Halloween playlist--including lots of throwbacks--and this song! I had COMPLETELY forgotten about this song (and even about this movie!), but it's from a movie that I totally loved when I was younger. We went through this phase where my brothers and I watched it almost every weekend for a couple of months. Isn't that funny when we do that as kids? Anyways, it's very appropriate for the season and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing it. Get in the holiday mood by listening below! And beware, it's a weird one ;)

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See: My new studio!

Look at my new studio! It's in my apartment! I could take 10 steps right now and be there, ready to paint! Now, I just have to make more time in my schedule for painting. But it's happening--one step at a time! I got the approval from Ben when he got home (...and I quote, "like." That's all he said. Nothing else, just "like."), and now all we have to do is find a new home for his kettlebell collection and we're good to go. I can't wait to actually use it on my painting day next week! And maybe, just maybe, I can now get started on some long-overdue projects that have been building in my mind :)

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Taste: Tea from my new Electric Tea Kettle

OMG. This $20 appliance has changed my life. I bought it on Tuesday, and I'll never go back!!! With nothing else to stand in my way, I've become a tea-drinking machine and there's no end in sight. Why stop, when all you have to do to boil the water is flip a switch and it happens immediately?! I know, I sound like an infomercial for these things, but I really think it's quite amazing. And sure, there is a wonderful simplicity and beauty in using an old-fashioned tea kettle, but for a girl on-the-run, sometimes you just need to flip a switch. Ya know? So this winter, I'll be drinking nothing but tea. Join me?

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Photo via willowhousechronicles.wordpress.com

Smell: McIntosh Apples (aka FALL!)

Tis the season! With fall comes delicious apples, and one of my favorite fall varieties is McIntosh--but here's a general warning: you have to get the right ones, fresh off of a tree from a local orchard. If not, they can be a bit grainy or mushy. And trust me on this (because I am an apple connoisseur and know what I'm talking about); you don't want a mushy McIntosh apple. But yes, the real, delicious ones are a bit sweet, a bit tart, and totally crisp. Plus, they have an amazing apple smell. Heaven! For more on my apple picks, read here. And btw, how great is this picture of a random apple on a brick? Haha, I love it.

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Me and my friend practicing :) Photo by Tomasz Gudzowaty and Judit Berekai

Touch: Getting back to YOGA!

After taking over a week off from regular classes due to a number of weird physical issues, I finally got back to practicing on Wednesday and Thursday of this week--it was amazing! It felt so, so, so good to move my body through a vinyasa again, and sure, I felt week and my muscles fatigued a lot earlier than they usually do in each pose, but it still felt like coming home :) Ujjayi breathing with a cough drop in my mouth? No promblemo.  And the touch part? I'm celebrating how my body felt in each pose and how it felt to receive assists again. Ahhhhhh. Can I get a "yay" for yoga??

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And that's it, folks! Sometimes it's just the simple things in life (actually, often, or most of the time, for me)...

I'm back in Advanced Teacher Training all weekend, so I'm sure I'll have all sorts of amazing new yoga tidbits to share on Monday. Nothing like jumping back in for one long weekend each month!

Have a great day--and if you can, take a moment to reflect on the little things that brought a smile to your face over the last 7 days.

Namaste,
Mary Catherine