The last year and a bit, for me, my destiny has been to travel. I’ve been to so many places: Chicago, California, NYC, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Jordan, PEI, and lastly, Peru. Some big trips and some small trips. Loved every one of them for their own special reasons.

BUT, I also got lost somewhere. The reasons for this is not important. What is important is that I see it and know I need to do something about it.

I realized that I now need to learn to stand still. It came to me when the thought of not having plans to travel for the week I have off in the beginning of December terrified me. A whole week off, wasted. Can you imagine? I couldn’t. Until someone pointed out that my fear was not rational – a little nudge towards a wake-up call.  So, here goes: a week off with no plans to travel. What to do instead?

I started knitting again in a big way when the Christmas orders started coming in. And at some point, I fell in love with my creativity again. There’s something exciting about thinking of something in your head and being able to make it happen with your hands and some yarn. It makes me feel like a genius! Being creative makes my heart smile.

Yoga. I need to get back to yoga. I feel more connected to my body and my soul when I keep up a regular practice. I rolled out my mat this morning for the first time in months. Boy am I tight all over!! Amazing how little time it takes to undo how far I had come and how strong and supple my body had become. This morning, I felt like a brittle, and tight old lady. Hahahah. It’s a start though.

I’m also thinking of giving knitting lessons or workshops in the new year. I’ve never really taught before and I fear I will lack patience. When something is so natural to me, I find it difficult to comprehend that it is not easy for everyone. I don’t want to scare people away from knitting or crochet because I suck at teaching it.

I also want to start publishing more patterns (see above). I’m always making things without patterns but very rarely write anything down. I’m going to start. A few extra $ will help me when I start traveling again.

Tomorrow is December.  That means Christmas is coming.  I’ve hated Christmas since I started having to share my son for the holidays (1999).  It’s just not the same when you can’t wake up with your child on Christmas morning.  In 2011, a friend of mine gave me a beautiful (and hilarious) memory for Christmas.  This year, I really want to make it feel like Christmas again.  I put up a tree for the first time in eight years.  I also plan to put thoughtful gifts for the people I love under that tree.  I’m very excited.  I am also scared it won’t be what it am hoping it will be.

Shakespeare had another really good one:  “Expectation is the root of all heartache.”  I will try to remember this as I navigate the holidays.

In case I don’t write again until the new year (which is very likely if I’m being realistic), Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

I started practicing yoga in October/November of 2012.  I never thought it would become such a huge part of my life.  At first, I was doing it as a form of exercise.  I immediately realized that as well as making my body feel good, it was the only time in a day that my mind stayed quiet (ok… mostly quiet).  That’s when I fell in love with it.  A quiet mind, even if it’s only for an hour a couple of times a week, is a little slice of heaven.

A year and a half later, I find myself making time each day for yoga.  It always makes me feel wonderful.  At the end of class on Monday night, the teacher looked at me and said “You looks blissed-out” and giggled a bit.

Here are the reasons I love yoga:

• It forces me to slow down.
• It helps me ground.
• My mind gets calm.  (This used to be very rare.)
• Yoga is ME time.
• I listen to my body more, on and off the mat.
• I feel a lot more positive about life and deal with things more calmly.
• It has taught me patience for myself and others.
• I feel more love.  
• Breathing!  So awesome.

When I talk to people about yoga, I tell them that it’s probably the only time/place I feel graceful, strong, able, un-judged, happy, centred, peaceful and BEAUTIFUL.  Who doesn’t want to feel like that???  Even if it’s just for a little slice of time in your day or week.

It wasn’t always that way though.  I struggled with poses, balance and ease for a while.  Like everything else:  you have to have the patience to suck at first.  But then one day, things just started to click.  Poses got easier, I was breathing into some good stretches and things just started to feel really good.

I hope to be able to get my teacher certification next year.  In the meantime, this is what my reading list looks like:

I follow this wonderful Yogi named Adrien Mishler.  I just love her.  She’s quirky and funny and goofy and sometimes she swears, which cracks me up.  I’m doing her Reboot right now and am loving it.  She posted a book list with many of the above books a few weeks ago and mentioned starting a book club.  Man, was I excited!  I want to learn as much as I can.  It’s so fun.

On a completely different note, I haven’t had much time recently to knit/crochet.  Strange, but the urge is not as strong lately.  These are a few of the little projects I’ve managed to churn out in the past month or so.

I guess I’ve been a BIT busy travelling.  I know I haven’t posted any pictures of Vegas but we’re waiting to get all our pictures together.   Then… watch out!

That’s it for me for today.

(Blogging has become difficult for some reason.  I feel a bit like I don’t have anything to say.  Or sometimes, that the words just don’t flow.  Maybe I’ll get over it.  Or maybe I’m just having too much fun.  :))

I spent a wonderful day at home.  I caught up on my episodes of Game of Thrones, worked on the monster truck (grrrr – I swear this is worse than the Dr. Who scarf) and when the rain stopped and the wetness was gone, I sat outside.  For a long time.  I listened to the birds.  I almost got a picture of a really pretty woodpecker.  I just sat for a long time, looking and smelling.  Is that strange?  The smelling part?  I love the way it smells in the country – like wood, and rain, and fresh grass… and sometimes a little whiff of manure.  Hihi.

I did yoga on the deck for the first time.  I started doing yoga in November – it’s a little chilly here in November to be outside in tights and a tank to do stretchy things.  But yesterday… was perfect.   I loved that every time I looked up, I saw the peak of the house against the bright blue of the sky and the puffy white clouds.  Then, when I did my warrior, I was starting out at the fresh green grass or the new buds on the trees.  I felt a sense of giddy in the pit of my stomach.  PEACE perhaps?

Then my sister came to spend the night.  We sat on the deck and ate chicken, cherry tomatoes and pineapple.  We talked about the last four+ months we’ve been apart.  Then, after waiting what felt like an eternity, I got to see the pictures of her travels through the US and Italy.  (Damn, I should have saved some to my computer so you could have seen how breathtaking it is in the mountains of California and the coast of Italy!)  Seriously!! Her pictures made me want to sell everything and just travel.  It’s a dream I know… Maybe. Someday.

She brought back Limoncello from Positano.

If you’re a girl, chances are you’ve seen Under the Tuscan Sun.  If you’re a girl who’s even close to being as sappy as I am, it’s one of your favourite movies.  You would then remember that Positano is where Frances’ lover, Marcello, lives and that the view is beyond breathtaking.

We had some.  Very tasty.

We stayed up way too late chatting.  Then went to bed and chatted some more.  We’re sisters… we sleep in the same bed… maybe it makes us feel like we’re little girls again.  I love it.

We got up at 5:00 am and did yoga together as the sun came up.  Then she went off to work and I’m sipping some coffee, wondering what to do with my day.

I might work on my monster truck (ugh) and relax so that I can have a long nap before my night shift tonight.

Oh!  I wanted to pass on this really awesome website/blog about Paleo eating.  It’s called The Food Lovers Kitchen.  I’ve only had a chance to spend a few hours on this site.  I LOVE IT!  They have a tone of recipes and they are simple, easy and don’t require all these strange ingredients I can’t find at my local grocery store (major points for the latter).  Check it out.

What else….? I think that’s it.

Except that I’m really happy my sister’s home.