Prenatal Vitamins

I'm not pregnant. And I'm not trying to get pregnant. But my neighbor, who is three weeks away from delivering a baby boy, was telling me that if I want clear skin and longer hair and nails, taking an over the counter prenatal vitamin will speed up the process. Ah....clear skin? Healthy hair and nails? I was sold! After reading the instructions on the bottle, and searching the internet, it appears that it is safe to take prenatal vitamins, even if you are not pregnant or breast feeding. So, I'm in. Here goes my little experiment. I'll try taking them every day, for six months, and hopefully, see results.

Yoga Kids

Today, I helped teach yoga to 24 excited, inquisitive, and uberflexible eight year olds. I was so happy to be asked to assist and as expected, I learned something about teaching - never underestimate kids. When I found myself standing on my mat, in the middle of a huge circle of the loud and fidgety bunch, I thought it was going to be a pretty big challenge to grab and HOLD their attention. But from the first pose, they followed our directions, asking for adjustments, and even breathing in unison. Don't get me wrong, there were a few goof ball boy moments. Thank goodness for their teacher, who could get a kid back in line with only a few whispered words, who was also 8 months pregnant, mind you. But in general, I was wowed by the kids' ability to focus and take direction. And the comments were great. One funny comment was from a brown eyed girl in purple pants. After being warned about the dangers of trying to force yourself into a pose and the possibility of pulling a muscle, she yelled, "It's ok if I pull a muscle today. I do it all the time and my Mom doesn't care." I only have one month left of teacher training. I have learned soooo much. For the few people that read my blog, you may be wondering....well, what? I have to admit, I have shied away from posting about my own personal philosophy on yoga. I think it's because I am still in the process of discovering it. What I will say is that I am grateful for yoga. With all the things I've learned through reading, studying, meditating, and hours of practicing, I have learned the most valuable lessons about myself - what I'm made of, who I am, and what kind of yoga teacher I want to be. One more month and I will teach my first class...wow...time flies.

Jamaica Me Crazy

We are back home and our vacation to Jamaica was perfect. Really. Perfect. We couldn't have asked for more. We stayed in Montego Bay at a magnificent resort. 10 out of 10. And that's saying a lot considering how much G and I have traveled - alone and together. We also drove to Ocho Rios to climb Dunn's River Falls. I was nervous (ok.. downright scared!) about the climb but with my aqua socks and the friendly Jamaican guides offering their hands for stability, I made the climb. G on the other hand, loved every minute of it. He couldn't have been happier to leave his wife with the guides, to explore the water falls on his own! The most exciting part of our vacation was the result of a fast friendship with one of the chefs from our resort. After discussing my favorite recipes and of course, raving about the jerk cuisine, he invited us to go shopping at a local outdoor market. We accepted and decided to meet the next morning outside the gates of our resort. Well, to our surprise, instead of driving in a car, we took a cab, which was actually a mini bus, with about 10 seats. And on our way to the market, we picked up about 15 people....yeah, think of a can of sardines. Ha! Crazy. We made it to the market and I was overwhelmed with the amount of goods sold. There were so many vendors haggling over prices and so many exotic fruits and vegetables. Our friend led us around, explaining everything and of course, helping me buy the necessary spices to make a mean jerk meal. The only bad part about shopping at the market was that I didn't take any photos! It was so crowded and we were moving so fast - not to mention, we already stuck out like sore thumbs (especially G!) - I decided to just enjoy the moment. I think our friend appreciated that too. Afterwards, he invited us to his house, where we met his uncle, an artist, and enjoyed a herbal drink together, that he said would
"keep da lead in da pencil" for G!

Here are the spices. I'm looking forward to experimenting:)

One Word

Jamaica! This year, G gave me a supa dupa sweet birthday
present - a getaway to one of my favorite destinations in the Caribbean. We are literally counting down the hours until we are lying on the beach, Red Stripe in hand, jerk grease on our faces, and reggae music soothing our souls...
Until next week - bis dann!

Europe Never Looked So Good

All eyes are on First Lady Michelle Obama's fashion choices and she did not disappoint in Europe last week. Fabulous indeed!

Once a Year

I celebrate my 25th birthday - yet again...ha ha ha!

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag für mich:)

House Hunting

Well, after our first experience of looking at potential homes in the US,
only one thought comes to mind:

"Champagne taste...on a beer budget."

I'm not crazy.

Yesterday I stopped at the gas station, on my way to pick up G from the airport. Now, I usually don't pump gas - 9 times out of 10, G fills up the tank. But I am capable, if need be:) So I pull up to the pump, cut the truck off, and look for the gas tank release button. And as if I have spontaneous amnesia, I can't remember where it is. Totally weird. I look in all the usual places and I start to really scare myself because I seriously can not find the button. This goes on for 10 minutes. I'm not kidding. I sit there shaking my head, dumbfounded. Then my cell phone rings and it's G. I answer the phone with, "Where the f*** is the gas tank button?! Oh my goodness, I think I may be losing my mind!" G laughs a little and explains that there is no button. I am not crazy. The button used to be on the driver side door. I forgot that we got a new truck 2 weeks ago, the same model and color, just a newer year. Now you just push the little gas tank door and it pops open. No more button. Whew!