Tuesday Tune

Tuesday tune is back with two unrelated but equally fun songs that simply make me happy.  'Lights' makes me want to get up and dance around the house and I know it's not exactly new but it's been on repeat.  Oh, and Coldplay.  Chris Martin can do no wrong in my book!


"...and so I tell myself that I'll be strong, and dreaming when they're gone... 'cause they're calling, calling, calling me home..."



"...don't believe a word, it's just us against the world, and we just gotta turn up to be heard..."

Tuesday Tune

Jason Mraz is the coolest!  


Oh, and I simply love his new single.  Have you heard it yet?  I'm so looking forward to his future tour because I will be there front row center.  He is so inspiring - and his music makes me feel so very happy, positive, thoughtful, excited, giddy, introspective... he is so creative!  And I especially connect with this song.  Thank you, Jason!


"...'cause even the stars they burn, some even fall to the earth, we've got a lot to learn, God knows we're worth it..."

Pure Delight

"You're never too old to become younger."  [Mae West]


I found this photo somewhere online (cannot remember where, sorry!) and I love it so much!  Pure joy and excitement!  It's hanging on my wall at work and will be a part of my vision board for 2012.

Jaipur [India]

"Jaipur is the 'Pink City' because in the 1800's the whole city was painted pink to welcome Prince Albert.  The old city walls are still standing and inside there were things to see at every turn!  Monkeys, fruit stands, street food vendors, crumbling pink walls, old wooden shutters, cows, goats - everything!  It literally looks just like my daydreams - an exotic place stuck in time - a faraway land..."

"...As the evening crept in to night we wound through the streets snapping photos everywhere and enjoying everything.  Everyone in Jaipur has been so friendly... We found our way to a hindu temple, and a fair-trade shop where I proceeded to die and go to heaven.  The shopkeeper took us through the side streets and up an ancient spiral staircase (don't look down!) to a rooftop overlooking Jaipur.  Amazing!  Really?  How cool is this guy?  And as if the night couldn't get any better he took us back down to the square with a flower market.  While the girls bought spices I snuck away and found jasmine perfume..."

"We ended our evening with a rooftop dinner and watched fireworks (wedding season) over the Jaipur skies... what an absolutely perfect afternoon and evening... right when I least expected it, India delivered this gem of a city.  Tomorrow awaits!"

"The Hawa Mahal (above) was really only a photo opportunity but next door were snake charmers - real snake charmers.  This was unreal!"

"JAIPUR IS AWESOME.  This is what I was dreaming of when I was dreaming of India.  Incredible India!  Jaipur is so charming and totally exotic...  We rode in a rickshaw!  How fun!  It wasn't as scary as it looked in Delhi but the traffic here is so much calmer (still crazy) and there aren't as many horns.  It was exhilirating to drive in the hustle and bustle of everyday life."

"We bounced along in the tuk tuk - winding through the bustling streets of the old city.  Past all the beautiful women in their vibrant saris.  We saw our first elephant when we stopped to admire the Amber Fort (I'm pictured above at the vista point!)...  The views of the Amber Fort were expansive and very beautiful.  It sits on a hill range with a winding wall snaking its way through the peaks.  Really stunning!"

"The Fort and Palace was gorgeous.  I must be in some kind of dream world with all these beautiful archways at every turn (my weakness)."

"...And one of the highlights of the day was our stop at the block printing studio (see photo below).  So cool!  I picked some up to take home!"

"Everywhere I turn I see a picture... I know now that I have certainly missed my camera over the last couple months..."

"We were up on the top of the hill overlooking the city - after foregoing a visit down the other side of the hill to the Monkey Palace (too many monkeys!).  I love the view.  What a whole different world than my own - the constant tug between old and new... it continues to humble me..."

"...Someday I'd like to return to Jaipur - the city that so far has embodied my ideal of India..."



Positivity

I've been missing my blog lately and I need a pick-me-up!  I am fortunate to say that there are only a few things that I'd change about my life if I had a magic wand... and while I have a wonderful life otherwise, sometimes those things creep in and cloud my vision!!  It's been one of those weeks.  So I've turned to something that can lift my spirits - my "Positive Sounds" compilation I made for myself awhile back.  I want to share the words!

1.  Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
"...Open up, everything's waiting for you, You can go your own way, go your own way..."

2.  Live For Today - Grass Roots
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today, and don't worry 'bout tomorrow... we were never meant to worry..."

3.  Make it Mine - Jason Mraz
"I don't wanna wait no more, no, I wanna celebrate the whole world, I'm gonna make it mine, because I'm following your joy..."

4.  You Can't Always Get What You Want - Rolling Stones
"No, you can't always get what you want... but if you try sometimes you just mind find, you get what you need..."

5.  Lost - Coldplay
"Just because I'm losing, doesn't mean I'm lost...just because I'm hurting, doesn't mean I'm hurt..."

6.  King of Anything - Sara Bareilles
"Who cares if you disagree?  You are not me, who made you king of anything?  So you dare tell me who to be?  Who died and made you king of anything?"

7.  Say - John Mayer
"...living out the same old moment, knowing you'd be better off instead, if you could only... say what you need to say..."

8.  Love is on Our Side - Frank Popp Ensemble
"...Love is on our side, when times get rough on this wild ride, remember love is on our side..."

9.  Stand by Me - Ben E. King
"...no, I won't be afraid, no, I won't be afraid, just as long as you stand, stand by me..."

10.  Fix You - Coldplay
"...but if you never try, you'll never know just what you're worth, lights will guide you home..."

11.  The Remedy - Jason Mraz
"...I won't, I won't worry my life away... you can turn off the sun, but I'm still going to shine, and I'll tell you why..."



*Picture taken at Tilden Park in Berkeley.  One of my happy places!

Sunny Sausalito

After our hike in the hills we stopped in Sausalito for lunch and we soaked up the sun!  The weather was so gorgeous and calm and it was such a nice reprieve from the clouds and cold of Spring. 

We found this outstanding burger place and enjoyed our lunch overlooking the bay with the city in the background.  It couldn't have been a more perfect day!

We took a stroll through the streets of Sausalito while enjoying an ice cream cone (I had mint chocolate chip, of course!) and I stumbled upon a great book store, my weakness.

Tuesday Tune (Dog Days Are Over!)

I am feeling so relieved today and in a mood for celebration!  Florence and the Machine has the perfect sounds for letting loose!  Yes, the dog days are OVER!


"...Midas is king and he holds me so tight, and turns me to gold in the sunlight..."


"...until I wrap myself in your arms I cannot rest..."



"...the dog days are over, the dog days are done!..."

I Made It!

TAX SEASON IS OVER!  To all my friends at the office, and to all the tax preparers out there, let us breathe a sigh of relief and welcome back our lives!

CHEERS!

Burgers, Gifts, and Sun

I had one of the best birthdays that I've had in a long time!  It was a simple, relaxing afternoon at home full of playing with the dogs, enjoying the sunny weather in the backyard on our new chaise lounge, sipping a cocktail, and smelling the barbeque grill our basil and onion infused burgers.

We enjoyed burgers with feta on toasted sourdough buns and my parents brought over the world famous macaroni salad and a lemon cooler birthday cake.  Everything was so delicious!

And the wonderful gifts!  I had the best birthday weekend a girl could ask for and I love my friends and family so much - everyone deserves a weekend like this once in awhile!

Twenty Something

Today is my birthday!  And what a wonderful day it has been... here are a few photos (taken with my new iPhone!)... and more to come!

Tuesday Tune

A girlfriend introduced me to Supreme Beings of Leisure and I am SO hooked.  This is the kind of music that quickly becomes my go-to for parties, long drives, relaxing at home, or even just background music in the house!

Since I've been cooped up at work for an obscene amount of hours per week I can at least let my ears have a break with their songs and they haven't failed me yet!  Enjoy.

"...mysterious chemistry someone's cookin' in the kitchen..."



"...gold digger, who says you can't have it all?..."



"...in the sublime, wishing we could always be this way..."

Spring Detox

"Blessed are the seeds waiting in the darkness for the call of Spring."

Spring brings the green leaves and blooming flowers, cool mornings and warm afternoons, and a sense of anticipation for the sunny days of summer.  I think Spring is also a time of new beginnings and a time for cleansing.  Yesterday I attended a Yoga Detox class and purged my body, mind, and spirit of toxins.  It was great and I left feeling renewed and refreshed.  We began our practice with a quiet time of reflection on what we wish for the coming seasons:

Dear Universe:

Where will my dreams take me?  I am thankful for my health, family, and well-being and am excited for the future.  What is my true path and how can I let go of my fear of failure, disappointment, and self criticisms along the way?

I want to have a full, happy life.  I wish to reduce the amounts of self doubt, worry, stress, fear, and anxiety.  I know I am capable of this.  I wish to be calm, confident, happy, excited, and most of all inspired.  Will my dreams take me there?

Happy Spring!

Sunlight

"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen.  Keep in the sunlight."

[Benjamin Franklin]


Everytime I see this photo I feel warm and happy and carefree!  This weekend I will be wishing my pup, Piper, a very happy birthday, celebrating St. Patrick's day at a local "Irish" pub, and meeting for book club!  What are your plans?  Happy Friday!

Little Lambs

"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."    [Ralph Waldo Emerson]

I love seeing these lambs (and sheep, and rams, oh my!) every time I visit my parents.  They live in the fields surrounding their house and over the weekend I snapped some photos of the little ones just before it started to rain.  Animals have such a calming effect on me and I just LOVE hearing the lambs bah-ing in the distance.  When they get excited and playful they jump straight in the air and take off running!  I'd love to catch a photo of them in action!

The lamb below has the cutest white tipped tail and back leg - so sweet.