How to be a blog slacker

-- Spend long hours on your laptop, while completely ignoring the orange Blogger: Dashboard icon on your task-bar.
-- Go days, maybe even weeks without reading any updates on the blogs you follow. And then when you finally sign into Dashboard, get overwhelmed and don't read any of them. AT ALL.
-- Come home after a long day and go straight to bed.
-- Pick a good book over your laptop.
-- Never take your camera anywhere you go.
-- Use any free time you have to do laundry and/or dishes, fiddle with facebook (aka read about how much people hate all the new updates. WE GET IT! NO ONE LIKES THEM! MOVE ON ALREADY!), or to pet the cat.
-- Devote every ounce of creative juice in your brain to planning or choreographing for dance. That way, you'll have nothing fun/exciting/remotely entertaining/inspirational left to share.

I'd say that I've completely mastered this list. For the past week (at least) I've been the best blog slacker I know. Actually, probably the only blog slacker I know. Besides boyfriend, of course. Wait that dude has a blog?! Yeah, I know.. 

Maybe I'll be able to reel myself back into the "normal" routine of blogging someday peeps. Some. Day.

Weekly Gratitude

The only thing I can truly be grateful for this week is

being alive

This week has been filled with many ups & downs. Today I am simply thankful to be breathing, walking & seeing for one more day. Rest in Peace JP & DS. You will be deeply missed..

Songwriters: Chesney, Kenneth A.; Dillon, Dean; Tamburino, Mark;

 Featuring: Dave Matthews Band

So damn easy to say that life's so hard
Everybody's got their share of battle scars
As for me, I'd like to thank my lucky stars
That I'm alive and well

It'd be easy to add up all the pain
And all the dreams you sat and watched go up in flames
Dwell on the wreckage as it smolders in the rain
But not me, I'm alive

And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathin' in and out's a blessing, can't you see?
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
And I'm alive and well
I'm alive and well

Stars are dancin' on the water here tonight
It's good for the soul when there's not a soul in sight
This boat has caught its wind and brought me back to life
Now I'm alive and well

And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing, can't you see?
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
Now I'm alive and well
Yeah, I'm alive and well

 What are you grateful for?

 ***

This weekend, boyfriend & I are working on our new home! So exciting! I will post before & after pictures when we're all moved in = ]

Happy Weekend friends!

Lovely little moments

Don't you just love the bits of happiness and comfort that slip into our busy lives? Cause I do. Some from yesterday include..  

Opening a lovely gift from Orlando FL.. I know it's not Christmas yet.. but I just couldn't wait. Thank you Dear, yours is on it's waaaay : )  

Smiling to myself while preparing holiday gifts, knowing hoping that the receiver enjoys it as much as I do. 

Having Amber kitty nuzzle her way under the blanket so she can cuddle in the nook of my arm.

Seeing my wonderful boyfriend enjoy what he does.

Making lists to organize e v e r y t h i n g which always makes me feel as though I've accomplished something.. even when I haven't really.

Having tiny spurts of faith. In decisions. In my family. In my life.

Being a dance teacher and seeing how excited and ready my students are to learn.

Using these colors : )

Maybe it's the Holiday Season which has perked up my ability to sense and embrace these moments which are usually and subconsciously overlooked.

 

 [from]

Hope your having a wonderful Wednesday. NINE more days until wonderful food, lovely family and warm homes!

Inhale deeply,

 e  x  h  a  l  e

Something I've been trying to do A LOT more of. Something I forget to do all the time [quite typical of dancers]. Something that a woman with so much enthusiasm and love for life that it's impossible to contain, taught me. Something that everyone should practice. Yesterday, while I was having "one of those days" I remembered how laying on the Old Gym floor, I would hear her voice, follow her instructions and feel like a million pound brick had been lifted off of my mind, chest and spirit. And while I was driving [not the best place to experience frustration, exhaustion & overwhelm], I sucked in a deep gulp of good 'ol air, held it, then let it out. Fully concentrating on the sensation in my chest. When I let the air escape, I shoved it out like I had never done before. Pushing everything [annoying phone calls, to-do lists, etc] out of my brain. And it felt wonderful. Like I had nothing in the world to worry about. We're always trying to worry about everything all at once. What for? Are we going to solve every single problem we stumble upon throughout the day. Probably not. And if you do, kudos, cause I can't and I will no longer try to do so for the sake of my personal sanity. 

So this is a challenge. For myself and you, if you so choose. 

Quit worrying when you know there's no use.

Move on. Push all the s#*t out and go back to it when you have some time. 

Or just get rid of it all together. 

Grab life. With both hands. Hold on tight.

 

..and exhale once in a while for goodness sake!

Now that i re-read this post, it sounds sorta corny. Oh well. Sorry.

If for some crazy, bizarre reason, any of you decide to try my "challenge" I'd love to hear your revelations, feedback, struggles, success, etc. so leave me a comment = ]

Happy summerlikeweather day!

Don't forget to look at my "handmade by nicole" page! It's over there somewhere -->

Think about all the lovely gifts that they could be : )

A breath of fresh, Autumn air

Things that make me feel refreshed & happy:

Cleaning and organizing my clutter (ie. combining my stuff from three places , into a teeny tiny one)

Changing/reorganizing my blog - partly because I'm bored

Doing laundry

Making the bed every morning

Being caught up with finances - well.. as caught up as one can be

Getting new pointe shoes

Picking out my outfit for the night before

Thinking about all the lovely gifts I'm making for the Holidays

Homemade pizza (everyone picks their toppings! So fun!)

Drinking tea &/or coffee - usually not in that order

Stepping out into the cool, fresh Autumn air - when I'm all bundled of course

Thinking about the next couple months

Having a schedule

Having a paycheck

Painting my nails

Donating clothes - then buying new "grown-up" clothes as I call them ; )

Spending time with my Momma

Setting new goals for myself

Halloweeeeeeeeeen : )

Making lists..

What makes all of you happy this time of year?

if you're looking for a pick-me-up..

I just had to share this with all of you.. for obvious reasons.

What I hope to get accomplished on what seems like the only day I have "off", tomorrow:

Take photos of anything and everything,

relax,

and that's it!

[I apologize for the slacker-ish habit that my blog has fallen into - my life lately has been work, teaching, and rehearsals [modern company & Nutcracker] non stop. Someday I will find the motivation to turn on my laptop when I get home at night and update all of you lovely friends and family. But right now, my bed is relentlessly winning that battle.

 "To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone."    Reba McEntire

college-free life thus far.

 There's no doubt that I've been busy. As I'm sure most of you have noticed. Or haven't. By the time I even get around to thinking about blogging, I'm already tucked in bed. And once my teeth are brushed and clothes are laid out for the next day, [yes, I do that! Stop laughing!]  there are very few things that are more important than my pillow. I don't know how all of you daily bloggers do it. 
So I guess this post's intention is to catch all of you lovely people up, on my oh so entertaining life. Post college!


Here it goes..
It's been about a month and a week since we left NYC/NJ and it feels as though it was a lifetime ago. It's so strange that such significant and important moments in our lives approach all of a sudden, pass ever so  s l o w l y, and disappear in a heart beat. 

My life currently consists of:
working at the boyfriend's office usually 9 am to 6 pm everyday.
teaching dance to some of the most energetic and inspiring little people I've ever known.
living with my wonderful and loving boyfriend.
making jewelery, scarves & blankets in hopes of selling.
dancing in a modern dance company [we're going to be on tv in a couple weeks!]
looking for more opportunities to teach & perform [I'm auditioning for The Nutcracker tomorrow!]
cute little daily routines that the boyfriend & I instinctively repeat [waking him up & getting his coffee, having lunch together, carpooling to work, going to bed ridiculously early.. ]
trying to be all photographer-like by taking pictures whenever I can.
So. Yep. That's it.


I'm trying to post more of my photography. Although, sadly, I haven't been able to spend as much time with my camera as I have wanted.
A few weeks ago, I taught a summer dance intensive, and we took a trip to Jacob's Pillow. I still can't believe that this was my first trip there. It's in Becket MA, which is seriously only an hour from my house. Anyway. These are just a couple of the photos I took while we were there. We saw a show on the Inside/Out stage, which was amazing. If you ever get a chance to go, please do! It's simply breathtaking. Especially in the summer. OH! And they do weddings.. check out their website. So lovely. I told the boyfriend about it. Not sure it went over too well. So.. I intended to post something about Jacob's Pillow weeks ago, and it was saved as a draft which I had obviously forgotten about. Surprise, surprise.


Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

more Jacob's Pillow photos to come.. maybe some others too ; )

Until then..

"May you always have,
enough happiness to keep you sweet; enough trials to keep you strong; enough success to keep you eager; enough faith to give you courage; and enough determination to make each day a good day"

love.

"Every ending has a new beginning"

In two days, we will be leaving. Venturing off in different directions with numerous goals and dreams floating in our heads.
One thousand, four hundred and sixty days ago.. four years.
It's a long time. We've been able to experience being on our own, make independent decisions and most of all learn about the type of people we want to be.
This is really the only time in our lives that this happens. I don't know about everyone else, but I feel like I am a completely different person than I was one thousand, four hundred and sixty days ago.
I'm comfortable with myself, my beliefs, values and dreams for my future. I'm drive, confident and totally happy and excited to start my life!

Happy Graduation class of 2010!

the glass is definitely half full

the wonderful moments a camera can capture..