It's been a long time, my friend

Hello there! The past three months have flown by. Updates: I've completed four classes in my Master of Nonprofit Management program, I'm single, I think I'll be moving over to a WordPress blog, I moved (again) and I'm going to buy a Magic 8 Ball to help me make all of my major life decisions. Smaht move, right?

I've been Shazaming a lot lately. Which is an app on the iPhone and if you don't have it, you should, because it means you're kewl. So, I wanted to share my Shazamed tunes with you. Have a wonderful Friday and celebrate Friday the 13th with a horrible horror movie! Might I suggest Leprechaun?!

1. Back in your Head by Tegan & Sara

2. Jump into the Fog by The Wombats

3. Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men

4. Houdini by Foster the People

Faves

Wednesday night bicycle rides in Denver are quickly approaching! The themes are fabulous this year. Perhaps I should craft this fancy helmet- via Design Crush! 

 I'm hungry and these Thai chicken enchiladas are calling my name- via How Sweet Eats.

New artist crush, Emma Kidd, through her Etsy shop benconservato.

New Music Monday

Have you heard of The Lumineers? They are a lovely little band from Denver! They're a bit folksy and a little country with a side of rock 'n' roll. They are on tour right now, so check out their website to see if they will be in your city. You can also stream their full album from their website. Enjoy!

You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals.

Ha! Do you remember that song? I watched an amazing show on the Discovery channel yesterday, Frozen Planet. Did you catch it? It's a new series that will air every Sunday night at 8:00 pm e/p.

Frozen Planet shares a breathtaking view on life in the Arctic and the Antarctic. They filmed the animals in their frozen tundra for four years to make this show!

Here's a little clip about a naughty criminal penguin. Enjoy!



To watch more clips or to get more information about Frozen Planet click here.

Reluctant Karl

I have a new favorite show! It's called An Idiot Abroad. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send their good friend and reluctant traveler, Karl Pilkington, around the world to check off bucket list items. Merchant comments, "It's making Karl do things that other people want to do before they die." Gervais follows by laughing as he says, "Exactly, yeah, this isn't his list!"

Every episode has me rolling on the floor! Watch the teaser for Season 2. It's about 4 minutes, a little long, but HILARIOUS! Yes, I'm screaming. Please watch until you get to the part when the snake farts and Karl has a convo with Ricky about it. Cheers!

For more information about An Idiot Abroad and to check out other episodes click here.

Blue Skies

I'm feeling down in the dumps, even though the sun is shining gloriously and it's going to be 70 degrees in colorful Colorado.

Let's wallow in my sadness for a minute with the song Blue Skies by Noah and the Whale:

I'm starting a new class for my Master of Nonprofit Management program tonight called Leading from Within. I'm really looking forward to this class because first of all, it's taught by Dr. Love, and secondly, we are going to meditate in class. We also have to schedule an artist's date throughout the eight week course. This means that we give ourselves 1-2 hours per week to be by ourselves and do what we want to do. It sounds easy, but we always have excuses as to why we can't take time for ourselves. I'm hoping that this will allow me time to paint or be creative in some way, shape or form.

Now let's turn this frown upside down with some cheerful things. Enjoy!

Painting inspiration from Etsy by Twoems

Photo from Evolution, Portrait Series of People and The Fish They Look Like  

How to plant a pineapple in your home via Tickled Red

A nice reminder via Poppytalk!

A kid and a camel via In Spiritual Wonder

New Year, Better You

Hello friends and happy new year! I don't have any new year's resolutions. I generally abide by certain rules, such as be kind to others, spend time with positive people and everything in moderation, including moderation.

I read a great article on www.cnn.com, called Six Tips From Your Future Self. The editor, Karl A. Pillemer, Ph.D, completed studies on 1,200 older Americans regarding advice they would give to the younger generation.

Fave 2 pieces of advice...
1. Worry less. "Worrying wastes your life." Stop obsessing about the future.
2. Don't pass up opportunities. The elders much more strongly regret things they didn't do than what they did. Advice from a 73-year old: "The lesson I learned is that it really pays to say yes unless you've got a really solid reason to say no. Life is an adventure, but to take advantage of it, you have to say yes to things."


To read the entire article, click here Six Tips.


I also like to heed the advice of a very happy man, His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. Have you read his 'life instructions' list? Get on it.


Fave 5 pieces of advice from the DL (we're tight like that)...
1. Be gentle with the earth.
2. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. (I'm going to Pittsburgh for work, does that count?)
3. Follow the three R’s:
-  Respect for self,

-  Respect for others and

-  Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

5. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

To read the rest of The Dalai Lama's 'life instructions' click here.

On a final note, I'll share a tune to get you through the rest of the day, and possibly January. Just breathe.