A Penny for Your Thoughts

I stumbled upon these questions here and they made me think a bit, and so I will leave you with your thoughts...

These questions have no right or wrong answers.

Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
22. Why are you, you?
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
25. What are you most grateful for?
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
32. If not now, then when?
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Extreme Couponing?!?!

Seriously.

If you haven't watched or heard of this new show on TLC yet, go check it out (its on every Wednesday at 9:30 or you can just Google it, there are videos).

I agree where do you draw the line?

These people are ridiculous, they have like 10 year supplies of everything under the sun stockpiled in their houses, yet continue to buy more and more. They are so serious about couponing, they actually PAY for coupons! That's right, apparently there is a place on the internet (of course) where you can actually pay someone else to clip coupons so you can get 100 coupons for 50 cents off tomatoes for a handling charge of around seventy dollars. That just doesn't make sense to me but obviously it works, I just watched a man buy 1,100 boxes of cereal totaling $4,000 for $150. That was just one transaction of three he had that day. His total before taxes was like $5,000 and he only paid around $200! As a former grocery store cashier, I would hate these people while being extremely impressed at the same time.

I have to ask myself though, what in the hell do you do with 1,100 boxes of cereal? Apparently he gives them away to people in the community which is great but I'm not sure if the others to the same.

Personally, I would love to hire these guys to help me build my own personal grocery store right in my house, but once I have a 5 year supply of everything I could ever possibly need, I would be content with never having to go shopping again for the next 5 years, not continue to buy more and more stuff.

I find it ironic that just before Extreme Couponing came on I was watching Hording: Buried Alive. Is TLC trying to suggest something? Just because their houses aren't filled with useless shit, rotting food, 100 cats or actual shit, doesn't mean they don't have a compulsive hording problem of sorts. I mean if you have 10 YEARS worth of food and household supplies do you really need to keep buying more, even if you're only paying $5 for 150 bottles of mustard?

I understand the need for coupon clipping and savings in today's economy but you need to draw the line somewhere.

One woman did say she extreme coupons to save money so her seven children won't have to pay for college and saves $40,000 dollars a year and I think that's great, but when you already have 1,400 rolls of toilet paper stashed under your infant son's bed, take a break! Actually eat some of that food you have instead of buying more.

Face Lift

The page needed some spring it it's step to help encourage the weather to follow suit.

So check out the new colors and fonts :)

I'm Dreaming of a Spacious Kitchen

Cuz lord knows I'm not dreaming of a White Christmas anymore....

But we are finally seeing signs of spring!! :) I got to go down to North Beach with a girlfriend this weekend and try out my camera since it's finally nice enough outside to get some great outdoorsy shots (nothing beats natural lighting).

Click on the picture to go to my Flickr and see the rest of the pictures I took Saturday.

It was great to finally get out side and enjoy the fresh air without freezing my ass off.

Now back to why I started this post.

While stumbling around the internet I came across what I now think is my favorite blog ever, Sugar Derby. She has the cutest ideas and recipes that I am now dying to make.

Unfortunately being the college student that I am, not all of the supplies are readily at hand not to mention the lack of space and clean dishes available for baking.

Imagine this except for dishes covering 75% of the already small amount of counter space.

I try to bake whenever I get the chance but nothing quite as elaborate as The Ultimate Ice Cream Cake Cookie Pie. Those look absolutely delicious and I can't wait to try them out.

Of course thinking about baking makes me think about my dream kitchen that I will have in my home at some point before I die. It looks something like this:

Double ovens for lots of baking projects, a large stove top, TONS of counter space, a large bar/island and lots of cabinets (I'm also assuming a dishwashers behind the bar). It has everything I could ever need!

I would also add a wine rack instead of a cabinet on the end of the island and mini bar on the island, a bigger sink is definite; two sided and deep, with a pantry off of the kitchen and I would change the color pallet completely depending on what the rest of my house looks like.
But to truly make it my dream kitchen, it needs to over look whatever back yard I might have. I like a lot of natural light in my living space so lots of windows over looking pretty things :)

I can't wait until I can have a beautiful gathering space to host lots of parties with family and friends. I think food is sooo important when it comes to sharing good times with loves ones. Cooking is something that comes from the heart, as they say "Made with Love", and there is nothing better then sharing the fruits of your labor with the people you enjoy spending time with. I got to cook Thanksgiving for my family this year and I loved it so much I hope to do it from now on.


It's getting late and all this talk of food is making me hungry so I'm off to find a midnight snack then hit the sack (silly rhyme not intended).

Nighty night loves,
Alice

The Girl Effect: The Clock is Ticking

So my friend sent me this video and I finally got the chance to watch it. Watch it for yourself now, I'll wait :)

Tear jerker right? I know my eyes got watery, but I'm sap when it comes to these things.
Watching this video makes me wish I could put on a super hero cape and save the world. Some one needs to do it so why can't it be me? I have always felt like there are so many awful things in the world and no one seems to do much about it, but I have never felt like there was much I could do about it being one girl.
I now feel like there is a whole hell of a lot I can do about these things. I am currently getting my bachelors degree in Event Management and this is going to provide me with exactly the right opportunity to start changing the world. This is my life goal; to make a difference in this complex world of ours.

I will be planning fund raising events for the Make-A-Wish Foundation this semester for my internship and I couldn't be happier.

In the future I hope to plan more fund raising events, maybe start my own website (or use the power of Blogger); Alice vs. the World: One Girl, One Goal; Make a Difference. The website would be a hub for info on any non profit or charitable projects I am currently working on.

There are so many ways that events can be used to help under privileged and poverty stricken communities, for example South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup did wonders for their economy because of everyone who came to see the game brings money from outside of the community and spent it in South Africa, putting more money in circulation for South Africa's economy (we learned about this in class). So if poorer countries were able to host big events they stand to benefit greatly. I hope to help them do this one day.

Until next time darlings :)
xoxoAlice

I Want Beef Jerky!

Since I have been feeling quite uninspired by the drab weather outside my window, I will provide some comic relief for the day... Kittens Inspired by Kittens :)

Life

I can't seem to get mine together lately.

As the end of my fourth semester of college slowly approaches, marking the halfway point of my college career (hopefully), I can't help but be intimidated by all of the decisions I have to make that will determine the next couple years of my life.

Finding an apartment, finding roommates, deciding if the boy and I are living together or not, hammering out my class schedule, finding study aboard programs, finding a job, and all of this things can't be determined with out confirming another. I can't go aboard if I don't have enough room in my schedule, I can't find a house without roommates and vice versa and all of these choices that will determine the next two years of college need to be decided before mid April. Yikes. Not ready for this type of adult decision making.

I don't want to plan out my life right now I'm only nineteen years old, I just want to go with the flow and see where life takes me, too much to ask I guess...

Unofficial Snowday

As I looked outside my window at 8 am this morning I found myself looking at about five inches of fresh powder on the ground and the sky was showing no signs of letting up. My teacher has to be crazy if he wants to drive in this and hold our 9:30am class! So I excitedly check my email hoping for some good news. Nothing.

Well I certainly was not about to venture out into the tundra so I sent my professor an email saying I wasn't going to chance driving and I live to far to walk. No sooner than I sent that email my professor for my 11:00am canceled class! Now the only thing left on my schedule was work. I didn't have to be in till 2:00pm so I was planning on going if the snow died down but my boss called and told me to stay home.

SNOW DAY!!!!!!

California Dreamin'

Had to change the my playlist to go with the post so if your sound is off, turn it up and enjoy some Mama's and Papa's :)

But days like today where the snow never seems to stop coming down make me wish I was somewhere warmer.
Part of the reason I hate these snowy days is I never have the right shoes to wear, ever. I have snow boots but they are good for walking around outside but not for sitting through work and class. Not to mention when you put together a great outfit that is NOT completed with a bulky snow boots but it's too cold and snowy for high heels.
But I digress, today is like every other snowy day, sitting at my desk watching the snowfall wishing I was on the beach with a fruity drink in hand. I even wore my orange sweater to bring for some cheerful color today.
Until next time lovelies :) Stay warm!

Todlers & Tiaras

I will admit watching bad reality TV is a guilty pleasure of mine and when I happened across Toddlers and Tiaras last night after watching one of my favorite TLC shows What Not To Wear, I was pretty excited. Why did is stop channel surfing to watch this train wreck of TV show? Because just like any car accident, you want to stop watching the absurdity but you just can't tear yourself away. Spoiled rotten 4 year olds with so much make up on they look like 22 year olds in tiny bodies being paraded around in costumes watching their moms dance like fools in the audience, sounds like a shitshow of stupid to me and that always entertaining on a Thursday night with a glass of wine.

Thank you Topanga for the brilliant example of this TV show. Let me be the first to say I miss Boy Meets World and all of the other TV shows of the 90's. Any one else have a think Shawn was so adorable and had a tiny crush on him?

Anyways I'm getting off topic, basically Toddlers and Tiaras is all about moms who were never pretty enough growing up reliving their childhoods vicariously through their poor daughters. Even sons are subjected to their mother's wrath by being forced to be "the daughters I never had". Another little known fact is that there are probably just as many pageant dads as there are moms, and they are just as bad if not worse!

YouTube won't allow me to embed the video so click the picture to see the video on YouTube.

Anyways, the show is absolutely ridiculous and I insist that you check it out if you are like me and enjoy yelling at the TV when you watch shows about over the top melodrama.

Welcome!

For those of you who just stumbled upon my site welcome!

Right now my blog is a bit of a mess, haven't been inspired by much these past few days but I hope to get back in the habit of posting.

For now check out what I have, feel free to leave some positive karma :)

Peace and Love,
Alice

Round Two

I procrastinate just about everything and frequently find myself playing catch up. So here are the last few days...

So in a house of six people all but one of us snowboard, so naturally there is an abundance of snowboards needing to be stored. My roommate who has acquired the nickname Bob Vila, constructed this snowboard rack in the bathroom and I love seeing so many snowboards all in one place.

Photo number twenty six:

Mountain Law

Photo number twenty five:

This one's for you dear, the original Alice ;), and the girls from BDC. I wish I didn't quit pointe and did this number with you guys.

Ramalama Bang, Bang

Photo number twenty four:

A Dancer's Spirit

Photo number twenty three:

Hidden Language

Photo number twenty two:

Queen of Hearts

Creative Funk

Some call it writer's block, but I prefer to call it a creative funk. Senior year I took my last four required classes and six electives (art classes naturally) I needed to graduate and spent most of my free blocks in the art room completing homework and doing personal projects. After school I spent about fifteen hours a week at the dance studio and I loved it. Sadly I haven't had the time or resources to pursue these passions and have been in a creative funk of sorts. The only way I can describe the feeling is to relate it to cabin fever; but instead of feeling trapped inside a house, my thoughts seem to be stuck in this metaphorical box everyone's always talking about.

Lately I have been finding ways to do some of my old hobbies again. The other night I found my acrylic paint set while cleaning my room and immediately looked around the room to find something for me to paint. I didn't find anything and was left with a make shift palette full of untouched paint. Perfect opportunity to grab my camera.

Here is photo twenty-one:

Creative Space

This is one of the many reasons I love my campus, the views are beautiful no matter what season (promise to do a "Four Seasons" mini series type thing) but this picture doesn't do winter any justice. This is the view from my desk at work I look at as I sip my tea getting ready to start my day at 9 am, don't judge this is early in the life of a college student. The beatuy of the snow gently falling everywhere always seems to cheer me up despite the drive from hell I just endured to get here.

Photo number twenty:

Winter Inside And Out

Catch Up

So I have been slacking on my 365 but here are the last few days...

Photo number nineteen:

A Beautiful Tradition

My school hired a henna artist today so I got free henna! I think it is so pretty, I wish I could have gotten something more elaborate and on both hands but since it was free we only got a small one.

Photo number eighteen:

Fire & Ice

I was walking through campus on my way to class, running a little late of course, and saw this guy on a bench and thought it was so cute! I was going to wait until after class to take the picture but I didn't want to chance it getting ruined so I snapped a quick picture and went off to class.

Photo number seventeen:

Good Morning Bob! Enjoying Your Breakfast?

This is Bob our resident squirrel friend :) He likes to frequent our front porch looking for food, this particular day he found himself a waffle fry. Our sub-letters from the summer said they would wake up and Bob would be in the house on their bed or trying to steal food from the kitchen, he just doesn't give up.

Photo number sixteen:

Untitled

I was walking to class the other day and the vines on brick looked cool and has a really interesting texture. I also enjoy taking perspective pictures like this because I like the depth it creates. I also love the contrast of the bright red, white and black.

Photo number fifteen:

A Splash of Color on a Snowy Day

Again, walking around campus I noticed this bright red tree and thought it was intriguing so I naturally I stopped to take a picture. I wish there had been a field or more snow behind the tree to make the tree stand out way more.

Photo number fourteen:

Downtown

This is Church Street, the popular shopping street in downtown Burlington; known for its shopping, unique dining and the college bars. In the winter they hang christmas lights everywhere and when it snows it is beautiful. I am very disappointed with this picture and plan on a retake when I get a tri-pod. When the flash is on the lights are washed out, but with out a flash and steady hand the picture comes out blurry. Also a tragic event took place when I tried to take this picture and now I have a cracked screen :( But the camera still works so that is a blessing...

Gotta Love Clearance :)

So today I ordered a super cute robe from American Eagle. I got a $25 gift card for Christmas and went to the store the other day and couldn't find anything for $25 or less, of course, so I turned to the clearance section of the website and stumbled across this robe (something I have been wanting lately) for a mere $19.95!

So I found a $50 robe for twenty bucks which was perfect and with some internet scouring I was able to save myself $7 (and going over my $25) by getting a code for free shipping! Yay retail therapy :)

Words To Live By; Count Your Blessings

"You cannot go around and keep score. If you keep score on the good things and the bad things, you'll find out that you're a very miserable person. God gave man the ability to forget, which is one of the greatest attributes you have. Because if you remember everything that's happened to you, you generally remember that which is the most unfortunate."
-Hubert H. Humphrey

Endless Hope
“Some see a hopeless end, while others see an endless hope.”

This quote came from my iGoogle home page from the Motivational Quotes app. I thought it was inspirational because I tend to be really hard on myself when it comes to small mistakes and dwell on them for a long time. I have also been focusing a lot on the negative things in my life lately like being broke and knowing I will start my adult life with about $100,000 worth of college debt, being torn between loving Vermont but missing my friends and family, and feeling like somehow I would have been happier being 20 years old in the sixties lol. This Christmas break I realized how much I missed and love my family and wish I could spend more time with them but it's hard being a two and a half hour drive away.
This quote reminded me to take a second to count my blessings because they are truly what life is about.

My amazing family who has always, and will always have my back and support me with anything I do as long as it makes me happy. I can't thank them enough for everything they have done for me.
My loving boyfriend who has been my immediate support system for the last year and a half and would do anything for me, endures my often too frequent, (but it's one more thing I'm working on changing) whining, crying temper tantrums and constant need to be the center of his attention and hasn't ran screaming.
His wonderful family who took me into their hearts and home this summer. They are great people and treated me like their daughter even though they just met me.
My best friend who has stuck by me and supported my decisions without judgment and manages to find the time to come see me despite her schedule and the drive.
My best friend, shopping buddy, GPS navigation system and fellow child at heart who I miss a ton and am super happy for her recent engagement :)
My opportunity to get a college education. Even though classes are long and homework is brutal and all of this is costing me $40,000 a year, I know that having a college education is a great opportunity that will give me a better life in the future and I need to appreciate it more.
Having a roof over my head, food in my kitchen, love in my heart and clothes on my back and amazing people to share my life with.

Forget the bad, put it in the past, live to love because if you don't you have nothing to live for.

xoxo Alice

Lazy Weekend

So in true last vacation weekend fashion I did a hell of a lot of nothing. Event though classes started we don't have much work yet and it still feels like vacation. I like to relax on the weekends so I won't be taking many pictures or posting much.

"Let's have some fun and never change not for anyone,
try not to miss me when I'm gone"
Downfall of Us All - A Day To Remember

Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Today was a very relaxing day, probably the last of its kind for a while.
When I signed up for classes I made sure I had no Friday classes so I could go to my internship, however I did not have to go this week so I woke up showered, got some lunch and made a coffee shake in my personal blender I got for christmas. I drove D (my boyfriend) to class and went to the Vinyasa Flow Yoga Class that was being held on campus at the same time.
This was my first yoga class ever and I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to doing more of it.

I found this video on YouTube and thought it was one of the easiest to follow for a beginner. So I clicked on the channel and they had tons of different yoga routines such as yoga for flat feet, when you have your period, mood lifting, and even yoga for anxiety.
This is absolutely perfect because I would really like to do some yoga everyday and with these videos it's super convenient for me to do on my own time.

The one simplest Vinyasa sequences, and the only one I remember from one class, involves just two movements and is called the cat-cow stretch:

1. Begin on all fours.
2. Inhaling, you lift your tailbone and chest and drop your navel towards the floor.
3. Exhaling, tuck your tailbone under, arch the spine towards the ceiling, and tuck the chin to chest.

This can be repeated several times and is an easy stretch to help de-stress and stretch your back out to warm up or wind down.

Throw Back

Kitty Can't Cope

This is my roommate Maggie's cat Nala. We gave her some catnip and she just laid there for a bit then fell asleep. She was so cute so naturally I grabbed my camera and here is photo number thirteen:

Kitty Can't Cope

For this picture I turned the flash off because my biggest peeve with digital point and shoot cameras verses an old SLR film camera is not being able capture the natural light of a shot. The flash almost always over exposes pictures and does not do the subject justice. I put my camera on the Kids&Pets setting and snapped away. I had to take a couple shots to get one in perfect focus and settled on this one. I then upped the contrast for truer blacks and brought down the color saturation for the black and white effect.

Snow Day

Unfortunately snow days in college just aren't the same as they were in grade school. Classes rarely get canceled and you still need to go to work. Today I got lucky when my 3:30 class was canceled, I went straight home, put on some comfy pants and got cozy on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa :) Perfect way to be snowed in.

Photo number 12:

Perfect Snow Day Treat

Then I made myself a delicious dinner. I put two Chipotle-Black Bean veggie burgers on an everything bagel with Ranch dressing, red and green peppers and Pepper jack cheese. Yum!

Crazy Weather

Yup, even Hawaii.

I can't believe it. Could this be a result of global warming? If not why do you think there is so much more snow?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Getting lots of snow in Burlington today! I have a definite love/hate relationship with winter and snow. I enjoy snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice skating, making snowmen and other wintertime activities but I really hate cleaning off my car, horrible driving conditions and walking around campus in subzero temperatures. Sometimes I question why I chose to stay in New England for school, I would love to be in Florida or somewhere else where its warm all the time and I can go to the beach anytime. Too far away from home I guess.

Despite the annoyances, a snow storm is one of the more beautiful things in this crazy world of ours. When it's over everything looks like it has been sprinkled with sugar and the snow sparkles like diamonds in the sun :)

At the mountain. Photo credit to the boyfriend

Night Lights

Today I took an unintended day off from my new routine, but its still the beginning and I haven't been able to do my big Costco trip yet so convenience store food it is.

After class and dinner I ventured out into the brisk Vermont night to try out some of my camera's nighttime features.

I used the long shutter speed to get the effect of the car lights driving by. I want to find a place where I can get a good view of a busy street and experiment with shutter speed.

Photo number eleven:

Vermont Nights

So Cute!

So I was reading a friend's blog at work and she talked about the hand warmer mug she got for Christmas from the Clay In Motion pottery studio and I had to check them out for myself. They are super cute and such a great idea for keeping toasty during these chilly Vermont winters. 18 dollars for a coffee mug is a little steep for my current financial situation but it makes a great gift idea for the future.

xoxo Alice

802 Love

Being back in Vermont is great, it's hard to describe but I just love the atmosphere here. Everyone here is just so diverse and chill. Here I can let my inner hippie come out and not feel out of place. In fact I would say being in Vermont brings out my inner hippie, and I couldn't be happier. Snowboarding, cozy tea shops, organic food stores, year round farmers markets and beautiful buildings and landscapes make Burlington a truly unique place to live.

Photo number ten:

One Love Man

First Day Back

Filled with high hopes and a few butterflies, I cleaned the snow off my car and set forth to campus. Today marks the beginning of a journey to a new me, a happier, healthier more energized me. First on the schedule is some yoga breathing exercises for beginners.

Then some jump roping to get my heart rate up. Followed by 40 jumping jacks, 40 crunches and 20 sit ups with 3lbs weights, then some stretching and breathing to cool down.

I tried some of these energizing stretches:

Standing Cat & Cow – Stand with your feet wider than your shoulders, knees slightly bent. Inhale and open your arms out to the side, lifting your sternum, and exhale as you round your spine, tuck your chin towards the chest and bring the arms back in front. Continue moving each way 4-6 breaths.

5 pointed Star – Continue in that same wide stance, with feet straight ahead and arms out in a “T” shoulder height. Draw your belly button towards the spine and stand tall, relaxing the shoulders. Feel the strength in your arms and lift the sternum without arching the low back. Hold for 3-5 breaths.

Reverse Warrior – Turn your right foot out and bend into the right knee. Make sure the right knee is stacked right over the right ankle. If you need to, widen your stance to make this more comfortable. Drop your left arm down by your side and lift the right arm overhead. You should feel grounded in the legs, but a nice lift in the upper body. Gaze up at the right hand or down at your left foot. Hold for 3-5 breaths and switch sides.

Chest Expansion – Standing in Mountain pose, draw your arms behind you and lift with your sternum. Try to keep the low back in a neutral position. Draw the shoulder blades closer together behind you. Hold and breathe for 3 breaths.

Standing Forward Fold – From Chest Expansion, soften your knees and fold forward, allowing your upper body to dangle and relax. Hold opposite elbows if that’s comfortable, relaxing the head, neck and shoulders. Breathe and hold for 4 breaths.

Move down to your back on the floor…

Knees to Chest - Hug your knees in toward your chest. You may rock side to side or just hold here and feel your back supported by the floor.

Flowing Bridge - Place your feet hip width apart and right under your knees with arms down by your side, palms down. As you inhale, gently press into your arms and feet and lift the hips off the mat. As you exhale, release back to the floor. Continue 6-8 times, moving with your breath.

Off to work I go...Gonna try this out when I feel a little drowsy at the desk.

Back to School I Go

So I have strayed from my 365 project a little bit but I took enough photos in NYC to make up for it so here is photo number 9:

A Fresh Start

A new semester and a new year are the perfect time for a fresh start. I have made a schedule, lists and I am ready to go. My goal is to stay on track all semester so I have my work cut out for me.

New Snowboard

So my favorite Christmas present this year, besides being able to spend the holiday at home with my amazing family :), was most definitely my Morrow Kava Snowboard. I bought it when I was in New York with the money that I got for Christmas. It came with Burton Freestyle bindings and I got a helmet as well. Grand total for the day: $440.00. I wish I could have bought everything back in New Hampshire, I would have saved $40 in taxes!

I put the new gear to test this weekend at Sugarbush and I absolutely loved it! Friday afternoon I bought my $100 seasons pass and hit the slopes. The conditions were really icy but the board rode great, I immediately noticed how much more control I had of the board and I could carve much smoother. My old board is a no name board that I got for free from my dad's work so it was not the greatest ride ever. My new board is a size 145 and a bit shorter than my old one and I think that makes a lot of the difference, also my roommate pointed out that my old board had no real edge! No wonder I fell whenever I tried to carve.

We woke up to about six inches of powder Saturday and could not wait to get back on the mountain. My board handled the powder pretty well, I was having a bit of a hard time with big snow piles but I manged to stay on my feet all the way down the mountain which is a great improvement.

The bindings are really nice but don't quite work with my boots from a couple seasons ago. No worries for this season but next season I'll invest in new boots. I also really wanted to get white bindings because they would have matched the board quite well but they only had black in my size. The guy at the store said I could get another kind in white but the black ones were a much better fit for me and the cheapest option so I bought the black ones.

New Year, New Routine

So I have been feeling quite lazy and disorganized lately; I decided that at the start of my fourth semester in college it's time to pull myself together at little bit. The best way I can think to go about this is creating a routine for myself and sticking to it. Between work, class, dance and everything else I enjoy doing in my spare time I need to improve on my schedule keeping and time management skills.

Missing Ballet So Much Lately. From Flickr.

I am going to focus on creating a routine diet and exercise plan for myself. Nothing extreme just eating healthy, smaller portions at regular times paired with regular physical activity; ice staking, dance, yoga, snowboarding etc. I also want to do a bit of working out and getting stronger and in better shape for snowboarding then in turn, improve my snowboarding skills.

Ready to take on a challenge. From Flickr.

Since we are in 2011, I have turned to some of the many readily available technological aids to help keep me on track this year. I am using this blog to keep track of my progress, iGoogle to keep me organized and entertained, Google calendar to keep my schedule and Flickr to organize and share my photos and videos.

New York, New York

"These little town blues, are melting away I'll make a brand new start of it - in old New York If i can make it there, I'll make it anywhere It's up to you - New York, New York" -Frank Sinatra

Coming from a small town I never spent much time in the city, save for a few trips to Boston and one quick day trip to NYC in high school. Being a dancer I know all about Broadway and 42nd street and all the opportunities cities offer to dancers other performing artists; however I have no desire to ever reside in the city, too busy and crowded for my taste, but I love visiting and wish I could do it more often.

These City Streets

I got the opportunity to go back to New York City this past week when my boyfriend and his parents took me out for the day. We drove into the city and walked to the St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Then we walked to Rockefeller Center and looked at the big Christmas Tree and the famous ice rink.

Next on the tour was Radio City Music Hall, M&Ms World, then Times Square.

I wanna be a Rockette

The Great Wall Of Chocolate

Happy New Years New York!

Central Park. Next time I go on the city I want to go to Strawberry Fields and visit the John Lennon Memorial. Which reminds me of another goal of mine; to actually read the John Lennon biography I bought for 6 bucks last semester.

The Big Piano

We went to FAO Schwarz which is an 150 year old toy store that is three floors and has a giant doll factory, a giant dance on keyboard, and is every child's dream come true.

I had a great time in the city and can't wait to go back. Next time I want to go to Strawberry Fields in Central Park and go to Ellis Island and see the Statue of Liberty.

-Alice

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Been really busy with packing and getting ready to make the drive back to Burlington. Also I have been editing my pictures from my trip to NYC Sunday. My boyfriend and his parents took me into the city for the day and it was a blast and I got to try out my camera! Pictures to come...
xoxo Alice

Ringing in the New Year

Packing up the Christmas decorations marks the beginning of a new year. First project on my list, exploring my new camera! This year for Christmas my amazing boyfriend gave me a Cannon PowerShot SD1400IS. It has 14.1 mega pixels, 4times zoom, tons of features and I love it! My goal is to do a 365 photo project where I take one picture every day using different techniques and features on my camera. I will be using this blog to post my pictures and whatnot.

Picture number 1, 1/1/11. Vacation.


No one enjoys getting out of bed on vacation. While this was a posed picture, I was going for the passed out cold, dead to the world look that often accompanies sleeping in. I really like the way the light was coming through the window, a bright stat to a new year :)
xoxoAlice