wanderlust or bust

the countdown begins!* we leave thursday and return to stratton mountain, VT, for our second time wandering and lusting.

i'm excited to not be a newbie. to return to this wonderful festival as a practicing yogi, a teacher with almost a full year under my belt, a person who has pushed her practice further than she ever thought she could. my mom and i will walk onto that mountain top with all of the confidence in the world, because this time, we will have a map. this time, we will have our schedules. and this year, we will know where to park :)

last year was definitely a learning experience, as most adventures tend to be. yoga wasn't the only challenging part- figuring out where to go, getting lost between classes, running from tent to tent so you could get your mat closer to Rolf Gates than the hundreds of other yogis- was all very overwhelming.

i'm excited to see my mom try new poses and find out how far she can push her own practice. to spend time just relaxing, talking, and trying new things with her.

i'm excited to be a wanderlust sophomore. i wont be as cocky as a junior or senior and walk around like i own the place, but i might just have the balls to strike up a conversation with a couple of teachers that inspire me, like Seane Corne and MC Yogi.

i'm nervous AND excited to take the amazing classes i got into this year. handstands? paddleboard yoga?!? YES PLEASE.

i promise lots of photos and a recap that puts last year's recap to shame. wanderlust or bust- here we come!


*technically, i've been counting down since the day we got back last year...

peep this

so i wanted to give a little peek into what was, and hopefully will be again, my weekly sunday yoga class.

after about a year of training with my yogi teacher, i taught my first class in september of 2012 to a pretty decent-sized intermediate group. susan had built up a following and most of them were kind enough to give me a chance :)

i made a playlist that looked something like this:
eyes- rogue wave
sunrise sunset- we are trees
skinny love- bon iver
the thoughts that give me the creeps- hello goodbye
vcr- xx
whole love- wilco
fidelity- regina spektor
heart it races- dr. dog
animal- miike snow
prophets- a.c. newman
tightrope- yeasayer
if there's love- citizen cope
dead sea- the lumineers
how to love- lil wayne
amazing eyes- good old war
the wooden sky- the wooden sky
*(fyi-all of my yoga class playlists are available on my spotify account)

i created a formula that would be 'my style'- a frankenstein-ian creation of all of the classes i had ever taken and loved. i would take barre, pilates, and yoga classes throughout the week and jot down notes if i liked something different that the teacher did. then i would go home and do p90x, or insanity, and incorporate moves from those programs, as well (sphinx push-ups, anyone?). when asked, i called it ashtanga vinyasa, but i was later told that my students referred to it as 'katie's yoga bootcamp' :) i would pick one or two peak poses in the same sort of category (hip-opener, arm balance, back bend, etc...) and build a class that would prepare them for those poses. starting out slow with stretches and small balance postures, moving quickly into sun salutations and vinyasas, pausing in between the flow to focus on a pose that would give them the confidence to fly later on. i wasn't sure if this was how to teach, but it felt right. after a few weeks, my students started telling me that i not only prepared them physically, but mentally for those challenging poses, most of which they had never been able to get into :) (did i mention how much i loved my yogis?)

i tried to come up with my signature closing (you know that thing that teachers say at the end of their class and it always sounds so effortless and all encompassing when they say it? like they just summed up everything you were thinking, and everything the person next to you was thinking, and now you can go in peace and just smile for the rest of the day...?). my teacher used to say the most beautiful phrase that began with 'may all beings be happy', and immediately i would go to a place of quiet content. after my first class ended, i looked out at my students and just said the first thing that came to mind- thank your body for what it's done for you today and thank you for allowing me to practice with you. namaste. it's really very simple, but now that i think about it, it's the core of ahimsa. be nice to yourself. thank you for being nice to me. go in light :)

i love you & buddha too

so i kinda sorta had my first teaching experience back in May, but was hesitant to write about it because i'm not entirely sure that it counts. all of the signs of a yoga class were there (students, check. yoga mats, check. dimly lit room and rockin' music, check & double check.) but i fudged the second to last pose and literally instructed my guinea pigs to "hold that lunge while i check my notebook". i dont ever want to do that in a real class. ever.

plus, i only had two students- my very patient teacher and my very outspoken friend, who occasionally tossed out ideas like "why dont you throw in some arm stretching at this point? even a couple back bends...". actually, maybe it was more of a critique than my first class. yea! lets call it that.

ok, so my first 'critique' was 30 minutes long and included really basic poses. it started with a middle eastern tapping exercise to make sure everyone was relaxed and present, and ended with a very short savasana (mostly because i struggle with long savasanas due to my yoga ADD). my playlist went something like this:

Brand New Shoes by She & Him
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police
Go Outside by The Cults
If There's Love by Citizen Cope
My Doorbell by The White Stripes
Paradise by Coldplay
Right as Rain by Adele
Seperator by Radiohead

my teacher said my cues and 'flow' were really good, and flow is super important in 2 professions: rapping and yoga-ing. so that gave me a little boost of confidence as i began creating my newest sequence for a power vinyasa class. also, it made me want to listen to more kanye. "that shit cray, aint it jay? what she order? fish filet."

check, annnnnd check.

so wherever i go, im taking you with me

we interrupt these very important yoga messages to announce the 5 year anniversary of me and my boo. yup, count 'em! 5 big ones!

on february 23, 2007, a boy with a generally pleasant disposition and super long eyelashes agreed (via instant messenger) to see the movie "23" (starring jim carey, but not funny. the opposite of funny, actually. scary and weird. not a good combo.) with me at crossgates cinemas. he picked me up in his gold saturn- a car which i would later find out did not go in reverse- and we listened to jack johnson the whole way there.

a few months later, after we had somehow, unofficially become 'official', someone asked us how long we had been together. as we tried to figure it out, our dear friend geoff offered us this sage advice- "dudes, you dont know? you gotta pro-rate that shit back to your first date." so, after geoff (the business major) explained to me (the art major) what pro-rate meant, we did just that.

and every year since then, on february 23, my joey, (aka buster, my boo, thee fiance, and, lovingly, josephine) wishes me a happy anniversary... and then shouts "we made it!". how sweet...

so, i would just like to say,

happy 5 years, buster... we made it!
love, katie
(aka rascal, boob, tookers, and lovingly, your stink-butt)




p.s.- i know we use really weird nicknames.
p.p.s.- i dont really have a stinky butt.

paint myself in blue and red, black and grey

over the last few years, i've gotten a really great response from friends and family about my paintings so i thought i would share them with you. i never really thought of myself as a painter- i'm far too precise and controlling to paint a still-life or portrait, or heaven forbid, a landscape. when my screen-printing professor saw what i created for my collage assignment freshman year of college, she immediately declared that i should be a graphic designer... and loosen up a little. i looked around and realized that my precisely measured, neatly trimmed and delicately pasted collage was surrounded by heaps of torn newspaper, messes of glue, and random splatters of paint. and that moment marked the very first time that i became aware of the difference between fine-artists and graphic-designers. i was so jealous of the fine-artists' ability to throw caution to the wind and dive right into their projects, without seemingly second-guessing themselves.

not being able to let go of my obsessive tendencies, i figured i would never be much of a painter... until a couple of years ago when joey bought me a book by one of my absolute favorite artists of all-time: mr. andy warhol. i had always thought of him as more of a fine-artist, but soon began to realize he definitely had a method to his madness. his famous uneven register lines? deliberate! strange color schemes? modern! choice of subjects? the beginning of the pop revolution!

so, i digress. with a little inspiration and lot of nervous energy, i started to develop my own painting style. i've combined my love of typography, lyrics, pop art and bold colors, and this is what was born...   i hope you like!

"clear eyes, full hearts, cant lose" - friday night lights

"i need a big love" -counting crows

"all is pretty" -andy warhol

"if you're a bird, then i'm a bird" -the notebook

"i may take a holiday in spain" -counting crows

i could be your welcome. i could be your greeter.

dear albany,
some people think you are dirty and ugly, but i dont. they think you are dangerous and tell me to carry pepper spray when im walking alone, but i know you are just eccentric. they ask if i've ever been mugged, or seen a mugging, but i've actually seen more acts of kindness. sometimes, when i tell them i live downtown, they ask me where i park (on the street, duh), and what i do when it snows (shovel, like everyone else). i dont think most people understand or appreciate you albany, but we do, and that is why you will be missed...

it seems like it wasnt that long ago that i was writing about our big move to downtown and now, here it is a year later and we are about to attempt it all over again. did we forget how much our last moving day sucked? did we forget how hard it was to carry box after box up 3 flights of stairs? are we crazy????

perhaps.

as sad as we are to say farewell to you, albany, we are also excited to be moving to downtown saratoga! yes, after 8+ years of capital district dwelling, we've decided to give another city a chance, although you will always be close to our hearts... after all, it was at saint rose in albany where we met, (and then met again a few years later because i dont actually remember meeting the first time- oops), and it was where we went on our first date (regal cinemas at crossgates), rented our first apartment on circle lane, (and then our second apartment -downtown- because, as i've previously explained, we are crazy nomads). you, albany, were home to our first (and last) fish- rip frank. the place we meet up with friends for weekly dinners, birthday margaritas at bombers and festivals down on lark street... the location of our first real jobs, and second real jobs (and third & fourth for me- oy)...

this city is filled with memories for us and im sure we will find plenty of excuses to come back and visit you, but right now we are ready for some new adventures...

xoxo,
katie & joey

time ticks by her one race at a time

the saratoga racetrack closed this past weekend and i was once again disappointed with how very few races i attended... it's a huge tourist attraction, and every year i promise myself that i will take advantage of living/working so close to the track, but alas, i never do. this year i was able to squeeze in two visits, both of which i came home with less money than i left with.

this is strange because, if my memory serves me correctly, my twelve year old self used to be very good at placing bets (aka, telling my dad to pick the prettiest horses or the ones that had super cute names) and winning more often than not. however, in retrospect, i am starting to think that my dad would take my 'suggestions', alter them slightly, place the bet and, win or lose, simply tell me i won and give me a few bucks... god, i miss that.

sarah, tashia, me, moni, andrea, sully, brie

anyhow, my first trip to the track was in august, for monicas bachelorette party, which i had organized. we all wore our big fancy hats and i added a giant bow and ribbon to monis that said "bride to be". i dont want to toot my own horn, but we got a lot of compliments, a few people clapped for us, AND we got the thumbs up from two dudes- it was that awesome. so yea, big fancy hats, lots of chicks, and the final race of the day- we each picked a different horse to win (8 horses, 7 girls.... guess which horse won? yup, the only one we didnt pick. where was my dad when we needed him...?).

then, last week, a few co-workers and i went back to the track and for the first time EVER, i sat in the box seats! we were right in front of the winner's circle, so we had a clear view of the finish line, which means i had a really great view of my horse coming in last every time... notice a trend? i kind of suck at this betting stuff, but i swear, it's still fun to go! if you've never been, i suggest you grab some friends, a couple bottles of wine, some fine artisan cheese (fine artisan cheeses are always a crowd pleaser) and check out the racetrack next year in July when it opens back up for the 2012 season. and if he's anything like mine, bringing your dad might be a good idea, too.

i am the luckiest...

i spent this past weekend attending a lovely 2 day ceremony in plattsburgh ny. my college roommate, monica, married her college sweetheart, rob. we lucked out with lots of sunshine and very little rain (which actually resulted in a post-reception rainbow! what a sweet ending to their big day...)

their first dance was to ben folds "the luckiest"

handmade colorful signs, paper cranes & flowers, and painted rocks were the decor.

sarah, myself, and sully- roommates of fontbonne '08

we ended the day with a rainbow over the lake

i just wanna be ok today

after a rough last week and a crazy/busy weekend, i came into work today to find a gift from a friend that made me smile.

beautiful oops by barney saltzberg

the sweetest little book ever, that teaches us to turn an 'oops' into something beautiful... not a bad idea, huh?

thank you for thinking of me, paige.
xo

too drunk and still drinking

i hope everyone had a happy halloween! we spent friday night at the lakehouse in washington park with a few hundred other people, all dressed to impress :) the costumes were pretty amazing- especially among our group of friends. there was elmo, bert & ernie, oscar the grouch, a couple of twenties flappers, peas and carrots, and some vampires thrown in for good measure.

luckily, there was a photobooth there to capture all of the magic :)

a colorful bunch :)

p.s. i'll try to post more pictures soon :)

thanks for the memories

last weekend, my friend dillon passed away, so i just wanted to take a minute and reflect on the impact that he had on others. he always had this huge grin on his face and you couldnt help but smile when you saw him - he was a good kid with a big heart and i know he will be missed. dillon, i hope you find the peace you were looking for. we wont forget about you <3

just one of those nights that i have to share

on october 23, i turned 25 years old. i was spoiled by my family and friends, starting with a breakfast at the madison cafe with my former roommate sully :) then we had an afternoon visit from michele and sean, the cutest married couple ever :) they treated us to dessert at crisan, and then we stopped by the best gift store everrr, on lark street :)

sean, michele, and the little marzipan man that sean was slowly dismembering

later that night, our friends came over to see our new apartment and have a few cocktails before we hit up bombers for the free margarita, and then hollywood for some pool, and then lionheart for darts, and then... well, i'm just going to post pictures because i dont remember much of that night :)

back row: geoff, eric, joey, jurian, cayden, pierre, jake
front row: bryande, birthday girl, jermain
as pierre would say, 'we roll deep" :)

bombers...

hollywood...

lionheart?...

thank you to everyone who celebrated my birthday with me :) xoxo

slender threads and things to treasure

i moved into my new office this past week and got my very first visit from my favorite godson and his mama :)

after leland chewed on some empty boxes, random furniture, and a coffee cup - we took him for a little workout in the downstairs gym. kristin and i chased him around the basketball courts until he wore himself out and then i carried him around and showed him off :) im such a proud god-mommy <3

and! i would like to give a shoutout to the very nice man who helped me pay for my chinese dinner wednesday night. he was waiting at the counter to order his food when he heard the woman tell me that my meal came out to $5.13. as i headed over to the atm (because all i had was a 5), he stopped me and offered to help me out. now, i understand that this was only 13 cents, but it makes me so happy when someone goes out of their way to help a stranger, and it put a big smile on my face for the rest of the night :) so, pay it forward people!

everybody wake up, its time to get down

we recently celebrated our friends 26th birthday at both bombers and then the beirgarten. if you're unfamiliar with those two places, i will simply explain by telling you that bombers provides a gigantic free margarita on your birthday, while the beirgarten bestows a large beer-filled boot on your special day.

geoff & jermaine & the margarita at bombers

geoff and the beirgarten boot

now, lesser men have tried and most likely failed in the past, but our dear friend, geoff, drank both in one night, which should give you an idea of the debauchery that ensued :) plus! the birthday boys parents and our newly-wed friends were in town visiting, so we had a lot to celebrate...

the gang at bombers, september 24 2010

come on, come out...the weather is warm

last weekend was our first larkfest as downtown-residents! it was a bit noisy, but we loved every minute of it :)

us <3

the gang was all there, plus one– yajaira came to see what all the hype was about :) – and we wandered around lark street from noon until about 5pm. there were so many great booths to shop at, but we found one in particular where we spent most of our time/money--> Tiane Novati Modiste. luckily they have an etsy shoppe that you can check out if you didn't get a chance to visit them at larkfest.

afterwards we spent some time at a friends apartment on willette, where we relaxed, played a little catch phrase, and shawn practiced his pull-up technique....? :)

willette street, albany ny

so long sweet summer

i cant believe labor day weekend just passed...

it's been a crazy summer, full of weddings and funerals, job interviews and apartment viewings... weekends camping and road trips in party vans. there have been baseball games and bridal showers... birthday celebrations and bachelorette parties... broadway shows and cake decorating classes...

our social calendar was filled to capacity and we attempted to do every single thing on it. i am definitely sleep deprived these days, but now as it's all winding down, i look back at the photos we took and realize how much fun we had. at the time, i was too busy planning for whatever was next, trying to squeeze in as much as possible. and now – with a new job to prepare for and a new apartment to settle in, things really aren't slowing down – but i'd like to set a new goal for myself, as we start making plans for fall... i want to live in the moment as much as possible :) starting with taking full advantage of living on lark street and exploring downtown albany a little bit more...


what are your goals for the fall?

i'd like to paint a picture for you

today is my former college roommates 25th birthday, so i wanted to give her a bday shout-out via my blog.

~*~HAPPY 25th SULLY~*~

she is an amazing friend and was a super awesome roomy. sully is newly engaged and incredibly busy, but still found the time to help us with our recent move! what a pal :) plus, she's a really good tennis player, so you can understand why i like her so much... sully- i love you bunches and i hope you have the best birthday ever.

p.s. as the title of this post implies, i'm going to take her to creative sparks in saratoga to decorate pottery for her bday present! i'll make sure to post those pictures at a later date :)

i hope that your heart's always warm

my friend michele sent this to me last week and it made me smile. i've been meaning to post it because it's so friggin' cute, so i hope you enjoy it :) just pause 'my mixtape' in the right side panel and hit play below...



MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

falling asleep to the sound of sirens

last night was our first night in the new apartment. we were packing, moving and cleaning from 7 am until 10:30 pm, but we managed to move just enough boxes to find our futon and fall asleep to the busy sounds of lark street beneath us around midnight.

we are both super excited to live downtown, especially with larkfest coming up soon! the move was tough, but luckily we have amazing friends and family who are incredibly selfless (and also very strong :). thank you, thank you, thank you – mom, dad, stephen, sully, al, jake and eric! annnnd thanks to everyone who offered to help (bryande, yajaira, and anyone i might be forgetting)! we love you guys :)

oh, and a special thanks to the strange little man that walked by us yesterday as we were unloading the Uhaul, blew kisses at our apartment, and said "mwah, mwah, mwah- now your home is blessed"... i think i'm going to like it here :)

love burns brighter than sunshine

congratulations to ginger and duke, aka mr. and mrs. romaine!

ginger & duke married on august 28th, 2010

they were married on the evening of august 28th at pine lake beach, as the sun was setting. it was an absolutely beautiful ceremony and i think we all got a little choked up as kristins dad recited a quote from captain corelli's mandolin:

When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots are become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the desire to mate every second of the day. It is not lying awake at night imagining that he is kissing every part of your body. No... don't blush. I am telling you some truths. For that is just being in love; which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over, when being in love has burned away. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? But it is.

it was a fairly small wedding– mostly close friends and family– and the reception was held indoors at the pine lake lodge. their theme was very adirondack-y, with lots of leaves and candles covering the tables and tiny bags of wildflower seeds given as favors.

the bridesmaids and groomsmen all received button bouquets and button boutonnieres, respectively, as a thank you from the bride and groom for sharing in their special day... they were super cute :) everything went pretty smoothly, other than the whole "bride sat in chocolate" incident, but that crisis was averted with a little help from a tide-to-go pen :) we sat down for a family style dinner, and then boogied the night away... our evening ended with a spontaneous game of flip cup in the middle of the dance floor, and a song tribute from the bride to her bridesmaids (soco amaretto lime <3). doesn't get much better than that.