A New Chapter in American History

I spent this past weekend in my nation’s capitol, Washington, DC. This was my first trip to DC, and it was worth every lost hour of sleep, leg cramp and teeth chattering moment.

We arrived at my friends,’ Kristin and Terry, apartment in Arlington, VA early Sunday morning. We spent Sunday wandering around the mall and caught some of the “We are One” concert. This would be our first experience with monumental crowds-only a quarter of what we’d see on Tuesday!

On Monday, we were tourists. We walked all around the downtown area and visited the Museum of American History. Here are some of my favorite shots of Monday.

Tuesday morning, we woke up at 4:30 a.m.! I was so excited for the day that I only grumbled for a few minutes before unzipping myself from my sleeping bag and eagerly grabbing for the cup of coffee Terry was handing me (thank you!). We were up and out by 5 and hopped on the Metro to Arlington Cemetery. We walked over the Potomac, like so many Americans before us, and entered DC. We were greeted on the mall by “volunteers” who kept saying, “Good morning!” to everyone who walked by. We walked as far up to the capitol as we could. Confusion was everywhere. We finally settled on a spot by MSNBC, well, we finally realized that the path had been barricaded ahead of us, and we were stuck!

Everyone around us was in good spirits despite the close quarters. We made some friends with a couple ladies from Florida (Thank you for the life-saving granola bar if you’re reading this!). We stood there, freezing, anticipating, laughing and waiting for about four and a half hours before the “entertainment” arrived. Aretha was a little disappointing ,but we didn’t really care…we knew what was to come next!

After President Obama’s speech, we tried to head out of the crowds and back to Virginia. The crowd was so controlled that we were stuck in our “block” until security removed a giant fence and we were able to walk, in a round-about way, back the way we came.

Even now, the fact that Barack H. Obama is our president has not completely set in. I keep thinking back to his words on Tuesday and the promise for a new America.

Where do you Yoga?

I get asked this question quite a bit. And, I will say that I honestly didn’t have an answer for my fellow suburbanites till I started searching. My search started at good ‘ole Google and has led me to various yoga studios around McHenry County. Here, I will highlight some of my favorites!

Yoga Seva (at Rt. 176 and Walkup in Crystal Lake, Illinois) does more than live up to its name. Seva means selfless service. The instructors and guests at this studio genuinely seem to be concerned with their student’s learning, well being and development. On top of a regular schedule of yoga classes for all levels, they also offer workshops and meditations with Bhante Sujatha of Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple. The space is beautiful, warm and inviting. Check it out when you have a chance!

Om Stretch Yoga (at 112 Cary Street in downtown Cary, Illinois) is a studio I discovered only this past week. Heidi has a great little space; it’s cozy, peaceful and welcoming. The  studio is a great hub for Cary’s kula (yoga community). I really appreciate being welcomed into what sometimes feels like someone else’s home. The group Heidi has organized is so nice, inviting, funny and friendly. It is a great asset to this small community!

I look forward to discovering new yoga studios and opportunities to gather with like minded people in the suburbs. Hopefully, I will be sharing new outlets soon!

Namaste

Where in the world is Bryan?

This is the question folks around here, who know the great traveler Bryan Long, find themselves asking quite frequently. This young globetrotter has been to more than 15 countries!

Are you jealous yet? I know, me too!

Jealously aside, you can’t help but admire Bryan’s ambition, service and open mindedness. He’s not just traveling to the far reaches of the globe to check exotic locales off his list and see the famed sites. Bryan brings with him a spirit of adventure and discovery that he unpacks at each stop. It’s no wonder that someday he will pursue a degree in anthropology.

So, enough of tooting Bry’s horn…the reason for this post is to give another recommendation to the folks of STA Travel that Bryan Long is indeed the best candidate for their 2009 World Traveler Internship. He has amazing experiences abroad and has a keen way of sharing his passion for adventure and the unique cultures he encounters with family and friends back home.

Bryan makes his case better than anyone can:

Hippity Happity New Year!

This is my first post of the new year! Obviously blogging wasn’t one of my new year’s resolutions!

I did make a couple resolutions this year, though. One is to eat an all-vegan diet! I’ve kept this one thus far, and I’m feeling great. I look forward to trying out some new recipes this year! I need to send out a great “THANK YOU” to the vegan blogging community. There are so many great blogs out there written by individuals who are not only talented in the kitchen, but also have a knack for conveying their positive, vegan messages to the masses! KUDOS! (I will follow up with a list of my favorites in a future post!)

The second resolution I made was to get into running. Last year, I made an attempt to start running, and…well, you know how it goes…one thing leads to another. Suffice it to say, I had never run an entire mile in my 23 years of life. That is, until yesterday! I did a mile in 12:30, and I continued to run for a full 15 minutes! I feel such a sense of accomplishment that I cannot help but shout my joy from the blogging rooftops! (I also need to give a thanks here to my friend Penny, she’s my inspiration and keeps me going with her positive encouragement!)

Those were the two biggies! And, like most changes you make in life, I’m finding that these two changes are helping me make positively in other areas as well. I have been accomplishing so much lately–I love to check things off my lists! My energy has been higher than usual, and I’m inspired to keep moving forward!

HAPPY 2009!