FALL bucket list

Ok, so I really want to start to blog more. Even if it's not life-changing, thought-provoking, super important stuff. All the little things that make up our days - the trips to the park, the first "crawl" (I use this term lightly), little ideas mused upon....it's these little things that are what makes a big life, no? 

So bear with me....some posts may be a bit mundane or silly to you but I can't worry about that (no offense).  

Back to the topic at hand: FALL!!!! oh, welcome you cozy little season you! This Saturday (Sept. 22) marked the official first day of fall. It may still be in the 90's here but there are pumpkins and halloween candy (even Christmas decorations for goodness sake!) out at the stores so I'm callin' it:

FALL IS HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!! 

I've seen these bucket lists floating around pinterest & thought what a cute idea! 

so here is my Fall Bucket List! (minus the cute colors and fonts....)

Visit the Farmers Market often

Try 5 new Fall recipes

Enjoy favorite old Fall recipes (cranberries, pumpkin bread, peppermint mochas)

Visit a Pumpkin Patch

Go to the Wineries 

Celebrate Oktoberfest (in the form of beer and German food)

Carve a pumpkin

Watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" & "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" with H

Hike with Cody & H

Donate to the Food Bank

Take cute Holiday pictures with H

Watch as much TEXAS football as possible

I may add more as the season gets underway but that's a great start :) So here's to ALL things FALL - sweaters, football, pumpkin, boots, holidays, cranberries, scarves, family, burnt orange & cinnamon :)

pumpkin spice lattes

day 2: check! 30 min. of vinyasa after work. very relaxing. it was also helpful to have cody home b/c he kept jack entertained..."downward dog" is much more zen without jack licking my face or jumping on my back.

day 3: 20 min. power vinyasa during lunch w/ jack. lots of emphasis on the upper body w/ tons of planks & chaturanga's. goooooood stuff :)

just to be clear, this challenge is not just about making sure i practice yoga everyday...oh no my friends, it is so much more than that! the physical action of the yoga is just the tip of the iceberg.

my dear yogi friend, jessica wrote a great blog all about yoga and it's "magical aspects" as she describes them. you should check out her blog b/c well, she's amazing but this is the specific information that she shares which i would like to pass on to all (eight)of you:

One of the most magical aspects of yoga is that it means something different to each person. The word yoga, from the Sanskrit word yuj, means to yoke or bind and is often interpreted as "union" or a method of discipline.

The Indian sage Patanjali is believed to have collated the practice of yoga into the Yoga Sutra an estimated 2,000 years ago. The Sutra is a collection of 195 statements that serves as a philosophical guidebook for most of the yoga that is practiced today. It also outlines eight limbs of yoga. Each limb relates to an aspect of achieving a healthy and fulfilling life, and each builds upon the one before it.

For the most part, the Western world is familiar with the third limb, the asanas, or practice of yoga postures. But really, yoga is about so much more. Below are descriptions of the eight limbs (courtesy of about.com):

1. Yama: Five ethical guidelines regarding moral behavior towards others:

Ahimsa: Nonviolence

Satya: Truthfulness

Asteya: Nonstealing

Brahmacharya: Nonlust

Aparigraha: Noncovetesness

2. Niyama: Five ethical guidelines regarding moral behavior towards oneself:

Saucha: Cleanliness

Santosa: Contentment

Tapas: Sustained practice

Svadhyaya: Self study

Isvara pranidhana: Surrender to God

3. Asana: Practice of yoga postures.

4. Pranayama: Practice of breathing exercises.

5. Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses, meaning that the exterior world is not a distraction from the interior world within oneself.

6. Dharana: Concentration, meaning the ability to focus on something uninterrupted by external or internal distractions.

7. Dhyana: Meditation. Building upon Dharana, the concentration is no longer focused on a single thing but is all encompassing.

8. Samadhi: Bliss. Building upon Dhyana, the transcendence of the self through meditation. The merging of the self with the universe. Sometimes translated as enlightenment

interesting huh? to sum it all up ~ it makes you a better person. and it's soooooo true! when i take time for myself to do a little yoga, i find i am more kind to others, more relaxed, more giving, more grateful...just MORE of the me that i like. so, rock on yoga challenge!

on a completely random note: PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES are back! amen.