Being Present is a Present

I took a yoga class tonight where the teacher had us start the class with a chocolate mediation. This is exactly what it sounds like. We had a piece of chocolate in our hand and had to be aware and mindful of it. How did the wrapper feel? How did the chocolate smell? How did the chocolate taste? Did the flavor linger in your mouth? It was about being present in your life. We often have a lot going on at once. Some things exciting, others stressful, but if we make sure to stop and smell the roses, make sure that we enjoy every minute and not always be looking forward to the future or dreading an impeding appointment, life will always be fulfilling. Okay, maybe not always, but usually.

This is very relevant to me right now. I am planning a wedding that I am so excited about, but once it is over, it's over. So I have been making sure to make everything I do for my wedding fun. I am taking advantage of all the tastings (wine, food, and most importantly, the cake), giving myself the full treatment (hair, nails, dress), and enjoying the time I get to spend with people along the way. That way my wedding won't be just about the day, but about the process, and of course, the best part is that I get to be with my best friend for the rest of our lives :)

On the other side of the spectrum, I am in school right now.  I have to miss out on important events because I either lack the time to go there or have to be cost conscious for our wedding, and worst of all, I have to study, yuck. I could look at it that way, or I could be present in the moment and realize that I get to live in a place with beautiful weather 95% of the time, I am meeting new people, I get to explore a new city without the hassle of flying, and I am learning new and interesting things everyday. In fact, this semester we get to dissect a cadaver. How cool is that? Well at least I find it fascinating. We purposefully tore a muscle and I got to suture it back up. Then I got to test how strong a freshly sown muscle really is. Eye opening, it is not very strong and can easily tear. Okay enough about cadavers. I think it is cool, but most people find it disgusting.

What are some wonderful things that are happening in your life right now?

I will leave you with some funny animal pictures.

                                             

Chocolate and Wine!

My month of April was a break from the clinic and school and was dedicated to sleeping (are you starting to see a theme in my life?), seeing friends and family, and doing things for my upcoming nuptials. This blog post is picture heavy, but I hope you enjoy!

The weekend right after my internship ended my family along with Chris and his family headed up to Harrison Hot Springs for some soaking in the hot springs, to show my parents the resort, and to do some wedding stuff.

The weekend was a success. Chris and I figured out our menu and it was a great way to relieve my stress from the past 12 weeks of pretending to be a physical therapist. Plus the sun came out and the weather was absolutely beautiful.

The view from the Hotel

My parents enjoying the sunshine and the view

Chris's parents

The soon-to-be in laws and my parents

Chris and I standing at the location he proposed

I met Sasquatch in town

The following week was spent exercising, organizing, relaxing, seeing friends, and sleeping. The weekend was fun, but nothing too notable. Over the weekend I went to a friend's birthday party and my mom and I took a 10 mile run from Enatai Beach into Medina.

The following weekend was a little bit more exciting. I woke up early on Friday morning (and by early I mean 8:30 or 9am) and took a short run. I was all packed up and ready to head out to Eastern WA, Lake Chelan to be exact for my bachelorette party! I had never been to Chelan and I thought this would be a perfect place to celebrate my last few (months) moments for singledom. I didn't want anything crazy, just wine tasting and to hang out with my girlfriends; Chelan was the perfect pairing. I wish all of my girlfriends could have made it, but it was the perfect time.

The view from our place

Vicki standing in the huge doorway

Dinner and Drinks on Friday night

Our sweet ride for the day

My sister and I

Mimosas before wine tasting

All the girls at winery

Wine tasting at Karma Winery

Cheers

My Tippy Cup

These were the appropriate pictures to show ;) but I couldn't have asked for a better time.

The following week, Rebecca was available during the day, so we decided to take the Theo's Chocolate tour. This tour entails learning about how chocolate is harvested and created into the delicious chocolate bar that you can buy and enjoy in the store. The best part of the tour is they give you a lot of chocolate to sample. I think I had at least an entire candy bar throughout the entire tour (I'm not complaining),

 This is how they roast the cocoa beans, it is a similar process to how they roast coffee.

After the bean is roasted, the bean is broken up into someone called nibs, which is a little bitter, but definitely edible and can be used for cooking.

 Rebecca and I in the factory with a chocolate worker behind us. We had to wear hair nets. Sexy ;)

 My kind of pipeline

 There is a whole lot of chocolate in those holding tanks - HEAVEN!

 He he, stoner.

At the end of the tour, they take you to their confection room where they make little bite size chocolates and beautiful pieces of work like the ones pictured in the above picture. Yes those sculptures are made of pure chocolate.

I am currently back in Orange, CA and back in school. The first week is over of my second to last semester in the actual classroom! It was really good to see everyone, I just wish it wasn't in this situation. To celebrate completing the first week back, a couple of us girls went out for some beers! It was a nice way to end a long week.