Inspiration Station

Inspiration comes to me in many forms. Sometimes it’s a gentle whisper that I nearly miss, sometimes it’s a screaming fire in my belly that insists I act immediately and other times it’s a sweet nudge from a wonderful friend. This blog post was inspired by such a friend, her name is Aurore and she has nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

I’m honored to accept and share the love with other inspiring bloggers. Thank you for the nomination sweet friend, as I’ve said to you before, being recognized as an Inspiring blogger by such an inspirational person means a lot to me. Aurore writes a truly awesome blog, Pamplemousse, where she shares her wholesome recipes, her workouts, (she’s a badass personal trainer who has lovingly kicked my ass on more than a few occassions) and her insights on raising three children the healthy way. She is an incredibly beautiful person, in body, mind and spirit, who inspires all who has the good fortune of meeting her. She’ll inspire you too, I’d just bet on it.

So here are the rules,

1. As the recipient you should thank the person who nominated you by linking to his/her blog and displaying the award logo;

2. Nominate up to 15 other blogs. Link to their blogs and inform them about the nomination;

3. Share three things that inspired you the most this week.

I only began my journey in this blogoshpere a brief 5 months ago now, so I haven’t become intimately involved with too many blogs just yet, although I am working on broadening my horizons. 🙂 Here are 4 that I have come to love in that short time…

Story time with John – If you like to laugh, John is your man. This guy is funny, like make sure you aren’t eating while reading his posts or you may choke funny. I know this from personal experience. Fortunately I live to tell the tale. If being hilarious isn’t enough to inspire you, John also seems to be a genuinely good guy. He is a grade school teacher and you can feel how much he cares about these kids through his writing.

Bubbles and Booyah – This girl is just pure awesome sauce. Her upbeat energy is completely contagious. I’ve never met this lovely lady but I feel like I know her through her candid and detailed accounts of her awesome life as a vegetarian, champagne lover and self proclaimed running addict. Along with sharing her fun and fit lifestyle, she also shares recipes, ideas on how to best pack your carry on and her awesome workout playlists. She is pure fun and I just love reading her blog, I think you will too.

The Migrant Chef – I get hungry every time I peruse through this chef’s insanely delicious looking blog posts. He apologizes for his unprofessional looking photos but I heartily disagree. His photos are beautiful, they are well lit and nicely showcase the beauty of his food. If a photo can make you drool, then it is doing it’s job and his photos do just that. His recipes are vast and varied. With dishes ranging from minestrone soup to a decadent looking lamb shank, you will be sure to find something to suit your tastes.

The Friendly Fig – I actually just came across this gorgeous blog about a week ago. The authors are two women, Bianca and Sara who share vegetarian/vegan recipes, (vegan cherry donuts anyone?) cruelty free beauty products, fun playlists and photos of hip fashion that they love. Their pictures are high quality and visually captivating, their vibe is young, fresh and forward thinking. They are totally my style and I am thrilled to have found them. Follow them, you’ll be happy you did.

Now that the love has been spread, onto my weekly inspirations. My week has been full of inspiration so I happily have much to share with you.

Inspiration #1: Sprouts!

I am so excited to report that I started sprouting! I’ve been wanting to do it for years and I finally got down to it this week. Sprouted food is higher in enzymes, fiber, vitamin content and essential fatty acids than it’s non sprouted cohorts. Sprouts are also alkalizing to your body. An acidic body can be a host to all manner of illness, so sprouts help to bring the body to a healthier place of alkalinity. I got this really nifty sprouting tray that takes any guess work out of the process. I soak my seeds, place them in the tray, water them three times a day and within 2 days, the sprouting had already begun. By day 7 my sprouts were completely finished and ready to enjoy. Since I have so little counter/storage space in my home this upright tray makes more sense for me than having a few mason jars sprouting at a time. I love this tray, I love my sprouts and they are happily inspiring my insides as we speak. 🙂

Inspiration #2: My little Marvel.

 

This girl has blown the lid off of me. Sometimes I don’t know who I am anymore. Sometimes I don’t know how I ever breathed a breath without her. Forever I am head over heels in love with this funny little girl named Marvel. Our connection has gotten stronger this last week. With every personal stride she makes, our bond seems to strengthen along with it. She looks at me these days with the knowing look of an old soul. She runs into my arms and holds me tight, cooing as she squeezes. Sometimes she just holds me like that for 2-3 minutes, which is a veritable lifetime for a wiggly toddler. I’ve never known such heart expanding happiness. As hard as it is to be a mother, the joy that is possible in a single moment has the power to wipe all of the other bullshit away.

Inspiration #3: This gorgeous piece of art hanging in my dining room.

I love art. Who doesn’t right? It can capture about a million emotions in one frame. It has the power to illicit completely different reactions in each observer. It is timeless. It is the beauty of the human spirit translated into something tangible. This gorgeous piece was painted by my great friend, Ruby Lee. She is a work of art herself. This girl is my friend, my sister and she painted this just for me. In fact it is me, a modeling shot I did a few years ago. She painted it per request of my husband for my 30th birthday. The fact that she spent hours and hours creating art just for me brings tears to my eyes. It’s perfect and it inspires me everyday. This reminds me of the love of a great friend and of the infinite creative possibilities that live in each one of us.

Inspiration #4: The sun. (Because I couldn’t pick just 3!)

This past week the Bay Area has been enjoying absolutely perfect weather. The sun has been offering up it’s delicious rays while a slightly crisp coastal breeze has been cooling us off just when the heat gets too intense. In this sun I have been playing outdoors with Marvel and my camera, I’ve been hiking with great friends, I’ve been outside so much that I’m even sporting a little sunburn. Hello summer in February! Nothing inspires me more than playing outside in the sun. Now if I can just get myself to the beach to breathe in that ocean air, I’ll really be winning! 🙂