Tuesday, May 15, 2012

My Sabbatical ... Sort of


First I want to say thank you to all of you who sent me emails to reach out and make sure that both Dan and I are okay.  I am very, very sorry that I didn’t have the time to respond yet.  I hope to find time in the future to respond to all of you who were so kind to spend your time to check on us.  Your thoughtful messages meant a lot to me. 

Needless to say my life has been out of control busy for the last few months.  It seems like every day something else gets added to my already bulging to-do list.  *sigh*  Since you know I don’t like to focus on what is wrong I am going to skim over the bad things and focus instead on the positive.

We have had the most wonderful weather this spring.  There have been quite a few days in the upper 80s already this year which is unbelievable.  The sailboat is officially “unwinterized” and she has already been out a few times which were fantastic! 



Our first trip of the season was with our new friend Lauren.  You remember Lauren we met her are Johns Hopkins during our unplanned visit this January. Lauren is quickly becoming an unofficial member of the family.  We have seen her on average once a week since we met in January.  It is wonderful to have a local health conscious friend who I can share healthy recipes, books, videos and articles with and hear her thoughts.   Lauren has also been kind enough to offer to be a recipe taste tester for me.  By the way, the new curried almond salad with cashew mayo recipe (no oil of course) was very well received.  Now I need to measure the ingredients since the concept worked.  This will be making regular appearances on the boat this summer, it is that good.



Also on the very positive news front  “my duck” (the one who eats Cheerios and catches them in the air) had babies.  As Dan said I am proud “grandmother”  LOL.  My duck brought her little ones over to meet me the day they were born.  I couldn’t be more thrilled if I were an actual grandmother.  ;-)  Aren’t they just the cutest little things?  They are the sweetest little chirpy fluff balls.  J  Since I am sure some of you are curious the little ones are already eating Cheerios.  I need to do some research and figure out what I should be feeding my ducks so that they are as healthy as possible.

What has gotten in the way of writing entries for the blog?  There have been so many things that I really don’t know where to start.  First there was a series of computer problems that resulted in three dead laptops in the span of a few days.  Dan was able to reformat one of them and resurrect it but the other two are permanently gone.  We bought another ultrabook and are now back to two laptops thank goodness.  After the laptop debacle of 2012 I don’t go anywhere near Dan’s desktop in his home office. All I need is to crash that too. I used to joke that I have the black thumb of death with plants but now I think the same thing is true with computers.  ;-)

Additionally I have been much busier than I anticipated with school (both the Immersion program at IIN and the Robbins-Madanes program).  Also my health coaching business is taking off and that too is taking up a lot more time than I expected.  However I will say that I am still thrilled each time someone has an “ah –ha moment”.  I can honestly say that I will never get tired of helping people reverse unhealthy trends and get on a better path.

Part of ramping up the business meant that I needed to stop fiddling around and square away my second website which I have been working on “in my spare time”, what little of that there has been over the last few months.  I am reasonably happy with my new site.  However I would love to get a little more feedback before I open it up to everyone.  If you have time to look at the site and give me feedback please let me know by sending an email to veganepicurean@gmail.com with “new site review” in the header and I will send you link.  Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider whether you have time to help me out or not. 

As you can tell I went from a woman of leisure to running flat out, rather zero to sixty in a lot of respects. I knew that I would be busy but never anticipated that I would be this busy.  However I am not complaining things are working out well so it’s all good.  There is a lot more going on but I have to save some of it for future posts so I don’t run out of things to write about.  ;-)

What have you been up to this spring? Is there anything fun going on in your life? Any new tips or tricks to staying healthy that you would like to share with others?  As I am very fond of saying we are stronger together than we are alone.

Happy thoughts:

Since it has been a while since I have written my happy thoughts I will need to get back into the habit of doing this.  J

  • Two weeks ago I got to spend a weekday with my husband when he had a trip to Richmond for work. I rode along to keep him company and we talked the 3 hours down and back which made us both happy. We had lunch at our favorite veg restaurant and I got more recipe ideas. I will tell you more about this later.
  •  I bought a new Vitamix for home and now I have my old Vitamix on the boat.  *happy dance*  I love having a Vitamix on the boat.  Now we can have green smoothies anytime and anywhere.  Could life get any better?  Well maybe it could get better.  One of the guys (Eric, who you will be hearing more about in upcoming posts) at the marina saw my Vitamix in action and he bought one too.  I am spreading the Vitamix love everywhere I go.  I really should be on their payroll.  LOL
  •  Recently I have been testing homemade fabric softeners because I dislike the idea of using the chemical stuff with its carcinogens and that has been going really well.  This is something else that I need to share with you in an upcoming post.  If you don’t see this in a few weeks and are interesting be sure to remind me to tell you about it.
  •  I have been reading a lot of books on Buddhism in my free time and I must say the more I learn the more it draws me in.  If any of you have any book suggestions let me know I would love to know what you would recommend. I will tell you about the specific books I have been enjoying in a future post.
  • Dan and I went to a fun little Italian movie at The Charles last week called " The Salt of Life” that was cute.  It was shot in Rome and made us both miss Italy since we adore Rome.  We may need to take a little trip sometime this year to satisfy our craving for living on Italian time.  Any of you who have been fortunate enough to go to Italy know exactly what I mean. 
  • As crazy as this will sound I have finally come to terms with the fact that I am going to be 50 years old later this week.  Wow, I can’t believe that I said that out loud LOL.  I now realize that since I don’t look my age I really need to wear 50 proudly.  ;-)  This has really been huge for me since I have been dreading turning 50 for the last 3 years. Yes I actually started worrying about it when I was 47.  No vanity here…… LOL
  •  I am also very thankful for every day that I get to spend with my wonderful husband. We both appreciate every moment we have.  One thing that cancer has taught me is that life is short so enjoy it now since none of us know how long we have.  Buddhism reminds me that the only moment any of us has is now and to live fully in this moment.

Signing out:

I have a client to coach later today and then I need to do fun things like finish doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen since I actually cooked today.  I hope you are having a wonderful day.  It is my plan to get back to daily posting though my posts will probably be shorter than they have in the past.  In a few weeks I will be sharing the second site with all of you and that is where I will be writing more about health with this blog reserved for my recipes and daily musings.

Talk with you all again soon which I hope means tomorrow.  J

18 comments:

  1. So happy I checked on your blog today as I don't have much free time anymore (wedding in 3 weeks!! :) Looking forward to your upcoming posts. I've been trying method dryer sheets to see if they work for my static-y loads..but they haven't seem to be very effective. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and a week full of happy thoughts!

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  2. Hi Alissa,

    Congratulations on being 3 weeks from the wedding. I hope everything is going well on the planning front.

    I have been very pleased with the homemade fabric softener so far. Since I know you are interested I will make certain to post that very soon.

    Thanks for the birthday wishes, I really appreciate them. :-)

    Ali

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  3. I've never commented before but just wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you during the months you were away. I'm so relieved that all is well!

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    1. Hello Amy,

      Thank you for thinking of us and I am sorry that I made you worry. Thank you very much for taking the time to comment. :-)

      Ali

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  4. Welcome back! On the fabric softener front: I use homemade detergent with a little vinegar thrown in the load and find I don't need any fabric softener at all.

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    1. Good morning Neca,

      Homemade detergent? Wow I am impressed! How difficult is that? Did you share the specifics on your blog? Can you tell I am interested? LOL

      Vinegar is one of the things that I tried. Great minds think alike. You might be interested in the other options I tested. They are all incredibly simple. Love that! ;-)

      talk to you later,
      Ali

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  5. Hi Ali!
    Thanks for checking in. It's funny because I was just thinking about you yesterday, wondering if I missed something or you had actually not been blogging. I get the sabbatical thing, I have been on one too : ) Partly because there's nothing for me to share when my diet is in the state it is in! Anyway, glad you are getting to spend time on the boat and with your hubby, and I look forward to hearing about homemade fabric softeners. Unfortunately the only store-bought I can use is Bounce, as all of the natural ones make me itchy. I'd love to try a non-chemical one!!!
    Steph

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    1. Hey Steph!

      That is odd that you were thinking of me yesterday at the same time I was writing a very long overdue post. ;-) You and I seem to be good at that sort of thing.

      Sorry to hear you are having trouble with you diet. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help.

      The fabric softener post will go up today. It is so easy I think you will be shocked, I know I was.

      talk with you later,
      Ali

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  6. I was just wondering about you this morning! I was so excited to see you had posted when I checked my iGoogle home page. Glad to hear you and Dan have both been doing great!

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    1. Thanks Christy,

      Sorry if I made you worry, I didn't mean to. We are both hanging in there...mostly. ;-) Life is crazy now but we will get things under control we always do.

      I am working on another post for later today now. As long as my wifi stays up at the marina I will get it posted in the next few hours. *fingers crossed*

      Ali

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  7. Ali, It's great to have you back! Ryan & I went to Plant in Asheville last weekend and it was AMAZING (you know I don't use capital letters lightly). If you get the chance to get up that way definitely check it out! (It, not his sister's wedding, was the highlight of the trip. Seriously, amazing.)

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    1. Hi Jackie,

      Asheville as in NC? I do get there periodically. I will make sure we go to Plant the next time we are there. Thanks for the tip.

      Hope all is well with you both,
      Ali

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  8. Nice to see you back :) I was going to send an email, but then I realized it hasn't been that long and people have lives! So I am glad you are okay and enjoying the boat and the Vitamix :) Since becoming a Vitamix owner a few months ago, I am super satisfied - I used it 2-3 times a day, sometimes 5 times! So worth it.
    I love the photo of the ducklings - so darling.
    Looking forward to your recipes.
    Take care and good luck with the new business - *woot*

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    1. Thanks Nadine!

      LOL yes people have lives and mine was a little too busy recently. But things seem to be settling down some now which is good.

      I am very happy that you are enjoying your Vitamix. I agree with you I love mine. Now that I have had one I can't imagine being without it which is why there is one on the boat too.

      thanks and talk with you later,
      Ali

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  9. Hello from Boonies, Alaska! Just happened to be searching recipes and cleaner living this evening, and came across this. My partner and I made the transition to a vegan diet/lifestyle about four years ago, and have been working on "paring down" the accumulation of household cleaners and other things that sneak up on you when you're not looking. Thanks for posting on things like fabric softener, etc. Will definitely be checking back!

    Best,
    Taylor

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    1. Good morning Taylor,

      If you need recipes there are many of them here. I was on a roll for quite a long time writing a new recipe every day. Congratulations on transitioning to veganism. :-) If you are anything like us I am sure you feel marvelous living this way.

      Eliminating household cleaners is tough but a worthy goal for certain. Do you have the book "Better Living Basics" by Annie Bond (I think)? I will double check the title and author when I get home and post corrections later if necessary. That book is great if you want to make your own household products.

      please stop by any time,
      Ali

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  10. So, so happy to see you back blogging and that you are all well and good. You've made my day !! I've missed my daily dose of Alicia, lol! I'm very interested in Buddhism also, so I will be happy to hear your thoughts on that subject in future posts maybe.

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    1. Hello Carol,

      Thanks and sorry I was gone so long. I never intended to take that long off but sometimes life happens. I am sure you understand. :-)

      Isn't Buddhism fascinating? I have located a Buddhist center within walking distance that I want to check out once sailing season is over. They seem to hold most of their activities in the evening and that is prime boat relaxation time for me. As much as I am enjoying Buddhism I do my best "meditating" on the boat and don't want to give that up. ;-) I will definitely be talking about Buddhism in the future. :-)

      talk with you soon,
      Ali

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