Yoga // In the moment

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Earlier this summer, I started attending yoga classes and I haven’t looked back. I absolutely love it. I started with a gentle class and now I’m in an introductory class. The gentle class was a lot of floor work and a lot of stretching. The intro class seems to be more about the building blocks of yoga. We’ve learned the Sun Salutations and she spends some time explaining the positions and how to do them properly, which is helpful. I can look at a picture in a book, but having someone there to help adjust your body is awesome. Once I know how a pose is suppose to feel it’s much easier to get there again. Muscle memory or whatever, right? 

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This past weekend I went to a 2 hour yoga workshop put on by a friend of a friend. The instructor is Mindy and she currently resides in South Korea...so, if you ever find yourself in her area you should check out her studio! Anyway, her workshop was INTENSE.  Like I'm-still-sore intense, haha!  It was a great workout and I did some things I didn't think I was capable of, like some poses involving binding.  I even (sort of) did a pose called the Bird of Paradise - Mindy was there to help me bind and get me upright of course, but it still felt awesome.

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In my regular Monday night class we were told to focus on being in the moment.  It sounds like such a simple thing... to be in the moment, to be present right now.  It's not that simple, not for me anyhow.  Just as my mind was starting to wander to what I had to do when I got home and what I might be doing for the rest of the week, my instructor (Jill, check her out too!) said something along the lines of ...as you feel yourself, your mind, leave to other things, pull it back.  Pull it back here to the studio and focus on your breathing.

I just thought... wow.  I'm a day dreamer by nature, I can't help it  - I just am.  I don't think it's always a bad thing, but I do think it can be detrimental at times.  I'm always thinking about what could have happened or what might happen or how I should have reacted. Or you know, what if I had made this or that decision instead?  Or driving home on auto pilot while making a mental list of things I should/could be doing.  I'm not sure all this "what if" day dreaming is such a good thing.  Why? Because then I miss out on what's happening right in front of me.  I can, and sometimes do, take the things I have for granted and don't always appreciate the people and good fortunate in my life the way I'd like to.  That thought right there, well it makes me sad.  So, instead of just setting an intention for my practice I'm setting an intention for my life, for my being, for my day to day.  I am going to make an effort to be more present, to bring myself back to the moment.

Wish me luck. :)

xo, kassie

Over the (labor day...) Weekend... :D

So, I basically forgot about my blog last week. I didn’t really, but I might as well have. ANYWAY, two weekends ago, over the long weekend, we headed over to the Loess Hills in western Iowa. Other than a couple mishaps (including the Hawkeyes losing, some food poisoning and a weird bug in Theo’s tail), we had a good time! Ha, maybe I shouldn’t mention those other things...but seriously, we had a nice time!

We headed over to the Loess Hills, which are apparently hills created by wind deposits...pretty cool, on Saturday. We got set up in our cabin and then headed to the nearest sports bar to watch the game. It didn’t turn out the way we hoped, but we ate some pub food and had a tequila shot, so I was doing just fine. After the game, we headed back up to our cabin and hiked around a bit. The weather and the views were gorgeous.

Sunday, we got up and did some more hiking over on this cool little trail that ran along the top ridge of some hills. We drove around the park for awhile then had a cute little lunch at our cabin. In the afternoon, we headed south towards Omaha and stopped at the Loess Hills Winery for some tasting. All the wine was fantastic and we ended up buying three bottles! When then spent a little time in Omaha, we did some more tasting at the Upstream Brewery, which was also fantastic and ended up getting a growler to take home. Then we had the most delicious Italian dinner...that unfortunately made us both sick in the middle of the night...ha, oh well. When we got back to our cabin, we got a nice fire going and just chilled outside enjoying the nice weather.

What was so fantastic about this trip is that it was low key AND we were able to take Theo with us. He had so much fun...he loves hiking around and going for car rides. OH! And I used a film camera the entire weekend...so i’m excited to get those developed, but for now my phone photos will suffice. :) All in all, I think our weekend was a success!

Did you do anything fun over the long weekend?

28 Before 29 // A recap

Awhile ago, well last December, I made a goal list - a 28 before 29 list (ha, and now you know my age!). I thought maybe I’d share that list here and take some note of how I’m coming on it!

28 before 29

1. Focus on building my photography/design business.
   ++ I started out really gung ho with this and eve had a couple photoshoots, then life happened. It’s hard when I already have a full time job and commute. Those are all just excuses though. I have expanded my Etsy shop some and am having a ton of fun with that. I think I just need to set some time aside to figure out if I want to move forward and if so, how.
   
2. Buy a new lens for my camera.
   ++Done! I got a 50mm and I LOVE it, works so great with portraits!
   
3. Donate my hair this year. Do it!
   ++Okay, this was on my list for last year too...and I just can’t bring myself to cut my hair, I just can’t. I still want to donate it, but I’m just not ready yet.
   
4. Keep reading! Goal is 20 books this year & for two of them to be “classics”.
    ++As of 7/17/13 I had read 21 books, but no classics. SO, I read Jane Eyre this month and will need to get another one in there. At the moment I’m reading the Maze Runner (I needed something easier after Jane Eyre!)
   
5. Celebrate 2 years with Brian in March!
    ++Done! Although, I’m having a hard time remembering what we did...is that ridiculous or what? Wait, I remember see No. 7 :)
   
6. Expand my Etsy shop!
   ++Been doing this for awhile and after going to Colorado I have some more pictures and posters I’d like to add.
7. Assuming the NHL gets their heads out of their asses...go see a Wild game!
   ++Went to see a game this past March!
   
8. Get the basement picked up & organized.
   ++Done! Well, it was done REALLY nice, but it’s starting to get messy again, that’s just life. We also need to make a dropoff to the thrift shop!
   
9. Expand our liquor/drink knowledge by trying new drinks at home, keep track of which ones we do and don’t like!
   ++We have YET to do this, but I really want to. Any suggestions on where to start? Any good liquor-related blogs out there?
   
10. Make decorating efforts on our home! I have major ideas for the bedroom, bathroom and livingroom!
    ++We’ve made SOME progress here. We purchased a *new* used couch in Apirl. Then I made some paintings (pinterest) that we hung in our bedroom. We also just purchased some prints of my photography that we need to get framed.
    
11. Get a new tattoo! ….with Brian perhaps?
    ++News here, I have decided I can get the half sleeve that I want...once I’ve lost the weight that I want. I’m still deciding on the exact idea for the sleeve though, so I’ll probably end up doing a post about that at some point. :P
    
12. Go on a vacation! (somewhere I haven’t been before..)
    ++We went to Denver and it ROCKED!
    
13. Plant and tend to a garden, either in our yard or at the community garden.
    ++We got involved with the community garden this summer, it’s been a lot of fun and even more work! lol Brian has done the majority of it, but I figure it evens out since I cook most of it??? Maybe….?? lol
    
14. Go to a Zumba or Yoga class!
    ++DONE! And best thing ever, I’ve been taking classes at Firefly Yoga and it has been a very positive and wonderful addition to my shcedule.
    
15. Get musical - not sure how yet. Guitar? Back to piano?
    ++Ehh...this probably isn’t going to happen this year.
    
16. Make that maxi skirt!
    ++Still have high hopes for this one, I have ALL the materials - so maybe once it starts to get cooler and we have free weekends, I can knock it out.
17. Pick at least SIX “Pinterest Projects” and complete them!
    ++Some progress. I’ve made: “quote mugs” for gifts, two paintings for our bedroom and several workout tees, lol!
    
18. Buy myself a quality item from Ruche. I constantly lust over their clothes, yet I’ve never purchased anything!
    ++Not yet, maybe with birthday moolah? :P
    
19. Run a 5k.
    ++I did the Color Run in Des Moines, my time was 38 minutes, which was okay I guess. I didn’t walk at all, so I was proud of that. Just this week I decided to sign up for the Quad Cities Palmer 5k (it’s part of the marathon).
    
20. Go on walking dates with Missy (once it’s warmer, ha...).
    ++Done! We did this for awhile, then it dropped off because school has started AND it crazy hot!
    
21. Start exploring state parks with Brian, we talked about trying to visiting every state park in Iowa...I think we should start making it a reality! Aim for 3 or 4 this summer!
    ++Haven’t done anything with this one yet. :/
    
22. Go see all those Madison Bridges! They have a festival the 2nd full weekend in October.
    ++Oh man, I forgot about this! Still have time to cross this guy off!
    
23. Create a photo book on blurb, to sell. Maybe a midwest or Iowa theme.
    ++Ha, no progress yet.
    
24. Stop biting my nails/peeling nail polish. Such a gross habit.
    ++This one has been a rollercoaster, any suggestions?
    
25. Celebrate Halloween properly...we missed it this year!
    ++We have been making tentative plans - I need to decide on a costume!
    
26. Brew our own beer. (I’d like to do this, but I know Brian REALLY would like to do this)
    ++Sigh, not yet.
    
27. Re-learn how to shoot a gun & pass the hunter’s safety course.
    ++I was all about this earlier in the year, but we just haven’t had the time. 
    
28. Start journaling again, more actively...so you know, more than once every few months. Ha!
    ++Yep, been doing this...and now I have this blog. So yup!

So far, 12 out of 28 - not quite half, lol. It’s okay though, because I think making the list itself is more important than finishing EVERYTHING on it. Having goals is a good thing...and when I make this list each year I know I probably won’t complete it, but that’s okay. Though, I do still plan on checking off a few more before December!

What are some of your goals this fall?

kass

Colorado in Pictures

In the last post, I mentioned a recent trip to Colorado. I’ve been to Colorado before, but never as an adult and never to Denver (unless you count running through the airport, which I don’t). For whatever reason, I don’t really have a lot of pictures from Denver and the majority of the week. Probably, because we were just going, going, going! I did, however, get lots of great pictures of the mountains! One night of our trip was spent in a yurt in the backwoods of the Colorado State Forest. It was pretty badass, so I thought I’d just share some of the pictures here. :)

We had such a great time!  All these photos are from the Colorado State Forest and from Red Rocks!

Ever been to Colorado?

-kass

SEE // Nick Cave "Sojourn"

Recently, Brian and I took a trip to Colorado. We spent a good part of the week in Denver and on our last day there we decided to hit up the Denver Art Museum...and let me tell you folks, it did not disappoint!

When we purchased our tickets, we were asked if we wanted admittance into the Nick Cave “Sojourn” exhibit. Usually, I would have already looked at the museum’s website and had an immediate answer to this question. This time, I hadn’t done that - so I looked at Brian and asked “What do you think?” At this moment, the young girl behind the counter, leaned forward and said, “It’s really awesome!”. So impressionable and bored as we were, we said yes, give us the tickets! Best decision of the day. (2nd place for best decision was my H&M purchase...some black & maroon floral print pants, eee!)

I’m not going to site here and retype facts and a lot of background on him, because you can find out anything you want with google...and those articles are written better than I could hope to summarize. Basically, Nick Cave is an artist from Chicago (holla midwest!) and he uses “junk” (or other found items) to create art and these “soundsuits” that will absolutely blow your mind. (read this article, I liked it.) We weren’t allowed to take photos of the exhibit, but with a quick google search I was able to find some to share with you. (photos from the Huffington Post and the Denver Post)

This is what greeted us upon entering the exhibit. I’ll admit...this photo looks like a hot mess compared to the awesomeness of reality.

These soundsuits were made from buttons - apparently over 30,000! There aren’t people in these, but all these suits can be worn. Oh! And most of the art was made specifically for this Denver exhibit.

This beaded tapestry is called “Constellation” and Nick says, “This is what it's like to be on the farm looking at the sky.”

I wish I could find a better picture of these ones. There were all these porcelain dogs on retro looking chairs or couches and they were surrounded in a canopy of beads and other things (second picture). Apparently, Cave calls the flea market-salvaged dog figurines "rescues." and said the dogs symbolize loyalty, commitment, and guardianship in his creations.(huffington post)

Some more of his sound suits.

At the end there was these videos of choreographed dances in the soundsuits...it was pretty cool to watch.

Also...here is a youtube video that is a tour of the actual exhibit! BUT, I recommend seeing it in person if you are able to!

I also thought this video was cool! (even though it’s really short!)

So what do you think?  Like this kind of work or maybe it's a little to out there for you?  I also enjoy art that feels more like an experience, than just pretty (if that makes sense?).  Not that I don't enjoy looking at work that is art just for the sake of being art.  It's just...an exhibit like this one is special and something I'm not likely to forget anytime soon.

-kassie 

10 years...

I was listening to the radio on my morning commute and that song “Bruises” came on, by Train and Ashley Monroe. Usually, I would change the station, because it’s just a bit too country for me, but I left it on. I actually do kind of like the song, and there’s this line..

Let’s do this soon again, ten years is that what its been?

And that’s when I thought, holy shit...10 years. It’s been that long since I’ve seen some people, because it has been that long since I’ve graduated high school. My ten year reunion was this summer, actually, and though I didn’t go, I did spend that day with some of my closest gals! Two of whom I’ve known since elementary school...there's some years for ya!

worst. picture. ever.  that's middle school....

Anyway, as I have a long commute, I started contemplating on the fact that I’ve been out of high school for a decade. A DECADE. And I thought, welp, that’s it...I’m officially a grown up. Not that I think you have to have been out of school for a decade to be a grown up, I just think that it’s probably the cut off for claiming youth any longer. I mean I’ve legally been an adult for 10 years, so I figure I should probably just make it official. Haha! It’s just so weird, because a lot of times I still see myself as...I don’t know what, but not a grown up! That word just feels so heavy with responsibility. gag.

Though, I have been responsible for myself the last...well 5 years at least, haha! Ten years feels like such a long time, but looking back it just flew by. Let’s see in the past ten years I have...

• voted for the first time and 2 more times after that.
• graduated high school AND college.
• had 8 jobs, 3 of which were internships. Often having two at the same time!
• moved at least ten times...I feel like I’m forgetting one or two, but hope not, ha!
• bought my own car...x2!
• adopted Theo! :)
• attended (and sometimes was involved in) several friend’s and family's weddings. <3
• online dated! And really life dated, ha...and through the mess of crazies out there, was lucky enough to find Brian! <3
  
  
  
• had surgery twice..eek! (no worries, it was minor)
• been pulled over several times and gotten a couple speeding tickets. :/
• Gained a shit ton of (beer!) weight...and then lost a lot of it. (still working on the latter!) :P
• Oh yea, turned 21! And discovered the two face friend we all call alcohol, haha!
• done a little bit of traveling, such as going to the Pacific Northwest with my college geography club, as well as some little vacations, like family trips to the lake, trips to chicago, the yearly camp trip and most recently to Colorado!
• started an etsy shop and did some photo shoots on the side - which were lots of fun!
• Watched my little brother (10 years younger than me!) graduate high school!
  
  
  

Oh man, I feel like I could list a lot more, which I obviously could and I’m guessing I’ve left out something really important, b/c I have a shit memory!

Life’s a beautiful little surprise, isn’t it? ...here’s to ten more! :)

xo, kassie

Listen // Gin Wigmore

Gin Wigmore, legally Virginia, is a singer-songwriter hailing from New Zealand. She recently released her second album, Gravel & Wine to the U.S. I, personally, discovered her through the wonder that is Spotify. I believe she was reccomended to me because of a Grace Potter marathon I was partaking in. Haha, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals...in case you have been living under a rock. :P

Gin is a combination of many things I love: blues, folk, rock, lady vocals, uniqueness and general badassery. She has a seriously awesome voice. When I was listening to Kill of the Night, I felt a slight nod to Amy Winehouse. I don’t know how to describe that vocal tone...but I think you’ll get what I mean if you listen to it. Gin also has these amazing warbles (I know getting REAL technical over here) and has fantastic breaks in her voice on certain notes. Which just happens to be another thing I love.

Many of her songs are catchy as shit and have great lyrics. Some have a sort of “bad girl I’m gonna kick your ass vibe”...which is just so cool. For instance...“Now you're mine / But what do I do with you, boy / I'll take your heart / To kick around as a toy/ The danger is I'm dangerous / And I might just tear you apart / Oh” From Kill of the Night. Other lyrics talk of a desperate love... “I think it's love / I think it's love / That gets us through / All our goodbyes” from Saturday Smile.

I think my favorite song on the album is Sweet Hell, it’s a back and forth exchange between Gin Wigmore and Butch Walker...I absolutely LOVE it! “Sweet hell / I'm a little lonely in this tore up town / Sweet hell Won't you come and find me in this big ole house / Lock the door / So we can bury these bones on the floor / Oh, sweet hell / I'm a little lonely, baby, where are you”

So what are your thoughts? Yay or Nay? If you haven’t had a chance to check out her newest album, you most definitely should and let me know what you think!