Letting go at 'The Vineyard'

This past weekend, I ventured to "The Vineyard".  It was a weekend to top all weekends--full of fun, food, wine, relaxation, dancing in sweatpants, beaches, sight-seeing, sunsets, love, good friends, and laughter.

South Beach Surf! 

As we came back to gaze upon the New York City skyline, I noticed the subtle shifts in my body...the constant readiness, the pull to my Blackberry, the need to check my e-mails.  As we left the Vineyard with the population of 10, we drove back into the city of a population close to 10 million.

The Sunset on the path to the Lighthouse!

As I am back in the city of stress and constant stimulation, I wonder "How can I bring that relaxation to the city?" "Is it possible to create a retreat or refuge in this Big City that allows me to de-stress and just be?"

 This week, I am trying to keep my blood pressure down, and not worry about the small stuff.  I am remembering how important it is...Just to have fun, and laugh.   If we can learn to let go, this city would be a much happier place to live in.

Here are some photographs to remind me to let go, and just be...

My love on the winter beach. 

Bova before he headed into the water!

Embraced by my love with the wind at my back!

The crash of the water on the sand!

Our lovely hosts for the weekend, Rich and Jenny Bova!

My Cutie ;) every side is his good side.

Feeling on top of the world!

Breathing in fresh, clean air by the lighthouse!

As the lighthouse guides the boats to come ashore for safe refuge, this retreat to The Vineyard has guided me towards a different way of life--of letting go, and bringing a more relaxed version of myself to NYC.

I love... LOVE!

I always love celebrating St. Valentine.

Being the romantic that I am, I just love to celebrate this day.

Unfortunately, I had my internship out in Ronkonkoma, LI on Valentine's Day.
I left at 10 am and returned at 11pm to the City of Love.  As I made my way through Penn Station, I saw bears, flowers, cards, balloons, and candy.  This year, My Love and I celebrated a little differently..

Jim and I made the most out of not spending actual Valentine's Day together.
We decided to celebrate all weekend...

On Friday night, I developed an old roll of film that I have kept for a year.  I waited until Valentine's weekend to develop it! Throughout the year, I snapped moments of us that I wanted to remember.  It was so exciting to develop it.  We had snapshots of Fire Island, Yankee games, quiet moments on the NYC city streets, moments in our apartment, pictures of the Triathalon that we did together, and pictures of us in Central Park.  We live in a society that is all about instant gratification.  It was so wonderful to wait a year to develop the pictures.  I was consumed with that exciting feeling of anticipation!

I selected some of the pictures, and created a 'Doorway of Love' to our apartment to kick off the Valentine's Day weekend.

 On Saturday, it was a lovely relaxing day filled with PJs and wedding planning!

On Sunday night, I returned to the house to find my favorite meal:
Manchego Cheese and Olives to start!
Filet Mignon, Mashed Potatoes, and Asparagus paired with Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley.

For dessert, I made a chocolate souffle with fresh whipped cream and strawberries.  I tried to make it look like an Oreo-- putting the whipped cream between the souffle! It was delish.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of love.
To boot, the chef was such a cutie ;)
A big thank you to Love, especially my love.

You make my world go round...

Nourish Your Mind, Body, and Soul

Lately, I have become really interested in this idea of food as nourishment. (Thanks Monica!) The idea of food nourishing our body, rather than just filling our belly.  Each time we put nourishing foods in our bodies, we are taking care of ourselves.  Foods that do not nourish are just filler.

Then, I wondered about the parallel between the food we eat and the relationships we have. 

Food feeds our body, whereas relationships feed our souls.   So, It is important to make the distinction between relationships that nourish us and relationships that are just filler.

With my best girlfriends, I am usually filling (sometimes nourishing) my belly while nourishing my soul.  As we sit over lunch, we are fueling our body and soul for the struggles throughout the day. When we fuel up, we nourish each other---rather than just 'fill' up from empty.  It is important to be aware of how we fuel ourselves.  We need to care take of ourselves: mind, body, and soul. 

This idea parallels the relationships that I seek in my life.  The idea of nourishing myself with healthy people, and giving that nourishment back to these people that I love.  I have so many people to be thankful for nourishing my soul (THANK YOU!!!!!) 

Cut the fat (the filler) out of your life.  The people that fill up your life that do not provide you with any nourishment.  Moreover, some relationship may be like what gluten does to me--hurting you as you fill up with it.  So, be careful of how you fill yourself. 

Now, I have to relate this to how I nourish my body. So, next time--instead of a coffee, maybe I will make it a tea.  Instead of a gluten-free scone, maybe I will make it a Goddess Green juice, etc.

So, the next time you sit down for lunch with a good friend--remember to nourish yourself mind, body, and soul. Feed each other. 

Filling up is not the same as nourishment.  Be aware of what you put in.  It will effect what you are able to give back.