"sweet escape" number ONE!

I'm off to my number one "sweet escape!"

THE BEACH!

love the sun, the sand and the sound of the surf! SO MUCH SO that it is hard to explain. I feel calm by the water and I love the sand beneath my toes. the sun is my friend. my skin craves it!

walking on the beach early in the morning when it is a little cool and the sand is moist and as you walk your foot leaves a slight imprint...

and at night watching the sun set. darkness starts to set in and the waves are rushing in to wrap themselves around you as you fall asleep...

it is my heaven...enjoy!

"sweet escape" number two

that would be "running" baby! love me some run! but heck you KNEW that! at least if you read my blog on a regular basis. I started running about five years ago. took a for women's only clinic through the running room. and have continued with it ever since. I started out running with women who to this day still meet once a week to run.

I have encouraged friends and family to try running and have been there for many "firsts".  what a thrill for me to be there as they cross the finish line.  the look on their face! and I know exactly how they feel!  it is out of this world!

I have participated in all kinds of runs/races all over. 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, half marathon and marathon. in december I am off to vegas to run my third half marathon. imagine paying airfare and accommodations, meals and race fees to RUN? am I crazy?

yup! it be called "runners high"...

"sweet escape" number three

this "sweet escape" takes me to my studio. yup! right here in my home! I love to go in there, listen to music and play! make stuff, try some ideas from my sketches and just be creative. 

here are some recent journal pages:

paper is my first love. I love making cards, books, collage and art journaling. my second love is fabric. I am not a serious seamstress. I find it hard to follow a pattern and usually start with the basic design and then wing it. not very perfect with the cutting either so some things are kinda wonky, but I love that! paper, paint, pencil crayons, canvas, stamps and a bucket of collage items are like heaven to me.

I love that my "sweet escape" number three is also the place where I make a living. I always tell dan that if he can find a job he loves to do that he will never have to work a day in his life. lucky for me I have THAT! 

how is your "sweet escape" list coming along?

"sweet escape" number four

am I the only one who loves to read blogs? probably not! I have my list of regulars that I go to every morning to check out whassup. I feel like I know them and love to hear all about their lives. I get ideas, information about products, links to other blogs and well SO much! I enjoy having a little "mini" escape into the lives of others.

here are some recent ones who have come up on my radar:

michelle

kelly

catherine

christine

melissa

and my daily faves:

kal

elise

ali

linda

donna

cathy

kath

I could go on, but you can always check out the list on the side. more good reading to be found there! what are your fave blogs to "escape" to?

"sweet escape" number five

meet "namaste"

I made her...

she represents, for me the last 93 days...

she, on a daily basis will remind me of my dedication to my practice...

"sweet escape" number five is my 25 minute morning yoga routine.

I use the yoga routine from kris carr's dvd (hi kris!). prefect! it is short, sweet and complete. it has totally changed how I start my day. I ease into it now instead of taking off like a jet plane. slow and steady wins the race. it has improved my balance and as I found out last week it is important as we age! it has also helped to stretch my muscles and that is huge for my running!

do you yoga?

"sweet escape" number six

MUSIC!

yesterday my girl came over for lunch and brought with her a gabazillion cd's. we reminisced about the good ole days and hummed a few bars of familiar songs and then the itunes loading began.

music has always been a huge part of my life. when I was younger I would listen to tapes and pause, playback and write the lyrics down in my notebook and then I could sing along. music is a great escape be it singing at the top of my lungs in the car with laurie or in the studio while creating. what are some of your favorite tunes?

"sweet escape" number seven

today's sweet escape is probably not a surprise to anyone who knows me and spends any amount of time with me. I love starbucks! it seems like I am always fighting some sort of addiction with one of their beverages. since being off dairy I have fallen in love with an "iced venti decaf caffe americano with carmel". 

I love walking to the mall and grabbing it. I love when laurie and I grab drinks on the way to meetings or have meetings in starbucks! I have even figured out how to duplicate the drink at home with my handy dandy espresso maker. great on days when I am short on time and cannot justify going out simply to get a drink.  if ya ever wanna "sweet escape" with me just holla!

do you have a favorite drink?

"sweet escape" number eight

I know I already mentioned this one in the last post with my "bubble bath escape" but I am a book loving girl! I love them like no one else! do I read them all? nope! am I worried that I may die before I have time to read all the books I have acquired? yup!

I used to buy books by the bagful. magazines too and then my lovely friend reminding me of this thing called "the library". ya, I used to go all the time when dan was little. the summer reading club, the weekly trips, the whole kit and caboodle and then it sort of was forgotten. and so now I can reserve a multitude of books and read/preview them as much as I want. I LOVE that! there are still those books that I HAVE to have. here is five of my latest fave books:

excuse me, your life is waiting - lynn grabhorn (currently on my nightstand, but so far LOVE it!)

twilight - stephenie meyer (say what you will, but I loved it and am on book two!)

glass - ellen hopkins (have also read crank and burned - quick reads)

sharing your story - ali edwards (great ideas for mini books)

crazy sexy cancer tips - kris carr (inspiring and packed with tons of info)

my favorite place to read other than the bathtub is...

a hammock! why? cause it supports my head and neck perfectly and usually a hammock is situated outside which is another place I love to be! 

what are you reading lately?

"sweet escape" number nine

yum! coconut bubble bath! my favorite! sharing with you another one of my "sweet escapes" which is jumping in the tub to soak the body. I might be feeling achy or just really wound up and to take a break I jump in the tub. ANYTIME! sometimes I grab a good book or else I just close my eyes and relax. I like to add some epsom salts too which are great for flushing toxins, better sleep, and reduces inflammation. bonus! but again it is...

something about the bubbles and the quiet that takes me away...sweet escape!

top ten "sweet escapes"

today I begin the top ten "sweet escapes". the things you do or places you go to get away from it all. the kids, the hubby, the telephone, the to-do list and just plain escape "life" for a little bit. I have been in a bit of a funk lately and so I thought it would be important to figure out some of my favorite sweet escapes and I thought I would share them with you. beginning with number ten.

aren't they sweet! one of my favorite things to do is grab my girl and go play somewhere else. it could be going to crankpots to paint and chat or it could be taking a class together. either way we get out of our house and away from everything familiar and jump into the unknown. new media, new tools, new instruction and a little challenge for us. we get so used to using the same things over and over and sometimes it is good to leap out of the box and see what is else is out there and I get to spend the time with her and just "play".

I hope you will share your sweet escapes with me over the next ten days!  I would love to hear how you "get away from it all!"