the summer: images

A few days late, but here are a few of the pictures I took on the summer solstice.

Sunrise with the wind turbines.

The view of Idaho Falls from Sunnyside; sunrise.

Purple fuzz; midday.
[I have no clue what this is.
Some sort of weed, I'd guess,
but it really intrigued me.
I think it's beautiful.]

Looking west; sunset.
[I love the golden sliver you can see from
the setting sun's reflection on the Snake River.]

June Commitments

May was a success! Well, mostly. I'm still having a hard time with food consciousness, but I think that's because I haven't had a job in a month. Which makes decent grocery shopping nearly impossible. I will continue to strive for that goal. On the other hand, I read plenty and exercised quite a bit! Granted, I haven't done much physical activity the past week and that's because I'm adjusting to a new schedule.... a new work schedule! It feels amazing to be working again. What's even better is that I'm in an environment I really like!

And in June I will:
Keep up the exercise: Mostly by going to the gym because my membership is over in July. I won't renew it because I need to focus more on my finances. And I've been building a small arsenal of fitness gear and DVDs, so there is no reason not to exercise at home.

Save and Budget: Pretty self explanatory. My new job is only part-time, so I'll be making considerably less for a bit until I get the gumption to get a 2nd job (probably after summer, because I want to...

Spend time outdoors: Now that summer is officially on the way here I'd like to visit some waterfalls, caves, hiking trails, all that good stuff that I moved back to Idaho for.

I will be better about blogging... promise!

hurry spring! i want to plant flowers for my niece's birthday!

Every morning that I've woken up this winter, the sky outside at 6 a.m. has been pitch black. I would drive to work in the dark and at 6:30 a.m. I would flip my neon "OPEN" sign on; it would illuminate the cold ground in front of it and the reflection would bounce off the window into the dusky cafe. It would be at least an hour before the sun peeked over the mountains in the distance. I waited so anxiously for that every morning. 

This morning I was met with quite the surprise when I opened the door at 6 a.m. The air was lighter, not like the density that comes with the dark night. There was a hint of twilight; a faint peachy glow on the horizon. The sun! I could see hints of the sun at 6:15 a.m. this morning! Hallelujah!

[This morning was especially beautiful because of the moon. The dusty peach overtook the eastern horizon, and on the western edge the moon sat just above the horizon. Big, fat, and glowing orange against the navy sky. It was magical, I tell you!]

When the sun comes up, the rest of the world wakes with it. I no longer feel so alone in my corner coffee shop at that moment. And I can't describe my happiness over the fact that the days are getting longer! It means spring will be here soon and I can get my hands dirty with my brother, his wife and the kids. My niece has requested California poppies for her 8th birthday. And a Minecraft cake, haha.

Shoshone

The Snake River Canyon

A few weekends ago I went to visit my father in Southern Idaho. He lives right by the impressively massive Snake River Canyon. For the past 6 years, since my dad has lived there, I can remember being sucked into that place like a magnet. The beauty of the canyon captivates me. I'll never forget the first time I ever saw the canyon; I was in a bit of a panic. We were crossing the Hansen Bridge, I was driving on my learner's permit, ahead of me, coming in the opposite direction, were two large semis, and behind me was another. I have this bad habit of imagining, very vividly, worst case scenarios while driving. So that set in and I broke into a cold sweat. My dad just kept telling me to stay calm. "The bridge isn't that long, you'll be fine!" he kept saying. Ah, I credit my dad for my cool-head in situations.

So, this canyon instills a sense of freedom and beauty in me. It's like instantly being transported to the 1700s, before the dams were built, before the houses, before white man. There was nothing in Idaho's country except nature and the Native tribes. In my simple, nature-loving mind that's perfection. "To live in harmony with the spirit of the mountain called Monkey was enough."

My dad took me to see The Niagara of the West; Shoshone Falls. It was my first time there, and I was beyond myself with excitement. Waterfalls don't exist in Florida. It's horrible!

Meditative Rock

I spotted the massive, inviting rock in the above photo while my father and I were strolling around. And I thought to myself, "I could sit there all day long, reading a book or weaving a basket." Then the thought never left my head. If it weren't illegal, you'd better believe I would've crawled my ass up there to enjoy the sight and sun! My dad and I walked as far as we could, we watched little birds fly by the steep rock walls and land gracefully on little pinnacles. We talked about the sounds the thundering water makes. He showed me Juniper trees (new favorite) and we even participated in a little green cleaning by picking up plastic sacks and beer cans. By the way, never let me catch you litter. It will instantly ignite a very pissed off fire!

Not many people understand why I love Idaho so much. Thankfully, my dad does. All I have to say is, "I love rocks" and he's on the same page with me. Yeah. We're rock people. But in all seriousness, the shapes the rocks create, the vegetation that grows between the crevices, the hills, the animals, the trees... I love it all. Yes, even the wind. Idaho is painted in rich, nutty brown tones and vibrant greens; it's bathed in gold and sage. Nothing can replace Idaho's place in my heart.

Fall(ing) Apples

On Friday my sister-in-law and I took her kids to a family owned apple orchard just outside of town. I've never been to an orchard before, let alone had the opportunity to wander between the rows collecting ripe fruit. I think it's one of my new favorite things.

Honey crisp apples: delicious!

She found a lady bug

More apples than we can carry!

I love being out in nature. It's fun with small kids, too, because they get so excited and stare in awe at what nature gives us. It was so fun to hang out with my nephews and niece, see them get excited over fruit (of all things!) and answer questions about how the fruit forms.

Being out in middle of that orchard made me want an apple tree. I couldn't believe how many apples grow on a single branch, hundreds to a single tree. It truly is an inspiring and humbling sight.

The apples ripen faster than they can be picked. It was so surreal to walk a path that was sprinkled with apples underfoot as well as overhead!

Absolutely stunning

The reason we went in the first place was because we could get a bushel of apples for literally a fraction of the price than you can find at the grocery store. My sister-in-law and I have been on a canning kick lately and we wanted to make apple butter and apple sauce. The opportunity was too good to miss!

After everything was said and done we spent $8. Our final prize: A trunk-full of apples!

Score!

Catch the Sunrise

The sun is gonna save me

Put a little love into my lonely soul

The Earth is beautiful. Sometimes I get irritated with myself that I don't take the time to enjoy the awesome opportunities I have to experience raw, true beauty.

I decided that one of the last things I had to do before leaving Florida was watch the sun rise. I drove out to the east coast with my close friend, and together we dug into the cool sand and waited for the sun to peak above the horizon. I was lucky this day. The last time I tried to watch the sun rise it was too cloudy to see it progress across the sky. Other times, if there are no clouds, the sun can be glaring and overwhelmingly bright. But this day, this day was perfect. The clouds danced with the sun and waves in a way I haven't experienced often.

It's hard to find words to express the joy and peace I felt watching the sun come up that morning. It's funny, too, because my favorite time to swim in the ocean is in the early morning, before the sun heats up the water and sand; I love that chill! That's also the best time to catch the crabs digging out their holes! I don't know, I guess the beach just feels more genuine early in the morning.

*All images are copywrited by Clarissa OM. Please do not use or copy without permission.

Guess what...

It snowed about 8 inches yesterday in eastern Idaho. It's still on the ground today. But how funky do the green leaves look with a bunch of snow!? I'd say the seasons are confused.

It's definitely time for me to invest in some warm boots for the winter because I don't want to be stuck indoors, or have cold wet feet. Having wet feet is the worst feeling!

beyond the tops of trees: a milestone

Today is my beautiful mother's 50th birthday. She makes it look so good. I'm so thankful that my mom has been blessed with 50 years of excellent health because it means she'll have many, many more years to enjoy with her family and the earth.

She's lived in the United States for 25 years now, and she's never been to New York. So that was her birthday present. I dropped her off early at the airport this morning. We celebrated her birthday last night as a family, since she left so early today. It was really nice to relax with her and we had our dinner outside with a glass of pino grigio. 

My family has always shared in sky gazing. We're fascinated by the colors of the sky and shapes of the clouds. Last night, on the eve of my mom's 50th birthday, she, my brother, and myself took a few minutes to appreciate the beauty bestowed upon us in our backyard.

my favorite

I chose not to edit these photos. These are the colors and shapes that dominated overhead. As disconnected as I might feel from others at times, it's nice to be reminded of our interconnectedness in the small things. Such as the sheer admiration of the ever-changing sky.

I told my mom that the sky was especially beautiful that night for her. We were able to have a few moments together before her trip where we could just relax, be happy, and enjoy the present moment. Things like that make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

As if the spectacular sunset last night wasn't enough, the sky dazzled us again at sunrise when I dropped her off at MCO.

I caught Mr. Sun just as he was peeking over the horizon.

The day dawned bright as ever on my mother's milestone birthday. 

Happy birthday, mami. Thank you for the beauty, joy, and happiness you've given me. I love you!

I love bunnies!

Bun love

chomping fresh herbs

broccoli assassin

furry lump of love!

these furry babies are not mine.
i wish they were!
these cuties belong to my best friend,
so i've had plenty of time to spoil them rotten when we're all lounging about.
they love green stuff, so obviously, i love feeding them greens picked fresh from the garden.
there is nothing cuter than a bunny's mouth chomping on over-drive to get ALL of the green goodness!
most of the time they lounge in their magnificent bunny-castle.
but if it's quiet they get adventurous.
like when we're practicing yoga, or quietly reading...
all of a sudden they come sniffing around to see what you're doing.
it's so cute.
especially if you're lucky enough to get bunny licks.
or have one prop itself up on you with their tiny, stubby, furry front paws.
i've even woken up to bunnies on my tummy and chest while i nap on the couch.
no joke. it's absolutely the most adorable experience in the world.
i really love being able to interact with bunnies.
they are so different from cats and dogs.
not quite as social or demanding,
but definitely still able to give that warm fuzzy feeling!
being natural herbivores, bunnies bring me back to the earth whenever i feed them.
they can't survive off of manufactured goods.
neither can we.
they need fresh greens and sun.
so do we.
animals and humans have such a beautiful relationship
and i think caring for bunnies brings out our most tender and nurturing qualities.
so, revel in the glorious cuteness that is the bun-love!
i hope these pictures pushed some cute-buttons
because these bunnies are the cutest part of my indoor/homework ridden summer.

A really neat yoga website

Today I'd like to share my newest online infatuation: Yoga Today. Over 200 1-hour long classes shot in gorgeous outdoor locations or an elegant studio. I didn't know the joy and surprise I was getting myself into when I signed up for the their free membership.


Signing up for a free membership means having access to a featured free class every week. (There are monthly/yearly membership options, too, but free works for me right now).  Every class has a theme, too, like turning fear into courage, practicing gratitude, or a focus on foundation and alignment (that was this week's free class). Another thing I like about the site is that ALL of the videos are about an hour long-- not a skimpy 30 minutes, or worse still 20 minutes. One hour of breathing and flowing, with expert guidance, in the comfort of my home. Free. It's perfect for when I can't make it to a class in town, or when I feel indecisive about what to do on any given day.

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The reason I like Yoga Today more than other sites that offer free yoga videos is because they really focus on more than just the physical asanas. In this week's class, pranayama was the major focus and the physical asanas took sort of a back seat because they were fairly simple. It was all about breath. And was just what I needed! I've been feeling sort of stuck in practice lately and I think it's because I haven't had much instruction on the different aspects of breath. Other teachers on other sites will just say "inhale up, exhale lower" but they leave out the reason behind the flow of breath. I practice yoga for more than just the physical aspects, so when I find a teacher that focuses only on that I become frustrated. I still have so much to learn about yoga and it sometimes gets scary trying to create my own practice that is balanced in my body as well as my mind and spirit. This is why we seek teachers. Yoga Today does a great job facilitating all aspects of yoga.


This is my third week doing the free videos and I have to say I'm really happy with the site. The teachers provide great instruction and teach with models, so you have options in different poses. The first week I practiced with a Yoga Today video my arms and shoulders were sore for days. That's what I'm talking about! But the one thing that really gets me feel giddy and giggly is that they practice outdoors. It's so serene and inspiring! The first time I did one of their videos they practiced in front of the Grand Tetons! I used to see those mountains all the time; I miss seeing those mountains every day of my life, so it was a very welcome surprise when I saw them towering in the background. 

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barefoot in the grass

Today marks the first official day of summer, and it's definitely hurricane season in Florida. That means awesome light shows in the sky throughout the summer! I love lightning storms. They can be scary! But I welcome the flashes of light that creep into my windows during those grim nights. There was an especially fantastic lightning storm last Wednesday. I stood in my backyard staring at the sky for a solid half hour. 
I tried to capture the spider-vein patterns of light on my phone's camcorder. It didn't turn out so well. Lucky for me I found Mr. Jason Weingart while I was looking for other lightning fanatics in Florida. Check out one of Weingart's videos of the lightning storm last week. That's really how it happened. It was non-stop; absolutely breathtaking!
My fervent attention was probably helped along by my belly fresh full of good food, feeling the enduring inner peace after an amazing yoga session, and because I was sipping my favorite tea. Regardless, I felt so happy and connected and wholesome.  Yes, standing barefoot in the grass, hair tumbling in the thrashing wind, staring at the pulsating sky made me feel natural, comfortable, at peace. The Divinity of the earth is stunning. It is perfect in its existence. I love the subtleties in nature that seem purely accidental but are inextricable. The cycles the earth falls into are serene and honest. Humans can't live without plants; plants can't live without water or sun; water falls from the sky; the sun follows the water and completes the balance of natural events.
I'm looking forward to the stunning displays of nature this summer has to offer. 

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