Friday, September 13, 2013

Foto Friday: Pinky Gets Married

So I admit I sucked at Blogtember this week but it's been a whirlwind week, and between my work & personal life I'm looking forward to a slow weekend to recover... Oh wait I'll be driving down to VA Beach for a kickball tournament. So much for resting up.

Why has this week been so busy you may ask? 

Well it's because my wonderful oldest sister, miss Pinky of Pink Persistence (or is it Mrs. Pinky now) got married!!!

The following are some pictures from the fabulous event:



And this is when the bridal party goofed off while the bride & groom took romantic pictures together:



It was such an amazing time and I wish I had a time machine to do it all again!!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

BLOGTEMBER Day Three: Advisensational!

Thursday, September 5: Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered. 

Stretch Every Day!

See, even the animal kingdom knows this to be true:
  

I had a yoga instructor once say "every day you wake up and your body is a little tighter, a little stiffer... unless you move it." Think about how many elderly people walk very stiffly, needing to take small steps and shuffle instead of walk, cause their bodies have tightened all the way up. Through stretching, you allow your body to release lactic acid from over-used, tired, or stiff muscles, and it actually elongates your muscles, there's a reason dancers have such long, lean bodies (besides the obvious potential eating disorder thing)

Her advice stuck with me and I noticed how much less tension I held in my body on days after I made sure to stretch.  

If you have a desk job, think about how often you are sitting down and the tightness in your hips that results, well, sitting cross legged on the floor before bed and melting your upper body down towards the floor is a great way to stretch your hips out. Also a lunge-based stretch is great too.
No, you don't have to even get CLOSE to this, but it can be something to aspire to
You don't even have to be a yogini like Tara Stiles or even like yoga, but but if you simply find a few stretches you like to do before bed for your back, legs, hips, and shoulders can make you feel limber and ready to face tomorrow.

Also, be sure to stretch your mind, capacity for kindness, and your funny bone everyday! I have a feeling the metaphysical mirrors the physical so if you don't want your mind, heart or humor to tighten and shrink in capacity

Here's some help on the humor front (also keeping with the animal kingdom theme):
Ylvis: The Fox



Wednesday, September 4, 2013

BLOGTEMBER Day Two: Imaginary Adventure

Wednesday, September 4: If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do? (bonus points for fun photos from Pinterest, but don't forget to cite the source!)

So since this prompt is all about breaking the rules of real life, I'm gonna kinda break the rules of this post and say what I would do wouldn't be anything in the world, but rather out of this world!  
If I could take a break from real life and do anything i would travel to the moon!!


I would run & jump soooooo far in the lessened gravity

I would collect moon rocks to give to people back home -and leave a few earth rocks to not upset the moon's orbit ;)


I would trace Neil Armstrong's steps (walking next to and not on top of, of course)
 

I would take pictures of earth (posing to make it look like I was Atlas, holding it up)


I would have a lunar picnic a la Wallace & Gromit


I would take a flashlight & explore the dark side of the moon (and make sure there were no transformers there)


What would you do if you could take a break from real life? Tell me in the comments below or on twitter: @itzbizr

Also, let me know if you like the new format for the title/header! If you like it, it's meh, or you can't read it, or have any suggestions for small edits that would provide big improvements (like watermarking the picture etc.), tell me PLEASE!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

BLOGTEMBER! Day 1: Origin Story


Tuesday, Sept. 3: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

Fade in: the California coast, 1987. Early in the morning, a baby's cry; a pod of dolphins frolicked in welcome, and the Disneyland fireworks were extra bright that night... (I can imagine, besides I'm writing the origin story which means I can creatively edit where I choose I mean that's what a blog is all about, creating a unique brand for myself right?)

I've never been back to California. The youngest of three girls in a military family, we each claimed birth cities across the country, and a little less than 2 years later, once my dad got his masters at the Naval Postgraduate School in Fort Ord, California, we moved across the country once more to the greater DC area.

We stayed in the Northern Virginia area from then on, only later I realized how hard my dad had worked to give my sisters and I stability and a hometown instead of moving every three years. My childhood was spent outside, avoiding homework, playing soccer, swimming, diving, playing tennis, singing in the church choir, finding a pseudo-deepness in high school art classes, visiting Smithsonian museums, and trying to be cool enough to hang out with my older sisters.

Growing up outside the Nation's Capital gives a certain perspective, and so when I headed off to the University of Richmond to play soccer, I also left with the idea to study internationally. Although UR was a completely different environment (stylistically, socioeconomically, the lack of diversity, the fact that people dressed up for football games rather than wear school colors & cheer) from what I knew, I enjoyed the academics and made some great friends from my soccer teammates and other fellow athletes.

I was also able to study abroad in Santiago, Chile. I was the only student from Richmond to go that semester and was able to experience the city and country in a completely independent way, and discovered how dependent I was on my own habits and cultural norms. I discovered empanadas de pino, pisco, Colo Colo, pastel de choclo, montanismo, and some amazing friends from around the world. My family was also able to visit me which made the experience even more wonderful.

I returned to Richmond with a renewed desire to pursue an international impact and examine how what I wanted to compared with God's plan in my life. I was accepted, attended and graduated from University of Richmond School of Law, studying international law, public interest law, discovering a passion for International Humanitarian Law (the law of armed conflict), and alternating between feeling intimidated by, compelled to competition, or fostering friendships (sometimes all at once) with my fellow classmates.

Now I'm back in Northern Virginia, trying to balance a vision for my life and being able to support my life (with law school loans). I work in a small firm doing general practice in northern Virginia and once a week I volunteer at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, assisting the legal adviser with research. I feel like I have a foot in two paths, with no idea which one to pursue: establish myself in the legal world, and learn about my work preferences and follow through on a commitment to work there while making enough money to keep current in loan repayment or lean (further) on my support network to help while I examine unpaid fellowships or minor stipend positions that would give me direct experience with international development in foreign countries but don't guarantee employment or a way to keep myself out of defaulting. Both choices have implications for independent living, professional goals, faith in God, and my own idea of who I want to be.

I'll keep you posted how that goes ;)

Monday, September 2, 2013

Musical Monday: Labor Day Love of New Music!

Happy Labor Day! Unfortunately, as fate would have it I'm here at the office, but will be taking a half day, so I can try and get a little tan & help out more with wedding prep. I don't wanna get washed out by my bright pink maid of honor dress =)

Here are two songs I'm enjoying right now, even while stuck in the office a while longer.

Yuna: I Wanna Go
This Malaysian songstress is a smooth crooner over even smoother beats and melodies. She writes her own music and in the last two years she's been in the States recording with the likes of Pharrell. Her 2012 self-titled debut album broke into the Billboard Top 100

Gossling: Never Expire
An Australian indie artist I've championed on the blog before, her latest track takes her into a deeper full, beat-driven territory while keeping the poignant lyrics that stood out from her more acoustic beginnings.