“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor; hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we see people as they are, we make them worse. If we see people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
Goethe

Enlightenment

Do they know it's Christmas Time

This video came out in 1984.  27 years later - I still feel a huge amount of sadness for Africa when help is available but cannot get through.

Schools in Baltimore

Yoga Making a Difference in Schools

Gratitude it is a practice

Healthy Gift Ideas under $25

Healthy Gifts Click Here

Social Etiquette Questions Answered

I listened to this show last night on NPR after teaching.  So many questions come up of how to handle situations with facebook, cell phone, texting.  Philip Galanes is a weekly advice columnist for the New York Times and he graduated from UNC in 1984. 

Social Etiquette Interview on Fresh Air/NPR

From Your Heart

We are not the person other people wish we were. We are who we decide to be. 


Paulo Coelho

‎"If yoga is meant to be a life long commitment to inner peace it behooves yoga practitioners to practice as much as they can. If you only practice when it is convenient or when you feel good then yoga is more of a hobby then a lifestyle. But sincere spiritual practice has never been a leisurely activity if it is to produce the results of awakening. True spiritual practice is an unbroken commitment to do everything it takes to see the deepest truth there is. It is not something you can choose to look at only on Monday and Wednesday for an hour and pretend it does not exist for the rest of the week." Kino MacGregor

World Aids Day, Thursday December 1

Let It Go - Dana Fould

Let go of the ways you thought life would unfold; the holding of plans or dreams or expectations – Let it all go. Save your strength to swim with the tide. The choice to fight what is here before you now will only result in a struggle, fear, and desperate attempts to flee from the very energy you long for. Let go. Let it all go and flow with the grace that washes through your days whether you receive it gently or with all your quills raised to defend against invaders. Take on faith: the mind may never find the explanations that it seeks, but you will move forward nonetheless. Let go and the wave’s crests will carry you to unknown shores, beyond your wildest dreams or destinations. Let it all go and find the place of rest and peace, and certain transformation.

Rosh Hashanah ~ Shanah Tova

From Michael Berg:

"Rosh Hashanah is an important time of the year; there are blessings available to every person during this time. It is the beginning of the lunar calendar year, and is therefore called the “head” (Rosh) or beginning of the Year (Hashanah).

The Kabbalists also call this time the seed of the coming year. We know that the seed of a tree, even before it is planted, holds within it all the potential that the tree will become. It will take time even after the seed is planted for the tree to manifest its complete growth and potential. Nevertheless, the seed that was planted already determines much of what will grow and happen next. If you plant an apple seed, no matter what you do afterwards, you will not be able to grow an orange tree. This is what occurs on Rosh Hashanah; we are creating and planting the seeds for the coming year. We want to have a year filled with great blessings and happiness so we take the opportunity through our thoughts and actions now to draw all of the energy that we will manifest later. Everything that we do on the days of Rosh Hashanah (this Thursday and Friday) is meant to assist us in planting the right and best seeds for the blessings that we want and will need in the coming year.

Another beautiful teaching is that on this day everything is renewed. One of the greatest sources of unhappiness is that everything ages and becomes old. Usually we are more excited and in love in the beginning of a relationship than 10 years into the marriage. Many of the gifts that come into our lives are exciting and fulfilling in the beginning, but then they become old. Even if we still appreciate them, it is not usually with the same joy and vigor as in the beginning. But it does not have to be so. We can and are meant to renew ourselves, our relationships, our lives, and our blessings at least once a year. One of the gifts available to us on Rosh Hashanah is the ability to draw the energy of renewal to the important areas of our life. Think about the areas of your life that have become old, and blessings that you want to fulfill with the energy of renewal. Through this consciousness you draw the energy of newness into every area of your life.
There are many tools that we can use during the two days of Rosh Hashanah but there are two important connections that we can all make. The first is to take time during these two days and think about our past year, the good, the better, and the not so good. Then ask yourself, “What do I want to change from last year?”, “what do I want to make better?” Also, “what blessings do we want to draw for ourselves and our family in the next year?” The supernal gates open up during these two days and by opening ourselves up to the flow of light and energy from above we can receive endless blessings.

The second important connection is how we think and behave during Rosh Hashanah. If we desire to connect to the supernal energy that is revealed we should behave like the supernal light. We should act in only ways of sharing, forgiveness and care. No anger, no doubt, no jealousy, no sadness, at least for these two days. How we are during these two days will influence the next 363.

May we all be blessed with a wonderful new year and endless blessings for ourselves our families and the world. Shanah Tova."

Light

The lamps are different.
But the Light is the same.
So many garish lamps in the dying brain’s lamp shop, Forget about them.
Concentrate on essence, concentrate on Light.
In lucid bliss, calmly smoking off its own holy fire, The Light streams
toward you from all things, All people, all possible permutations of good,
evil, thought, passion.
The lamps are different,
But the Light is the same.
One matter, one energy, one Light, one Light-mind, Endlessly emanating all things.
One turning and burning diamond,
One, one, one.
Ground yourself, strip yourself down,
To blind loving silence.
Stay there, until you see
You are gazing at the Light
With its own ageless eyes.


Rumi

Serenity Prayer

20 Things you may not know about Patrick Shannon

1)      Scared of Sharks and Werewolves.

2)      Was so broke as a child that we swam in trash cans on hot days to cool off, we had no pool to go to. (We washed them out first, gross!!)

3)      Loves to cook/grill/bake; I do it daily

4)      Born in the Dekalb County Public Hospital in Hottlanta, my brother and I were the minority kids in our neighborhood.

5)      Conquered “El Gigante” at Bandido’s Mexican Restaurant on Franklin Street as a 16 year old.

6)      Was a Bartender for years, led me to a love of Psychology.

7)      Won a middle school dance contest beating a friend in the finals, she still hasn’t let it go.

8)      No foods that I dislike, I love to eat!

9)      “Son of a Preacher man,” Dad is an ordained minister and has been spreading his ministry for over 30 years.

10)   I’ve seen the Grand Canyon at sunrise and sunset.

11)   Never seen the Pacific Ocean

12)   Lost my shirt (and a lot more) one night in Vegas; won it all back by breakfast, lost it again by lunch.  Go to Vegas!!!

13)   Built a house, and then lived in it.  Built a hotel, and then worked in it.  Built a country club, worked there, and then got fired.

14)   I love ½ moon pose, I hate utkatasana twist

15)   Has double jointed fingers

16)   Listens to Beatles music every day

17)   My best friend is 6’5”; short man tall man games galore

18)   Favorite Book of all-time is Treasure Island  by Robert Louis Stevenson

19)   Once swam in the “Polar Plunge”, a fundraiser where you swim laps in a nearly frozen pond for the kids.

20)   Lived in Wisconsin for one winter.  80 below zero with the wind chill and we still had to go to school.  I love NC!!!!!!

Saturday, July 23

Usually I will think about the theme for the class I will be teaching the day or night before the class.  For my Saturday class, I had been thinking of "gratitude."  


Our 40 days challenge is coming in to the final week.  I have heard many stories of people experiencing such a change in their bodies and their minds after spending so much time on their mat.  I have also heard students say that while they have enjoyed the challenge it has also helped them put certain things in their life into perspective.  Choosing between seeing a friend who is in town for one day and the challenge and choosing the friend over a yoga class.  So much gratitude for each and every experience of the past 5 weeks.  

On my way in to teach, I stopped at a gas station.  I couldn't ignore the blaring newspaper headlines:  Gunman kills 92 in Norway.  Before class I read the article that the gunman set off bombs in downtown Oslo and then went to an island and for at least 45 minutes he killed teenagers who were at a retreat.  He wore police garb and beckoned them to him as if he was going to help them and then would shoot them.  How could this happen?  Why did this happen?   I teach a great deal about the concept of trusting life, trusting the process.  Being grateful for what is placed on our path.  That everything happens for a reason.  But there is still the why?  And the gunman obviously has his reasons.  

As I began the class without trying to make sense of this event - I asked the 45 people in class to dedicate their practice to the people of Norway and to anyone who has been affected by what happened.  To offer up love, peace, compassion, and hope and to hold these people in our hearts during the practice.  While we may not be able to console them or physically reach out to them.  We can certainly think of them in this time of sadness and hold space in our hearts for their grief.  Without speaking about gratitude I certainly felt grateful for having the opportunity to feel connected through our space, through our hearts as we connected to something more than ourselves. 

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

Mother Teresa


Much peace and love,


Lori

20 Things you may not know about Amanda Hale

1. I have lived in 8 states and travelled to 11 countries (favorite so far..Turkey).

2. I have a sweet collection of heart shaped stones from many places I have travelled or visited.

3. My first car was a 68 Mustang convertible, yellow with a white top..yes, I definitely thought I was a badass.

4. My dad played football at Auburn University and was a former high school football coach...I learned to throw a perfect spiral at a very young age.

5. My birth announcements were pink footballs (see #4).

6. I was a serious tomboy through middle school, and was proud to rock my favorite shirt..a #10 Minnesota Vikings football jersey autographed by QB Fran Tarkenton.(see 4 &5)

7. I have an undergraduate degree from Auburn University in nursing (remember #4?) and a Masters in Nursing as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from UNC.

8. I met my husband my senior year in college while rock climbing.

9. My most epic climb... Half Dome in Yosemite.

10. My husband and I were married in the botanical gardens inside the Opryland Hotel, possibly the worlds cheesiest hotel. 

11. I gave birth to 5 beautiful children by natural childbirth, 4 who are still with me, and they are without a doubt my greatest teachers. 

12. My husband is in a band and I am lead groupie...a job I take very seriously.

13. I might actually be able to survive on a diet of avocados and dark chocolate. OK, maybe a little red wine too. 

14. I rarely watch TV, and have to ask my 7 year old to help me work the remote. 

15. My parents rock...my mom ran her first marathon at 59, jumped out of a plane at 65, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at 67; My dad was in the Olympic trials for the 440 sprint, and if you ask him how he's doing, the only answer he has ever given is, "Outstanding, every day's a great day!"

16. My dad often quoted Winston Churchill when I was growing up, saying in a very deep voice..."Never, never, never give up." 

17. When I was 3, I was the angel in the church Christmas play, and recited the entire Christmas story from the book of Luke.

18. At the beginning of my first yoga class, the teacher said..."do what you can do, take care of your body, and keep breathing." It really is as simple as that, and I still say those words to myself at the beginning of every practice. 

19. My favorite yoga pose is a toss up between chaturanga dandasana and handstand.

20. I really do believe that gratitude is the most powerful practice, not in a don't worry be happy sort of way, but that we can choose to focus on the good, the joy, the abundance, and keep our faces towards the light which is always present. 

Lori's Wednesday Rock Your Asana Class

Class preparation.

I was ready.  I had the music planned for my Rock Your Asana class and I just needed the sequence and my theme.  Before I teach I like to sit with myself and notice what is going on within. What do I have to offer?  What do I want to speak about in class?  I work on this for about an hour to two hours before each class.  Usually my themes are based on what I have going on in my life, my family's life, the community at the studio, yamas, niyamas, and or current events.

 Last week I traveled to Baltimore with Christy to see U2.  My fifth time seeing them and I have been a fan since 1982 when I saw their their first video on MTV  " Two hearts beat as one."  It took us 5 hours to get to Baltimore and we left to drive home right after the concert.  Construction traffic was not the best and we didn't get home until 4:30am.  Thursday I was very foggy.  Friday I was very tired and Saturday I got to take a 2 hour nap.  By Sunday I felt so much better. Needless to say I felt this trip for a couple of days. So as I sat down to collect my thoughts to prepare for class I asked myself the question "what prompted me to drive to Baltimore?"   Last year I sat down with fellow lululemon ambassadors and created a list of goals.  Seeing U2 in Dublin was on my list.  That couldn't happen because they had already played Dublin by the time I created the list.  So my goal became - see U2 in concert.  The quest - a concert I could drive to.  Baltimore.

As I was driving to Baltimore with a smile on my face because I was completing a goal that had been nagging at me for a while - I remembered I had done a similar exercise with Baron in Utah last September.  He had us do the same thing but a little different - write down something very specific that you want to accomplish before December 31, 2010.    I wrote that I wanted to raise $10,000 plus for the Eve Carson Scholarship with the Eve Ball.  At the concert U2 is known for their message boards.  In Baltimore there was a running screen of statistics - how many emails had been sent that day, how many google searches, how many people died of hunger, the unemployment rate in Maryland, and on and on for about 30 minutes before the come on stage.  One of the last blips across the screen "What do want?" "How will you ask for it"  

Yesterday as I created my theme for my class - I was inspired by U2 and this exercise that I had done with Baron.  How could I get this message across to the people coming to class. It is mid year you have 6 months to still make a difference.  Do you even remember your new year's resolutions?  As I was writing down my thoughts about how to think of what inspires you, what motivates you  - my vet arrived.  My husband and I have 6 dogs.  We have a vet visit our house because getting 6 dogs in a car is just not practical.  She needed to see 4 of our dogs yesterday and it took about an hour and half.  I needed to get the towels in the washer and dried and take a shower. She left at 2:30 and I needed to leave by 3:15 to check in Mike's class.  The play list was done, I created the sequence while she typed in notes about each dog.  I had to help her hold each dog for their heart worm test.  I was rushed by the time I got to the studio.   Mike's class was checked in and I meditated to get centered for 15 minutes.  I never went back to my notes for my theme.  I kept thinking I know this theme so well.  I wear it on my sleeve.  What inspires you to make a difference. 

50 people arrived for class.  When I mentioned what is something you would like to accomplish before the end of this year - I thought let's make it real.  Say the date of December 31.  Make it real.  So I did December 31, 2010.  There were soft whispers and I thought - wow they aren't happy about the gentle reminder of the date.  So I taught the class. I guess I mentioned it a couple of times.  End of the year, December 31st.  After class Philip came up to me and said did you do that on purpose "December 31, 2010? " And then it hit me - I had meant December 31, 2011 the whole time.  I had stayed in lululemon goal setting mode and Baron exercise mode the whole time.  Even now I still see these two pages in my journal in big writing - December 31, 2010.  My very clever mind kept me back.  One of my students emailed me that he kept holding up 2 fingers hoping I would see the number 11.  Hello yoga teacher not present.  Do I want to shrug it off and say this happens? Absolutely.  Do I want to laugh about it?  Absolutely.  But I'm a type "A" in recovery and that is so hard.  And this is my practice to not judge, to not beat myself up you know those things that type A's do when they try to achieve perfection.  

So what helps a type A in recovery?

Maya Angelou

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

I remember that I smiled quite a bit while I was teaching that class.  A smile from my heart.

With much love and gratitude.

Lori

20 Things you may not know about David Palmer

Twenty things you might not know about David Palmer:

1) He has an artificial tube in his right ear.

2) He was the times table champion in second grade; that is when his math skills peaked.

3) He values directness, although perhaps not at first.

4) His favorite food: Everything bagel (from NYC, of course) with wild smoked salmon and cream cheese.

5) He loves aardvarks, kinkajous, and koalas; wishes he could have one of each as pets.

6) He is an expert on the history of lesbian and gay sex in the United States.

7) He loves to sing in the car.

8) He has completed four marathons.

9) He aspired to be a game show host in grade school.

10) One of his biggest pet peeves: spelling “you’re” as “your.”  Ridiculous – I know!

11) He knows a lot about many sports, though is proficient at very few of them.

12) He did not recognize his breath in yoga classed until over a year after he began practicing.

13) He prefers mountains over beaches.

14) He gets very competitive when playing racquetball.

15) He does not like when people say “y’all.”

16) He likes when colors clash.

17) He has a fondness for pop music – but only the good stuff, of course.

18) He is rather obsessed with making lists and drafting outlines.

19) He likes some around him when he reads.

20) He loathes musicals.

20 Things you may not know about Jacqueline Solis

I am a librarian at UNC.

I grew up in Idaho surrounded by lots of fields of corn and alfalfa, and lots of cows.

My family didn’t actually have any cows, but sometimes the neighbor’s cows would get into our yard.

I was a member of the Boise Dance Collection, a pre-professional dance company, in high school. We did ballet and jazz performances all around the Boise area.

I have been trying to learn Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (the language formerly known as Serbo-Croatian) since 2007.

I have also experimented with learning Bulgarian, Turkish, Romanian, Italian, German and Latin. 

I actually did learn French and Spanish.

I lived in Mexico City in 1993. While I was there I made a money selling cassettes at music markets.

I loved doing laundry in the concrete sinks on the 5th story roof of my apartment there.

I rescued two dogs while I was in Mexico – one an injured German Shepherd mix, and one a little girl puppy left out for the trash.

With the exception of Mexico, I have always lived in the western US and I never dreamed that I would live in North Carolina.

My cat’s name is Miran, which means calm in Croatian. It turned out to be an ironic name.

Miran obsessively plays fetch with rubber chew toys.

I am a Detroit Red Wings fan and a fan of hockey in general.

I talk to my sister in Idaho almost every day.

I have been to Bulgaria five times.

I am always hungry and I think about food way too often.

I love grocery shopping and always buy too much food.

Sunlight is very important for my mental health. I have a tattoo of an ouroboros within rays of the sun to signify eternal sunshine.

My favorite yoga pose is utthita trikonasasa. Or maybe paschimottanasana.

Why Africa? Why Yoga?

I always wanted to study abroad but never did and thought my chance for that was over. I'll come back to that part of the story.
I started taking yoga classes here and there about a decade ago. I liked the stretch, I liked how my body felt after, and I was curious about why something always felt like it shifted emotionally by the end of a yoga class. This curiosity kept growing and growing until I decided to take teacher training with the one and only Lori Burgwyn. What I noticed immediately in Lori's class is that she is always asking you to think big, to move outside of whatever limitations you or others have placed on you, and to dream, dream, dream. She is an amazing visionary and is always thinking of what to do next to keep the studio alive and vibrant as well as the practice fresh and transformative. A couple of years ago the studio was doing a fundraiser for the Africa Yoga Project (AYP). Now I hadn't heard much about the project before that and I saw a video about the project posted on FSYC's facebook page. Soon after that I had lunch with the wonderful Angela Bardeen and talked about my desire to go to Kenya and volunteer for AYP and then it all came together. I decided to become an ambassador for the Africa Yoga Project. Now this is a big stretch for me. I've been out of the country once to Ireland, Paris, and the occasional trip to Canada. Not to Kenya, which I know will be a very different experience from my soiree in Europe in 2001. My partner, Jeff Herrick, and I are going to Kenya to volunteer in January of 2012. I'll be working with young women teaching yoga, meditation, relaxation, and talking about PTSD. Jeff will more than likely be working a building project, doing soccer with the kids, and making music.
Here is my chance to serve, and study abroad and who knows where it will lead me.
I have to pinch myself at least once a day because I cannot believe this is happening. You never know what can happen when you dream big, when you aspire to be transformed and you see that the world can change and is dynamic. You never know what can happen when you pause, breathe, and decide what you really want and how you want to move in the world. You never know what will happen when you let go of your plan and follow the path the universe is sending you signals about.
Please join us this Saturday for the Yoga Mala which is a joint venture between two studios I love and adore Carrboro Yoga Company , (CYCO) and Franklin Street Yoga Center (FSYC). It is from 3:00-5:00pm and you'll see Jeff and I, be led in 108 sun salutes by Lori, Sage, Jennie, and I, and you'll learn a little more about the Africa Yoga Project. The mala is donation based and more information can be found at CYCO and FSYC websites. All the donations will go to the fundraising campaign of $10,000 that Jeff and I are raising to donate to AYP before we go to Kenya.
If you cannot attend the mala you want to donate you can do so at FSYC this week or go visit my fundraising campaign page here.
You can also watch this video to learn more about what I will be doing while there. Watch here.

All the peace in the world to you.

Africa Yoga Project

I first met Paige Elenson in Utah in 2008.  We were at a training with our teacher Baron Baptiste and Paige was assisting.  I literally met her while she assisted me with a pose and you know those moments when someone assists you and the pose becomes so much more.  That was the moment I shared with Paige.  She probably doesn't remember it at all but the memory is very clear for me.  The assist was full of confidence and love.

Later that day we watched a video Paige had created about the Africa Yoga Project.  As most of you know I can cry at anything.  I was lying on my back propped up to watch the video and I was so moved and so emotional that the tears were just flowing down my face. This is what yoga is about for me.  It is an action word.  It is about transformation and unity.

 It takes someone full of confidence and full of love to create an organization like AYP.  Paige was on a family vacation in Kenya and decided to stay in Kenya and the Africa Yoga Project was created in 2007.  AYP teachers have introduced thousands of students in Kenya to the practice of yoga, as well as provided educational scholarships, job training, food stipends, temporary housing and health services.

Their students, ages 16 to 30 years old, come from impoverished backgrounds in Nairobi, Kenya and live on under $2 a day. Many are personally affected by HIV/AIDS and are living or have lived on the streets.


Africa Yoga Project offers financial support to 48 teachers in exchange for teaching yoga in the communities of Nairobi, Kenya. Their teachers come from the slum areas in which they teach and are able to reach the communities for positive social change. Many yoga teachers come to AYP via acrobatics or dance, which they performed on the streets as a way to sustain a living.   Africa Yoga Project offers the yoga teachers confidence and hope. Yoga is a way to give back to the communities in which they live- AYP promotes unity and non-violence. For many AYP teachers, it is a way to earn income to support their families and continue their education.

I am currently mentoring an AYP teacher and FSYC is paying her living wage for one year so that she can teach for free.  Michelle and her husband will be traveling to Kenya in January 2012 to work alongside the teachers and their students.

So I ask you to support the Africa Yoga Project by making a donation - not because of me, Michelle, or Paige. Let your donation be a reflection of what yoga means to you.  From the first time you stepped onto your mat to today - what has yoga meant to you?   Your donation will help this organization cast its net bigger over Kenya.  One love for Africa.

Love and gratitude,

Lori

20 Things you may not know about Leah Barber

20 Things You May Not Know about Leah Barber

1.        I’m half Brazilian and was the first person on the Brazilian side born in the US. I’m named after the matriarch on the Brazilian side of my family.

2.       I lived in Vancouver, Canada from ages 16-19.  It was awesome. 

3.       Cutting cilantro makes me gag but I will eat it if somebody cuts it for me.

4.       My husband and I eloped and were married at the Hillsborough County Jail. 

5.       I collect and listen to vintage Jamaican vinyl (ska, rocksteady, reggae). 

6.       I’ve been a DJ at WXYC 89.3 for 7 years.  My show is every Sunday from 8-10am.  My call name is DJ Dias and I’m a DJ 4 life. 

7.       I found my calling for teaching 10 years ago while helping a few hundred kids learn how to swim. 

8.       When I was 21, I worked as flight attendant but quit my job on 9/11. 

9.       I was a waitress at Hard Rock Café in Boston when I was 20. 

10.   My first car was a 1969 VW Fastback (a station wagon) and I’ve only owned station wagons since.  They include: 1 VW, 3 Volvos, and now a Saab. 

11.   I went on Phish tour when I was 19.  As a result, I will never eat a cold burrito again. 

12.   When I was 8 years old, I was an extra in Pagliacci and a leopard in The Magic Flute (they are both operas).

13.   My dad and step-mom took me on a Paul McCartney tour when I was 11.  We followed his band through 4 states

14.   On my mom’s side, I’m the youngest sibling by 8 years.  On my dad’s side, I’m the oldest sibling by 8 years.

15.   My friend Elena and I have been best friends for 25 years.  We even know our anniversary and celebrate it every year. 

16.   When I was growing up, I lived in Tulsa with my mom during the school year and in Chapel Hill with my dad in the summer.

17.    I started flying by myself when I was 6 years old (see #16)

18.   I have an extra body part but I will not reveal that body part on this list. 

19.   I taught myself how to quilt and made 2 quilts. I gave the 1^st one to my older sister.  If I had more time, I would sew every day.  

20. Ever since we met, my husband and I take the same vacation every 2 years to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.      

20 Things you may not know about Leslie Roach

20 Things You May Not Know About Leslie Roach

1.   I have an outie belly button

2.   I was an all-state basketball and track athlete

3.   I went to College of Charleston to play basketball and run, then ended up transferring to UNC

4. I double majored in Psychology and Exercise Physiology with a minor in Biology, Yes I am a nerd

5. I have only tried coffee once in my life

6. My favorite flower is Hydrangea

7.    Friends is my all time favorite show, I own all 9 Seasons

8.   I might be the most stubborn person I know, actually I am the most stubborn person I know, NO REALLY I AM ;-)

9.   Music makes everything better, especially when I turn it up so loud I cannot hear anything else and dance to it (in my car)

10. My dad is one of my favorite people ever!

11. I have two brothers, Bill 28 and Wes 22.

12. My family has created a word for me, “Leslisms” because I can be slow to understand things... ex. In fourth grade I asked the safety (police) group why they called their dogs K-9 if they only had 8 of them; it made since to me.

13.    I had two cats growing up, Champ and Wiggles

14.    When I was in second grade I wore shorts everyday, because my mom told me I couldn’t wear shorts everyday, so, literally I kept a calendar and checked off the days (all 365) of wearing shorts (refer back to #8)

15. I used to Strongly Dislike reading because it made me feel stupid. I stuttered when I read out loud and it took me FOREVER to do. Finally, we figured out that I am dyslexic and have a tracking problem (meaning I saw things backwards and would just flat out skip lines or words) Now I LOVE reading and am fine to go at my own pace.

16.    I love playing Words with Friends on my Phone

17.    (a)My first concert was Amy Grant, House of Love... I didn’t make it till the end fell asleep, not because it wasn’t good, I loved it, but I was too tired. (17b. I have never pulled an all nighter)

18.    My first CD was either Boyz II Men or Ace of Base

19.  My Grandmother is one of my biggest inspirations and I hope one day to be as graceful, joyful, generous and loving as she is

20. I love Yoga, and not just the asana. I love that it asks us to be open, to live and let live. To be dedicated to the process, not attached to the results, and continue to search for compassion, love and kindness in ourselves so that we may share that with those around us... Just be Kind and Love