12/23/14

See You in 2015!

As I'm sure you've noticed, I've taken December off from regular blogging. What with travelling home and holidays immediately after, a break was for the best!

I'll be back in January to ring in 2015 with weekly posts, monthly goals, and photos from my trip to England.

Happy holidays!

Do you have a Word of the Year picked out for 2015? I can't decide if I want to pick one or not...

12/2/14

NO Goals for December


That's right. I am declaring it. I am setting NO goals for myself this December!

One week from today (Tuesday) Katelin and I will be flying home to America. In the few weeks after we have plans for a Christmas shebang with our best friend, Tina, that includes a maternity photoshoot, and a few days after that my family will be in town for Christmas!!

There is also a to-do list with important items that must be done, and with such a busy, kind of stressful month ahead...

I didn't want to set myself up for failure and discouragement.

I know what I can handle, and I'm already questioning how I will balance everything planned. To add 5 goals would not be my best move!

Let's review last month's goals...

You can see them here.

Three have a big check-mark next to them while two got a star for effort!

Yoga was not such a priority for me in November. I participated in #SizeDoesntMatter for about half the month this round, and I just wasn't feeling it. So, I stopped!

The same thing happened with yoga videos three times a week. Most weeks I did one video, but go me for pushing myself just that bit!

I participated in Mara Glatzel's Course Brave Love, and SO loved it!! I have a few lessons I'm taking my time to catch up on, but it was so, so fantastic. I completely encourage all of you to check out her blog and offerings!

Stonehenge totally happened. Ahh.. it was... beautiful. Once I am home and rested, I plan on writing some posts featuring photos and stories of everything we saw! Stonehenge was one of my top three faves.

And, lastly, if you take a peek towards the bottom of any page, you will see a cleaned up categories section! Yay!

While I won't be working towards goals this month, I am participating in an Instagram yoga challenge - #HoHoHipOpeners with @yoga_davina. If you care to follow along, you can find me @evecalian!

Here's to a happy, goal-free December!

Let me know in the comments what goals you're setting! If you're not, tell me why!

11/21/14

What I am Craving...



Early mornings involving coffee and meditation.

Printing out pictures to scrapbook, and scrapbooking them lovingly while watching a favorite show.

Making our bedroom a sanctuary filled with twinkling lights, crystals, and candles. A room that inspires me.

Walking my dog regularly.

Sitting down with my partner and creating a budget that makes us feel secure and free.

Trimming down the list of who I really want in my life - the people that make me feel wrapped in warmth, love, and acceptance.

Taking care of those people. Showering them with gifts and love.

What are you craving right now?


11/19/14

Life Lately in IG Photos






Christmas decorations are appearing, Christmas scented candles are being lit, + warm drinks are being drunk by the light of the Christmas tree. 



Most days are being spent wrapped up in a warm blanket with a book (currently: The Stand by Stephen King) or computer on my lap. Coffee + tea close by. 



English weather has finally greeted us in full swing! This has meant many rainy outings as we do our last tourist stops before returning to America.




The rain has not stopped us from exploring forests + taking cheesy photos!


My mantra I am trying to live by.

Follow me on IG @evecalian!


11/17/14

This is My Only Job


My only job is to love myself. 
To be there in a way no one else can.
Hand over heart. 
Knowing.
Understanding. 

My job is not to be there for the world.
To spray compliments and encouragements to you
without ever giving them to myself. 

My job is to shine -
My beauty. My worth. 
My excellence. My edges. 
I will not dull myself to
bring you Happiness. 

My job is to cultivate my own 
Happiness.
Not yours. 
I will shine. 

Shine.
Shine. 

I will hydrate myself.
I will lay out the mat for yoga. 
I will curl up in my favorite blanket
and sweatpants and
pour the coffee. 

I will

Say Yes,

Yes, 
Yes. 
I will allow myself everything
I want. 

This is my only job. 
To say yes to myself, and
no to you,
if I must. 

I will love myself, and
let you depart,
if I must. 

Hand over heart.
This is my only job. 


11/11/14

Gift Guide: The Harry Potter Lover


1. A last name sweater by SweaterinBox. They have Malfoy, Weasley, and Potter. I also love this one. // 2. A butterbeer scented candle! // 3. Ravenclaw minimalist poster. There's also Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff for you non-Ravens. // 4. A refillable Quibbler notebook cover to channel your inner Luna Lovegood while you study. // 5. Hogwarts Alumni mug. // 6. To keep you organized in the new year, a Divination Planner.

Keep checking back for more Gift Guides in the next few weeks!

Personally, I would love any and all of these items. Which is your favorite?

11/3/14

5 Goals for November

A new month means a new set of goals!

Can you believe it's already November?

It's also my last month in England - a bittersweet realization I had yesterday. It will be great to be home and get back to work and school, but this has been a fantastic experience.

Before I get into November's goals, let's review last month's goals and how I did:

1. Do Yoga Every Day

Some days I only did one pose, some days was a full on practice, and some days were in between.

But wow. Going from NO yoga routine to daily practice is such a big deal for me.

A big reason I kept up with this goal was participating in the #sizedoesntmatterchallenge hosted by @yogimj and @biggalyoga last month! My yoga repertoire has expanded along with my flexibility due to this challenge, which is why I added it as one of this month's goals.

2. #lovetober

A few days were skipped or missed, but I totally did it!!

I am horrible with following through on photo challenges, but Gala Darling's #lovetober was not one of them. Waking up and checking the days prompt was such a joy as was picking out the perfect picture. I can't wait for her next photo challenge.

3. Go to a Pumpkin Patch

Well... this kind of happened.

Due to the weather and wetness in England, pumpkin patches aren't especially doable. But we made it to a nearby garden center and picked out the perfect pumpkins!

So, I would call this a success.

4. Carve Pumpkins

I definitely carved a pumpkin.

Thankfully carving it "well" was not a goal. :P

5. Organize Blog

If you look to your left, under the blog's title, you will see I have added and removed various links to my social media profiles.

If you are interested in following me on tumblr, twitter, google+, or pinterest, they are all there!

You will see a link to facebook, because I hope to one day create a Facebook page for this space. But for now it is an empty link. Sorry about that!

At the bottom of any page, you'll find the menu bar. Not the most convenient place, but the best I can do for now.

I have added an About page!

If you want to know more about this space and myself, click here.

I am beyond pleased with myself for nailing every goal I had, and I'm excited to tackle the five for this month.

Here they are -


1. #sizedoesntmatter Yoga Challenge

I enjoyed this yoga challenge so much in October that I want to keep it going.

I'll be participating with many other women of various colors and sizes for the next month guided by the beautiful and inspiring hosts @mynameisjessamyn and @yoga_davina. Maybe you'll join?

You can follow along with me here!

2. Do Yoga Practice by Video Three Times a Week

Because I kept up with a daily yoga practice for a whole month, I want to push myself a little more.

With #sizedoesntmatter, I'll still be doing yoga almost every day, but I'm going to set aside three days a week to use guided yoga videos for enhanced practices. I'm hoping this will build my strength and flexibility even more!

3. Brave Love

Mara Glatzel gifted me with a spot in the newest session of her course Brave Love.

I want to dive heart first into the coming prompts, videos, and emails over the next three weeks.

4. Organize The Categories and Tags

This goal was originally to be completed last month alongside my about page and links, but I never got around to it. So, this month I shall clean up all the categories and tags floating around here to make finding posts applicable to YOU a lot easier.

5. Visit Stonehenge

Since this is my last month in England, I have to have a travel goal!

Our plans are to see Stonehenge mid-November, and I cannot wait!

I'm very excited for this month's five goals. Here's to you, November! And you, my friends.

How did you do with goals last month? What are some new one's you're setting for the end of the year?