Newport aquarium......again.

This little guy was saying hi to us!

We love the aquarium.  So, last weekend when some friends from Lexington suggested a visit to the Newport aquarium, of course we were in.  It's been less then a year since we visited last, but things have already changed (for the better) at the aquarium.  The river otters were out playing, but it was hard to get a good image of them.  They are seriously the cutest critters I've ever seen in my life! 

Clearly, I get excited about seeing all the exhibits at the aquarium, but seeing all the kids and their enthusiasm and pure joy is refreshing.  

Here are a few of the images I took while there!   

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Today is the day to celebrate love and eat loads of sugar :).  Pictured on the left are the cupcakes I made for work, devil's food cake with pink vanilla icing.  I ended up drizzling a little bit of dark chocolate over the top of them.  YUMMM!!

To celebrate valentine's day, Jonah and I spent a quiet evening together this weekend.  He made a fabulous dinner with wine and chocolate brownies.

I realize that this holiday is commercialized to the max. However, it's always a nice reminder to spread love to those around us whether it's by telling them or making sugary food.

Don't forget to take a moment to show yourself love....this evening I'm planning on showing my muscles some love and attend a pure barre class.  Maybe I'll sneak in a bubble bath afterwards.

Personal Challenge...

Earlier this week I had a rough day.  It started out rushed and busy and just continued, so I decided to go to yoga.  What I figured was I could take a few moments to center myself and calm my nerves.  Unfortunately or fortunately, it seems the universe chose to use this yoga class as a teaching moment.

During a yoga class the goal is to turn your thoughts inward to forget about the outside world and those around you.  This is hard enough for me since my mind is always crazy busy, but I'm working on it.  This week the person on the mat beside me was very disruptive.  They kept stopping during class not really trying the poses and fanning themselves (it's hot yoga....it's going to be hot).  To add to the frustration they had a plastic disposable water bottle that was really crinkly.  

None of these offenses are particularly bad, and essentially this person was not enjoying the yoga class.  However, since this person was beside me and I had a frustrating day already, I starting getting irritated.  The whole class was a practice in how to refocus my mind inwardly.  It's such a challenge to forget about what is going on around you and just focus on your breathe and body movements only.  

That whole class was a personal challenge both physically and mentally.  The positive thing is that I made it through and got practice re-centering to try and not acknowledge distractions that take me out of the yoga practice.  

Hunger games are just around the corner...

The hunger games book series written by Suzanne Collins is a dark, emotional young adult series.  In all actuality it's a wonderful series whose characters happen to be young adults, and it's written very well.  The scary part of the whole story is that I could image this future.  I enjoyed so much about this series and it's going to be a movie released on March 23rd!

During the super bowl yesterday they released a new trailer.  It's a short one but it touches on so many aspects of the story.

Just wanted to share my excitement for this movie!

New Mexico Wrap-up...

One final post about New Mexico.  I really enjoyed my time in New Mexico.  Although the temperatures were relatively similar to that of Cincinnati, the surroundings were so much more beautiful.  The mountains were always in view!

We visited the bridge overlooking the Rio Grande Gorge outside of Taos, New Mexico.  The dizzying several thousand feet from from the bridge was amazing and terrifying at the same time.  There's a giant gorge and in the distance is a mountain.  The earth in this area is all kinds of inverted.  

View from Rio Grande Gorge bridge overlook

bridge overlook

Last image of the bridge overlook of Rio Grande Gorge

We ventured in the town of Taos several days to visit shops, cafes, and restaurants.  On the last day we visited the local toy store, Twirl.  The decor is adorable and the toys are unique.  I may have squealed when I walked in.

Twirl, mustache with mustache

Fountain at Twirl

Art on the outside railing of World Cup Coffee

We went for a hike in another part of the Rio Grande Gorge, and it was simply beautiful.  I was astonished by the scenery all around us.  We saw 3 bald eagles, a large group of big horn sheep, and petroglyphs! Here are some images from our hike.  

Following our hike we toured the Black Mesa Winery and sampled the fruit of their labors (the wine, not the grapes).  

 Mixed into all these adventures were scientific sessions filled with significant discoveries and new impressive data.  I also got a few new ideas for my own project, and I'm re-energized.