Me First! Me First!

Sunday night I had the great pleasure of meeting some new raw friends. I ended up at Au Lac again for some solitude and healing food. After I had a chance to eat and read the latest edition of LAYoga I ran into Victor, a fellow I had met before. He invited me back to his table where I one new friend I met at the birthday was and two new friends. As the group grew and we changed tables I has the opportunity to share stories with Chef BeLive. Brian Lucas aka Chef BeLive shared with us that he had a new e-book that he would send to us, he talked about his gourmet raw food and the fabulous dishes he makes, he also shared Ormus with everyone. What a treat! Another treat was Ito bringing out some bomb pizzas and chocolate late in the evening. Seriously, I am always blown away and feel so taken care of. That night I left hearing so many stories and meeting some really down to earth people. So yesterday I emailed BeLive to get my hands on the e-book and his recipe for mock refried beans. I was so excited when he replied with my copy and told me I was the first to receive it! I know I will be making the refried beans for tacos with Kaj and also the chicken nuggets, but the book is loaded with various decadent recipes that are perfect for my gourmet taste buds right now. I have notice that I go through simple and gourmet phases and why not give into some raw decadence. For all of you out there that share my cravings please check out BeLive's website. He is also on GI2MR. It's people like him, who have the raw celebrity connections, also Hollywood celebrity connections but are so down to Earth and open to sharing that really make the raw food movement grow. I feel blessed to be around such awesome people lately!

Being that I was first to get Brian's book I want to be first to pass on this cool info I got from The Raw Diva's! I love how this goes right along with Shazzie's Make Raw Food Mainstream idea. Why not make a raw holiday. We always dread Holiday's. The times when we face old eating habits and notions of celebrating with food. We prepare ourselves to deal with the family's questions and think of the best, but least stressful raw dishes to share. Well now it's our time to celebrate. So please check out The Raw Diva's. I know I will be joining them for International Green Smoothie Day and for the Green Smoothie Challenge. I will definitely blog on it more later. But for now, just wanted to share with you lovely people.

I always thought earthquakes where fun, but what am I suppose to think when Rosie the Riveter is still knocked over. She always lifts my spirits here at work. Guess I gotta pick her up and dust her off.

Bliss Day

Let me float in off of my cloud to send you all some love. Finally I have pics galore to share. I am going to break down the birthday bliss before I head off the continue the celebration. So last night was the dinner at none other than Au Lac. I had some work friends flake, but Karma Free Joshua was there waiting for us. After awhile we where joined by my best bud Carlen, who I've known since 3rd and we have been best buds since 8th grade and her buddy Lida, who is a crack up. Carlen is the only person that I keep around from childhood, and likewise for her. We had a sister connection, growing up as nearly the only two single parent kids in Yorba Linda. I have taken Carlen to Au Lac before and she loved it right off the bat and dove into the raw dishes. For Lida it was a first time experience. I was glad to see her be really open minded, and thanks to Joshua we where able to help them choose the best dishes. Mom and Kaj showed up too and dove into their usual- coconuts and curried guac. A few other friends made it too, including David who has been my student assistant at work for about two years. We quickly became buddies and he is the one who actually introduced me to my prince charming. Being that it was my special day. I took the plunge and ordered the infamous Green Pyramid. It's a decadent sprouted rice dish that I have always wanted to try. Since our group ended up being pretty large we moved into the private room and Ito had some of his other friends join us. We had fabulous dessert -as always. Then we were joined by Pineapple Head, Vanilla Bean, Govinda and a new friend Sophie. Sophie actually brought an amazing raw cake. It was a chocolate mint flavor with a very intricate key lime design on it. Everyone was blown away. It had the texture of real cake, but it was raw. Apparently it took about 10 hours to make. I felt so honorer to have these special birthday surprises. There was also a big group of people from Canada from the Sunrider company. None of us had heard of the company, but apparently they make some amazing stuff. One gal gave us all a dab of some type of essential oil- that literally cleared my sinuses in the most amazing way. After some more mingling and Kombucha drinking it was time to head to the next location. A chiropractors office. Uh-huh. You heard me right right down the street in good old Fountain Valley there is a chiropractor's office that stays open till 4am! They were doing some free scans on antioxidants- so we all tested. I was glad to get an A on my birthday- I didn't need to buy any of the supplements they were promoting. The boys jammed on the guitars for awhile, Vanilla bean sang. People ate more cake, exchanged massages and jumped on a trampoline. To finish off the night I got the most intense adjustment in my life. Which was well over due- about 6 years at least and I do have not the best posture. So now it is nice to know that I have a local raw chiropractor that is open till 4 am. As I drove Austin and David home they complained like babies about the adjustment. I don't know if it was toxins moving through the body or the fact that I have been through more pain than that (childbirth!) but they freaked me out with the way they freaked out. At the end of it all I came home sore, but soaked in Ito's essential oils- not wanting the night to end. I almost got Austi to take an early morning bike ride with me. Well thats about it. I am so glad that I finally got the huge birthday celebration that I always wanted. Now I am off to make an aloe smoothie for everyone, and then we will go check out some tattoo shops. I think I am finally ready to get my lion.

Love you all!
Bliss- Blessings- Love!
Disa

Lida being a goof and Carlen

Tylor and Unis


The Green Pyramid!!!!!

Sizzling Salsa

Thanks Joshua!



Kaj zoning out.

Me saying- "It's all good man!"


David- Gavin on the left with a beautiful date.

The Rainbow!

Sophie's Cake

Ito being amazed by the cake.

Kaj and Ito's tats.

Pineapple head and Vanilla bean, and some crazy lady!

Open all night!

Pre Birthday Fun

Pretty soon I will be starting my long birthday weekend. I took a bunch of pics of my desk. I made the girls decorate with only, recyclable or reused stuff. Since they tend to go crazy at the 99cent store around birthday time. I just hate purchasing stuff from China just to throw it in a landfill a few days later. I will post later them later today and there will be many more pics to come.

Here is a copy of the email I sent my co-workers, who always decorate my desks like crazy. We kinda have a group here and we do it all for each other. I meant to post it awhile ago. I think eco-friendly birthdays should be the new trend!

I know you can get pretty creative with this challenge. The theme is eco-friendly, just meaning that everything included in my birthday decoration should be:

Recyclable

or Recycled

or Reused

Biodegradable a plus

Pretty?

Nothing new!

NO TRIPS TO THE 9 OR MICHAELS!!!

I know you have enough resources to pull something together. I don’t care about a specific theme. I just want everyone to see that we all consume and waste too much and all the resources we need are right in front of us.

So make me proud!

Thanks!

Friday...My Day

Whew, hot off the press. I just journaled and since I consider this my public journal I want to share. I have never been able to get into the routine to journal on a regular basis but when i do get to it the word flow like something magical. Weird how I can write faster than typing a post. So I am going to share what I just wrote. Here is the background. My boyfriend has gotten rid of his cell phone. Crazy right? Well yeah I think it's awesome and wanted him to do a guest blog on it. Of course he always says "I want you to figure it out for your self and write yourself." Even though I just used that as a way to try and show him off and include him in here.... Your wish is my command babycakes.

7/18/08
Friday...Myday

So second Friday in a row I am left here to deal with my stuff. Not in a bad way , almost like the Universe won't let me have an excuse to slack. I always knew that I got worn out by Friday, but now it is turning from worn out to work it out. It's 11:24pm and I am not dead tired (as usual). It might be the fact that I don't have to be at work at 6:30 tomorrow morning or it might be the fact that I rested up this week. Being that I am now kicking this cold/detox I thought that I would still be exhausted and drained from "the full moon madness at the front desk." We are so good at being martyr's . Austin's no phone thing is a kick in the head. First I thought. I like it, but knew something inside was trying to figure out something wrong. Well, pain body what do you have to say for yourself? PB- Disa says Austin's phone situation means that at any given moment I could not be able to contact him-oh no! I mean how dare he not be available to answer to any question about the past present or mainly future. Who will reassure? (not sure right word but sticking with original) those fears about the past present or future? Not Austi! Nope it's just you and me fears. Yeah, how bought we have some alone time. I mean we've been together for so long. How about you not getting the spotlight, while I cry, ache and have radiation pouring on my skull from and overheating cell phone. I can feel it. I can feel how I (use to)let the pain really take over my body, and how I don't feel vulnerable anymore. I remember thinking " Why can't I have someone easy?" What happened to the guy who is just like me. Who doesn't mind quiet nights at home, this that and the other. Then I think of a convo I had with Karma Free Kale Chips aka Joshua and how he reminded me me that the one thing that I carried (from Dad) and resisted I would naturally be attracted to. I don't if it's a ying-yang thing but it's crazy to see balance in everything and how absolutely truthful and grounding it is. I can't complain. I am truly blessed! This man balances me, teaches me (w/out even trying) and I see a beauty in it all. So what if he could walk away so easily. I don't expect anything more. But I love that he keeps giving it! it was easy to listen/read Eckhart and see how many times fears of the past/future meant nothing. Yeah I got it, but now I FEEL FEEL FEEL it,.
Yeah the moment comes...sad :( then I am automatically able to say -hey why sad.
Well sad cuz... which means that possibly bad stuff!? If I don't get to talk to/see him how can I solidify this growing bond? How can I ensure that he will be there for this and that?
Well he might not and you can't!
Huh :(
It that really that bad?
No I guess not.
Lose control little D. You are strong. You know you can survive on your own. So don't freak. And it's not even to that point. Seriously the female pain body can be twisted! I feel so good. Thank you Universe! I feel like at the end of this 25th year I can finally feel you and trust you and let it all flow. Feeling and knowing are two completely different things to me. It feels good to feel! May I be graphic? Lovemaking, nookie, the nasty, sex, whatever you wish to call it. It is easy to know what it is, but to feel what it is is what matters (and the fun part) right!? So I guess my conscious has been de- virginized.

Mmmmm...raw cherry pie!

So this is what I learned typing that. 1

) Whenever I have journaled I thought I was writing to a future me looking back. Now I realize I am having conversations with my ego or pain body. So many times I have poured pain onto that page and it was the only way to release it. Makes sense now!
2) I love full moon nights.
side note- Some of the stuff in brackets is my after writing side comments.

Anyways my conversation with myself isn't too confusing and hopefully it is useful to at least one person.

Thank you universe, thank you beautiful people.

p.s. I am happy to clear up any questions if you have them

love
Disa

Missed Misc.

During my last post I came across a few photos I have yet to share.

Making Watermelon Mint Granita


Kaj tie-dying in chones and a dirty mouth.


Now apron and a dirty mouth.


Austi holding tomatoes.


Special breakfast for my special crab.


Buddha watching over the garden.

I miss my blush!

Before a new weekend comes, lets get an update in. Friday morning ended up a bit rushed and we didn’t make it to LA. Instead we caught Gonzo in Irvine. Austin caught a bit to eat at The Veggie Grill while I dealt with a killer headache and tried to understand my mother’s revised directions. Austin took the wheel, seeing my anxiety with the headache, the directions and the stress of getting up before the gates closed and we had no phone reception. This gave me time to relax and enjoy the scenery. I patiently awaited one of those big military truckloads to pass by so I could pop out the sunroof with double peace signs. To my chagrin, the Camp Pendleton fellas were not going to fulfill my Independence day fantasy. Fantasies aside we made it up through some newfound suburbia in the Carlsbad Hills- seriously though I don’t know where we where but it was creepy. I should have taken pics. Once we left suburbia we hit a windy quiet road where I quickly took use of my sunroof and let the wind fly through my hair while we raced down the windy road. The road that ended at a large gate dawning a banner proclaiming “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God”. Ok Dis, leave the windswept hair and giggles at the gate. A few wrong turns later and we were parked in front of Casa Querida, a little studio type cottage that easily became our weekend home. Kaj and mom were already outside exploring and they had already scarfed down nachos! Thanks mom, so much for being raw all weekend. Anyways Questhaven is great.

It is a little spiritual retreat and if you Google it you will find that some kids think that it’s haunted. I didn’t encounter anything besides some gigantic bugs. The best part about Questhaven is that it is quiet. I mean QUIET. Like the kind of quiet were you sit down and finally realize how much noise you constantly have around you. That is when the three year old takes a second to quiet down himself. That was one adventure in itself. Kaj had just spent five days with dad, in a totally different environment. He comes back saying “ I don’t want to tell you that I had chicken nuggets”. We all took turns trying to play, discipline and occupy him in different ways, it takes him awhile to transition to different environments. Before it got too late on Friday, we wanted to hike Inspiration Point.

Mom thought it would be tough but we knew we could do it. We headed on over and it was a fairly straight forward hike up to the big cross, after we got done admiring the view and we all ran down the hill.

Kaj fell a few times but took it like a champ, a few times I think he did it on purpose. He would look like a baseball player sliding into home- such a boy.

Like mom Like son.

Saturday morning, Austi woke up early to blaze new trails. Then came back ad took Kaj for another run. Oh wait, I forgot the craziest part about our first hike. My mom said that she could hear us on the trails! She even heard Kaj say “Hi mom” and I said “Are you having fun?” You can tell in the pics that the hill is not that close. But I guess the sound echoes. So when the boys went out, I went out on the porch to listen to them. Kinda trippy- that’s when I realized that any other guest can probably hear everything that we say outside, or at least Kaj’s tantrums. When they returned I rallied them to the car for a trip to Encinitas. We first explored this little beach town for Austi’s birthday last year, and just drove through shortly. This time we headed back to Swami’s Café and had a not so good experience. I wish I had ordered an acai bowl, they looked amazing. We walked a lot around the main strip of town. The boys played in the water on the beach. I checked out the surfer kids. We hopped back in the car to head to Lou’s Record shop, got some used vhs tapes. Then I took a little drive to find that Mexican folk art store that I fell in love with last year. Didn’t find it (crap I just found my business card for them and they are still there-I missed out ), but we did find The Greenery! They were in between hours, prepping for dinner, but they let us pick out some stuff from the fridge. I guess this is what they do for lunch anyways. I got some lasagna, a burger for Austi and some carob maca balls for me. Oh yeah and heavenly coconut water to quench my thirst. Finally some living food. Austi’s burger was great. It just needed some raw pickles. My lasagna was pretty good for being packaged. I would have liked something more oily or gooey. Something in it tasted just like the sun dried tomato sauce I make at home so I wasn’t too impressed. The Maca balls tasted great but the texture was crumbly. But I was not complaining.

This was my way of getting Kaj to stop destroying the plants at The Greenery.

Onto Sunday. We arrived back home around 4. All of us wiped out. Kaj had taken a nap the whole way home, but he was still wiped out. And guess what, he finally learned how to be quiet! I went into turbo mode prepping the food for the surprise picnic. I could only make two of the recipes I had picked from GoneRaw. The layered salad and chili. I had made some crackers before the trip also. I packed it all up, picked up Austin and we headed to Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a picnic and screening of Blue Velvet on the side of the mausoleum. But not before we stopped at Erewhon for some Kombucha, Sake and Righteously Raw Chocolate Bars.

It was a really fun and relaxing night, especially after a few days with no alone time. Yep that’s about it. Oh yeah after that we went back to Urth Café- no makeup bag. Someone has my orgasm- or its in the trash! Grrrr. I was hoping we could go back to Questhaven this weekend for a couples silent retreat. But it’s not going to happen any time soon. But if you need one, you now know where to go. Enjoy the weekend everyone. I will be attending two toddler birthday parties! Now that Kaj has learned to quiet down let’s feed him some cake- Not!

Scenery

More pictures on Flickr.

Simplicity

Little Blog In The Big Woods: No Refrigerator- for 30 years..

I came across this blog post from and email that was sent through my compacting group. Even though I haven't been compacting I still like the information that everyone shares. Last night as I was cleaning I played a podcast as I always do. I clicked on Oprah with Wayne Dyer. I have a book of his and have listened to some of his cd's but I liked what he was talking to Oprah about. I just listened to the first part when he introduced the Tao. Part two he is going to go into how he started living the Tao. How he got rid of everything and did his PBS special barefoot, since he hadn't gotten rid of his shoes. This blog seemed to fit right in with that idea of simplicity and I thought what an even easier concept if you are raw and vegan! I hope you enjoy and I will should be back to update on the weekend fun.

Hi Peoples. I am blogging when I shouldn't be, but the office is soooo quiet. Holiday weekends suck when you have to sit at the front desk waiting for those phone calls from people who don't know how to apply for a job or have suddenly decided that they need to go to the doctor and don't know their own name. Yeah whatever I'm griping. I am excited for this weekend. Not because I am patriotic and I don't mind the fireworks but I just can't stand to hear "I'm proud to be an America". So I am very grateful that my mom booked us a little casa at a spiritual retreat in Escondido. She even invited the BF along! So all four of us will be in the hills away from it all this weekend. She even said we should bring the blender and go all raw all weekend! So I will be taking a trip to the farmer's market tonight for weekend goodies. It will be fun to see how Kaj reacts being away from a familiar bed. Tomorrow I am heading down to Urth Cafe to pick up the makeup bag that I left there Tuesday night. I wouldn't even care about it, but it has my compact of Nars Orgasm blush that I pull out for those special occasions. To get off the subject... I haven't been wearing makeup for awhile. Deodorant either. I noticed that I do like makeup, what girl doesn't? But I feel that I don't need it every day like I use to. I remember going to get some new eyeshadow because I was sick of my current color and all that jazz. But I seriously enjoy the money I have saved. Anyways back to the plans... We will probably have breakfast at Urth Cafe then we are heading to the Nuart theater to check out the Hunter S. Thompson documentary. A plus for me is that it's narrated by Johnny Depp! Did that sound totally ridiculous? Yes I know. I'm not that girl. I just have this new found love for JD. So after that we should head to San Diego, but depending on how I feel I might want to stop by Venice Beach for one of those straw purses my mom use to always have when I was a kid. But it might just be 4th of Julio craziness. But wait wait, thats not all. After we get back on Sunday I have a surprise for the bf. I plan on taking lots of photos all weekend and will blog when I return.
Have a great weekend everyone.