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Lean In and Get Over It

June 18, 2013 by neonspndx

inspiration

Last week was rough.

I was in the midst of working hard (showing off my tan) in my third day back in the office since my Greek odyssey, when I was unexpectedly cast in a commercial for everything-that-Sheryl-Sandberg-leans-in-about.

An unexpected altercation with a female superior left me blind-sided and wondering why certain individuals feel compelled to push others down.

It was a blow.

It was surreal.

It shook me up a bit.

I needed to bounce back. Shrug it off. Stop caring. Look the other way. Forget about it.  Look on the bright side.  Accept the nature of the business (thanks dad).  Learn a lesson.

I took the advice.  I took some deep breaths.  And I went back to re-centering myself in much the same way that started this blog:

Remembering things I love to do (big and small)… and doing them.

Over the past few days I have pushed my physical boundaries by going back to the dance room, this time in the form of the make-your-muscles-shake Bar Method.  This class kicked my butt, but left me feeling accomplished.

Also – I can’t remember the last time I did 40 push-ups.  7th Grade Gym?

bar method

I took my love of tea and the belief that anything can be solved over a hot pot to the Drake Hotel, where a friend and I hashed life out over a tradition known as high tea.

We each had about 5 pots of tea and took some liberties with the butter-on-scone action.  We might not be cut out for Pride and Prejudice the sequel, but we left feeling uplifted (and hydrated).

high tea

I frolicked, danced and swam with friends and family.  This involved seeing my cousins, experiencing a Chicago Beer festival and enjoying the budding Chicago summer on my rooftop.

pool

And I did some shopping.

In the form of a “shopping party” that a friend happened to win that came with champagne and discounts.

(Yes, I’m secretly Cher Horowitz)

(And Celine Dion plays while I’m finding myself at the mall)

shopping finding yourself

At some point during the shopping extravaganza, while trying on dresses with my best girls to the inspiration of Kelly Clarkson appropriately playing in the background, I turned my defeat into mental power.  Re-energized from doing what I love and enjoying my favorite people, I felt calm and empowered.  I remembered the inspirational women I’ve been lucky to have in my life.  I thought about the fact that I too can say that I am a strong, ambitious and passionate woman.

And I don’t think it’s a bad thing.

I actually think it’s Awesome.

Posted in family, fitness, Gen Y, Generation Y, history, humor, Inspiration, Life, mentoring, photography, postaday, reflection, Uncategorized, working out | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Finding Family Abroad

June 6, 2013 by neonspndx

plaka beach naxos greece

One of the best parts of traveling abroad, for me, has always been tied to the connections you make.

The notion that somewhere across the ocean are people totally different than you and yet absolutely the same perplexes, fascinates and makes me giddy.

The second part of this week, we found ourselves on the Greek Isle Naxos, about a 2 hour ferry ride (cruise) from Ios.

Naxos is a small island known for local wines and a family atmosphere.  We figured that after the insanity of Mykonos, Santorini and Ios, we could use a few relaxing days.

By the time Tuesday came around and it was time to say goodbye to Ios though, we weren’t ready and even considered an extended stay.

After a quick mental pro and con list (over morning cocktails), we decided to press ahead as planned.

Today we’re pretty thrilled we did.

On Naxos we found an authenticity missing from the other more touristy islands.

Naxos isn’t the top beach party destination or the most well-known romantic spot on the Aegean so it draws a smaller crowd.

The old town has old passageways and stone streets with charming character.  The beaches are incredibly beautiful and the hotels, beach bars and restaurants are all family-run.  Food is fresh and goats roam the exterior of our hotel.  Travelers come from all around the world and have a habit of coming back year after year. The greetings between locals and visitors are akin to a family reunion.

Unfortunately for us, this time of year is still considered low season and beaches were largely empty.

It was time to adapt to this new atmosphere and plus…

We wanted in on the family fun.

Within an hour we had located the oldest beach bar and restaurant on Plaka beach and decided to grab a drink.

About 6 hours later we were still there, with local liquor shots, sangria and vodka drinks, laughing with the owners – two brothers -, their extended families and their friends (visitors to the island with whom they now spend every Christmas in England).

We talked and told stories as if we’d known each other for years.

It’s incredible to know that strangers with completely different lives, languages and backgrounds can come together uninhibited and laugh their asses off for an entire afternoon.

Also – the Ukrainian girl inside was thrilled for confirmation: vodka can bring anyone together.

Awesome.

Posted in awesome, family, Fun, humor, Inspiration, Life, reflection, relaxation, sightseeing, tourism, travel, ukrainian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Easy going on the Aegean Sea

June 4, 2013 by neonspndx

ios greeece

Ios, Greece

Never does the term “go with the flow” apply more than when traveling abroad.

I’ve found that even the best planner can’t schedule around the inevitable surprises, oopsies and unforeseen adventures that the travel Gods have in store.

And for those of us whose daily lives revolve around outlook calendars, this can be daunting.

In order to ease into the reality shift, my travel friends and I have decided to just not.

plan that is.

Two of my best girls and I flew to Athens last week, booked our hotels and planned to unplug and see where a Greek Isles immersion would take us.

We’ve used wiki-travel for on-the-go recommendations, asked random locals for suggestions and followed the advice of friends’ texts from home.

Our easygoing attitude has led to some adventures:

- Accidentally seeing the entire island of Mykonos and doing some off-roading. On two ATVs that we rented on a whim after a 5 minute tutorial (the shop owner insisted on teaching us). We were busy laughing and enjoying bumping down the labyrinth of the two-way “highway,” big enough for one car, when we realized we were a bit off course. The promised 40 minute trip to the beach turned into 2 hours and 40 minutes. Woops.

mykonos greece travel

Sunset, Mykonos, Greece

- Unplanned hike through Santorini’s wine country. We made enough of a scene boarding the bus that asking for proper directions wasn’t in the cards. We got off on the last stop, asked a local for directions and promptly set out on what ended up being an hour walk up the scenic mountainous terrain. (The return trip was equally exciting when the same bus driver found us walking and picked us up between stops. Thanks friend!)

santorini greece

Wine Country, Santorini, Greece

- Seasickness. We rented a catamaran with captain to do a private sail with six other new friends. We imagined a sail akin to a calm lake. Calm lake it was not. The Aegean Sea was so choppy that day, commercial ferries that shuttle hundreds of people between the islands were hiding out in calm coves. Our captains, on the other hand, thought riding the waves was a form of extreme sailing fun.

santorini greece travel

Oia, Santorini Sunset

Our adventures on this trip have led to some great experiences thus far.

We saw the famous Oia sunset from the best seat in the house with tips from new friends and some dumb luck. We bonded with the sailing captains and spent the evening experiencing Santorini nightlife the local way. We took a tip and headed to town one night when our planned beach party fell through and met a fun group of guys we danced with all night. We tried the oldest family-owned restaurant in Mykonos where mama prepared fresh moussaka for us on request.

 

One thing has been emphasized:

Since life is largely unplanned (even with the outlook calendar), sometimes you have to hop on an ATV and see where the road takes you.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Awesome.

Posted in awesome, Fun, humor, Inspiration, Life, photography, postaday, reflection, relaxation, sightseeing, tourism, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments »

Preparing to Relax… the Au-Naturel Way

May 23, 2013 by neonspndx

I’m going to Greece this week.

It’s a much anticipated trip.  Not only because I’m heading to a foreign nation I’ve never been to (love this), but because…. I need a vacation.

I’m sure some (most?) can relate.

I need to stop and smell the Greek wine, detach the laptop from my body, and stop checking my cell phone (see previous post).

I think island hopping in Greece with friends might just do the trick.

In order to prepare for my very own Greek odyssey, I’ve spent the past few weeks crossing things off my prepare-for-Greece-list.

Obviously priority one is healthy-er eating in preparation for B.I.P. (bikini immersion program).

I know what you’re thinking…. detox during first weeks of gorgeous summer weather… impossible.

It’s a challenge I’ve taken on.

I still attended every BBQ, roof-top party and tater-tot-loving day-drinking event.  I’ve also managed to tone it down (pun intended) and flush the body out in preparation for serious vacationing.

How did I do it?

Simple.

By substituting meals where I wasn’t involved in potato skins eating contests with all natural and clean home-cooking.  And when I say all natural, I don’t mean it in the way that grocery-store companies mean it when they write “all natural chicken” on the front of the packaging.  (Because honestly – what in the world is non-natural chicken?  Do I even want to know?)

When I say all natural, I mean non-processed.   These are meals that have no chemicals, substitutes or fake sugars.

I’ve chosen to use this post to show a couple of things I’ve been eating over the past few weeks.  It’s left me feeling cleansed.

1)     Simple salad with home-made lemon vinaigrette dressing

salad

I took this idea from Andie’s blog.  I stumbled upon this mecca of healthy food ideas many months ago and continue to check back in often.  One of the posts a couple weeks ago caught my eye.  It was simple, easy to make and left me craving more leaves and veggies.

Who could ask for more?

The recipe can be found here.  I tweaked it since I forgot to buy avocado and instead used shaved raw brussel sprouts and miniature heirloom tomatoes.

For me, the most important part of the salad is the dressing.  Often times I find that once I’ve added my favorite veggies to a salad, I inevitably want to drown them in ranch dressing.  Andie’s recipe for lemon vinaigrette is delicious and satisfies the craving.

2)     Home-made red pepper hummus

hummus

One of my friends loves to make hummus and recently tried adding in her own mixture of veggies.  I decided to add this to the list.  As a pairing with the salad, I made my own hummus from scratch.  It took about 10 minutes total and tasted delicious.

In order to make this, I purchased a small food processor for about $11.00 on Amazon (truth) and bought/compiled/fetched the following ingredients:

  • 1 can of chick peas (16 oz)
  • 1 can of tahini paste (1 1/2 tablespoons)
  • 2 lemons (for freshly squeezed lemon juice) (3-5 tablespoons)
  • Extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons)
  • Sea salt/pepper (to taste)
  • 1 organic red pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup liquid from chick pea can

Combine all ingredients leaving the chickpea liquid from can for the end.

The result was delicious and once again… had completely clean and healthy ingredients.

I paired this with some baked chicken and the salad above.

3)     Juice

The last thing I want to share is the juicing portion.  My friends hear me talk about juicing all the time (sorry guys).  Last year a friend gave me a juicer for my birthday and I’ve been juicing my heart out ever since.  It takes about 5 minutes to make a delicious veggie and/or fruit juice and about 5 more minutes to rinse the parts clean.

A juice can supplement breakfast or a day-time snack.  My favorite juices for the morning:

  • Kale, carrot, green apple, lemon
  • Kale, cilantro, strawberry, apple, lime

I’ve enjoyed putting in extra effort to eat clean over the past couple of weeks.  It’s been uplifting.  I find that half the battle in the detox is the mental game anyway.

Eating well makes you feel Awesome.

Posted in awesome, fitness, Food, Fun, humor, Inspiration, Life, photography, postaday, relaxation, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments »

The “Me Me Me Generation”

May 20, 2013 by neonspndx

time magazine

Time Magazine; May 20, 2013

This post was inspired by last weeks’ Time cover article.

It’s been on my mind for about a week…

At this point, I believe I’ve just about heard it all when it comes to the infamous Generation Y (of which I am a proud member).

Nevertheless, the topic continues to intrigue me.

And since Time has decided to get the world talking about it, I’ve taken a moment to dig through my thoughts.

Yes, the things said about my generation aren’t always the most positive.  For those that have yet to read this gem, let me give you the CliffsNotes: we are reportedly “lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow.”  Our incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is akin to an army of Kim Kardashian clones, we are more likely to find friendship with same-age kids from foreign nations than our own grandparents and apparently walk around looking confused on account of phantom phone vibrations.  And of course, we are known to take an alarming number of photos of ourselves. (I’m not denying any of this).

All this said, the article was actually geared, uncharacteristically, to a point in the complete and opposite direction:

Millennials are an adapted generation that might be the “new greatest generation” that will “save us all.”

Alright.

Even I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.

But maybe not?

A quick summary of presented arguments: Gen Y embraces authority in a way that Gen X never did and never will.  We are cautious about life decisions, are increasingly innovative and are generally “nice.”  Above all, we’re strangely optimistic.

Although one can probably (easily) argue both sides, I’m going to take the latter stance on this one.

From my personal experiences:

The notion of “peer-enting” has never rung truer than in my own life.  My parents (and their friends self-admittedly), Gen X-ers who grew up in a “because mama and papa said so” world, have raised my siblings and I differently.  Where my mom wasn’t allowed to take swimming lessons because grandma preferred piano lessons, I was encouraged to explore my interests to my heart’s content.  We were respected as little people.  My parents cultivated relationships with us that made us feel like we were on the same level.  We were told we could be anything and achieve anything.  Before my mom passed away, I considered her a friend, called her daily and felt that phoning her to give updates on my dating life was absolutely normal (necessary).  These days poor papa is handling the daily relationship woes and triumphs of two girls.

Not surprisingly, my peers and I view authority differently.  In fact, as the article points out, we embrace them.  I believe the way I was peer-ented has enabled me to build strong relationships with leaders at work that far surpass the big guy-little guy chain-of-command hostility my parents grew up with.  I think it makes the work environment stronger and more fulfilling.

Secondly, an incredible amount of my friends are starting their own companies, innovating and creating new tools.  Just in the past week, I’ve looked at a friend’s new idea to revolutionize the availability of Wi-Fi with a company called Spark, downloaded an app a friend created that puts friends in touch by showing what others are “doing tonight,” met a friend of a friend working on a new popular start-up called SceneTap and caught up with a friend who founded a company that hand-crafts candles in Bali called Volcanica Candles.

I’m seeing less lazy and a lot more action these days.  You want to talk about the economy going down…  I think my peers are doing something about it… at an inspirational rate.

And lastly, unlike the generations before ours, we are not making grand life decisions on the fly.  Or as I see it: because we have to.  The heavy divorce rate and debt bubble rose out of the baby-boomer generation.  People got married because it was expected by a certain age and they bought a white picket fence and a house (whether they could afford it or not) because it was the American dream (and the bank handed out loans like candy apparently).  Not anymore.  I’m surrounded by twenty-somethings who are dating for years before deciding to take the plunge, getting married in their late 20s/30s and are purchasing white picket fences with money they actually have.

Maybe this article is right…

And millennials will do great things in the face of current economic and political adversity.

That would be Awesome.

Posted in awesome, Gen Y, Generation Y, humor, Inspiration, Life, Millennials, postaday, reflection, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments »

Improv Shows and Musical Performances

May 15, 2013 by neonspndx

tall heights

Recently, I’ve had the chance to support friends while they pursue their passions.

These friends, although practicing different crafts, have one main thing in common: the stage.

While visiting New York this month, the stars aligned and I got the chance to watch a close friend perform in a stand-up improv comedy show, something she had wanted to do all her life (in pursuit of being Tina Fey).

As someone who is well-versed in “performance,” I can honestly say that it’s hard enough to get up in front of others with a planned routine, let alone with nothing planned and people screaming from the audience.  Not surprisingly, friend was super nervous and had purchased a new wardrobe in anticipation of the night (great calming tactic).

I did my part by bringing my most inappropriate friend.

After waiting like anxious teenagers at our first concert and feeling nervous (!), we were finally seated and prepared to laugh our buns off courtesy of an improv troupe in which friend was taking part.

The troupe worked off each other and between sketches, the host requested that the audience yell out scenarios.

Friend busied himself with sexual innuendos while I yelled out everything that came to mind (finally, an activity where my lack of filter is rewarded).

Where should they be?  Pool!  First date!  Yacht!  Roller derby!  Naked in hot tub!  Naked in the ocean!  Naked on an island!   What life moment are they in?  Kindergarten!  Teenagers at prom!  Losing their virginity!

Some great things resulted, including my favorites: a play on “Stacy’s mom” having it going on and a girl who was in the gospel choir until she realized that everyone was sleeping with each other.

Friend held her own and produced some excellent comedy.

I was astounded.

This inspirational event lead to another when I was given the opportunity to see a good friend perform while on tour.

Paul and Tim have been touring as part of a two-person duo known as Tall Heights since college.

During our decade-long friendship, I have heard these two discuss their goals in pursuing their musical dreams and work hard to make that dream a reality.

When I found out I was in the right place at the right time, I did everything I could to make it to their show.

Yes, I was in a bar wearing pink leg warmers and had just finished skating practice, but it was worth it.

They sounded incredible.  The dynamic friendship between them was evident and inviting.  The words had some real meaning.

Tall Heights released a new album this week called Man of Stone, with a video debut on the Conan O’Brien website.

Both performances left me excited for my friends, proud and inspired.

Turns out watching your friends follow their dreams is pretty… Awesome.

Posted in awesome, Fun, Inspiration, Life, photography, postaday, reflection, stories, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Running Path

May 3, 2013 by neonspndx

chicago path

I started running outside this week.

As mentioned in previous posts, I really started running last year.  Previous to that time, I ran because I was a) forced by figure skating coaches b) wanted to beat my brother c) wanted to beat the boys in gym class (this is true).

As I’ve matured (loose term), running has become a great way to get in a short workout, be outdoors and push my competitive needs.

Ever since I moved to the Windy City, all I’ve heard about is the famed lakefront path.

This is no exaggeration and I have a sneaky suspicion that anyone who has spent more than 35 minutes in Chicago will attest to this.  I have heard about running outdoors by the lake from my dad (he was on a work assignment in Chicago once…decades ago), from former co-workers overseas and from friends who spent a hot second doing an internship out in the Miwest.

This week I got to experience it for myself.

Chicago enjoyed warm temperatures for a whole 72 hours.  And I took advantage.

I mapped out a course and figured out how to cross the lakeshore highway (tricky underground tunnels!).

I set out running through the streets, meandered through heavy traffic on Michigan Ave and finally made it to the path where my fellow runners were.

I joined the rhythm of the other runners, turned up the volume on David Guetta’s Night of Your Life and aimed for North Avenue Beach.

Running right along the sand and the lake with no guard rail is an experience.  It reminded me of why I loved lake Michigan so much as a child and why I love it so much now: it looks like an ocean.

When I reached the tip of the bay where the beach curves and sets out in the other direction, I stopped running and turned around.

The view was incredible.

Awesome.

chicago

Posted in athletics, awesome, fitness, Fun, humor, Inspiration, Life, photography, postaday, stories, travel, working out | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments »

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