Hangin in there

A good e-friend just sent me this pic, and I gotta say that it captures me perfectly. Gracias Aimee :)) More coming soon...

¡Feliz año nuevo!

Wow! 2009 has begun, and I look forward to another year of improving my physical body. I also plan on achieving the miracle needed to heal my damaged brain. No way I am settling for less!

My sister visited this past week, and we had loads o' fun! I hadn't seen her since July and it was a tearful reunion.

Her bff, Kristal, also visited and as a yoga instructor, she helped me with different positions. It was v nice. When I do yoga, I nearly forget that my body is a disabled basket-case.

Diego and I are enjoying this quiet, sunny Saturday. The house has been swirling with bustling energy for weeks, and this down time is nice. Of course, I look forward to filling our guestroom with sweet, feminine energy again.

¡Feliz Navidad!

I love this time of year, always have. I was raised in a vegetarian Hindu household so never really had any traditional celebrations. Just time off from school/work that allowed the family to come together and enjoy the holiday cheer. We didn't exchange gifts within the family but my mom always made sure to gift our teachers every year and she helped us gift friends. I continue the tradition of gifting those around me but it's never been a stressful, overtaxing endeavor. This year, Kenya helped me by wrapping gifts for the chicas that work here, my friends, and my sister. It's been fun!

I invited both of Ana's girls over for x-mas eve. I gave them their gifts (coloring books with crayon boxes), and they loved it. We had a blast laughing, playing, and goofing around. At one point, Diego started playing his drum and the girls went giddy. Here they are with black sapote on their hands.

Ana made us lovely & delish salads. Sarah and I made guacamole dressing (fresh guac thinned down with grapefruit juice)- so yummy. All in all, it was a super sweet day.

Wishing everyone holiday cheer!!

The good times keep rollin...

A week after Sofí left, Sarah came to stay with us. She is another young traveler that Sofí met at the local waterfalls. She speaks Spanish brilliantly and is helping me improve my speaking. She is also great fun to gab with and is v interested in Astrology. I have been giving her astro lessons, which is a pleasure. And in the evenings, we've begun watching Season 1 of Sex & the City. She has never seen it, and it's way entertaining to watch again.

Last Wed., I went to my first social event here in Coatepec. The neighbors organized an evening posada (gathering) for us to get to know each other. People brought snacks & refreshments, and I enjoyed the homemade warm fruit cider. It was sooo cute, I had no sooner sat down then all the young girls (ages 5-10) at the party gathered around, anxious to meet me. In their excitement, they all started shouting their names out at once. I laughed and asked them to go one at a time. Each was a sheer delight to meet. Sarah later remarked what a total magnet I was for the kids. I have always loved kids and it warms my heart that they love me too :))

The weather has been oh so wonderful. Bright, sunny days with highs in the mid-70's & lows in the mid-50's. I am amazed that the weather is sooo nice in Dec. I LOVE it!!

This Saturday, my sister & her best friend are coming to visit for a week. I CAN'T wait!! I miss my sister terribly and it will be a blast to spend the week with her.

The Navidad festivities are in full swing around here with lights, carolers, and warm fruit cider. Did I mention? I LOVE it here! :))

Livin la vida buena :)

It's been 3 months since I last posted, and time has just flown by! Let's see...in October, I celebrated my 36th birthday, and it was a really sweet day. I started the day early with a strong workout. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and I felt sooo good that I decided to commune with the divine cactus which added a joyful sparkle to my day. A fellow expat, Jay, stopped by just to say hi. He drives a comfy, red SUV and though I love our old VW Westie, I was eyeing his car for a joy ride. I mentioned it was my bday and how fun it would be to tour the area. Jay was game, and I got to take in the beautiful sites around town for the first time. Later in the afternoon, I got a massage from Andrés whose touch always leaves me feeling stronger and energized. We ended the day with friends gathered around me & my homemade fruity chocolate pie singing happy birthday in Spanish. It was a yummy good time!!

Then in mid-November, we had our first visitor. An old friend, Jen, sent me an email in Oct. saying that her baby sister (19 y/o) would be traveling solo thru Mexico and asked if she come visit us. Of course, your sister is my sister! Sofí stayed with us for 3 weeks, and we had a fab time!! She was very caring, and it was sooo nice having another female in the house to connect with. Here she is happily smiling by the local waterfall in Coatepec.

The last few months have also been about finding labor to assist me and help our household run smoothly. The right people have fallen into place, and each is a delight to have around. We started with Olga who helped us move in and continues to work here cleaning our house 3x/week. I LOVE the fresh feeling she gives the house. Then there's Ana who I consider to be our kitchen angel. She works 6 evenings a week to prep our raw foods. She makes fresh mandarin and grapefruit juice, cuts up ripe fruits such as papayas & pineapples, and creates scrummy, artistic salads.

She also brings one of her two precious daughters with her: Casandra, 3 y/o & Cynthia, 6 y/o. I love spending time with them, and we have a blast! I bought coloring books, crayons, a sketch pad, color pencils, and a bouncy ball for fun times at casa de shayla :) Ana also comes in the mornings 3x/week to help me take a shower and tend to any girly needs I have.

Last but certainly not least is Kenya, a 19 y/o who is shiny pretty and very industrious. She is a kind of jack-of-all-trades and helps us with different projects around the house 3x/week.

Recently, a new career has found me. I started studying astrology back in '97 and it has remained a passion of mine. In Sept, the opportunity came to write astro articles for a website. I took it and even amazed myself at how solid my astro skills are. I also had my first astro client and gave her a reading thru online chat, aah the internet...

I love it here, and I am the happiest I've been in a long time. Estoy muy contenta :)

It's hasn't been easy, but definitely worth it

...life in Mexico that is. It's been over a week since I posted. What's been going on? Let's start with diet, of course! We are in the midst of the Virgo lunation, from Aug. 30th to Sept. 29th, with a full moon this Monday (Sep. 15)!

Fruitarians in Mexico

The quality, availability, and price of fruit here is a definite step up from Austin, TX. But it's nowhere near what we would like and ultimately need to thrive. We are finding the same issue here, the fruit looks good but is not sweet. We are able to get decent papayas, mangos, and bananas fairly consistently along with pretty sweet citrus. This is what a day might look like:

11 am: we split a pitcher of fresh-squeezed citrus juice (orange, mandarins, grapefruit)

2pm: naner smoothie w/papaya or mango

6pm: more citrus juice followed by a large salad w/homemade citrus tahini dressing

Jack makes the mercado rounds nearly everyday and digs for the best he can find. We have learned that most of the fruit is brought in from other parts of Mexico and the local, rich fertile soil is used to grow coffee. Some bananas are grown here. Our goal is to raise awareness of the importance of locally grown food (especially fruit) and begin a permaculture. Jack has a green thumb, lots of experience, and looks forward to growing our own food. I have already picked out the seeds we're going to get.

We are definitely unique in our raw, fruitarian diet. Everyone eats a cooked food diet, and they don't know any different. It's wonderful how accepting the people are as they don't seem to find it a bit strange that we exist on a diet of primarily fruit. Not once since we entered Mexico have we heard the dreaded question "Where do you get your protein?" NICE!!

Physical Fitness Routine

I am sooo loving my stationary recumbent bike. It is kickin & workin my booty! The first time, all I could crank out was a 10 min ride. Within a week, I had worked my way up to a 40 min trek which left my lower gluts sore the next day:) I have since settled into a routine of 20 or 30 min rides per day using the various workout programs. All this to phat electronic house beats! Feels exhilarating!!

I continue to bounce on my trusty rebounder for 15-20 min at a time. Keeps the lymph system pumping and works the knots out of my back. I can do the whole session on my own now. Jack used to have to come and bounce me. Now, if my legs get tired, I do other movements like marching before resuming a steady bounce again.

At times, I follow the bike ride with upper body weight work. Bicep curls, triceps, shoulder presses, etc. I started with 2 lbs the first week, and am now up to 3 lbs. Building muscle and strength is empowering. BFBM! Burn Fat, Build Muscle!

One of the last things my physical therapist, Paul, mentioned as a key to getting fit is stretching. I have been incorporating yoga whenever I can in both seated & floor postures. We will soon begin looking for a local yoga instructor to give me private lessons en mi casa. I have been fortunate to find an excellent massage therapist, Andre, who came over to give me a therapeutic massage with lots of stretching. It was awesome, and I truly felt like walking when he was done.

Social Life

In many regards, we are still pretty isolated. Patience, we know that it takes time to meet people and create friendships. Our sweetest interactions have been with the ones we've hired to help us. There's Hector, the handyman, who worked with Jack to transform our house into a home. He's macho, funny, sensitive, and sweet- great fun to have around! Then, there's Olga who works at Posada San Jeronimo (our home in Coatepec for the first two weeks) and moonlights here in the afternoons 3x a week. She helped us with our move in and has been a delightful presence leaving our fruit cut and home sparkly clean. 

Hector introduced us to his 26 yr old daughter, Miriam, who needed some healing energy for a persistent sore throat. She hung out with us for a day eating fruit and salad, treating with ozone, and enjoying my music. We had a good time, and I was able to practice my Spanish quite a bit. 

Acquisition of Stuff

We brought everything we could in a van load. I knew the difficulty of getting specific goods before coming here, but it's still been a challenge. Gone are the days of needing an item, ordering from Amazon, and having it delivered within days. Jack has made a few trips to Xalapa to get us some necessities, but the prices are high with limited selection. We American consumers have been spoiled. There may be a trip back to the States soon to get stuff ;) 

Considering we have been in Coatepec for 40 days now, we are doing remarkably well. We secured a nice house, sufficiently furnished it, hooked into good produce sources, and found reliable help. Time in grade is what we need in this town to begin progress. I can't forget that underneath it all is the REAL reason we came here: To set up a space where I can strengthen my body and HEAL. I know I have a greater purpose to serve, and I want to recover and get on with it. 

Striking Beauty

With the moon in Libra today, I thought to share my simple beauty routine:

Eating a fruitarian 811rv diet. Low fat, salt, and spices leave my skin clear and glowing, without the need for any makeup.
Regular nude sunbathing. Nothing like being sun-kissed all over :)
Wash my face daily with warm water then gently rub in 3% H2O2. Oxygen is a superb cleanser & encourages regeneration. This has helped smooth out the acne scars & soften blemishes from my cooked days.
Coconut butter- a luxurious oil that is a real treat. I swirl a tiny bit into my thick, wavy hair after washing. I use on my skin as needed or when I feel indulgent. It's the only oil that I let my dark Mexican male masseur use.
Liquid gold- my urine. It's full of urea, and the skin just LOVES it. And because my diet is clean & rich in vitamins/minerals, my urine is lovely. My skin just laps it up and gets a rich hue when I apply it. (Did you know that the female body makes mother's milk from urine?)

It's nice to receive a daily gift of beauty naturally with minimal effort and inexpensively :))

I'm a Libran (with 4 planets in Libra), and beauty has always played a vital role en mi vida.

Satyam, Shivaram, Sundaram

Truth is God, God is Beauty

Truth is Beauty