Happy Halloween!

Yepp, HaPPy HaLLoWeeN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. I know I did! I had got a costume from www.discountcostumes.com, and it came in the mail a few days ago, thankfully. It came with a hat, but I decided not to wear the hat because it reminds me too much of a  baby bonnet.  Check out my costume! It's called a "tavern wench". Ha, ha.

So, a lot of people got many kicks out of it. I was at the store a few times today wearing this costume and got many smiles and giggles from adults :)~ Fun times! So I'm on week two of my couch to 5k program, done the first day of week two already and will do wk 2 day 2 tomorrow (tuesday). It feels great to run. Although, my heart rate went up to 180 last time I ran, and that's the highest I think I've ever seen it - so I will need to keep remembering to bring water along, and not forget to breathe as I'm exercising (I think the main problem stems from those two things). Here's my dinner for tonight at work:...................

 Mmmm, yes it is as tasty as it looks (if not tastier, I know the salad just looks gooey but that's just from the avocado spread/guacamole).

jogging

So, I did day 2 of the couch to 5k program! Another treadmill session of walking 1.5 mins, and then jogging 1 minute - only this time, I did it for 35 minutes instead of 20 like two days ago.  I will keep updates posted!!! Very excited about this.

Good day overall

I'm still doing about 80-90% raw. Would like to get back to 100%.  My co-worker Leah used a guest pass of hers for me today at the uptown YWCA gym, and we started the couch to 5k program for me. We walked a minute and a half, then jogged/ran/sprinted for for 1 minute, then walked again for 1.5 mins, then run again for 1. We did these cycles for 20 minutes and then we went to a very intense spin class! It was an hour.  I was pouring buckets of sweat. I feel awesome though, and slept SO well after that! We are going to go back next Monday. :)

Antishay inspires again (as always)

OK, This was too tasty looking NOT to share. Props to Shanti a.k.a "Antishay". You can find her on facebook right here, you don't want to miss out on seeing all the wonderful things she posts!

Here is a picture directly from her page (taken on HER camera!) of the beautiful results of the recipe I will be posting underneath it!!

Pesto pasta w/ veggies - approx. 550 calories:

This recipe is for 1 person as an entree, or 2 people as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS
~1/8 cup pesto (see above), more to taste
1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 roma tomato, diced
1/6 small onion, cut finely
1 clove garlic, minced
red pepper flakes
olive oil
salt & pepper
whole wheat noodles of your preference

INSTRUCTIONS
Start by boiling a pot of water and beginning to cook the noodles. Then, in a frying pan or skillet on low-medium heat, pour 1/2 to 1 tsp of olive oil. Add red pepper flakes and let simmer for a minute.

Toss in zucchini. Flip the zucchini and oil until all is evenly coated with a teeny amount of oil. Add onions and 1/3 garlic, toss again. Keep on medium-low heat until pasta is done cooking. Don't overcook - watch the temperature of those zucchini!

When noodles are finished cooking, strain and return to pot. Add zucchini mixture, raw tomato, and remaining garlic. Mix and let sit for 1-2 minutes to cool and cook the tomato a tad. Then add pesto sauce, mix well, and serve. 

Antishay has been an awe-inspiring motivator for me. I originally found out about her on her youtube channel, called "Antishay's channel". I would highly recommend looking at her videos and liking her page on facebook!

a journey inside..

I had an interesting day today. Lately, I have been thinking on the subject of selfishness. How much is too much to ask from someone else, when you're in a relationship? When it comes to needs, how many needs are too much for either person to seek satisfaction of from the person they're with? On the contrary, what's too little? How can you express your needs in a relationship?  I have found some information on relationship needs. I will cite the source here for copyright purposes as well. 1“Does a Long-Term Relationship Kill Romantic Love?” by B. P. Acevedo and A. Aron. Review of General Psychology 13:59-65. (2009). 

The seven basic needs:

1.) Respect

"These are all ways to show respect. Respect is the basic protocol of all positive human relationships. It is part of the Golden Rule—treating others as you would be treated. To show respect to another person is to recognize their basic value and goodness, to honor their rights and abilities, to meet your obligations toward them, to be honest with them, and to make every proper attempt to accommodate them and show deference to their wishes."

2.) Appreciation

"Appreciation is critical to the health of any relationship in which people are expected to give service without formal payment. Many business relationships can survive without it—friendships and marriages cannot. A lack of appreciation from you leaves your mate feeling taken for granted, or un-appreciated. Such a feeling quickly kills romance. A married couple sharing responsibilities of home and family must continuously express appreciation to each other in order for their romance to survive and grow. Your mate needs your unambiguous spoken or written expressions of appreciation on a daily basis. Occasionally accompanying those words with a token gift is also important."

3.) Companionship

Good companions enjoy spending time together in conversation and recreational activities. As a general rule, spouses should be able to look forward to the next time they will be together, rather than dreading it. Time spent enjoyably together builds and strengthens the marital relationship. Conversely, the lack of companionship in a marriage can produce deep loneliness in both spouses.

Researchers have found through controlled experiments (substantiated by surveys)1 that participation in novel and exciting activities together can cause couples to feel greater satisfaction in their relationships. The research suggests that trying new, jointly chosen recreational activities together can help sustain and increase romance in marriage. Other research suggests that it is important that couples participate together in recreational activities that both enjoy. In one study,2 the more time couples spent together in activities that only the husband liked, the less happy they became. Similarly, the more time husbands spent in recreational activities without their wives, the less happy their marriages became.

1“Couples' shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality” by A. Aron, C. C. Norman, E. N. Aron, C. McKenna and R. E. Heyman. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78:273-284 (2000).

2“Compatibility, leisure, and satisfaction in marital relationships” by D. W. Crawford, R. M. Houts, T. L. Huston and L. J. George. Journal of Marriage and the Family 64:433-449. (2002).

4.) Spiritual solidarity

Companions who have spiritual solidarity have similar values; or where those differ, they try to understand each others values and support each other in them, rather than trying to undermine them. They have similar understandings of their purposes in life, and of what is really important.

Spiritual solidarity is necessary if two people are to trust each other implicitly. Friends become true friends or soul mates when they discover or develop spiritual solidarity. Such implicit trust and true friendship is essential to the creation of a full-splendored marriage.

An important aspect of spiritual solidarity for many couples is working together in the raising and disciplining of their children.

Spiritual: of or pertaining to the moral feelings.—Webster Dictionary, 1913

Moral: the doctrine or practice of the duties of life; manner of living as regards right and wrong; conduct; behavior.—Webster Dictionary, 1913

Solidarity: an identity or coincidence of interests, purposes, or sympathies among the members of a group: oneness, union, unity.—Bartelby.com

5.) Domestic support

Every romance needs a home. Building that home involves bringing in a steady and sufficient income; making ends meet and saving for the future by using a budget; keeping the house clean, comfortable, and in good repair; maintaining the yard; shopping for necessities; preparing meals; etc. A husband and wife give each other domestic support as they work together to address these needs. They must share the workload so that both are able to get needed rest and relaxation.

Domestic: of or pertaining to the home, the household, household affairs, or the family.—Infoplease.com

6.) To feel cherished

Every man and woman needs to be the best friend and highest earthly priority of his or her mate. To have this need met is to feel cherished. As your mate's husband or wife, you are the only one who is in a position to fully meet this need. Your mate must be your first priority if your marriage is to be all that it can be. The needs of your mate must be more important to you than those of your friends, family, work, hobbies, or children.

Cherish: to hold dear; to embrace with interest.—Webster Dictionary, 1913

7.) Sensuous affection

Sensuous affection is the communication of loving feelings through the physical senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch) rather than through the intellect. It may be used as a means to help meet your mate's other relationship needs. For example, you might use tender touches and softly spoken words to help your mate feel cherished or appreciated. However, sensuous affection is an important need in its own right. It is a gift of pleasure that helps your mate feel good physically and emotionally. Each time it is appropriately given, it serves to strengthen emotional ties and increase mutual good will between you and your mate. It is a powerful glue that can bind two hearts together. It can also be an effective lubricant that diffuses tension and helps each partner to be patient with the little irritations that naturally occur when two very different individuals are living together. A married couple can strengthen and enliven their romance by sharing the pleasures of sensuous affection. 

_____________________________________________whew!__________________that's a lot of reading, I apologize..._______________________________

But really, though... It's great to see what others' have thought up as far as what the basic needs in a relationship are. I think I was thinking more like loyalty, trust, etc. but after thinking about it, I realize that if those 7 needs were already being met, then surely feelings of trust would naturally be there already. (right?)

Serendipitous

'Ello, mates! It's Erica-dizzle with the fizzle here talkin' at cha! Okay, sorry. That's not how weird I am, I promise. It has been a serendipitous last couple of days. First of all, food, exercise, and religious stuff aside... A certain special *boy* that has been in my life for many years now recently returned after not being in the cities for what seemed like a long time - and it has been a precious experience having him back, if that makes any sense. To celebrate his return, the conditions from which I don't believe I have the right to go in to detail about- - - we went to the  Twin City Grill at the Mall of America yesterday, and then today we had some cheap greasy food at  The Anchor in NE Minneapolis. Since it was a special occasion, I allowed myself to, guilt-free, indulge in this savory meals and let go of all my weird pre-occupations about food (it should also be noted: though they may be weird pre-occupations about food, they are the very pre-occupations that keep me so disciplined on eating raw the other 95% of the time, so everything comes with its goods and bads!). This boy I speak of is a very significant person in my life. At times I start to wonder if he will ever pop the question to me.... you know..... .  .... .... . .... . . .

Yeah, that question! I would be a whole slew of crazed though if he ever did. What would I say? That's the even more important question, I suppose! Ahhh, love. Relationships. The long road to finding yourself loving another but not losing yourself in the process. It's all very scary, very CRAZY, but most of all, extremely mystic and wonderful. I think everyone is there in your life for a reason, and everyone is there to show you something. He is here to show me something. And so are all of my friends, and my family members. In Buddhism, it is thought that you chose your parents, and they chose you. I know I chose my mom and dad. I wouldn't want any one else's mom or dad but my own :)

I do know though, that finding a mate to marry and be with for many many years to come is going to be the first thing that needs to happen before I can start my journey into parenthood again. So it is something that stays on my mind a lot - I often ponder who I will marry, who will be my life partner, who will love me? Who will I love forever? Who will father my children? Will I find someone who wants to be a father?  Nam myoho renge kyo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (let's chant that I do.)


I got some stuff in the mail today that I ordered, AGAIN. I just realized how much online shopping I've been doing! Holy moly!! Victorias Secret has some of the most amazing sweaters for sale right now! I'd recommend shopping there for clothes, although it's better to do so online because in their stores they usually only have perfume and bras and lingerie. Let's just say, Vickie's Secret has made me extremely happy this week. You are are the highlight of my week!!!!!!!!!!! 

So, Ahem, onto exercise. *cough, cough*. One thing I have really come to accept is that I won't achieve my specific type of fitness goals without two main ingredients. Ready to hear what they are???

1.) Fast-paced walking.
                                                      2.) Running and jogging.

Yep, it has GOT to be all about cardio. I've done my research. I've read so many articles, clinical studies, medical findings on the subject - and I now have re-confirmed what I've already known inherently but haven't remembered to put in to practice for awhile. It's cardio!!!!

So my new goal, and Mollys' too, is to do the treadmill setting called the 5k run. It's 3.2 miles and the program doesn't end until you have walked/jogged/ran that distance. I'd like to run ONE mile in 10 minutes or less, eventually. But my exercise at the gym will predominately revolve around the treadmill

Ambitious goal of the moment: Have treadmill time each week totaling no less than 10 hours.

Funny quote: "Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness." ~Edward Stanley

Interesting Fact: Running is less efficient than walking in terms of calories expended per unit distance – though it is faster.  Due to air resistance at higher speeds, running on a track requires more energy than does walking to cover the same distance. As reported by Hall et al., men on a track running at a pace of 6.3 mph use 1.20 times as much energy to travel the same distance as when walking at a pace of 3.15 mph; but when on a treadmill running 6.3 mph they use just 1.01 times as much energy to travel the same distance as when walking at 3.15 mph.  

Something different once in awhile is always good!

I just spent all night cleaning my apartment to the level of spic n' span! I had Perkins for breakfast (tangler burger w/onion rings). Jocelyna let me drive her car there and we both had breakfast together. It was really fun! We had a slight detour, you could call it - got a little lost because of unexpected construction, but it all worked out in the end! Then, my sister Molly and I went to a place in Columbia Heights called Mr. BBQ. It was delicious, but now I'm going back to raw again. I feel like the protein boost was needed, though. Seems like my body has everything it needs right now, in order to run optimally. Oh yeah, and we went to the gym for an hour after we ate!! Seems so contradictory, doesn't it?

 So, now that I just cleaned all night, I celebrated the new fresh air in my apartment (dust free!) by making a delicious fruit smoothie. I used one whole container of Driscoll raspberries, one whole mango and one banana. Soooo good!!

I am sure you can see that my cat, Hasu, is on the counter with my smoothie. I know, my cats aren't the best behaved, but it's not like it bugs me THAT much if they go on the counter. I do have a water spray bottle for when they are doing something that is really bad, such as trying to eat my plants. I really don't like that!  Notice in the bottom photo I am beginning to drink the smoothie... see the pinky and everything?! It was supposed to be funny/cute. :)

Today, I am looking forward to having more time off and relaxing and catching up on sleep. Depending on the weather, a walk down by the Minnehaha Falls might be in order. The Falls are beautiful at this time of year! If you live in Minnesota, I highly recommend checking it out sometime before the snow comes. :)

Photo update

Well I am going to be doing facial photo updates once in awhile to see if the raw thing is improving anything at all. So, here's todays' update - maybe I can look back on it in a year and be like "I've come a long ways!"

GO me!! I also hope that by this time next year, I'll have longer hair :(

Winter stuff....

I've been living on my own for a long time now, but learning to be an adult and take care of myself and be prepared for everything this world throws at you has been a slower process. Lol!! About three years ago, winter came and I didn't have a winter coat yet (didn't cross my mind to maybe, you know, buy one!) and I didn't have gloves, mittens, or scarves or hats. I could find old mittens from years past but not the matching pair, and what good does one glove do? Well, not much. So ever since that year, I have remembered to buy my winter stuff ahead of time. Here are the BareTrap boots I ordered, they came in the mail:

They're fuzzy on the inside, not real animal fur of course but it definitely could pass as such because of how incredibly soft it is. They'll be ultra warm, because the entire inside of the boot has that fake fur. It also makes them extremely comfortable and soft to walk in. My Lands End coat looks sorta like this one:

And last but not least, I also ordered a hat and scarf off the internet as well. >:)

SO! What do you think? I think the scarf is lovely. I got the hat and scarf from Charlotte Russe Wonderful deals right now there, for suresies. The coat is directly from the source at Lands End. I can't really believe it myself, but I qualified for about 4 different store credit cards over the last few days. They are all pretty small credit limits, around the $300 range, but it has been years since I've been able to qualify for. any credit cards!!! So, now I have credit cards to use for merchandise at the following stores:

Victorias Secret
Lane Bryant
Torrid
Two Barclay Cards for Apple and iTunes
and
Maurices!

I won't go too crazy because I want to keep my credit score decent. I finally got it back up to the mid-600's, from the low 500's it was at a few years ago - and I'd like to keep the score going UP, not back down! But I will keep getting it better by making my minimum monthly payments on time :)

I still need to find some nice gloves/mittens. I saw some pretty cute stuff online but this may be the type of thing I buy at a store because my hands are sort of large for a girl (lol) and I don't want to get gloves that won't even go on my hand. Look @ my big ole' hands! LOL!

I love guacamole!

As the title says, I LOVE guacamole. I've fallen deeper in love over these last few days, too. At Lunds I found this really yummy "Just-Add-Avocados" mix that tastes SOO good. I make this guacamole then use it as a salad dressing of sorts, just stir it in with my greens, sliced carrots, sliced cucumbers, green onion, and orange tomatoes. I've made this three days in a row now, each time fresh, and I think I am hooked!!

Before you go thinking "but avocados are only meant to be eaten in moderation because they contain high levels of fat!" Yes, I know, I know... soon, I will have to go back to using just lemon juice as my dressing, but I figure it cant hurt to have an avocado binge for a few days! Better than a cheeseburger or whiskey binge, right?  I also have been eating raw nuts, of course, to get my protein. I also try to eat THOSE in moderation as well, as they also contain high fat. But, long story short, I am a happy camper these days. Molly and I went to the gym a few days ago again and I REALLY got my heart rate up. Felt amazing when we left. On a different note! It's almost Halloween... what should I be?! A faery, a cat, hmmm?????

Yummilicious foodz

Today has been a WONDERFUL eating day for me! I started the day off right with a plate of sliced cantaloupe, fresh raspberries, and sliced banana (pictured above). For lunch, I'm having a crunchy salad! My green of choice for the meal tonight is kale, and in it I cut up tiny pieces of carrots, cucumber, onions, and tomato - mixed in with half a thing of alfalfa sprouts, and drizzled with raw Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs). I will also have a banana, some lovely medjool dates, and raw macadamia nuts!!!

Seasons..

Winter is coming. Plans for the winter... hrrrm. Well, I ordered some boots off the internet and they're by a brand called BareTraps. They're like off black/brown/greyish, and extremely warm and comfy, I've worn them a couple of times.


 Also just bought a hat from the Seward co-op that is made out of all recycled materials/cloth. It's extremely warm! Then I got my coat from LandsEnd.com. So I think I'm set, minus the scarf and mittens. 

Hello world

Hello to this day!! This is the last time we will ever have today! So we best use it to the fullest, right? I awoke around 8:45 this morning and Molly, Althea, and I chanted in my living room after talking for about an hour. Lots of exciting things to look forward to in the coming months within the SGI. New Years Day is the most celebrated "holiday" within Buddhism, it's a rather big deal actually. :) And it's not too far away from now!! What are some of your New Years resolutions? Do New Years resolutions ever work? I suppose they could, but you can start making goals any day of the year - and of course, the sooner you get started on them the better - you don't have to wait until January 1st!!! Sheesh! A few of my goals are:

*To continue eating 80-90% raw vegan
*to continue going to the gym a minimum of three times per week
*to start buying more childrens' books, toys, and clothes for my hope chest
*to start reading at least one chapter book per week (of leisure reading)
*take as many credits as possible each semester and learn more than I ever knew I could

I have many others as well, but I don't want to sound like I'm creating a bucket list either - I plan to live at least another 40-50 years. :)

Today, I am going to go and visit a friend in treatment after my math class. Wish me luck. It's always hard to visit people in treatment. If you can't see why, then that's probably a good thing. It means you must never have been an alcoholic or ex-drug-user, and the less of those around the better, too. LOL. Here's a picture of me today, around week 3 on at least 80% raw foods:

Not too much different, but a slight one, at the very least! I think my complexion has gotten better. So, I referred my sister Molly to SNAP Fitness, and for doing so I got to choose between having one free month of membership (I'm on a contract), or two free months of tanning. I chose the two free months of tanning. And my back is just BURNED!! It's intense! I woke up today and felt like i had just slept in a fire all night... Better give the tanning bed a rest. I am very fair-skinned so I burn quite easily, but it is very difficult for me to burn enough to form in to a tan. It usually fades off long before turning in to a tan.

Doot, doot, doot.... Oh, as I was chanting today, I focused my chanting on my womb of all things. Sounds crazy, right? But I just want to have the healthiest child ever when I finally do get pregnant. So I am putting a lot of effort in to making causes that will help aid and assist in that however and wherever possible. I also focused a lot of my daimoku to things I can do to really raise some great kids. I saw the cutest books last night at Seward co-op, yoga books for children! Poses for children to do. I am totally going to buy it. I would love to have my children doing yoga, and I will definitely try to get them to chant from a very young age as well. What they choose to do for religion and spirituality later in life is entirely their choice, but I think it's great for kids to have some religion and spirituality in their lives while being raised too. As if it's not already TOO obvious that I am so very excited about having kids in the future, I would also like to point out that I've been looking in to what activities to plan for them, pottery, art, jewelry-making, sports, dance, theater, reading clubs, oh you name it!!! :) OK, sorry, I just had to get that out of my system.

I am going to read for about a half hour before it's time to head to class, will update more later!

Nam myoho renge kyo!!!-Rickie

Busy day!

My bestest friend Tiffany and I met up with our very old friend Eve today at school, because we ran in to her last Tuesday before class and planned to meet again today except this time around we had an hour to talk instead of  5 minutes. She is amazing just like she always has been. She is going to school for herbs and using them medicinally I believe. She is very knowledgeable about them! And she grows her own food, like potatoes, in her garden. Tiffany, Eve, and I all grew up in the SGI family/community so we've all known each other since we were little kids! What a special connection to have with people!! :)  I feel so "blessed" to have those two in my life! We are all three going to start chanting together, starting this coming Monday at Eve's apartment.  She lives in South Minneapolis. Her mom is actually the one that bought the house I grew up in. I moved out when I was 17, and her mom bought the house. But Eve doesn't live there right now.

We had a lot going on in my classes today. First of all I got a full 100% on my math test! Then, I got my new assignment for the Research Literacy class. I think the instructor for that class is adorable. She's the scandanavian type: Very tall, extremely thin/slender, long golden curly hair, glowing bright blue eyes. She's the youngest instructor I've seen at MCTC! She is amazing though, and I know she has a passion for what she's teaching.

I wanted to upload a picture of my altar. The lighting sort of distorts it a bit, but it is what I chant to every day. It is actually not allowed to take pictures of the butsudan open with the Gohonzon exposed - so I had to leave it shut. But you can always google Gohonzon and see if you find any pictures, it may at least show you what the characters look like (it is Japanese). When you chant, you try to chant in front of the Gohonzon when possible. There are little travel sized gohonzons called omamori's too, so if you travel ever or want to have one in you car, you can!! :)

Here's also a better picture of the fan I got from the lovely Althea:

Unfortunately my cats wont let it stay propped in the living room window because they like to sit on the window ledge so they kept knocking it over, and I dont want it to get ruined!! So it's now on top of the radiator :(  I have two cats, both around a year old. Their names are Rosie and Hasu. Rosie is the calico colored one, and Hasu is the gray one.

They are my most PRECIOUS babies ever. I love them SO much, and they know it, too :) I spoil them. Ive spent over $100 at the store for special foods and toys for them in only one shopping visit. I tried to take them on a leash, but they were not having that. Hasu in particular is afraid of being outside.

Making cause and finding your true self

There is a phrase used a lot in Nichiren Buddhism that I'd like to touch base on. It's called "making cause", or "making a cause".   It could be said like "I'm making a good cause!" if you just donated money to a childrens' fund, or "Oh shoot, that was such a bad cause!" after picking up a found dollar on the floor in the store, and putting it in your pocket, even though it could be someone elses dollar that is still in the store! Each of us every day are provided with thousands of different opportunities between each millisecond, second, minute, and hour regarding how we behave, what we do, what we say and what we think. Our thoughts turn in to actions eventually, influencing how we behave, and therefore influencing our environments. Therefore, it could safely be said that we are constantly in a flux of cause and effect. We have the ability to shape our lives by the very thoughts we think.  Because out of thoughts, action is derived - and from action, cause is made. Cause is the very thing you do that leads to any given effect. You write a letter to an old friend(cause), they write back(effect). You walk too fast and carelessly on the ice(cause), you fall down and hurt yourself (effect). After a long while of thinking about it you finally ask for a raise at work(cause), and to your surprise, you get one!(effect.) You rent 3 comedy movies at Blockbuster(cause), and end up laughing all night til your stomach hurts(effect).   The wind blows harshly, a sign falls over. You get the idea.


No act that any of us do goes without an effect. Once we can grasp that truth, it becomes all the more important to us to make sure we are making all good causes, so that we can, naturally, get good effects. None of us want to have bad effects in our lives, but sometimes we don't have the wisdom to see why we may be getting them.  We need to be able to tap in to our wisdom and see ourselves in everything we do, and make sure that we are doing things for noble causes. Through chanting nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I am able to see my own mind, like watching my own thoughts, being able to identify which to put further thought in to and which to discard right then and there. I want to keep my intentions pure so that I can make only good causes, and reap only good effects. I want to enjoy each day the best I can, so I chant to direct my focus in a positive direction. I want to see the truth of my life and be my truest, realest self - so I chant to bring my true self forth and shine my light on to everything I touch and see.

In Buddhism, it is called the Mystic Law of cause and effect.  The word "renge" from nam myoho renge kyo stands for the lotus flower, which seeds and flowers at the SAME TIME (simultaneously). This demonstrates the mystic law, where a cause instantaneously produces an effect. The reason this is so significant is because it applies to our Buddhahood or Buddha nature, as well. At any one point in time, we have the freedom to make the cause to make our Buddhahood appear. This gives hope to millions of Buddhist members all over the world, because it shows that no matter how dire your circumstances, no matter what difficult situation you might face - you can always manifest your Buddhahood wisdom.


I think everyone should at least know who this wonderful man is: http://www.daisakuikeda.org/#. Daisaku Ikeda is sensei in the SGI. He is the third founding president of the SGI! He will go down in history, and already has begun to. Anyone interested in peace, culture, education, philosophy, etc. should definitely know more about him.

---Daisaku Ikeda <3

I could also start signing my blogs with quotes by Ikeda, as he is a very influential writer.

Back to the topic of future children for a minute, I would like to share one of the things deepest in my heart: That I am soon going to be starting a Hope Chest, only this kind will not be for a marriage or to give to a child when they are all grown up. This kind of Hope Chest will be used to start collecting things that I would like to use for when I have my next child. I have been looking at some of the most adorable websites on the net, in regards to baby and toddler clothing, toys, books, activities and games for children, etc. Inside the chest will be bottles, pacifiers, bibs, shoes, jewelry, and a large assortment of gifts! There are some Norwegian and Swedish knits for childrens' clothing I have found that I plan to order for this chest in the very near future. I chant every day for the health and happiness of that next baby just waiting for the right circumstances to come in to my life - - and I will be beyond prepared for him or her! I can't wait to meet you, whoever you are. :) :) :) <3

On the up and up Pt 2.

I'm on break at work! Oh, hello to my blog again, it is a wonderful October night! The leaves brustling around outside just make my heart feel good :) Why is that anyways? For some reason, at this time of year, what sounds good is taking some leaves and making those wax paper/leaf/melted crayon art projects with an iron and ironing board. This may call for a trip to savers... as I do not have an iron or board right now. But the urge to do one of those projects is strong. I'd also like to make it to the store soon to pick up a rake and some Halloween-y trash bags to fill up with leaves from the yard! I love it! I will then put the pumpkin-colored and designed trash bags on my curb for all to see... I love it, makes me feel like I'm doing my part to contribute to "the spirit". I can't hand out candy to trick or treaters because my door is in the back of the building, but, I can still decorate the yard!! :D

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the child I gave birth to 2001... His name is Adam. I raised him for the first five years of his life but he was adopted by my cousin in 2006 and I have not seen him since. The biggest reason was because his father and I were too young in the first place to have him, but I refused to get an abortion even though everyone said that would be the best thing for me. I, being 14 years old and with an attitude, thought that I could take on anything, even parenting, and pretty much shrugged off everything that all the people in my life were warning me about. I love Adam with my whole heart and know that I will again reunite with him someday, and I will be sure to be more than ready to embrace him with loving and open arms. I also plan to have more children. With all the things I have been learning about nutrition over the last few years, as I have been researching a LOT on it, I feel confident that I will have such an advantage in that department when it comes to meal planning and nutrition implementation for my future kid(s). I can't wait to give my kids the best of the best of foods! And when I'm pregnant, I will eat SO well! I have come a long ways in recognizing the important of the role of the foods we put in to our bodies, and it has made me all the wiser :)

On the up and up

So, to touch base a little on yoga some, my favorite kind of yoga is Kundalini yoga. I first found out about this in 2008 and proceeded to buy about 7 different home work out videos on Amazon.com, by Ana Brett and Ravi Singh. They are so wonderful! You can find out how amazing they are by visiting http://www.raviana.com/. They are a couple - married - and they train celebrities and normal people alike (hehe, normal). I have found that after doing one of their videos, I feel totally brand new and refreshed. Kind of like after I'm done chanting, so the two are a great complement to each other! No wonder I named this blog after my three biggest obsessions right now. I am excessive by nature, I tend to over do it what ever "it" is - and once, my mom told me that if there is anything to obsess over, let it be chanting - because that is one thing that wont hurt me by being too obsessive, but will in fact HELP me. She's so right. If I need to get obsessed about anything, it should be spending more and more time in front of my gohonzon. For those who aren't sure what that is, the dai-gohonzon the object of devotion in Buddhism. It is part of the altar, and is inside the butsudan.  I will be happy to elaborate on that more and more in posts to come, but for a quick reference, you can visit sgi-usa.org. I should probably start signing my blogs the way I sign my journal and diary entries... with "nam myoho renge kyo". http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/nam-myoho-renge-kyo.php! Tonight, I work, and will be practicing math as much as possible. I am re-training my brain to understand numbers again on a whole new level. I've had no reason to use numbers much for my job or other areas of my life so I have really fallen off the beaten path with math. But we have a test on Tuesday on integers - negative and and positive numbers - and the addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division of negative and positive numbers. So, I ask you, what is -9 -9(14 - 12)?   How about 1/84 - (1/3) 2 x 3/7??Well, somehow, the negative numbers really trip me up. So, practice is due tonight. I also get to see my co-worker Jocelyna tonight. I miss her! I haven't seen her in awhile it seems like. We love to laugh. LOL. Other things I am looking forward to is getting my new license in the mail this week, and getting some things I ordered off the internet in the next few days delivered. I can't say from which store, because I got one of my mom and Kals' x-mas/hannukah presents off the website and don't want to give it away!!! It's a cool gift though, they'll have a lot of use for it being that they are now on a farm. I do need to take a nap, but I'll post again tonight!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3

Good afternoon to my blog, i guess? Hah! I never know how to narrate this stuff, anyhoo.... 'Tis Sunday, Im well in to week 2 of this raw food experiment, going strong. I haven't failed to stick to it at all minus coffee at work. What a feat!! I have learned that I really can have excellent self-discipline when I really want to. I uploaded two pictures of me standing or sitting in front of the fan that Althea gave me. :) That way I can track how I look in these beginning phases as well as upload a pic of my new present!!