Baths are Underrated

I cannot believe how quickly last week flew by. Before I knew it, it was the weekend already. I can't think of anything incredibly noteworthy from the week, but my Mom came into town last Sunday. (I had not seen her since Christmas.) She had never had Indian food before so we grabbed lunch at Indian Garden Restaurant. Then, we made our way over to Navy Pier for its celebration of Black History Month which focused on 29 notable African-Americans, including Chicago's own Barack Obama. It was not a long exhibit, but it was nice to learn about so many remarkable individuals. For example, I did not know that an African-American man, Daniel Hale Williams, performed the first successful open heart surgery. I don't know how long it will be up, but check out the website: http://www.navypier.com/cal_events/bhm.html.

I don't think I have mentioned this yet, but my Mom started school a couple of weeks ago for massage therapy. For that reason, she could not get home too late. She had more studying to do. So, while the visit was short, I definitely enjoyed it and hope it happens again soon. We have both been so busy that we have not talked on the phone as much as we used to. During lunch it was funny to hear her talk about the differences between me and my sister (Monica). I guess I never napped as a child, and I constantly wanted someone to entertain me. Monica, on the other hand, slept a lot and was quite content to play on her own. My Mom said she used to hear Monica in her room talking as she used her imagination to play.

This past Friday night I went into Wicker Park to meet Grace for dinner. We had not seen each other since New Year's Eve. We grabbed dinner at restaurant named Handlebar (http://handlebarchicago.com/). Dinner was delicious. I ordered ground nut stew: sweet potato, coconut, zucchini & kale stew with brown rice, peanuts and toasted coconut. Grace decided on black beans maduro: crispy, sweet plantains layered with brown rice and beans with a side ofspicy chipotle-tomato sauce. There were more enticing dinner items, and their lunch/brunch sounds great too! We had great cnversation, which included the possibility of living together next year (+ Charlie and Emily).

On my way home I got the opportunity to catch up with Kathryn, who I had not talked to in a couple of weeks. I miss her!

It was a early wake-up for a Saturday... I had my alarm set for 6:45. I pretty much got out of bed, brushed my teeth and got clothes on to pick Deanna up for Hung Bo (advertising) at the Schaumburg Center. From 8:30-10ish a small group of us ran door-to-door with energy and love to pass out flyers. :) The time I spent doing this will help me pay for future retreats and trainings.

After Hung Bo we traveled over to West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park for an outreach event: we provided massages to breast cancer survivors through an organization called Sisters Embracing Life. It was kind of ironic because I received a lot of compliments, was asked how long I had been giving massages, and one guy even asked for my card. haha The event was scheduled 11:30-2, but we ended up massaging until after 4:30. We were all so hungry, so we stopped at Panera before driving home, but I was still pretty drained. On the way home I decided that a bubble bath sounded perfect. :) So I relaxed with a bath and finished Brain Wave Vibration, which helps explain my yoga practice. I need to take baths more often.I was in bed by 9 and slept soundly.

Yesterday, Sunday, I did some stuff around my apartment, went to the gym and then went over to Dominique's for "delivery and a movie." We watched Vicky Christina Barcelona. Penelope Cruz definitely did a fabulous job with her role, but I was not crazy about the movie. I am glad I saw it, but I don't feel like I need to see it again for awhile. We ordered dinner from a Thai/Japanese restaurant called Indie Cafe (www.indiecafe.us) near her apartment. I ordered tofu teriyaki, and she got chicken teriyaki. All in all, it was a good weekend. This week I hope to get everything turned into school. It's already March!