MIMM: On patience and things well-deserved

Another wonderfully uneventful weekend gone by and it's Monday again. And marvelous it is! My yoga instructor and owner of Shanti Yoga & Fitness in Rehobeth, MA, Paula Paluch, found out yesterday that she was accepted as a brand ambassador for Jade Yoga! Congratulations, Paula!

I can't say enough about Paula. This past week has been a great one for her, and she certainly deserves it! Last year she was brave enough to relocate her yoga studio and quit her job to dedicate her life to what she loves. Undoubtedly,  this wasn't easy for her and life threw her some curveballs, but she was persistent and positive throughout it all. Now all of her hard work is truly paying off in tangible ways: a slew of new yogis have been popping into the studio, she had a wall-to-wall full class on Thursday, and now she is a brand ambassador for her go-to yoga mat company! I'm so proud and inspired by her.

Now onto a quick weekend recap: After a week of sheer insanity and a packed schedule, I was ready to do absolutely nothing come Friday. The crappy weather was a great excuse for me to stay home and lounge about on Friday and Saturday. My sister convinced me to go to the movies to see The Lone Survivor on Saturday afternoon, though she failed to convince me to change out of my yoga attire.

Photo cred

I just can't turn down an opportunity to gaze at the beauty that is Mark Wahlberg. Will I be watching Wahlburgers on A&E when it premieres next week? You bet your ass I will.

Lone Survivor was disturbingly intense. I have to say it was an amazing story of strength and courage, and the acting was superb, but I was a ball of anxiety for the entire 121 minutes.

By Sunday, I was itching to at least pretend to be productive. During yoga, Sue asked for some help with a facebook issue, giving me a excuse to take a walk in the unseasonably nice weather and spend some time at The Good Seed Market in Seekonk, MA.

Check them out on Facebook

I just love browsing around this store. They have an awesome variety of natural and organic products at really reasonable prices, and the owners and employees are so welcoming and helpful. I'm really happy to have met the owners. Like Paula, they are just doing what they love and their passion creates success. If you live in the RI/MA area, you should definitely stop in and check it out! FYI, they're running an awesome special on chia seeds. I made sure to create a post to advertise it on their facebook page while I was there.

Who doesn't love chia seed pudding?

I had a really encouraging conversation while I was there, and I left feeling more positive than I had been about my current situation and the future in general. Hearing Paula's news later that evening only reinforced my feelings. I just have to continue to pursue my passion, be patient, and eventually it will pay off. Maybe not in the way I expect or as soon as I hope, but it will happen.

As always, I'm linking up with Katie for some Marvelous in My Monday action :)

MIMM: Marvelousness thus far in 2014

Well, it's the end of another weekend and the return to five day work weeks from now until May (!!!) I am definitely in need of some positive vibes here, so I'm happily linking up to Katie's Marvelous in my Monday.

This week, I'm focusing on the progression of marvelousness so far in the new year:

I kicked off 2014 by MCing a bowling alley New Year's Eve event. At first it was awkward and I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but I just went with it and created my own agenda. It ended up being a blast. The more people drank, the funnier it got...although I was concerned about potential injuries from intoxicated bowling accidents. Fear not, no such mishaps occurred on my watch. Definitely an atypical New Year's Eve.

New Year's Day was spent doing not much of anything other than venturing to the nearest theater to see Anchorman 2 with my family. As a huge fan of the original Anchorman and Will Ferrel in general, I was very hesitant of this sequel. I just didn't think it could/should be done, but those promos convinced me otherwise. And the movie itself did not disappoint in terms of hilarity. Originality was lacking since it was essentially the same exact movie as Anchorman, but I can't even care. There were so many ridiculous quotable lines. This Cinema Blend article sums up some of the best lines. Well done, Will Ferrel and crew.

I caught up on all the episodes of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (sadly) and had just enough time with the snowstorm to start a few new Netflix marathons before the return of regular programming after the holiday hiatus.

I'd seen a smattering of episodes of Portlandia, but I marathonned season 3 over this weekend. This show is essentially a higher budget Tim & Eric Awesome Show with a female main cast member. If you like awkward humor, please watch this now.

I also randomly started watching Parks and Recreation and find myself hooked. I didn't like it when I first attempted to get into this show, but I guess I was just in the right mindset today and have officially been sucked in.

On a final note, this Sunday marked the long-awaited return of Downtown Abbey! Why do I love this show? I have no idea. But I'm glad it's back, with all it's random drama and British accents. What can I say, I'm easily entertained.

Other marvelousness in my Monday includes hot yoga (my favorite) and the warmest day of the week according to the extended forecast. Let's pretend it's not raining, or that tomorrow's anticipated high is 17 °F :)

Friday Five: Christmas Movie Edition

Part of me dreads Christmas, solely because it means that winter is just beginning and temperatures are going to continue to drop over the next few months. I'm just not made for New England weather. 

December itself isn't so bad, what with all the holiday parties and baking cookies (hooray for warm ovens!). And it's totally socially acceptable to stay in and watch Christmas specials. 

So without further ado, I'll let you in on my personal top 5 Christmas movies:

A Christmas Story

A classic. Everyone knows and loves this movie. If you don't share this opinion, you obviously:

1. Haven't seen this movie because you don't have cable and have never been subjected to the 24-hour marathon TBS runs every year, or
2. Have no sense of humor whatsoever.

Just Friends

This movie does not get the exposure or credit it deserves as a Christmas movie. Ryan Reynolds is, as always, hilarious. Even more so because he spends about 1/6th of the movie in a fat suit. I mean, come on, the movie opens with him lip-syncing "I Swear" by Boyz II Men. Why would anyone not want to watch this every year?

Elf

A newer classic Christmas comedy that everyone knows and loves, with the exception of those few people who just don't appreciate Will Ferrell for his ad-libbing talent. Anything I can and would say about this movie is already well-known by most, so I won't get into details. I will, however, share this awesome BuzzFeed article on some things you probably don't know about this movie.

Love Actually

The cutest "I love you" ever.

This movie has everything you could want in a movie: an all-star cast, awkward situations, romance, drama, and Keira Knightly. I have a hardcore girl crush on her. No shame. Again, totally underrated.

The Family Stone

Basically take everything I said about Love Actually and apply it to this movie, replacing Keira Knightly with Claire Danes AND Rachel McAdams. Side note - it's so unfair that I don't look like them. This is usually the first holiday movie I watch each year. I hate that no one seems to know about it. I will say, however, that it's much harder to watch it since my dad passed away. Without getting into detail and spoiling the movie, I do feel like I can relate to it more now and it never fails to make me cry. And I am no crier. Further evidence that this movie is fantastic and that you need to watch it immediately.

Obviously I'm a fan of comedies.

So there you have it. My top 5 Christmas movies, in no particular order. Now start watching.