In the Blogosphere...

Jen over at McSmithleyville was kind enough to award me this little lemonade stand award a few weeks back. I'm honored. The note she left letting me know about the award was so kind. Thanks Jen!

My connection with Jen (a total stranger), also a young Iowa, yoga practicing/teaching, knitting, dog loving Mom, is just one example of how cool I think being part of the blogosphere can be. If blogging these past few years has taught me anything (beside how powerful the written word can be for both the reader and the writer) it's how very small the world can feel even when miles (and sometimes oceans) lie between our physical locations. Jen's blog is so fun to follow. I enjoy watching her little guy grow...often sporting his mommy's latest knit creation.

I've seen these little "pass around the love" awards on other people's blogs and have honestly always been a little jealous that I've not, until now, received one. Then I realized there's rules involved. I'm not always very good at following rules.

So I'm going to meet the rules half way and give you just a taste of some of my favorite blogs. Some yoga related, some not. While I write this blog with my business in mind, my Google Reader is simply filled with feeds that nurture ME the whole person...yogini, teacher, mom, daughter, friend, wife....

(Disclaimer...it was hard just picking a few blogs to list, so please don't take offense if you don't see yours listed here!)

First, crafty ladies:

Crazy Mom Quilts - I am simply amazed at the productivity and creativity of this woman...and she has 3 small kids! Plus, I LOVE quilts.

Liquid Paper - I'm amazed at the versatility of Laurie's style and abilities. From small crafts to home design to photography, this lady has an amazing eye.

Tree Fall Design - Going to Manda's blog always makes me happy. She has a lovely sense of style that reminds me of my dear friend Sara. It's maybe not my style, but it still fills my heart with joy.


And speaking of photography, check out these gals who are so inspirational in how they see the world:

Alive Photos - Amy is a younger cousin who lives in California. I'm amazed by her photography and looking at her work was a huge help as I prepared to photograph a friend's wedding last summer. It's also nice that sometimes her featured photos have familiar faces!

Gestures Photography - I'm particularly drawn to Marnie's vintage car and secret garden series.

Hula Seventy - Andrea's blog isn't just about photography, but I'm sure you'll have to agree her photography is amazing, even when it's just showing off her kids!

Zink Photography - A local artist, and now friend, we met because of our joint loves of yoga and photography.


And yes, then there's my actual friends (those I know in person) who have joined the blog bandwagon and who I've learned so much about because of their little spots in cyberspace:

Gesticulating Wildly to No Avail - Marie is maybe the closest thing I've ever had to a sister. She is amazing and I love her to no end as do my girls. Marie is an amazing writer and I can always be guaranteed a good belly laugh when she posts her latest thoughts on life.

Marjorie's Granddaughter - My friend Sara just recently joined blog land. She has such an appreciation for tradition and beauty. I love her to pieces because in college she was solely responsible for showing this tomboy how much fun being a little girlie-girl can be!

The View from the Porch - Laura's posts are thoughtful and amazing and some days I feel as if she's speaking directly to me with her thoughts. She's also responsible for getting me involved in a new knitting circle that I think is going to be something fun I look forward to attending every month...hopefully for years to come!


And last but not least, yoga bloggers. I'm actually not going to list them all here because you can link to them in the side bar. It would be so hard to choose just a few to highlight because they have all provided me with insight many times. Nadine and I have connected over our joint SI issues despite the fact she's all the way down under. Brenda and I share the similarities of teaching in multi-function gyms/studios in small mid-western towns.

But I wanted to talk about one yoga related blog in particular:

Visions of Cody - Cody's blog isn't strictly a yoga blog, but I include it here because a good portion of his writing is about his yoga practice. There are days I skim over his posts and realize it's not of interest to me and move on to my next task. We all have posts that speak to some and not to others. What I enjoy about following Cody's blog is not only the humor and sarcasm that's often woven into his words (because face it, us yogis often take ourselves way too seriously) but also how his posts often trigger me to stop and think about how I feel about what he's saying. He's not afraid to address some issues (thoughtfully mind you...controversial or not, I believe tact should always be used when stating one's opinions...even online!) that need to be talked about, but in face to face conversation are often avoided because of their touchy subject matter. I admit that I myself don't often engage in face to face conversation about topics I know could cause conflict, but am so thankful that a medium exists that gives us all an outlet to share our thoughts.


I could go on and on really, but I'll let these blogs speak for themselves.

I thank you for your readership and for occasionally sharing a few moments in time with me in online conversation.


namaste