comforts of home: going back to Cali

sweetly tempered with pure maple syrup over a hot griddle.......sticky gooey carmelized seduction: fried bananas with bits of chocolate shavings


Fried bananas. My saving grace when I was transitioning my diet to incorporate more raw foods. So instead of the glass of red wine after dinner or the bowl of ice cream or chocolate torte, I would linger over a sweetly glazed fried banana carmelized with pure maple syrup. It was inspired to me after reading Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox Diet book that literally steered me forward on the positively feeling ever so clarified + focused track.

As many of my readers know, I have a healthy + loving balance with raw foods, gourmet cooked foods as well as the love for pure, natural + savory ingredients. To this day, these true loves of mine make me crazy passionate about my intense commitment for fine food, cooking, family, friends + life!

Many things happening here........

First I want to apologize for the delays in my postings as of late.

As I mentioned in my previous post that I spent 2008 cleaning house in more ways than one and the effort brought me back full circle tapping constantly at what I really wanted in my life.

In my consulting work, I am versed with the business plan + fine tuned proposals for my clients. I decided to take a step back and develop my *life plan* *divine plan* *master plan* or some call it the *vision board* of what I really WANTED out of my life. It also included short term, mid-term + long term goals. Then I went in to fudge back my details to make things more fluid in my way too organized life! I think we all have some sort of plan for ourselves.....I decided to take it a step farther and make it more concrete.

Mind you......I also had to take in consideration the munchkins in tow + the hubs. As a marketing specialist, I did pitch them well.....he he he! But found that after orchestrating the *vision board* that really, I had to let it BE and just let things transpire on their own.

Like planting seeds + watering.

Mind you......the whole intent of the *vision board* is to make reality of what you are desiring or wanting, thus taking steps in the direction and walking through the doors that open along the way.

Overall, I felt fulfilled yet oddly, knowing that something had to change in order for me to get to the next level of my life.

So now, I am happy to say.......I am going back home.

We are moving back to California.......like RIGHT NOW!

We just found out, so my life is a bit of a flurry right now. We will be leaving on our one way flight to California (that sounds soooo good to say, ONE WAY FLIGHT TO CALIFORNIA, I've been wanting to say that!) in the middle of March.

Can you believe it?

When it rains, it pours.

From the research I gathered, it was suggested to be very specific when you create your *vision board* For example: dates, places, needs, timeline, etc.

When I created the *vision board* with my hubs in 2008 we were very specific. For everything to *flow* in accordance to our family's needs, our hopes were to return to California no later than March 31, 2009. Plus it has to be southern California for family reasons. I know, I know......NORTHERN CALIFORNIA is the place to be, especially to the haunts of Passionate Eater and Foodhoe's Foraging. You guys are the BEST! We did consider noCal, but the cards were not flying.....

So surreal.

I am finding the *vision board* to be a quite a process. It involves some down time that can be hard to relinquish for busy types. But the down time makes space for the empty space to be created in order to be filled again. You often wonder what will be filled in that void when one goes on a diet, breaks up with a boyfriend, let's go of a bad situation/relationship or perhaps make a TOTALLY different career leap......there's always that fear.

My vision board encompassed my diverse life goals that I won't bore you with.....but you get the idea, ya know?!

After I created the vision board and spent time every morning reviewing it and meditating over it before I began my day, something happened.

Heart.

The vision and word: Heart

Then I heard a verse from a song from a contemplative musician I used to listen to often.....I heard this verse in it's full melody: wherever you treasure is.....there also your heart shall be.....

Then I started taking steps to make the *vision board* a reality. At times it seemed like nothing was happening. But then things startle to trickle. Trickle. There's resistance too.....kinda like when I started to incorporate more raw + more pure foods in my diet, my body/mind created a resistance.

But the best part of this journey is waking up to the dream coming true.

I plan to complete my previous post once I get settled.

There will be a little more down time until I post again. There will be a bit of down time visiting your blogs + commenting until I get up and running.

But in no time, I will be raising a glass to my fellow bloggers as I watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

The comforts of returning home.

full plate special + taste memories: california chopped salad

remnants to livelihood........


I spent last year clearing house.

Clearing out my house in so many ways.

It can be hard to let go of familiar ways and routines.

With all that empty space, open ground, the blank page, the slot to be filled......oh my goodness it will be a void in space.

One might wonder....what's next? What will happen? I don't know what!

Scary.

I need a doughnut. Just give me a freaking doughnut.

No gravy. I want GRAVY. Remember that old time Warner Bros. cartoon with the bull dog going crazy looking for GRAVY? Perhaps half of you don't! Remember Gumby? Underdog? Land of the Lost? Very scary how long ago that was......

I have had so much on my plate today. This past week. The weeks gone by.

Yet I keep thinking about this place. My next blog post. You guys.....fellow bloggers......enthusiasts.......lifers of the blog life. Love you guys!

I spent 2008 clearing house. In more ways then one. I spent 2008 sowing seeds.

Yes a lot on my plate as of late.

It is as if being in a garden; blossoming, tending, grooming, mending, watering and watching the blooms return.

Today, right now.......outside my window.....the sun is shining. Half the trees in the backyard are slightly bare naked of their leaves. Some green leaves linger the color of last summer as the remaining dried up faintly red maple leaves falter + dangle a bit prior their fall on straw-like winter crab grass. The pool filter is humming and there is a faint spell of fighter jets in the distance reminding me of time we are in and the fact that I live near a naval base.

And NO! I am not pregnant, jumping ship or running off with the butcher/baker or sushi guy.....

More words + pictures to follow......very shortly.