best life ever

grace's guide to living your best life ever:

* take a year off {i think everyone needs time like this}

* hug anything and everything {ally & kate helped me realize this today after they were gone for the weekend}

* paint your nails {clean your toenails too}

* take a nap in the grass {read some nytimes [ this article caught my attention] and yoganadaji and listen to this music}

*make chickpea salad, chocolate pumpkin muffins, and applesauce

* go to a vinyasa class {mom made a great joke after class on saturday. she had gone to the same teacher's class before and i had never been able to make it, so after class mom introduced me to the teacher. pam, the teacher, asked if i practiced a lot and mom, with complete seriousness looked at her and said, pointing to me,"no, this was her first time in a class. i guess she's just a natural." pam's face was priceless and once it was all sorted out, we all had a good laugh.}

* pay a visit to the farmers market

* pray that the pictures you took with your holga come out okay

* stop shaving {i've been almost a month now and it's grand. kim and brandi saw my armpits today and gagged, but . . . it certainly is freeing. . .}

* wear glasses too big for your face

* watch this series while you cook foodstuff

* partake in a candlelight meditation and listen to echoes while you do

* work on your life list {abs, as expected, mine is getting out of control}

* draw/ sketch a portrait

* go on a 2 hour walk in the woods {a few pics to come}

* listen to a john piper sermon with your family

* make a collage

* make a little bit of money doing a job you enjoy

* watch movies en francais {finally got around to watching the diving bell and the butterfly [wow] and i think i'll watch this ce soir}

* push-up challenge with the family {mom, dad, sam and i have all challenged each other to do anywhere from 10 to 25 push-ups before each meal}

* listen to a book on tape {like this one}

* make a bookmark from the flowers you picked on your walk in the woods!

* celebrate all the little things in your life

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grace's list of things she still needs to work on to make life even better:

* practice patience

* respond to emails/messages promptly

* spend more time preparing for yoga classes/ find more opportunities to teach

* become more eternally focused

* become increasingly less self-absorbed

* write even more letters

* find more ways to serve