be inspired. getting to know chandra part.2

not too long ago i introduced you to one of my nearest & dearest friends chandra - there were far too many charming things to share in just one post about this gal...so here is just a little more.

can you share with us some of your other interests?  what do you like to do for fun?

I could spend hours in the kitchen cooking, which I oftentimes do (hence the blog with lots O' food experiments!) I like grocery shopping, which I realize is kinda weird. I also love subjecting my family and friends to my experiments... In my opinion, there's nothing better than amazing conversation plus yummy food and wine with people you adore. I also really love going out to eat!! 

When the weather is nice I really enjoy going bike riding, running, or rollerblading with my daughter and my boyfriend, as well as visiting local farmer's markets. I'm madly in love with summer! Anything I can do to be in the sunshine is pretty much my favorite.  In the winter, I spend most of my time snuggling under big cozy blankets, trying to keep warm. As well as taking spinning and yoga classes at the gym with Lindsay :)

At any given moment, I'm usually in the middle of 2 or 3 (or 4), non-fiction books of the motivational/spirituality type. I'm a bit of a nerd. I don't really have the TV on much, but if I do watch something it's usually anything on The Food Network, or anyone of Oprah's Lifeclass series or cool documentaries.

I love, love, LOVE to travel although I don't do it as much as I'd like at this point in my life. And I could lay on a beach by the sea for years.

Speaking of the Sea, here's my favorite quote right now:

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." -I. Dinesen

I'm also a philanthropic quote whore: I put out (quotes) everywhere I go. For free. 

not only are you completely and totally amazing because of all of these things, but your food is top notch too ;) just had to throw that out there.  let's do something fun...would you mind sharing the ABC's of chandra? 

Age: 33
Best Vacation: Road trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Miss M. Just the 2 of us camping on the ocean. Incredible.
Chore you Hate: Laundry... not washing it, just putting it away. I usually just skip that part and get dressed out of the laundry basket in the morning.
Dogs or Cats: Kitty Cats! I have a Yellow Tabby named Cheese.
Essential Part of Your Day: Sweat. Stillness. Gratitude. Creation.
Favorite Flower: Anything tropical.
Greatest Film: I just watched Practical Magic the other day for about the millionth time... I love that movie.
Height: 5'4"
Instrument you play or have played: My voice has always been my instrument, but I would love to learn to play the guitar and piano someday.
Job you would love to have: Someday I will be a life coach and motivational speaker. It is my dream.
Kids: A lovely lady named Miss M. She's only 12, but manages to teach me something about life everyday.
Live: Lincoln, NE
Mom's Name: Debra Joy
Nick Name: Chandi
Over night Hospital Stays: C-Section with Miss M, Broken Femur 4 summers ago from trying to learn how to wake board, Broken back the summer before last from tumbling over a rocky waterfall.
Pet Peeve: Slow Drivers!
Quote: Oh Man!! I don't know if I can pick just one. I'm a philanthropic quote whore. I put out (quotes) where ever I go. For free.
Here's a good one for Valentine's Day: I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts there can be no more hurt, only more love. ~ Mother Theresa
Right or Left Handed: Right.
Siblings: 3 brothers and 1 sister. They are all 7 to 15 years younger than me.
Time you wake up: Usually between 5 and 6 in order to get my bootie to the gym.
University you attended: College of Hair Design
Vegetable you dislike: I really can't think of one..... raw carrots are probably my least favorite. But I love them cooked.
What makes you run late: Creative endeavors such as writing. I totally get sucked into the butthole of time when I write.
Xrays: Oh, who knows! I'm sure I probably got some with all the broken bones, but I really don't remember. I'll blame that on the morphine.
Yummy Food You Make: I conduct Experiments with Earthfood all the time and make all sorts of good stuff. Recently I made a dairy and gluten free Alfredo Sauce that pretty much rocked my world.
Zoo Animal: The zoo makes me sad. I feel bad for all of the trapped caged animals. I am in love with wild cats though... I would love to be able to go on safari and see them in their natural habitat sometime. 

be sure to check out all of the amazingness (yes i said amazingness!)  that is over at the earthfood experiment.  i know you will love chandra as much as i do!

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be inspired. getting to know chandra.

today is a special day...i am lucky enough to be able to introduce you to an amazing lady named chandra.  she is one of the most inspiring people i have ever had the pleasure to meet.  she is my friend...every day she encourages me to reach new heights and motivates me in times when i feel everything but motivated.  after you know chandra, your perspective on life...your idea of living is changed forever.  i think you'll understand what i mean...

First tell us about yourself and the things that inspire you.
 
I'm 33 years old and live in Lincoln, NE.. the land of beef and corn!! I have the joy of sharing my life with a girl I call Miss M. She was born 12 years ago, upside down in the splits, and has been dancing ever since.  

Cheese is the name of our cat. She is orange in color and was named after people food, but does not eat people food (aside from the occasional snickerdoodle).  I date a guy whom I affectionately named Sweets. I had a crush on him in Junior high, but we didn’t go on our first date until one year ago on New Year’s Eve. He is the love of my life. 

I'm inspired by people who follow their hearts. I believe that we are all given our passions, desires, interests, and talents for a reason. They are the divinity within us and they are our contributions to the world. I am downright passionate about following dreams, and helping others to do the same. 

I am so motivated & inspired  by people who have a desire to follow their dreams...what are some of the dreams that you are most passionate about?

In order to answer that question I have to go backwards a little...
I had a somewhat rough beginning to life, seemingly doing everything the hard way (this was totally my own fault, by the way!!) . At about 25 years old, I experienced what I affectionately refer to as my quarter life crisis. This ‘crisis’ and the subsequent years of finding myself has left me downright passionate about leading the fullest life possible, and helping others to do the same. I’m a true believer that in order to live a full, healthy, happy life we have to do 3 things:

1.     Treat our bodies with respect, love them, and nourish them well.

2.     Be just as careful about what goes into our minds as what goes into our bodies… they are not separate entities as we oftentimes think, and I truly believe that one does affect the other. 

3.     Recognize our passions and desires, believe in them, and give them the space in our lives that they deserve. They were given to us for a reason, they are the divinity within us, and they are our contributions to the world. 

The entire reason I started The Earthfood Experiment was to help not only others with all these aspects of life, but myself as well. I love starting conversations and bringing awareness to quality of life issues. We all deserve to have rich, full lives and it's my single greatest desire to be able to travel the world helping people believe in themselves and actualize their dreams. So, I guess you could say my dream is to help others dream!

My other desires include living near the ocean someday (I'm madly in love with it!!), being able to show my daughter all that the world has to offer, spending my everyday doing whatever happens to excite me in the moment. 

What plans do you have in 2012 to help you reach your dreams even further?

This year I plan to spend the bulk of my time notifying the world about The Earthfood Experiment, and creating a loving, playful, and inviting community for anyone who is interested in living the highest quality of life possible. A place where we can meet to pump each other full of good food, good thoughts, and inspiration.

In addition, I will be starting Life Coaching Courses with Martha Beck this year, which I'm beyond ecstatic about! It's my desire to be able to assist people with their lives in a one-on-one setting.

I also want to do some traveling in order to start narrowing down the places I want to move to! I must be somewhere warm and by the ocean. That I know for sure.

my interview with chandra is not over!  more about this loving, inspiring and motivating lady is coming next week :)  in the meantime...you can get to know this beauty more here

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kids at heart - adult arcades are my bff

a night on the town

a few of our friends thought it would be nice to head downtown and get a bite to eat and have a few drinks.  i have not been out in the last month or two and thought it would be good to get out!  everyone needs a break from time to time!

i am not a beer drinker...nor do i like pop because of the carbination, but my dear friends thought i should try a sip of guiness.  their exact words "it tastes a lot like chocolate milk..." from my face, i think we can all agree that i was not impressed.

i do however love a good martini.  after dinner we headed over to the starlite lounge; a local retro style martini bar.  it's located in a basement like atmosphere with teal and orange pleather chairs...totally fab :)

the boys like to enjoy a cigar from time to time so we headed over to the cigar bar.  on our way we passed the stella boutique and i took a few snapshots of the window display i created...

...it looks so pretty at night!  it's hard to get a good picture of it during the day because there is such a glare.  i can't wait to get started on the spring display!

to end the night, the boys got the cigars they wanted...mallori helped light them up and i took the pictures!  i hope you all had a fun and beautiful weekend with family and friends too. XO, lindsay