Diamond Life Adventures

What the lake gave me

My title is influenced by Frida Kahlo’s What the Water Gave Me. Lake Michigan has a magnetic energy that pulls me in with every glance. I’m like a moth drawn to the flame. It is mesmerizing, energizing, and always inspiring. But despite my love for all things aquatic, this is the first year I saw…
January 2021 Photo Diary

Walk with me through Chicago and experience the reflective duality of new beginnings and endings in January 2021.
Storm Orlena Crashes into Chicago

Chicago Snow Adventures. Come walk with. me through Old Town, Lincoln Park, and Oak Street Beach.
December 2020 Photo Diary

Where photo meets the page…
November 2020 photo diary

Where photo meets the page….
October 2020 Nature photo diary

Where photo meets the page…
October 2020 Photo Diary

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September 2020 Photo Diary

Where the photo meets the page…
Summer Sendoff in Monee

This summer has introduced me to a newfound love of nature. I have been camping more times than I can count, but this summer and during the pandemic is the first time I actively sought out nature. When I saw an event for kayaking and a cookout for $20 at the Monee Reservoir, I signed…
Lakeshore Drive-In and Lovecraft Country

Going to the Drive-In during COVID I haven’t been to a drive-in since the late nineties. If memory serves me correctly, I saw a double feature of Twister and Erasure in the south suburbs. And in the movie Twister, a tornado hits a drive-in. This experience was much better. And full of so many joyful…
Poetry Photos

Where poetry meets the photo and magic happens.
September 2020 Nature Photo Diary

Where the photo meets the page….
August 2020 Nature Photo Diary

Where the photo meets the page… Is it really September? Let’s toast to the last days of summer. These pictures were taken in August 2020. During this crazy year, nature was a healing escape. The first picture is a pumpkin. They are yellow and then become orange.
August 2020 Photo Diary

Where the photo meets the page… Welcome to a new series on the blog – my pandemic photo diary. Whenever I venture outside, I notice something new about the city. I thought I’d share the little pockets of life that catch my eye. Join me on my adventures. The following photos were taken on the…
Week Four : Surya Namaskar

Class Seven I missed this class and later caught up by watching the video. Class Eight I opt to take the pre-yoga class. It is full of headstands. What? This yoga instruction often brings me to the edges of my comfort zone. Fortunately, it is always a safe space free of judgment. I feel capable.…
Book Report : The Miracle of Mindfulness

One of the core requirements of yoga teacher training is a book report on a yoga reading. I chose to do my report on Thich That Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness. When I signed up for yoga teacher training, my main goal was to achieve a hot girl summer body and check off an imaginary…
The Yoga Journey – Table of Contents

The yoga posts are organized chronologically. Each week may contain a separate (assigned) journal post. Start Here : Why and how I started my Yoga Journey Week 1: Pre-training and Week 1: Everything you always wanted to know about yoga teacher training Week 2: Week Two: Getting into the Routine Journaling the journey of meditation…
Week Three Journal: Meditation is a new high

Our assignment was to journal our meditation. We were to meditate one day a week until the next class and journal our reactions. I mainly use sound meditations in the morning. Each meditation lasts around 10 to 15 minutes. Day 1: I meditate in the morning before work. My body feels good. It is quiet…
Week Two: Getting a Routine

From now on posts will be split into a recap of the week and journal assignments Class 3: One of the perks of attending teaching training, is we are allowed to take yoga classes at the studio at any time a class is scheduled. I opted to take the Wednesday class of week two. It…
Week Three : Meditation and Super Mario Brothers

Week Three Class 5 I missed class, but watched on-line at a later date. We learned about the invocation prayer that is dedicated to all teachers. We say it at the beginning of each class. We also did some sun salutations. We learned about the bandas. They are places in your body where you generate…
Expect the Unexpected: pre-training and a recap of week one

Everything you wanted to know about yoga teacher training but didn’t know to ask My first step of this journey was based on instinct and trusting myself. As stated before, I did yoga before it was popular in the US. But signing up for yoga training was that last final leap of expensive faith. I’d…
Week 2 Assignment: Journal the journey of meditation

I do no remember learning how to meditate, yet I have always been able to meditate. I compare it to languages. I do not remember learning to speak or read. Yet if I try to read or speak in another language it is difficult. The most difficult thing about learning something new usually isn’t the…
Yoga Journey Begins

Am I too old for this? There are so many things on my personal bucket list I’ve checked off this year. I’m not talking about society’s bucket list of good job, marriage, kids, vacation. I’m talking about a personal bucket list – things you are unexplainably drawn to. Things that make no sense but feel…