2015 Year of Creative Expression

My intention for the coming year is creative expression. Today at the San Diego Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park I put together a wish bell with beads made by artist Beverly Hartgrave.

On the bottom is a bell, above that is a ceramic ball with seahorses, leading up to a multi-blue glass bead. Above this is a ceramic triangle with heart designs. This leads up to two more single color blue glass beads and above that is a bead with the letter A for Amy.

I will hang this visibly in my house and ring the bell throughout the year to remind of my creative expression intention.

Concluding The Year of Clarity, Calm and Confidence

Every year since 2009 I have created a "Year of..." theme that reflects my intention for the coming 12 months. I never expect that I will fully realize my intention - it is more of a direction of thought and action. Here are the Years of since 2009:

2009 The Year of Amy
2010 The Year of Living My Dreams
2011 The Year of Balance
2012 The Year of Being Present
2013 The Year of Connection
2014 The Year of Clarity, Calm and Confidence

Becoming a certified at 500-hours of training as a yoga teacher in 2014 was one of this year's highlights. I certainly practice the 3 C's in preparing and leading each week's Yoga Restoratives class.

This Clarity, Calm and Confidence also plays out in my Fashion Marketing & Management, Culinary Management and Advertising classes. This quarter, Fall 2014, I felt that I finally hit my stride as a full time classroom teacher. This was actually my 5th year anniversary being an instructor. As I've focused on the 3 C's I've become more comfortable in myself and I believe that the students can sense it. 

Probably turning 45 this year also helped with the 3 C's. There's something about 45 that allows you to stand tall, be centered and let the less important "stuff" just roll past you. At 45 I love myself ever more deeply each day.

Amy Being a Fish

Notice what is in the background at Ironside restaurant in San Diego.

Del Coronado Sand Castle

Point Lomas San Diego

Moments after making this video a huge wave come up over the rocks and splashed me, and then another one. It was like being kissed by the ocean. I laughed, enjoying the surprise.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Picture Perfect Sky.

Oakland's Lake Merritt

Beautiful scene with the fog and sun.

Polkadot Party

Dhalia finds herself

Himalayan Salt Gifts

I bought a couple of dozen little tiny bottles with cork tops and a bag of charms - all on Amazon. To make these holiday table gifts I ground up Himalayan salt, placed it in the bottles, corked them and tied the charms to make each one unique.

My Students are #Shoelovers

So very proud of my Fashion Marketing & Management students who created a holiday window installation for DSW on San Francisco's Union Square. They are featured on the DSW blog http://blog.dsw.com/fashion-style/holiday-dreaming-union-square.

Oakland Protests: Helicopters and Search Lights

I live a few blocks from where the protests have been taking place in Oakland near Highway 580 and Lake Merritt. The helicopters overhead are so frequent that it has become a background noise over the past several weeks. But just now one of those helicopters shined its light into my house, through the kitchen window, landing on me at my computer. That gave me a very uneasy feeling. My uneasiness is not that there could be protesters nearby but rather that even in my home, I can be impacted by the tactics of the police. That really hit home.

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