12k Fundraiser Complete!

Just an update, a more extensive post including pictures & everything on the way...

I did it. I ran 12km (about 7.5 mi) this morning from Dodger Stadium to the L.A. Zoo! I raised some money for my trip, as well as for this great charity I'm going to be supporting. I feel great! It's amazing, because a year ago, I wouldn't have even imagined I could pull it off, and here I am. I took a couple breaks for water, but I hardly walked at all, and I finished a lot faster than I thought I would.

Next stop: marathon??

Fundraiser!

Help Beckett (that's me!) get to Abentheuer, Germany October 8-17 to complete her Yoga teacher certification in Atma Yoga through Yogamandir by sponsoring her in a 12k Jog-A-Thon!

The Jog-a-Thon will be on Sunday, August 29 at 8:00 in the morning, starting at Dodger Stadium, and ending at the L.A. Zoo (exactly 12 km). Any level of sponsorship is apreciated!

A percentage of proceeds will be donated to the My Stuff Bags foundation, whose mission it is to provide every neglected, abused, and abandoned child in America rescued from dangerous and abusive homes with a bag of comforting personal belongings. These children often arrive at crisis centers and foster homes with few, if any, personal belongings. For more info, check out MyStuffBags.org.

Donation will also entitle you to a FREE Yoga class (personal or group, your choice) upon Beckett’s certification and return to the States.

Your help is greatly appreciated! 

Also, If you want to jog along, your company is also welcomed!

Finally Picked A Yoga School!

I totally lucked out! All of the programs I was interested in going through for my yoga certification are basically finished for the rest of the year, and won't have anything local until around February. Since I am in need of a job, and would preferably like to start teaching before then, I'm not willing to wait that long. So I was browsing my options and happened upon an Atma Yoga school that not only has a session sooner than that in LA, but one even sooner in none other than Germany!


I have always had an affinity for all things German, and have wanted to go back there ever since my short residency there. It was always in my plans, but for one reason or another, kept getting pushed back. So needless to say, I was ECSTATIC at the thought of getting certification in Germany!

Atma Yoga is one of the most reasonable places I've seen. Because a portion of the study is done online, they are able to charge less for their 10-day intensive than other programs. The fact that I get to go back to Germany (in my old stomping-grounds, no less!) is just a plus. When I return, I will be certified in Atma Yoga!

I couldn't be more excited!

Having A Chef in the House Pays Off

My roommate is an amazing cook. Seriously, she could (and should) have her own restaurant. She loves experimenting with ingredients she isn't used to, so she loves cooking al Veg for myself and my other veg roommate. And we love when she does!

For the past month almost, she was out of town for a family emergency of sorts, so I had to fend for myself. You must understand my plight: I have never been a cook by any means. My specialty is boxed Mac-n-Cheese. On occasion, I used to go for a fancier alternative in the form of Rice- or Pasta-Roni. I'm the type of person who forgets to put flower in her cookie dough and ends up with a gooey, buttery mess.

In an attempt to eat healthier, I've been buying more vegetables, less pre-prepared microwaveable and just-add-water-and-butter sodium overload meals, and picked up on a few of the Chef's simple techniques in the process. I was so proud of how delicious & pretty these dishes turned out that I had to share them with you!

Wheat Lo-mein with grilled lemon-pepper tofu & stir-fry veggies

Fried brown rice with fried lemon-pepper tofu & spinach

There is egg in both of them, so they are not Vegan, but you can easily substitute that with a tofu scramble. There is also a tiny bit of lo-cal, lo-sodium soy sauce, but used very sparingly. All-in-all, a complete success!