Remembering the Law of Attraction

my parents, Lake Michigan, MI

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Hi lovely lights!

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Last night I watched some really nice vids by Esther and Jerry Hicks, you can see them here.

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You don't have to take the bad with the good. Why include the bad in the vibration? Only include the good in the vibration, and then only the good can come to you.--- Abraham

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I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately as I’ve felt pretty negative on and off over the past few months. I’m not sure what was but I was out of alignment, out of inspiration, things seemed kind of…flat. I read Freelea’s blog today and she was re-telling her story about returning to cooked food after 9months of raw. Here are some of the things she experienced that really resonated with me:

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* Heavy legs that would scream at the thought of exercise
* I would regularly take things personally (when it was rarely about me at all)
* Became emotionally unstable extremely quickly & would ‘fly off the handle’ very easily
* I become a skinny fat person because I didn’t have the energy to do anything, my muscle atrophied from lack of calories & use
* I had less energy to give to others in person, I would avoid too much conversation as it drained me, every ounce of my vitality was being used just to get me through the day.
* I became depressed & started to question the raw lifestyle & look for reasons not to do it
* My self-esteem lowered considerably

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Law of Attraction says, "That which is like unto itself is drawn."

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I am slowly reversing these feelings as I transition back to 811 and train for this half marathon. I still feel fuzzy mentally. I still feel frustrated easily. I know these things will fade in time. Went I first went raw over two and a half years ago everything was a buzz. I felt truly inspired in every moment and as a result, truly inspiring things came to me effortlessly! I felt bright-eyed and bushy tailed! Finding and implementing raw food was the biggest transformation I have ever experienced, the ultimate high! The ultimate shift; like the earth moved, the clouds parted, and the sun finally started shining after a brutally long Midwestern winter (those of you from the Midwest can appreciate this)! For most of my college life I bounced in and out of depression. I couldn’t figure out who I was or what I was meant to do. I didn’t value myself and had pretty low self-esteem which I masked with a bigger-than-life, tough as nails persona! After college, I gradually started coming into my own and valuing myself. When I found raw food, BAM!!! The light switch went on! I could focus! My self esteem skyrocketed and I felt like I finally had the answers within myself that I had been struggling to find for so many years.

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I’ve bounced back and forth between 811rv, gourmet raw, cooked food, and lots of partying…what can I say? I’m human. It’s all about balance for me. The balance of being a fun, outgoing twenty something that likes to socialize and have a few (or a lot of) cocktails on occasion and the super serious me who feels wise beyond her years and knows there is a higher vibration to tap into. The me who feels amazing waking up feeling refreshed, rebounding, making smoothies and salads for the day, coming home and going for a run, spending a few hours researching stuff online and then going to bed at 10…..but then my ego sets in; you’re young, you should be going out, there’s so much fun stuff to do in the city, you live right in the heart of it all, there’s a new restaurant opening, there’s a band playing, there’s a….but then the rational part of me kicks in. The me that knows how simply amazing it is to wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, the joy in making and eating only the best foods ever, the incredible rush of endorphins from exercise, and the sweet peaceful bliss of deep sleep…

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It’s a balancing act.

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The key is doing that which makes me truly happy. That is the only way to flow in harmony with the stream of vibration that we are always a part of – that I am always a part of (must remember that). How easy it is to forget! It’s so easy to focus on the negative, to do what everyone else does, to eat what everyone else eats, to feel like everyone feels. But in the end, I know what it’s like to feel amazing. I mean truly, out of your skin, giggle for no reason, everyday is the best day ever, AMAZING!!! Now that I know, nothing else will do. Nothing but the best. If I want nothing but the best, if I want to feel amazing, then I must focus on the amazing, on the BEST! How, why, when, where did I forget that?!? At least I am remembering it now and hopefully reminding you all to do the same. I’m downloading some of the teachings of Abraham so I can feel fully inspired at the touch of a button! I hope that you too will find a way to surround yourself with that which makes you truly happy and inspired. As the Law of Attraction says, "That which is like unto itself is drawn."

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Love to you all.

Smoothie...run!

Greetings fruit lovers!

This morning I had the most amazing smoothie EVER!

5 bananas

1 bag frozen wild blueberries

enough water to blend

omg, to live for!!!

I'm doing really well keeping it low fat :) I'm having a quart or two of smoothie for breakfast, mono meal of 1-2 Tuscan melon for lunch, and large salad for dinner around 4:30/5pm.

My salad usually consists of one head lettuce, 2 stalk julienne cut celery, 3 julienne carrot, 1 large heirloom tom, 1 chopped bell pepper, and sunflower sprouts, now that's a BIG salad!! yummo!!! I'm using a dressing based on Natalia Rose's 'liquid gold' recipe but I am going to try to make an 811rv version...I'll post the recipe once it's perfected!

Speaking of recipes, check out this link for a wonderful, inspirational low-fat raw recipe book by the fabulous Sarah of Living the Fruity Life. The proceeds go toward helping her amazing and dedicated family cover the costs for her sons' increasing therapy costs. Check out her website with fabulous info, tips, and videos!!

Sharing the Love: A Low-Fat Recipe Guide contains 40 recipes, encouraging quotes, special hints, and several inspiring stories to help motivate you in your quest towards living a vibrant and healthy life. These recipes are great for those just starting out or for those who need a few new ideas to add to their already healthy diet.

I've been running 3mi 3-4 times a week and it feels fab!! I ran in the rain earlier this week and it was amazing! It makes such a difference after a long day at work being cooped up inside. I really feel the rhythm of the city and of the seasons when I run outside. I'm ready to have super toned and muscular legs again. I used to be so proud of my legs! They were pure muscle and super strong! It's coming....!

Eating 811rv just makes you want to exercise. I'm so glad I am no longer on the high-fat raw train. It was fun for awhile but I started feeling sluggish and weighed down. On 811 I literally feel like my cells are buzzing, bzzzzzz!!

Check out these raw food testimonials with before and after pics:

http://www.loving-it-raw.com/raw-food-diet-testimonials.html

love it!

I'm back!

Hi Loves,
How are you?! I'm back after a long hiatus. What have I been up to? I've been loving, laughing, LIVING!!! I've had such an amazing spring and summer, glittered with travel, friends, family, beaches, sunshine, football games, music, and lots of laughter!

view from the Ritz, Laguna Beach, CA

Here's an excerpt of an article from rawfoodexplained that I just love, love, love! I know you will too!

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Emotional Aspects Of Diet And Digestion-How Negative Emotions Inhibit Digestion
Depressions, worry, nervousness, anxiety, tension and other negative emotions are all based on the primary emotion of fear. Worry is fear of the unknown; anxiety is fear of upcoming situations; tension is fear of people or demands made by people; nervousness is fear of one's own inability to adequately handle the responsibilities of daily living, and so on.
When primitive man was afraid, he usually tried to run away from the source of the fear. When animals are afraid, their first impulse is to flee. Modern man, however, has fears about the intangibles in life. Most of his fears are due to internal factors, not external, and he cannot run away from them.
Although human fears have moved away from concern about the wild jungle animals to worries over mortgage payments, etc., the physiological responses to these fears have not changed in millions of years.
Panic is an extreme manifestation of fear, and it is instructive to trace the physiological changes in the organism that accompany this emotion.
As soon as a threat to the organism is manifested as a strong fear, a complex chain of events begins that eventually affects every cell in the body.
First, the hypothalamus gland near the brain transmits a series of strong signals through the spinal column to nerve centers throughout the body. In the throat, large amounts of thyrotopic hormone is released into the system to stimulate the organism. Near the kidneys, a flood of adrenocorticotropic hormone is produced as the adrenal glands are called into action. These hormones then trigger a series of programmed responses throughout the body.
The blood vessels in the skin and the digestive system undergo a rapid constriction to direct the blood to the muscles in the arms and legs (hence, the term "pale with fright"). This prepares the body for the "flight or fight" response to the fear.
Simultaneously, the spleen is contracting and pouring out a large amount of white corpuscles and platelets into the bloodstream in order to take care of any anticipated injuries. The liver also forces out a stream of blood sugar to feed the extreme demands made by the aroused system.
The saliva in the mouth dries up since there is no desire for food in the presence of fear. The nostrils expand to take in more oxygen and the eyes dilate to take in more visual stimuli. In extreme fear, the abdominal gases move downward and force any stool or urine in the system out, thus lightening the body and preparing it for flight.
The emotion of fear produces the proper physiological reactions in the body so that it may run quickly away or fight if it is cornered. These types of changes in the body are actually very beneficial if there is an imminent danger of physical harm.
These same reactions occur, usually to a lesser degree, for an intangible fear as for a physical threat.If we worry about bill collectors or rush-hour traffic, our bodies go through similar physiological reactions to when our lives are physically threatened.
Now let's look a little closer at the relationship between fear and digestion.
First, it is obvious that no one whose life is in danger is going to have an appetite.
Dr. Herbert M. Shelton once described an experiment performed on a cat that had just finished eating. The cat's stomach was observed with X rays, and digestion was proceeding normally. A dog was then brought into the room and the cat took notice. Immediately all digestive processes in the cat halted. Its stomach ceased moving and the digestive juices stopped secreting. When the dog was removed, the cat's digestion resumed.
Food cannot be digested or assimilated in the presence of fear. If we eat when we are worried, depressed, tense or fearful, the digestive system cannot handle the food properly. It may be only partially digested and lay fermenting or putrefying in the stomach.
We should never eat when we are emotionally upset or "out of sorts." If we are uncomfortable in body or mind, we should not eat until we feel better and regain our poise.
Additionally, it is not a good idea to try to eat while driving a car, discussing business or personal problems, reading disturbing news, watching television or in any situation that may give rise to intense emotions.

How Positive Emotions Enhance Digestion
Several years ago, a man was diagnosed by the medical profession as having terminal cancer. He was told that he probably had about six months to live.
He was released from the hospital and he ended his medical treatment as he went back home to live. For the first month or so, he was very depressed and laid in bed all day watching television. He was in constant pain.
Each day in the late afternoon he watched the cartoon programs on television before the evening news. He always laughed at the cartoons and noticed that by the end of the show his pain was not as noticeable. It did return, however, as he watched the evening news.
He decided that there might be a relationship between his laughing and the subsidence of pain. He installed a videotape machine and then bought all the funny movies that he remembered from his youth.
He watched all the slapstick comedies he could find for hours at a time. He bought dozens of joke books and read them. He made it a point to laugh as much as possible during his waking hours.
Gradually, his pain left him. After six months, he was still alive and his cancer had been arrested.
Happy emotions do influence physiological processes in the body, just as do negative emotions. When we are cheerful, carefree and happy, we rarely become sick. One of the results of a happy disposition is improved digestion.
When we feel positive about ourselves and our surroundings, we relish our food more and it is more easily assimilated. Surrounding ourselves with good companionship, pleasant conversation and a wholesome environment makes eating a pleasure, and digestion progresses easily.
When we are relaxed, our stomach and other organs are less tense; they feel less constrained and can perform their tasks more easily. In fact, the physical act of laughing after a meal allows the food to pass more readily through the digestive tract.
We should make every effort to surround ourselves with pleasant emotions and thoughts before and during meals. Prayer, meditation or a period of silence before beginning a meal can help us to "wind down" our activities. By establishing a quiet period before we begin eating, we remove ourselves from the hurried emotions and past thoughts of the day. We take time to renew ourselves spiritually before we renew ourselves physically. Regardless of one's religious beliefs or lack of beliefs, it is simply common sense to observe a period of emotional poise and mental quiet before eating. This may take the form of a prayer, an affirmation about the food we are about to eat, or simply a period of quiet silence where we anticipate the enjoyment of the upcoming meal.

Emotional Factors and the Foods We Choose
Eating an optimum diet would be simple if we were all rational beings, freed from emotional conditioning. However, in the realm of diet, it is often the emotions and past habits that are king and queen instead of reason and clear perception.
We eat ice cream, spicy foods, candy and other destructive foods primarily because of emotional needs and emotional associations with these foods—not because of any true physiological need or premeditated reason.
People form emotional attachments to foods as a result of childhood experiences, past associations or self-conditioning. Consequently, certain foods are often eaten during particular emotional states, such as depression, etc., or in hopes of inducing a specific emotion, such as contentment or happiness.
For instance, ice cream is often associated with the rewards of childhood. When we were children, ice cream represented a treat or perhaps a sign of parental approval or indulgence. "If you'll be good, I'll buy you an ice cream cone," is a common promise of harried parents.
Thus, at an early age, ice cream is associated with "being good" and with parental approval. Consequently, when we have been good (such as staying on a good diet for a few weeks), we decide to play both parent and child and reward ourselves with a bowl of ice cream. Similarly, if we are feeling depressed or overwhelmed by life's problems, we may eat other childhood "reward" foods to temporarily escape our adult troubles.
Holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving are intimately associated with strong emotions and certain festive foods. So strong is this emotional association of food with holiday fun that some health-conscious individuals may eat turkey, pastries and sweets on a holiday in an effort to capture the childhood memories of days long past, as well as for parental approval in the present.
Please note that no value judgement is placed upon the emotional associations and attachments to food. To a certain extent, all of our food likes and dislikes are based upon emotions. Few people eat out of purely rational reasons, nor is it necessary to do so. What is necessary, however, is to be aware of the role emotions play in our food choices. If we are eating certain foods that are not conducive to health because of a disturbed emotional state, we should be aware of our behavior and try to approach our problems in some other manner besides food.
Foods themselves cannot satisfy emotional needs. If we are depressed, eating chocolate chip cookies may stir the memories of a carefree childhood, but they do not remove the cause of that depression. Indeed, the foods we are eating may be creating the emotional problems we are trying to escape from.
For example, in our culture, most children are brought up to associate sweet, sugary foods with approval, love, affection, etc. A child is often given candy as a reward. This type of conditioning becomes an internal pattern which is carried over into adulthood.
When grown-up people feel lonely, bored or in need of reinforcement, they may buy an ice cream cone or put money in the nearest carbonated drink machine. They eat the sugary reward food and feel somewhat better emotionally for a few minutes. This illustrates that a negative emotional state, (boredom, insecurity, loneliness, etc.) may influence the selection of and eating of nonfood items (candy, cookies, snack foods, etc.).
These nonfood items then contribute to a nutritional imbalance which may, in turn, re-create the emotional state that one is trying to escape from. For instance, the refined sugar in sweet foods gives a temporary rise in energy and a false emotional "high." After this energy surge, the sugar has the effect of depleting the body of B-vitamins and other nutrients. This sugar-created depletion then sets the stage for additional emotional distress and depression.
A seemingly inescapable cycle is thereby created: A person is continually eating sugar-filled foods in an effort to escape the depression that the foods themselves are helping to create.

Emotions and the Quantity of Food We Eat
Not only are our food choices determined in a large part by our emotions, but so is the amount of food we eat and the manner in which we eat. When we are stressed or nervous, we tend to bolt our food down, thereby eating "on the run" and scarcely taking time to chew our food, properly.

Overeating
Overeating, too, is chiefly an emotionally-caused problem. Food for the overeater becomes both an escape from dissatisfaction with life and a drug to desensitize the emotions. Compulsive eating when no true hunger is present serves as a form of sensory indulgence little different from alcoholism, drug addiction or sexual excess.
The compulsive eater often uses food as an emotional salve. Most commonly, it is used as a substitute for feelings of love and affections. Chocolate candy bars and potato chips may replace meaningful personal relationships in the overeater's life. Food no longer is used as fuel and nutrients for the body, but becomes an easily obtainable form of pleasure that can be indulged in with a minimum amount of social disapproval.
Overeating results primarily from a negative self-image. Compulsive eaters often believe that they are unworthy of being loved. To prove this to themselves, they often become obese and unattractive. They reason, "No one wants me now because I am unattractive. I am fat." By becoming physically unattractive, the obese person is able to avoid facing the real problems behind their lack of love or affection. These problems may be real or imagined psychological unattractiveness or a personality disorder.
Since overeating is often an emotional problem, it can be effectively solved only through a change in the emotional state of the overeater. If compulsive eaters can change their food choices so that they are at least overeating on healthy foods, and not "junk foods," they will at least avoid the additional emotional problems that the "junk foods" create. The chief solution to obesity is the development of a more positive self-image and an understanding that the person is deserving of love and affection.

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It's a long excerpt, but it's fabulous!

I've been noshing on lots of fabulous green salads, green smoothies, apples, coconut water, and carrots with Natalia Rose's Liquid Gold dressing. I'm going back to implementing some principles from Tanya Zavasta's Quantum Eating which basically translates to eating simple raw meals and stopping eating at 4pm. It feels fantastic!

I've also started running again. After a long, HOT summer it feels really nice to run outside again! I'm trying to get 3mi in, 3x week until November. That's when I start a 10week training program for a half-marathon at the end of January. I'm super pumped! The longest race I've ever run was a 6K and the longest run I've ever done was 6 miles so this will be a huge milestone!

view from our cottage on Lake Michigan

Lot's of fun, amazing stuff coming with even more travel, friends, and family. I am one lucky duck!! ;)

May I be Frank

"May I Be Frank" Teaser

What happens when 54 year old Sicilian from Brooklyn, with a history of drug and alcohol abuse, bad eating, taking multiple medications for depression, fighting to cure himself of Hep-C meets 3 young vegan hipsters from San Francisco, who take him on a journey or self-discovery, self-love and ultimately transforming his life and relationship to himself?
May I Be FrankMySpace Videos

The power of Raw Foods! I love it!!!

Green Smoothie Love

Lot's of Green Smoothies lately!

My favorite recipies are:

2 bananas

1 large handful spinach

mango

black cherries

coconut water

1 Tbs Greens Mix Powder and 1tsp Colostrum

blend, enjoy!

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2 bananas

1 large handful spinach

1 orange

mixed berries

1 Tbs Greens Mix Powder and 1tsp Colostrum
blend, enjoy!

The Boutenko's are coming to Austin this weekend!!!

The Future of Food

Thanks to Drumhil for posting this link at We Like it Raw.

The entire film Future of Food is avainable for free on Hulu. I encourage everyone to watch this documentary. Food security is a global issue. As Americans, we really need to take a stand against genetically modified foods being grown in this country. They are not sustainable, they weed out family farmers, they deplete bio diversity, and we don't have a clear picture regarding the potential health hazards of these foods. Every single country in the EU has rejected further use of GM foods, cotton farmers in India burned their GM cotton seeds, the Japanese government said they are going to wait 10 years while they observe American children before they decide whether the use of GM foods is safe for human consumption...

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As of right now, the United States does not require GM loods to be labeled. It's time to Take Action!

Lets get the "Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act" passed into law!

Click here for details and instructions.

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Another food and farm related issue,

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It literally takes 5 seconds to sign this petition. Please take action and forward on!

http://www.leavemyfoodalone.org/

This website is a petition designed to stop HR 875. In its current form, the bill could prevent small local organic farms and community gardeners from growing and selling you nutritious, truly fresh, organic produce. It would crush our small local food producers by imposing heavy government regulation that only large corporations could adhere to. Imagine:

*No more farmers markets.
*No more garden fresh, seasonal ingredients from the local farmer at your favorite restaurant.
*No more roadside stands with fresh picked sweet corn, juicy ripe tomatoes, or refreshing watermelons in the summer.

*Americans would essentially be forced to only eat corporately manufactured, chemically treated, hermetically sealed, irradiated fruits and vegetables.

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STOP this abomination now.

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To prevent this bill, act now by signing the petition here!
To learn more about this ridiculous and misguided bill, click here.

SIGN This petition to save local small farms and organic gardens!!!

Gisel loves One Lucky Duck!