For after all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog

For those who know me, it is no secret that I love animals. Besides thinking my dog, Townes, hung the moon, I am also vegetarian. I think the idea above pretty much sums up my every day feelings.

Here are some adorable animals from around the web that are making it a great day!

1. This video will warm your heart. I especially love it since the rescue pup is from the same pound where we got Townes!

2. I know this isn't a dog video, but I am obsessed with this playful porcupine.

3. OH MY GOD. Bless her heart.

4. Baby bunnies that are so teeny tiny. Yes, please.

5. Last, but definitely not least, how cute is this guy? He looks so serious!

I may be a bit biased!

♥

“All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed.
For after all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog.” - Charles M. Schulz

The Visit 2013

It's pretty incredible to live less than 1 mile from an university [Emory] that has a close relationship to His Holiness the XVI Dalai Lama. 

The last time he visited Emory was in 2010. It was an amazing lecture that I will remember for the rest of my life (having Richard Gere and author Alice Walker speak in the lecture was also incredible)! 

Last March, while we were in Costa Rica, I read HH Dalai Lama's book Beyond Religion that focused on his suggested approach to ethics based on universal rather than religious principles. The concept of embracing the notion of common humanity was so simple, yet so profound.

When we got the recent email that the Dalai Lama will be back again this October to give a public talk, we knew we couldn't miss it. His visit "will focus on the fundamental human values that are the building blocks of an engaged and compassionate world. The Dalai Lama will outline his comprehensive vision of secular ethics, its underlying principles, and the urgent need to embrace such a system in today’s increasingly connected and globalized society." 

The tickets cover the public talk and a panel discussion.

"A panel discussion featuring His Holiness with top scientists and educators. The panel will examine the applicability of secular ethics in modern education through the lens of evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and educational policy and curricula. Discussion will include the implications of secular ethics for the U.S. education system, strategies of implementation, and potential benefits."

I'm so excited that his topics focus around the main topic of his book "Beyond Religion." Hopefully his book and his talk will encourage people to remember that we are all human beings who strive for happiness and try to avoid pain.

J + I already purchased our tickets! Buy your tickets here! 

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” - Dalai Lama XIV

♥

[photo]

Weekend Recap: Adventures in Gardening

It has been to nice to welcome Spring with open arms! 

We've been doing so much work in the yard and now that everything is turning bright green and thriving, the payoff has been incredible. J is typically the laborer in the yard when it comes to planting and pulling weeds, but I actually like to mow the lawn so he can focus on the landscaping. 

A few weeks ago (in between rainstorms), we built two 8 x 4 raised garden beds (we used this tutorial). The view below of the boxes was through our window screen. The hardest part was tilling the yard without a tiller (especially after it rained and the soil got heavier). We laid weed barrier around the boxes, laid mulch over the barrier, and then it was time to fill it with a soil mixture. We ended up using a combination of garden soil (flower + vegetable), mushroom compost, and top soil.

We made sure to finish the boxes 2 weeks ago in preparation for the annual plant sale at the Wylde Center in Oakhurst this past weekend. We've gone for the last few years and we were ready to start our garden! 

We ended up getting 4 various heirloom tomatoes, various peppers, eggplant, squash, horseradish, lettuce, cucumbers, and various herbs (mint, basil, spicy oregano, lavendar, lemon balm, etc.)

 Once we got home, we were in a race against the rain (or so we thought) so we immediately went to work on plotting the garden and planting.

 

 

 We even put up the tomato cages and trellises for the cucumbers. 

 Since this is our first year, we decided to start with easier vegetables and herbs. I want to also do strawberries, but apparently they need a separate bed because they are perennial and spread quickly. As J says, we are one step closer to living off the grid (or at least being more self-sustainable)! 

Wish us luck! We know this will be a learning process, but hopefully we have some good veggies!

 

 We ended the weekend at the Frida & Diego exhibit at the High Museum. It closes on May 12th so make sure you check out this beautifully done exhibit! Just try not to go on a rainy Sunday, like we did, to avoid the large crowds (and nightmare coat check lines).

Lastly, happy birthday to the world's sweetest mother. We had the best time celebrating with you on Friday night. I am so proud to be your daughter and thankful to have such a beautiful (inside-and-out) mom! 

♥

P.S. Thanks to my lovely husband for taking most of these pictures [aka. if they are good, then he took them]! xo

Beauty: Reality vs. Perception

It's so nice to be back in this space. 

I've been out due to a recent surgery (details to come) so now that I'm back at my normal pace, I wanted to share this awesome video. I was just reading an article a few weeks ago that focused on how women rarely acknowledge their own beauty (especially daunting when they never acknowledge it around their children). 

We all struggle to find the parts of ourselves that we like and it's rare that those things are celebrated. The surgery that I had was somewhat cosmetic (although it was impairing my vision so it was covered by insurance - thankfully), but interestingly enough, my husband was a bit weary before the surgery since he felt like the feature I was changing was part of my uniqueness and beauty (how did I get so lucky?). So it just goes to show that we are our own worst critics.

Check out more details around the above video here.

♥