Raw Spirit Festival 2008 - Sedona, AZ

Hello Friends! I've returned home from the long journey to Sedona from Seattle and have been swamped (in a good way) with filling orders, so I haven't had a chance to journal in the blog yet! But a moment now allows me that, and I feel so proud and fulfilled after making tons of scrubs and silks today, packaging them up, and getting them ready to ship tomorrow.

I'm one to bring all my comforts with me when I travel and that's exactly what we did (my boyfriend and I) for this 1500 mile road trip. The cooler was packed with a huge bag of brazil nuts, raw cashews, goji berries, raw cacao nibs, walnuts, and dates. I made one of my all-time favorite recipes ever, the Cinnamon Rolls (found in David Wolfe & Shazzie's Naked Chocolate book) and had to regulate how much we could savor each day, otherwise these unbelievably tasty morsels would be gone in the first day and we'd be longing for them for the rest of the trip. The remainder of the cooler was packed with a nice big glass jar of homemade brazil nut mylk, a homemade chocolate blendie, the contents of that week's CSA bag (which included lots of squash, greens, apples, melons, and juicy nectarines, plums, pluots, and peaches), and Lydia's Organics dehydrated Spirulina and Crystal Manna bars, and 2 flavors of her crackers: the green and luna nori ones. Daily we made a delicious simple combination I found on We Like it Raw: a creamy mash, we call it 'Nana Mash', of avocado, banana, and dates - mix them together (add a touch of agave & Pink Himilayan Crystal Salt if you make it at home or have these extras with you during travels), and you won't want to each anything else I promise. I eat these three foods often, really often - why hadn't I combined them all together before? We thrived on all this for 3 days on the road. And you can't forget about the VMG (Vitamineral Greens), Earth, Fruits of the Earth, MSM powder, and the Ocean's Alive Marine Phytoplankton that I brought along, too. I don't let a day pass without enjoying all of these.

I did a search on www.happycow.net (healthier options for international travelers) and found a great raw food cafe in Salt Lake City: Omar's Living Cuisine; we stopped in and relaxed for 2 hours while ordering raw, living, organic item after item off the mouth-watering menu. It turns out the cafe was heading down the following day for Sedona, so we were able to enjoy their food throughout the entire weekend as well. Food really has this tendency to make a vacation (or work trip) really memorable, and when you live on superfoods and such yummy combinations of living foods, it's makes everything that's happening that much lighter and brighter, because you're happy when you eat, and you feel excellent after you eat!

The response to the Organic Healing Skincare line completely blew me away; in fact I had to step away several times throughout the weekend once the reality of its success caught up with me. To say I am grateful and appreciative doesn't really explain how much it means to me to have people love what I'm doing. Whether there's a purchase or not, to see responses in person was absolutely the most treasured part of the weekend. It's really magical when you put your heart into creating something and others drink it up as you do. People were actually giving me hugs and thanking ME! I still have a hard time piecing together the words that describe that 3 day phenomenal event. I can't wait to get to the Raw Spirit Festival in early June 2009, near Santa Barbara!

There were so many connections made, amazing conversations, and uplifting talks, but one stands out and replays often in my head. Tom and Susan from Raw Vegan Source, in Redmond, WA (my neighbors just over the water and east of Seattle) really put my experience into place - standing in line for one of our delicious nightly dinners, I made the comment that so far everything had been so incredible, and that I had a hard time finding the words to put to it. Susan said, 'take that word out of your vocabulary. It's not incredible, it is credible, and you deserve it. Get used to it because this is your new reality.' It was so matter of fact; it is my new truth and I knew it in that moment. Chills go through me every time I recall that part of our conversation because it reminds me that I am on the right path, I am pursuing my dreams, and living, to some extent, quite the fantasy.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who expressed their gratitude for my effort, mission, and deep passion, to revolutionize the skincare industry!

Searching.. wandering.. discovering

As I make batch after batch of skincare products this week in preparation for the grandest celebration ever, I have much time to ponder all these random thoughts that come to mind. It just came to me, that I've always been searching in one way or another. Whether for thinner thighs, more pure energy, friends who understood, a true purpose in life, an enriching career that would change the lives of others, a community of people where I felt I belonged, or the next breakthrough idea that brings this line of products together, bringing it to the next level. I'm that girl that has always asked 'Why?'. I remember when I was younger that my family would get fed up with me constantly wondering 'why, why, why?'. I needed an answer for the reasons why everything was the way it was. I feel as though I'm finally getting the answers to not only these deep life questions, but to the ones I've longed for in regard to myself - and my greatest longings are gradually becoming my new reality.

This has only come about the more I purify my body from the toxins of the past. Isn't that fascinating?! We're discovering ourselves from the time we're young, but I've been gifted the opportunity to really get to discover who I really am, as the most recent years pass. That's also because of the age I am I suppose, but I strongly believe it also has much to do with this past year's innate knowing that eating mostly raw would support me through a very trying personal situation. I did not consciously make this decision, my body gravitated toward it, and I'm thankful of this because there are so many unhealthy habits I could have picked up in the meantime as many of us have done in the past - but it didn't go that way. My body told me exactly what I needed. The more I seriously listened (is this cliche?), the more resilent I became; less crying episodes, a real feeling of stability, confidence in myself, anxiety was eliminated - no more walking on shaky ground for me.

The motto that was passed on to me incessantly from my youth, that FINALLY really resonates with me, is 'BELIEVE IN YOURSELF'. I finally get it. The search is not over, nor will it ever be, but I'm better equipped now; it feels like I've got the flashlight and compass and no matter what direction I go it will lead me to the life that has always been just ahead.