just sayin'.....

...infinite.....INFINITE love and gratitude........

my 2nd Chakra Dream Chart

Well, here it is. At home, in my art space....my first inspired wall chart. This is a personal chart inspired on Monday morning by reading this from The Chopra Center April Newsletter. 

Below are a few notes about the chart and then a few notes about what I learned about technique as I completed the work. 

Dare to dream has always been a personal mantra of mine so the core word DREAM really popped out when I read the newspaper.  As I saw each of the subtitles. DIGEST, REST, EXERCISE, AWAKEN and MEDITATE...I KNEW I had to draw what flashed before my mind. 

I centered it around an image of the 2nd chakra:

The Sanskrit name for the 2nd chakra is "Svadhisthana." This word means "dwelling place of the Self."

I am generally open here and resonate with the image and the concept. The emotion associated with the 2nd chakra is passion & the element for the 2nd chakra is water.  Yep...that pretty much sums me up. 

I found the E for exercise the most difficult section because for now it feels lost in my life.  I have every intention to re-root myself here and thus chose the brown colors for grounding.  S•T•R•E•T•C•H  &  B•R•E•A•T•H•E are my starting points in the journey. 

Regarding Technique:  

• I will always remember my early work for the dimples caused by the uneven wall I am working on right now (gotta get to home depot and buy and 8x4 foam core board). 
• I can also tell that some markers I like better than others (they tend to be the ones that bleed through and have 2 edges instead of 3).  I will practice my lettering to become more consistent with the density of my lines and letters.
•  For getting low, and staying in my body, I sat on a exercise ball.  I did find that this let me get low, stay with my core and body to the area where I was working and it allowed for a natural movement better than me shuffling across the floor.  
•  My floor- HA!...the poor beige carpet.  I've dropped a few markers, and the chalk dust is everywhere.  Sorry honey, I guess I'll get a little mini vac for my 4th beroom-turned-art-coaching-studio.  

In all...I'm in heaven.  When I started this Monday, I hooked up a USTREAM session (there are a few boring videos of the process..bad sound and apparently I couldn't be bothered to dress up or make up my face for the camera).   Today even, on a group call I used the wall and did some graphic facilitation of our topic via the web with large chart paper on the wall.  That is a whole new area...actually using this live with my clients...and the feedback from them was great.  They loved the visual tools...and so did I.  

my heaven these days

I've been doodling so much lately, I haven't been writing.  I've been reading and thinking so much, I haven't been writing.  Have you ever had a rebirth or rediscovery of a gift in you...that at one time you thought was lost? Last year during a turbulent time I picked up my markers again.  And so it began...again. Now i find my self holding 4-5 markes or pens in my hands at all time. I've got pads of paper in all sizes EVERYWhere. 

 

I'm inspired to go through old things and pull out this history of the visual thinker in me....and watch the rest of the story unfold.  The coolest part is, I know there is a Future...with a capital F in this story. 

I've had all these crazy cool teachers show up in my life....

Christina Merkley

Deepak Chopra
Abraham Hicks

Ron Patulski

i just met Bryon Katie last week!

MAPS BOLD program has supported me financially and emotionally over the last year. 

Lee Mannix taught me so much in his death and I find myself beginning to really become a bit more comfortable with who I am.  I'm shedding some layers and getting comfortable in the layers that are really me. 

Courtney Crow Wyrtzen teaches me all the time....and did especially in this editorial about moms.  

Dr. Wayne W. Dwyer (listening to the power of intention on itunes)

Oh...and all the beloved books by my bedside....(thanks nikki for sharing the Renard book).

At this moment....I'm in heaven in my life....and I'm thankful.

I wanna be like Lee Mannix

Shit.... Lee Mannix..did you really have to die this week? I keep seeing your smile...and hearing the straight talk things you've said to me, and to hundreds of other folks.  I read the posts of your friends and clients and I realized another of the many reasons you are so loved.

I have dog stories...you have worked with all three of my mutts...and they are no different from the thousands posted here on the Lee Mannix Center for Canine Behavior fan page. No need to write about them... Talking to Kimberly Burgan, whom we both loved...who you LOVED SO WELL......it hit me as to EXACTLY what it is that endeared you to us all. 

You chose to be fully yourself....your unfiltered, smart ass, funny as hell, sly, prankster, laughing, crass,  boot-wearing-beer-drinking-copenhagen-dippin, smiling & magic with us all, self.  We love you so much...because you were able to do what the rest of us struggle with. You chose to live life exactly as you were....for the authenticity of it...and not the popularity.  Yet...you gained popularity and even more.  You earned massive love and respect...and a heart in the homes of thousands of dog- loving families. We love you so much, for not just what you did...but for who you were...because in our own little way..we long to be as brave as you were...and live this life TRULY being ourselves... exactly the way you did. 

I choose today, to be more of my true self...to be brave and live fully me...because you inspired me to do that. And...I will do it in my cowgirl boots more often! 

Love, 

Allison....and Hank (the dope)...and Daisy (the freak)...and Lulu (the little bitch)

I'll be at your party tomorrow...and I will wear my boots...and celebrate your fine ass and your magic spirit!

Let me introduce you to my new best friend

This post is probably a little airy-fairy for some of you....so warning. I am pretty airy fairy sometimes and this is my blog. That being said, let me introduce you to my new best friend.

I was recently introduced to my angel-ness and her purpose for my life. I'm grateful for the introduction and for the many messages she has been giving me since I met her. Today was the day I first drew her and put her to a visual symbol. She is the very best version of myself. The one God created me to be. She is here to remind me that I brave and strong and the words on her spirit tail are just some of the qualities that I know I have and am growing every day.
Here are a few of the other messages she has helped me uncover:

• Watch out for downplaying who you are
• Leave the small shit behind
• Validation comes from the SPIRIT, not from the world.
• You have an infinite capacity to grow and love and evolve
• You are an artist--always have been.
• You are able to trust completely...those wings are strong and will guard my heart when needed.
• Life is meant to be enjoyed abundantly...this abundance is for all of us...including you, Allison
• Laugh
• Don't take life so seriously
• God takes care of the birds doesn't he? and they are just birds...
• Delight in the people you love
• Just be. Just be has been your motto for a long long time...bring it back...and be all that you want to be. Be love-don't DO love...just be.

I guess I share...because I'd love for YOU to have the gift of hearing what your angel-ness has to say for you? How can he/she/it contribute to your spirit...and then your life?


To the one who introduced me to my angel-ness, I am grateful for your contribution to my life..I look forward to speaking again soon...and learning more.

The Flanigin/Crow top 10 of 2008

1. Will and Manthie cuddle with the dogulars 
2. Hill Country Ride for Aids 2008
3. Hank, Daisy, and Lulu take over our bed AGAIN
4. Samantha is Diamond of the Week
5. Bill and Will at Will's Baptism
6. Allison and Bill hang with friends
7. Honeymoon in Tulum with Andy, Mark, Maggie, Todd, Malia & Jack
8. First dance at our May 3rd wedding
9. KW LTMC grand opening
& 
10. Our wedding at Town Lake Park with family and our closest friends

Ice Cream Flavor of the Week

Already this year, Austin has seen a few days of summer heat over 100 degrees. This equals Ice cream season. We have 4 different flavors in the freezer right now....and I just can't seem to try anything other than the Blue Bell Key Lime Pie.


From Bluebell.com: Key Lime Pie Contains sweet and tangy key lime ice cream blended with crunchy graham cracker crust and a creamy whipped topping swirl.

yummy heaven

honeymoon list

1. Malia Jack Andy Mark Maggie, Baby Al, Todd and Bill
2. Reading Marley and Me (bawled like a baby cuz I love my pups and Hank is getting old), Point Blank, Scorpia (cheesey junior high but I ran out of reading material), Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (junior high but SO NOT cheesy...a must read even for adults), and 4 US magazines
3. CoolerBag was a beach life saver
4. Napping to the point of burn on the beach beds at la zebra
5. The first sugar cane mojito
6. Sea Kayaking -laughing so hard my abs are probably stronger despite the massive amounts of la zebra nachos I had
7. bill taking care of me while snorkeling
8. cool breezes at night
9. snuggling in the morning, and during afternoon naps
10. the bestest honeymoon ever with bill and our closest friends

wedding list

1. Waking up at Malia's to the Lezzo Cup ready for my coffee
2. Samantha and how pretty she looked
3. the perfect weather under the tree at town lake park
4. Bill, confidently and loudly, saying his vows, so that everyone could hear Spoken to me and to the world, sure of his love and commitment
5. how I felt in my sassy dress
6. my family, his family, all there. 10 kids, flanigin and crow and their families.
7. Will, mouthing "I love you" to his father as the ceremony ended
8. Andy sharing his home with us and our families for the perfect reception
9. my honey, loving me the way he does

celebrating with a tripple dip delight at quality seafood

macaroni and cheese

this is my all time favorite food. i had more of it than water as a child, and i to this day consume my fair share. no, i don't think you understand how much i love macaroni and cheese. while i had a marriage that didn't make it 3 years, i did, in 2001, have an amazing wedding....and on the menu-- macaroni and cheese. there i was in a poofy white wedding gown with a huge plate of mac and cheese and a glass of champagne. i may have lost the marriage but i still have the china and the affinity for the cheesiest, creamy dish.


i did, one time, try to make it from scratch. i researched and finally decided on a recipe from OPRAH thinking surely hers would be delish. long story short-- i don't try to cook it any more. i just taste the mac that others have prepared.


i consider myself a connoisseur of the delicious golden cheesy pasta and try it any time it is on the menu where i am dining. some of my favorite places that serve it are moonshine grill, boston market, and my neighbor down the street makes a pretty good bowl of homemade mac and cheese. but all this is to say, that yesterday, i found what i think may be the pinnacle of mac and cheese goodness at this place.

yes....quality seafood market in north austin now has my favorite bowl of macaroni and cheese. guess who else loves mac and cheese? manthie girl.....i think i will take her to the pot of gold at the end of the macaroni rainbow this weekend! peace out and may you find an endless supply of your favorite comfort food.