Daytime Storm at the Vineyard.

Today was the picking party at Natali Vineyards. One of my besties JamieD came out to pick solo. She put on her iPod (hiphop, obviously) and picked for a few hours. The troops get my props today- though it was clear skies when they started picking, a horrendous torrential downpour soaked them for a solid 45minutes- and not one person came in for shelter. The sun came out afterwards just in time for lunch. It was a beautiful day- another amazing shift at Natali...

Kamushka.

I've been getting a few inquiries about Marny. Well, everyone can sleep well now because he is coming for a visit! Marny arrives in San Francisco on October 16th, and I'll be meeting him there on Oct. 17th. He has rented a car and we will take 2 weeks driving cross country, making our way back to South Jersey and then he'll be hopping a flight back to Australia on November 3rd. I haven't seen him since Indonesia, but we Skype about once a week and lately have been busy planning our upcoming adventure! Yeeeew!! Any advice on MUST-SEE places across this beautiful country of ours?? Send em my way.

Yeeeeww! YOGA.

Gloria in full Pigeon <3

Aw schucks, I am feeling the love. My first week of teaching yoga at SURFSIDE fitness in Avalon was pretty slow. I'll admit it, I let it get me down a little bit. But alas, there is hope! Last nights Tuesday class had 8 people, and my 7am class today had 7! Everyone has left with a smile on their faces, promising to tell all their friends. The energy in the room has been amazing. It has been light hearted, encouraging and full of love. I feel so blessed to be able to share my love for yoga with others, and especially blessed to have such an amazing group of people who want to join in on that love. My good friend Tully made it to yoga this morning, and he had fooled me- I never would have thought that it was his first class! He was amazing! He did a great job of following my voice and cues, and he was pretty freaking flexible! Here he is in pigeon pose with the rest of the ladies.

Here's a shot of "Recess". Recess is what I offer up in my class as we are approaching our final resting pose, Savasana. It is 10-15 breaths of your choice-- whether your body wants head stand, plow, shoulder stand, or reclining bound angle...the choice is yours. This is Gloria and Holly in beautiful head stands, and Kylee in a supported heart-opening reclining bound angle.

Blessings everyone! Namasté.

Labeling.

Labeling, one-by-one.

Only 50 more boxes to go....

Got to the vineyard by 7am today, plugged in my iPod, and got right down to business. Everything at Natali is done by hand-- old school. We put on the labels and cork the bottles, one.at.a.time. Chuck ran me through it once: lie the bottle on it's side, left hand applying pressure on the bottle as you roll it away from yourself, simultaneously pulling on the roll (of stickers) with your right hand. Easy enough. It took me 2.5hrs to get through a whole shitload of bottles, I was moving swift and sufficiently. Chuck didn't love my music selection, but he did like how quickly I made my way through the bottles. I left the vineyard at 9:30 on the dot and then enjoyed a few hours of water time in OC. The waves were super fun, and I ran into good friends Martha, Billy, Coconut Joe and Todd in the water. Grateful for a beautiful day in South Jersey.

E's Bachelorette Party

Jen, Lisa and Me.

Lisa, Erin, Me and Jen in our full bachelorette party glory.

Me and the Bride To Be: Erin.

Erin and her Penis Cake.

Ruthanne (Mother of the Bride), Me and Lisa @ Carmine's.

There was champagne. There was a penis cake. There were penis pops. There were silly sparkly heart shaped glasses and pink beads. There was endless amounts of food at Carmines, pitchers of beer at Hooters, and too many people crammed into Providence. I made it home by 5:30am, completely intact and in possession of everything that I'd had with me when this journey began. All in all, a successful evening.

Fall Fun.

Wow, my apologies...I have been slacking on the blog-front lately. This is due to me working a zillion odd jobs, as well as just being consumed with having too much fun. I don't know why I was so worried about spending the winter at home. Yes, I will miss the exotic adventures - the warm weather, warm water and perfect waves. But, I have some damn fine friends around here that will warm up my soul, despite the cold temperatures and lack of sun. So here's some of what's been happening with me lately....

1. Yoga:

Just finished teaching my Saturday morning class. I only had two students, but hey - quality over quantity. Hopefully word-of-mouth will start to fill up my classes a bit, or atleast thats what I'm hoping. The studio where I'm now teaching, SURFSIDE FITNESS (21st and Dune, Avalon) is so beautiful. The acoustics are great....I'm coming up with awesome playlists that guide is through practice and if I do say so myself - the classes have been pretty awesome. I have acquired one "regular" already - Ginny. That in and of itself is exciting to me.

2. Natali Vineyards:

After several years of picking grapes and just hanging out at this awesome local vineyard, I have finally taken a job there! Kevin had joked that I spent enough time there that I should just commit to a schedule and get paid for it. Well, let me tell you - this is the most satisfying job that I have ever had. I have never enjoyed work so much in all of my life. Coming off of 8 years at Mildreds - where I was not only not appreciated, but treated like shit - it feels good to come to work with people who are amazing, and who appreciate the fact that I put 110% into everything I do. It's a five man operation over there: Kevin, Ray, Al, Sammy and Chuck. The 5 most amazing gentlemen that I have come across in some time - and they all treat me like a princess. I'm working in the tasting room and LOVING it. I learn quickly, and after a few wine tastings with Kevin and talking about the wines to the boys, I feel like I'm just bubbling over with knowledge about our products. Someone accused me yesterday of my intense, but amazing "sales pitch". I was offended by the term - because this is no sales pitch, its simply love. Love for the product, love for the process, and love for the people who put their hearts and souls into the wine. When you love something and are proud of it, it's an easy thing promote. When we are slow in the tasting room then I help around the farm...washing out bins, cleaning dishes, helping with the grapes, labeling bottles. It's soul-satisfying work for sure. And my favorite part about it is lunch. It's no secret that I LOVE food, and not just the food itself - but the preparation of it, and the sharing of it with ones you love. I am a big advocate of sit-down dinners with friends and family. Well, Ray (one of the owners), cooks lunch everyday and then we all sit out in the vineyard and eat as a "family". We have a few glasses of wine and just enjoy the delicious food, the yummy wine, and the company of one another. I'm in the tasting room on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am-5pm, so come on over for a visit!!!

3. Diving Horse:

The Diving Horse. Oh, my beloved Diving Horse. The best restaurant that we have going on down here in South Jersey. They only have one week left to go, and I feel my heart breaking already. LP and I have enjoyed a weekly indulgence here all summer, thanks to LP for always footing the bill, to all the servers for the spectacular service, and to the kitchen for providing us with dish after delicious dish. This week is "FRENCH" week, with a proper French menu. I was going ape shit for everything on the menu - and we pretty much ordered all that they had to offer. The kitchen always knows when our order reaches the kitchen - because we always "order right". This Thursday LP and I had: oysters on the half, bibb lettuce with fresh herbs, mixed greens with goat cheese and poached pears, escargot in a sherry cream sauce with chives, cauliflower soup with butter poached lobster, and then our entrees were the most perfectly cooked duck with cherry and red wine reduction, and a pork loin crusted in mustard seeds served with cabbage, apples and fingerling potatoes. Divine. We topped it off with Creme Brulee that was sent straight from heaven, and a delectable buttery apple tart. Ayeyaya. This coming Thursday will be our last meal there....I'll be sure to bring extra tissues with me as I prepare to say goodbye to this establishment for the winter months.

4. Dead Dog:

The Dead Dog Saloon in Sea Isle City is my favorite bar....probably my favorite bar in the whole wide world. It's cozy, filled with familiar faces, and the bartenders are friends that know what I like to drink. Oh yeah, and theres always live music. And lots of the time, that live music is me. I've played there the past two Fridays and have had a BLAST. Now that it's fall and the shoobies have mostly left, the bar has been packed with good friends and family. Again, about 50 friends of mine came out to support me on stage. It was a blast. Christian showed up half way through and we jammed the next two sets together. He was on point and we sounded amazing. Great times, great great times.

5. Megan and Tully:

Megan and Tully are two of my favorite people in the state of New Jersey. Epic. Good hearted. FUN. Friends. Well, they just got engaged - and I couldn't have dreamed up a better pair. They fight, they laugh, they drink, they dance and they love each other -- fiercely. It's a beautiful thing and I cannot WAIT for their wedding, it's gonna be one hell of a party....

and finally,

6. DAD:

My Dad. My main man. My #1. This summer was super draining and depressing - he was really struggling. But the Avastin infusions have seemed to slowed the growth of his tumor -- we have been able to cut back on his steroids - and now I'm getting a bit of "paul callahan" back. He's been a bit more witty and quick to make a joke. He's following conversations a bit better and just has been more "with it" lately. We are all super stoked on the success we are having with the Avastin, and we hope to get an amazing winter with it. A huge amount of gratitude goes out to Dad's spectacular doctor, Dr. Arati Desai. She is amazing. A woman who treats my Dad not just as a patient, but as a husband and as a father. She addresses me and my mother, and jokes around with us - because we like laugh. She just "gets" it. I don't know if anyone watches the showtime series, THE BIG C, but the recent episode really hit the nail on the head. Kathy, who is dying of cancer, was asked to speak to a bunch of med-students. They all treated her as a cancer patient, not as a person. She got all Shirley McClain on their asses and said it like it is - at the end of the day we are PEOPLE. We are dying and we are scared. You are our savior. So, thanks to Dr.Desai for being so amazing, you have made this journey much more palatable than most would have been able to.

So there we have it. Been doing heaps of graphic design work lately, surfing a bit, drinking too much, laughing a ton, and shopping more than necessary. I've been eating good meals, with good people. I'm nursing a black eye, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The ebb and flow of life is a beautiful thing. Here's something to chew on for awhile, it was a quote that I ended yoga class with today:

"May you live each day of your life."

Namaste my friends <3

CC PRO

Im not sure if you all remember me mentioning Mazzy Surfboards a few months back. Mazzy is a team of two brilliant shapers, Chris Johnson and Brian G. These handmade beauties are aimed for females, so the boys asked me if I would be their ambassador. Absolutely! I also did the graphic design work for them, coming up with a logo as well as some other jazz. Here is the longboard that Chris gifted me with the other day, and im super stoked on this beauty! Yeeew! Thanks Mazzy! And thanks for naming one of your models after me...CC Pro, I like it!

Breaking Dawn : Twilight Fever

I bought my ticket yesterday for Seattle. Leaving the second week and enjoying ten days with my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Miss Julisa-- along with the insanely epic Jer and Janice, E.Miller and Karl. Though I love visiting the northwest, my main purpose for this voyage is to see BREAKING DAWN with the equally-obsessed-Twihard, Jules. The premiere is November 18th, and I can't wait....

Yoga: the Fall Edition

Beach Yoga has come to an end! It was a great summer, but as the season is changing it's time for my schedule to change a bit too. I'll be teaching three days a week at a beautiful studio in Avalon, part of Surfside Fitness. The space is really spectacular and im excited to be mixing it up a bit- teaching under a roof! The classes will be heavily involved with good music playing through the speakers, moving with your breath, and honoring YOUR BODY. My schedule is below, with a brief description of the classes. Surfside Fitness is located at 21st and Dune (across from the Princeton, next to the Diving Horse). Classes are $12 for drop-in's or you could buy a class card: $100 for 10 classes. When coming to class you check in at the front desk, the studio is round back. Hope to see some familiar faces, as well as some new friends too! Namaste. 

 

Tuesday 5:00pm - 6:15pm
"Peoples Yoga" Level 1 (and 2)
Hatha Yoga. Challenging but accessible. Strengthening and stretching. For everyone from the 50 year-old construction worker, to a surfer in his 20's. Whether you're a seasoned yogi and want to reconnect with the core of yoga, or someone completely new.

Wednesday 7:00am - 8:15am
"Slow Flow" Level 1 + 2
A bit of Yin, a bit restorative, with some flow to get the body and prana moving.

Saturday 9:15am-10:30am

"Vinyasa Flow" Level 2
For those with some yoga experience, this Vinyasa Flow class will be a building sequence of postures. Moving with music, guided by your breath - working up a bit of a sweat and ending with a yummy Savasana.  

Flawless Feast

Another flawless meal at the Diving Horse in Avalon. LP and I sipped chianti and started with our usual, a half dozen oysters on the half shell-- from the east coast. Briney and delightful. Followed that up with a nice light refreshing salad and roasted bone marrow with a celery slaw and artichoke purée. Fabbbbulous. Creamy, rich, buttery, bone-marrowy goodness. For dinner I had the filet special and LP had the beef tenderloin on the menu. We both ordered our meat medium rare. LPs came with their epic boardwalk fries, and mine came with sautéed brussel sprouts topped with crisp bacon. We BOTH cleared our plates- literally, nothing left. We finished with coffees (they use STUMPTOWN COFFEE, the best!) and the kitchen sent out a scrumptious cheese plate for dessert. A mild, creamy blue cheese with rhubarb jam and a pistachio purée. Ayeyayaya spectacular! As ALWAYS, the service was above and beyond. I'm going to be devastated when they close their doors at the end of the month. I'll be counting down the days til the spring when they reopen...

Dinner Party Season

Fall is among us, and with the cold temperatures comes Dinner Parties. The shoobies have left, work has slowed down, and now all of us locals get together to break bread and enjoy each others company. Last night the feast was at Jim and Eileen Borgeious'. Also there was Mike, Greg and one of my favorite people- NOTSO (aka Paul Brightenger). Notso is not only a fabulous human being, but he's one of my favorite people to surf with. Here he is being a goof ball (the photo above), as usual. I made clams and spaghetti, and will definitely post the winning recipe this week.

Milk and Roses, Always.

I arrived in NYC at 7pm last night. I met Emily at her office in manhattan and then we hopped the subway to Brooklyn. We had dinner at the MANHATTAN INN, in Greenpoint. It was spectacular. The evening atmosphere and ambiance was by-far the best I've experienced yet. Cozy, comfortable, dark, and inviting. This will be my favorite winter spot- curled up in a sweater, eating by candle-light...enjoying live music (thanks to the grand piano that the room is centered around) drinking carefully crafted cocktails. Last night Em and I sipped the Bramble On: gin, lemon and fresh blackberry purée. We started with grilled asparagus in a smoky romesco sauce as well as an order of roasted blue potatoes with a spicy chipotle sauce. Dinner was papparadelle pasta with wild mushrooms, grape tomato confit, artichoke purée, capers and topped with a sunny side up egg. We also split the grilled calamari salad. For dessert was elderberry brioche pudding with rum ice cream. Fabulous. Such a great evening with my great friend Corkill...the bill coming out to a modest $87: we left full and a bit buzzed. Not bad for NY. We headed up the road to Emmy's apartment where we cuddled into bed and listened to some BIRDY before falling asleep. (FYI: BIRDY is a 14-year-old pianist from the UK, who makes ammmazzing music. Her album doesn't come out until October 10th, but you should check her out on YouTube.) Em was up and out at 5:30am to catch a flight to her meeting in Atlanta. I woke up around 7 and then mozied down to my favorite cafe, MILK & ROSES. They did some renovations and now, believe it or not, it's even Better than before. Ugh. Epic. Two delicious Americanos and now here I am at Port Authority to catch my 10:30am bus home. It was short and sweet, but just what the doctor ordered. Thank you Brooklyn for giving me what I need once again.

Alpaca Babies!!

My fabulous friends Janice and Jeremy from Seattle just had a baby!!!!! An ALPACA baby that is. Earlier this summer they had their first baby, Chocolate Thunder! This little boy doesn't have a name yet, but I'm sure that he'll be getting showered with love by his momma J and papa Jer!

Here's some more photos from the Tropicana show...

Beach Yoga Bust

Saturday's beach yoga class was amazing! Jay Wright had a bunch of friends down to celebrate his birthday, and he organized for everyone to come to yoga. Though most of his friends are athletes (Jay is the coach of Villanova's basketball team), many of them were new to yoga. It was a great experience (aside from the gnats...damn west wind)!! There was lots of laughter and I think that everybody left feeling a bit of zen.

Later that night I had my show at the Tropicana, which was spectacular. Had a few drinks earlier in the evening, and then got home late. Woke up super early, and headed to the beach with Gina to teach beach yoga. Several of my students were at my show the night before, and despite the late-hour they all said that they'd be at yoga. Well, they must have felt the way that I'D felt when I woke up, and opted to sleep a bit more. No one showed up for yoga - but I figured that since G had never done yoga before, and since she drove all the way down from north Jersey to visit - that I owed her a private lesson. She did great, and despite being exhausted it felt wonderful to move and breathe.

AC Gratitude.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Trop tonite to see me play. I was so thankful that my dad was finally able to come out and see me play- and I was stoked that Steph Long chose to celebrate her birthday at my show. I am a lucky woman, with great friends and family, as well as wonderful fans.

SATURDAY BEACH YOGA

As per request, I am teaching a SATURDAY morning yoga class tomorrow!!! Also, it is an hour later than my usual class. So....

Saturday September 10th

41st street beach, Ocean City

8-9 am

$10

Hope to see you there...and if you can't make it to yoga - then hopefully I'll see you at my show at the Tropicana later that night. And if you can't make that, then I guess I'll just see you at my Sunday Morning yoga class, 7-8am, in OC :)

Sushi in South Seaville

Though I swore to myself that I'd never eat ANYTHING in the shopping strip by Wawa- I found myself there last night with my good friends Megan and Tully. And not only was I eating SOMETHING in that strip, I was eating SUSHI. And that sushi was pretty damn good. The price is right, the location is close- and hopefully if people catch on then it will be crowded and actually stay in business. I promise robe there once a week for their Zucchini roll. It was deeeelicious, and it was a roll that I've never seen on any sushi menu (plus, it was only $3.50). The service was great too, which is always a plus in my book.

Home.

I decided yesterday that I'm spending the winter in New Jersey at home. Yes - it was not an easy decision to make. I've been on the fence and off again...planning treks through Nepal and India and surf adventures throughout Oceania. Alas, there are some things more important than jaunting around the globe. Well, not many things, not many at all - really, just one thing thats more important. And thats family. So...BOOM. Here I'll be.

1. I knew that I would drive myself crazy if I was only half-heartedly committed to staying.

2. I knew that I'd need constant stimulation.

3. I knew that I'd need spending money to indulge in some shopping and fancy dinners.

SO....

1. I made a physical and emotional commitment to staying. No "Well, I could jet to El Salvador or a week or two in November...and maybe a little jaunt to Ireland after Christmas....". NO. I'm honoring to stay, and to ENJOY being here. Wherever you are, be there completely - and that's what I plan to do.

2. Constant Stimulation: Well, I made a list of every yoga class offered up within a 50 mile radius. Bikram, Yin, VInyasa, YINyasa, Power, Hatha...you name it. I made up a list of restaurants in the tri-state area that I want to try out. I'm vowing to experiment with new recipes this winter (yay for you guys, because I'll share the wealth...). I want to come up with a business plan for my catering company and try to take that to a new level next year. AND, I'd like to reconnect with Lance Doss and possibly record a second record.

3. Finances: I'll be working Thursdays and Fridays at Natali Vineyards in their tasting room. A few random shifts at the Stone Harbor Golf Club. I still plan to do some personal catering and cheffing it up IN peoples homes, hosting dinner parties for them. And drum roll....I am going to start teaching yoga a few days a week in a BEAUTIFUL studio in Avalon. Setting some roots, stimulating my mind, and maybe making a few bucks along the way.

So, there you have it. You have me, here. So lets do this. It's going to be a damn good winter.

Foodie For Life.

Found this on a foodie blog. Ha! Love it.

Ro's Lobster and Corn Risotto

Ro and I have been friends for over a dozen years. She was friends with LP back in the day (she was 18, I was 10), and after hanging around our family she just never left. We love her, and though we have busy lives in the summer, we always dedicate time to our friendship in the fall. This has been the trend for many moons now-- seeing eachother once or twice in the summer and then a few times a week come September. Her and her husband Brad live on the bay in Avalon manor. Beautiful. We fill our time putzing in the kitchen, sipping on beverages, and then cuddling up on the couch watching movies. It's a routine that I love, and one that I'm glad to fall back into each coming Fall. Ro is an amazing chef- I credit her and my parents for teaching me how to cook. Last night she made us Lobster and Corn Risotto which was out of this world. As much as I enjoy going out for a nice meal, there is NOTHING like a home cooked meal- especially one that is made and enjoyed with people you love. We finished our night with Ro's homemade chocolate chip cookies and a movie. Life is good, and this Fall is looking to be a good one indeed...

Slammin' Shrimp Stirfry

Ingredients:

• Vegetables (whatever you'd like to add in)
• Shrimp
• Rice
• Coconut Oil
• Sesame Oil (toasted)
• Tamari (Soy Sauce)
• Apricot Jam
• Chili Paste

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR STIR FRY:

* You must have a HOT wok!

* Because you are cooking at such a high heat, you need an oil that can stand up to those temperatures. Use COCONUT OIL or GRAPESEED OIL.

* Do not add soy sauce until the bitter end, otherwise it will burn.

1. Dice up your veggies.....
2. Give your shrimp a quick cook in the wok, only about half way done. Then take em out.
3. First in the wok are your more hardy vegetables.
4. When the sturdy vegetables are cooked about half way, add in the faster cooking veggies along with your partially cooked shrimp.
5. Cook for a minute or two and then add some spices....garlic, chili paste.
6. When there is only a minute left, add in a huge spoonful of apricot jam, a generous shaking of soy sauce, and finish off with a drizzle of sesame oil. Bada Bing. Stirfry.

Breakfast Beverage of Champions!

No, it's not Mothers Milk (aka Guinness)- though it's dark color and frothy head may be deceiving. It's juice medley of fruits, vegetables, and healthy additives. If anyone has a juicer, try out this recipe:

Watermelon
Lime
Spinach
Red cabbage
Beet
Celery
Ginger

After juiced, put into a blender and blend in one generous teaspoon of Spirulina and the same for Raw Maca. Enjoy. You're bound to get more energy from this drink than you would from coffee, and you won't have a caffeine crash afterwards!

AJW.

Andy Welker and I became great friends more than 8 years ago. We met on 42nd street in Sea Isle City, and I have thanked the heavens above many many times over the years for the love, support and inspiration that he has given me. We are as different as they come- but for some reason we fit together seamlessly. Though he works 30 hours a day, 8 days a week in Texas, he found 28 hours to come visit. It was a marathon visit that's for sure-- cramming 4 meals and lots of fun into our limited time together- but it was just what the doctor ordered. I got my dose of AJW, and I'm already planning my next fix-- a visit to Dallas sometime in the upcoming months. Thank God for good friends.

Andy's achilles has been bothering him, so we offered him one of Dad's many artisanal canes as a joke! Here's him and Momma modeling them...

AJW and Dad....having a hug and a laugh now - but when these two get out on the water, watch out -- world domination fishing tournaments begin....

Crabs! Ugh. This was a full day adventure trying to find Welk some crabs to bring up for his family in PA...