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Maura Kelpy

Come on a Sketching Adventure! An illustrated reminder to keep doing life your way. You’ll also be the first to know when a new blog lands at veggiesandvodka.com.

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NYE ball
Featured Post

Sparkly ball optional, bonus day included

Three hundred and sixty five. The number of days in a year. (Duh.) WAIT! It's Leap Year! We get 366 days this year. Woohoo! And January 1st? It’s just one of those days. So, if you’re not currently feeling the New Year’s “life makeover” vibe – that’s ok. You can start a new habit, make a lifestyle change, or reflect and evaluate your life on any day of the year. • February 29th – bonus Leap Day!• April 8th – one of the 51 other Mondays in 2024.• July 4th – piggyback another US holiday.•...

4 months ago • 1 min read

Tap your fingers. Wiggle your toes. Notice your whole body – standing, lying down, sitting in a chair backwards like AC Slater. Take a massive inhale through your nose. Try it… I’ll wait… Waiting… Inhale even more air at the top. It’s there – we rarely use our full lung capacity. Hold the air at the top for five seconds 1 koala2 koala3 koala4 koala5 koala Exhale slowly through your mouth for five more seconds. Listen to the breath leaving. Ready to level up? Do it all again, but close your...

5 months ago • 1 min read
festive cocktails

Just one. Just a Fred. That’s what my husband and I say when we want to sip a solo cocktail for the evening. Fred is my dad’s lifelong best bud – from childhood, to being each other's best man, to living their best senior life. Legend has it that Fred will nurse a single vodka martini from the first pour till the party's over. Preposterous! But I think he’s onto something. Sometimes it’s nice to consciously savor and slow down. Especially during this bustling time of year – so many flashing...

5 months ago • 1 min read
fall foliage tree

Hi Reader, I’m sharing something a bit different this week – a little more personal and weighted but still optimistic, and written in a different style. I originally wrote it on October 13th, but I'm ready to share it with you. Thanks for reading, and for being here. It's gorgeous outside today. Cool, crisp, golden-tinted.Endless blue skies. A perfect autumn Colorado day.My absolute favorite kind of day. And I’m confused. Almost angry. I should be outside. Instead?I cleaned the toilet. And...

6 months ago • 2 min read
popcorn

Emily Blunt. Ryan Gosling. Shenanigans ensue. You gotta see this trailer, Reader. After watching those 3 minutes and 21 seconds I was grinning like a kid on a snow day. And who couldn’t use a quick smile break? Because sometimes life feels like a lot. Or the world feels like a lot. And we need an immediate dose of happiness. I get my quick fix through various things – Meditating. Exercising. Nature walks. Hugging my favorite people. (To name a few.) But my most random smile source? Movie...

6 months ago • 1 min read
paddle boarder facing sun

I will never forget when my friend set me straight. We were driving the hills of Los Angeles, windows down, enjoying the ocean-scented breeze. I was telling her that it felt like my graphic design business doesn’t make enough of an impact. While I love what I do, I also want to help serve a greater purpose. Not just create logos and fancy magazines. I was feeling guilty – thinking I wasn’t doing enough with my life. Her response: “If everyone was as good to their family and friends as you try...

7 months ago • 1 min read
paddle boarder facing sun

The morning sun blasted my face with heat… again. Argh. I picked up my paddle and righted my board to face west… again. Ahhh, there are the mountains. Less than 60 seconds later – the sun smirked in my face. AGAIN. I was trying to take a breather on my standup paddleboard. Preferably facing the mountains to the west. But the wind crossing the lake seemed to be conniving with the sun. Consistently spinning me back around to face east. Screw it. I surrender. Face the sun it is! Oh… huh. That...

7 months ago • 1 min read

Did you catch last week's big news? My Health Coach certification program starts in December, but until then, I'm doing a Functional Nutrition training. I'm sharing a quick tip with you that I learned this week at the bottom of this email. (More tips to come!) "PIVOT! PIVOT! PIVOOOOOT!" I’m guessing you're familiar with this iconic scene, Reader. (If not, please treat yourself to this hilarious Ross Gellar moment on Friends.) If you do remember it, I’m curious – do you remember anything else...

8 months ago • 1 min read

Oops. This newsletter is coming at you late because I've been traveling to visit family, but also because I kept rewriting this email. There are just so many things I want to tell you! So here we go… Her skeptical eye was fierce. I was sitting across from my college advisor trying to wiggle my way into a double major. You know, that “ideal” combo of a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design... and a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and Nutrition. But my college advisor was, well,...

8 months ago • 2 min read

It started as a whisper. Then a delicate tickle. Then an annoying itch. But since Australia, it seems to be growing into something bigger and more obnoxious. (I promise this isn’t going to get gross.) This itch is just a metaphor for something I’ve been dreaming about. Like, FOR YEARS. But my mind corners me at every optimistic thought: Is this too much of a 180 from design? Will this be a waste of time (and money!)? Do I have what it takes? Can I afford enough chocolate to get me through?...

8 months ago • 1 min read
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