Oct 9, 2012

the cinnamon trail to the sacred heart



Have you ever done anything so spontaneous that it almost takes your breath away?
Well last week I did. I woke up with a sudden urge to get in touch with a dear friend of mine out in Sedona, and after just a few minutes on the phone, I knew I was being called to go for a visit. We both got super excited at the idea and I wasn't sure if it was actually going to happen... but after realizing flights were pretty cheap and the fact that my other sweet friend was planning to go the direction of the airport on the day I wanted to fly, it just seemed to make sense. So I quickly shifted gears and started preparing for my journey to the red rocks...

I spent the night at my friend's cozy little cabin down by the river the night before my flight and in the morning we had a fantastic scramble breakfast complete with homemade toast. We all noticed the bright orange cosmos beaming their light out in the garden in the morning, and I knew that color had significance for this adventure. After a lovely morning with tea and friends, I took a nice outdoor shower and started getting excited for the journey that was in store.

My friend Aly dropped me off at the airport and wished me well on my trip.
I had a nice short flight and before I knew it, I was in Sedona!

Aly, Me, and Anouk

sunshine beaming on the river
such a cozy little cabin

morning scramble YUM!            





And then with a blink of an eye I arrived in Sedona. The land of magic.....
My beautiful soul sister Christine greeted me with a smile and we were both SOOOO excited to get to hang out. That night we made an itinerary of all the things we wanted to do while I would be visiting including hikes, going out to dinner, meeting some of her friends, a visit to the art gallery, a trip to Jerome and a visit to the Montezuma Well... We packed in a lot and somehow we did it all!

On our way to see the Montezuma well we noticed a very colorful dome structure and out of curiosity, we decided to pull into the drive way to check it out. The place was called Xanadu and it turned out to be a home that people lived in. They give private tours by appointment only so we only to see the front view, but WOW what a unique place!
the symbol of balance
front door of Xanadu

I noticed these little fellas, what cool colors!

a juniper tree

Montezuma Well


a butterfly wing



a sign of fall

old dwellings from long ago

an AMAZING sycamore tree!
The next day we went for a nice hike in the evening to catch the sunset. The beauty of Sedona leaves me without words. Really! Our hike was really nice and Christine's friend came with us and he told me some great stories about some amazing hikes he has been on. I loved the juniper berries and the cool arrow rock. Everywhere I looked there was something beautiful to see... magic I suppose!







The next day we went for a hike to a very sacred place. In fact, not many people know about it which made it really special. We did a sacred ceremony when we reached the mushroom rock and tuned in to our compass. I spent some time in the womb of the sacred feminine and got a little silly with my fish lens feature! Ate some juicy prickly pear and was feeling pretty blissed out that day for SURE!!



love is everywhere

crystal formations inside the womb

Christine I love you!




prickly pear! where's the margarita?



now this is where women's circles should be held!


juniper vortex

in between the balance



The next night we went out to dinner Elote, which is known for being the best restaurant.  So with that comes a wait. We got there a few minutes before they opened to see that there was already a 45 minute wait list. I knew this place was gonna be tasty when I witnessed that. So of course to kill some time, we got some tasty cocktails! I was so excited when they called our name for our table. We got lucky and got to sit out on the patio. We ordered chicken enchiladas and a chile relleno to share so we could try a few dishes and shared their Elote Appetizer which is corn on the cob. I would definitely go back to this spot for sure!


the line already forming out the door!


Elote's signature sweet corn appetizer


happy ladies!


chile relleno with stuffed goat cheese balls!

roasted chicken enchiladas with fresh sprouts!

cool heat lamp when the sun went down
The next night we went to pay a visit to one of Christine's super magical friends. She has the most beautiful home with such loving energy. She gave us the tour of her little tree house and we had dinner with her and played in her swing up stairs. So much fun to enjoy the company of other magical women!
these are the steps that lead the way to a magical place

a happy toad guarding the palace!


two beautiful souls!
can you tell I'm blissed out on life and all it's beauty or what!!!  : )

The next day Christine and I headed to Jerome for a day of sightseeing and adventure. This little town reminded me of a town I visited with Gus and Darby back in February, complete with haunted hotel.
I even scored a super cute vintage dress at an antique shop. 
spooky haunted hotel
amazing flower in full bloom!
lots of fun treasures and vintage clothes in here!  



I just couldn't get enough of the wackiness of this store. If only it had been open! next time.





our last night together. I made caprese salad and pasta!

 I hope you all have a wonderful friend in your life as I do. I feel so blessed and thankful to have had such a wonderful week. Life changing to say the least! I love you Christine with all my heart and I'm looking forward to our next visit!