Is time accelerating or am I just getting older and it all seems to be so precious? This photo is from our 10th annual holiday preview with some great clients and friends... l-r alayne, linda, val, elaine and gina (the famous pedicure goddess)I can't believe that it has been 10 years since we opened the first alayne white spa in Bristol. We have been blessed with a growing business, great clients and the most divine team of women I am fortunate to have in my company, literally and figuratively.

I have noticed lots of things in this wacky economy over the last few years, but most has been positive so these are the things I wish to share with you as we leap into 2012 for more adventures, more hopes, and a sense of newness that the blessings of a new year always brings. Read on for my thoughts on aging, life, spa, women and the joys of growth when we are conscious, truthful and coming from a place of clear intention.

I am a beach lover, this year i spent a lot of time in the sun as many of you probably noticed in my blogs from my travels. i make no excuses for my behavior, i love the sun, was raised on it in Jamestown and Newport and it births a creative juice for me that nothing else does. As I approach 47 however, I am beginning to notice the results of my yearly jaunts in the sun. The skin tags, the pigmentation, the lines, blah blah blah. Yes I notice, but I don't freak out. I just slather on more moisturizer, mask more, oil up more, smile more and do more good breathing with some kind words.I have noticed that when I do this, I feel better. I thought I would share my routine with you so you can see what I do during my week to keep myself happy, creative and feeling love. so here you have it....

I talk to my aunt kiley almost everyday in the morning around 6. We talk about nothing and everything. It is my morning meditation. Here is a photo of her with my son at his Bar Mitzvah.

We talk recipes, life, breathing, relationships, family, travel, you name it. I love her so much. We have a special bond and I am most grateful for her in my life. I try to tell her as I try to tell most of the people in my world I love that I love them. I always try to end conversations with I love you, especially my dear girlfriends. This always makes me feel calm. I am liking feeling calm, it is a new feeling for me. My friend, Melissa, just gave me a great thing to say. STAY FLAT, meaning to stay calm that the a sound in those 2 words actually help to calm me. Anytime I am feeling activated, I try to say these 2 words. STAY FLAT. It has been so helpful.  We have been friends since 6th grade, that is over 35 years! Here is a photo of us.

She is one of the most amazing women I share my world with. All the music we play at the spas is from her mom's store in Provincetown, Mass called Muir Music. Friends, I cherish them. Family, too. I try to focus in the things I love about them and not the things I don't. I have definitely spent the last few years ridding myself of toxic relationships. I like realizing that when relationships no longer serve other than to bother, it is time to let them go. As difficult as that may seem, it is most liberating.
Onto other things... routines, eating well, cooking well, having great clean food in my fridge that serves my soul. Massaging Kale with olive oil and some sea salt makes it this yummy salad that for some reason has worked as an incredible cleanser for my insides. Trying new recipes, spending the afternoon cooking on a Sunday to have food for the week that is healthy and nourishing, I do this a lot now and am so happy midweek when I don't always have time or feel like going to the grocery store to have this food in my space.
Rediscovering Pilates, one of those perfect exercises, I have been using Aull Pilates in Middletown, RI lately, there is one in Bristol too, but I like the excuse to take a drive to a new space and meet new people. Walking, running, pilates, yoga, a great mix for me and keeping my insides fit which makes me feel like my outsides look a little stronger. I like that feeling.
Products and services. I am telling you that I have some super faves that I can't live without. For services, it is leg waxing, underarm waxing and the hotcat bikini wax, I do this year round as I also do pedicures and lately manicures year round. I know you are probably saying of course I do these, I own the spa, I could do anything I want. Yes true, but there are some things as a woman I have been doing for years even before I owned my own and they are the ones I just mentioned. I love a great facial and a great massage too, but I do those about 4 times a year.
Here are my absolute favorite products I use and can't live without. Wonder Cream by Earth Essence, Rose Toner by the same company. Essential Cleansing Solution by Dermalogica, Treatment Foundation by Dermalogica as well as Conditioning Body Wash and Exfoliating Body Scrub also by derm. Moroccan shampoo and hair mask and hair oil and curl creme, cannot live without those essential hair products now. I love The Balm eys shadows, the blushes and the lipsticks. I love Revitalash mascara. I can not live without Hobacare organic baby oil, I put this on my entire body everytime I get out of the shower without fail. My skin is never dry now because of it and I will tell you that as you get older, there is nothing more annoying then dry flaky skin, Try it, if you use it, you will love it.
I love our alayne white spa t shirts we sell now, great form fitting shirts that have cool quotes on them. As a matter of fact if you take a photo of yourself in one in your travels we will put it on the website and or hang it around the spa. We also sell Aquidneck Island Honey, which is so good for you and the sweetness factor we have become addicted to over the years. This product is the real deal, local honey is some great medicine. I read somewhere that if you eat a teaspoon of local honey, it will help your allergies. Not sure if this is true, but doesn't it make sense? We are also selling this Greek Organic Olive Oil that I have been using for over 20 years imported by an old friend and former boss of mine in my old Aveda days. If you are using commerical olive oil, come try this product, it will be hard for you to cook and eat with anything else.
My world as I get older and my son is now 14 is getting easier. I choose calmness and peace in my interactions and guess what? I usually get this in return. For this I am humbled by my relationships, my friends and family and of course our clients and my extraordinary staff of spa goddesses who serve alayne white spa clients and my business every day. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by all of this beauty and I never take it for granted.
Peace and Light in this upcoming 2012. May your adventures be bold and bright.
Alayne