I find myself wanting to record A LOT more stuff lately. Basically, I want to write my own memoir while I'm living it, instead of looking back when I'm old, and writing it then, like so often happens with people. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have such a descriptive journal for yourself when you're old? "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train," as Gwendolyn would say from, The Importance of Being Earnest. So often, I look back in my life and I ask, what did I do that year? I have a journal, but it's sparse. I have the blog, but it's sparse too. I want to capture the every day things. I am just enjoying life so much right now, I want to squeeze out every drop of loveliness. I really take joy in recording the little moments that stand out to me. To others, they may be trivial, but to me, they are precious. Lately, I've had inhibitions about posting such minutia, worrying about people thinking, "Why did she post that? Who cares that she thinks she made the best waffles ever this morning?" Or I worry about things being taken the wrong way. But I want to record those things. I want to remember that moment, and what it felt like, and other little snippets that went along with it. I shall call it, "The Well-Recorded Life." So, if I post frivolous things, that's why. I may end up going private, or may start a secret blog, who knows. But, that's where I'm at for now. Not that anyone needed to know.
A few years ago I read books on journal-keeping. They were amazing. The way these authors could capture moments was flawless and astounding. They could make the smallest things, so profound. It breathed life into me. It made me realize that the small moments, are often the best.
One thing I love about the internet is how it has allowed people to see different lifestyles on an every day basis. People can better learn how THEY want to live, because they can see and read about so many other people's daily lives. Some lifestyle blogs are just fascinating to me.
I could go on, but that's enough.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Date night and food
January date night
Chad and I have always loved trying new eateries. Our palettes have definitely matured over the years from when we thought Applebee's buffalo wings were AMAZING! lol. We just both love food...but I still don't understand why he likes potato chips with nasty dip. Ugh! And he still doesn't understand why I LOVE plain Greek yogurt (the texture!). After years of trying new things, and honing my cooking skills, so often I eat out and think, I could have made that....or....it would be so fun to learn how to make this. Unless the food is close to perfection, I will think, I wish I had made this at home. I love spending time with the food, including cooking it. If I didn't cook, I wouldn't have enough time with food. Eating it goes by way too fast. If I cook, I get to enjoy it so much longer. A clean-up maid would be lovely though.
Yackity smackity. So....I decided to plan a night-in for Chad and I, catering to his tastebuds, and trying recipes that I really wanted to try. I made jalapeno poppers and 2-cheese burgers with garlic-herb sauce and roasted tomatoes. Thanks to my new cast-iron grill pan, I am perfecting the burger, much to Chad's delight. It's so convenient now to cook them. And, gourmet burgers are all the rage these days.
I lit candles, I turned on the twinkle lights, and I downloaded quintessential French music...and warned him he would have to dance one song with me, and dip me perfectly....as in, I had to feel like I was light as a feather and not awkwardly leaning back. We were dancing, he was twirling me, and down for the dip I went, letting my neck relax, and then Dakota licked my forehead. lol. To me, it was the best dip ever....because the whole moment was just so funny. Creating romance is practically impossible because it can't really be planned, it's just an in-the-moment thing. Luckily, humor is the most romantic to me. Then she got jealous and started barking at us. Meow! Such a diva! We finished the song, laughing.
We tried ending the night with affogato, but it didn't really work out. Unfortunately, the back-up plan was cookies and ice cream, and I ate way too many. tehe.
Great date night for the month? CHECK!
Chad and I have always loved trying new eateries. Our palettes have definitely matured over the years from when we thought Applebee's buffalo wings were AMAZING! lol. We just both love food...but I still don't understand why he likes potato chips with nasty dip. Ugh! And he still doesn't understand why I LOVE plain Greek yogurt (the texture!). After years of trying new things, and honing my cooking skills, so often I eat out and think, I could have made that....or....it would be so fun to learn how to make this. Unless the food is close to perfection, I will think, I wish I had made this at home. I love spending time with the food, including cooking it. If I didn't cook, I wouldn't have enough time with food. Eating it goes by way too fast. If I cook, I get to enjoy it so much longer. A clean-up maid would be lovely though.
Yackity smackity. So....I decided to plan a night-in for Chad and I, catering to his tastebuds, and trying recipes that I really wanted to try. I made jalapeno poppers and 2-cheese burgers with garlic-herb sauce and roasted tomatoes. Thanks to my new cast-iron grill pan, I am perfecting the burger, much to Chad's delight. It's so convenient now to cook them. And, gourmet burgers are all the rage these days.
I lit candles, I turned on the twinkle lights, and I downloaded quintessential French music...and warned him he would have to dance one song with me, and dip me perfectly....as in, I had to feel like I was light as a feather and not awkwardly leaning back. We were dancing, he was twirling me, and down for the dip I went, letting my neck relax, and then Dakota licked my forehead. lol. To me, it was the best dip ever....because the whole moment was just so funny. Creating romance is practically impossible because it can't really be planned, it's just an in-the-moment thing. Luckily, humor is the most romantic to me. Then she got jealous and started barking at us. Meow! Such a diva! We finished the song, laughing.
We tried ending the night with affogato, but it didn't really work out. Unfortunately, the back-up plan was cookies and ice cream, and I ate way too many. tehe.
Great date night for the month? CHECK!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Logging great runs
So often, I get home from a run, and I think, "Man, I should blog about that, because it was AWESOME!" Then I don't, and I think, shucks. I shoulda. I want to remember my favorite runs. Well, not today.
I rarely run in the evening, but today, that's what fit the schedule. I left when the evening sun was highlighting the mountaintops. I had lots of energy from a rest day yesterday, and a hearty lunch today, and I had a fresh set of songs on my ipod. Everything was set up for the PERFECT run....and so it was. I caught all the different stages of the sunset. I beat my best 5k time, and wasn't even planning on doing it. Before I knew it, I had run 5 miles, and it was getting dark. I came home, and everyone was still napping. I drank a protein shake (love them! So good. I know that sounds so dorky and like I'm a total wannabe, but whatever) and went outside again to stretch. "Over the Valley" by Pink Martini started playing on the ipod. It's Aijahlyn's lullaby, but it always reminds me of the month we lived in a "cabin" in Lapine, where we could walk, in solitude, to the river, and sit in knee-high green grass along the bank. That month in my life is practically sacred, I loved it so much. I started crying, wishing I could be back in those moments again. Although my life now is still my favorite, those memories were so sweet. Jet was 10 months, and we went on strolls everyday along that river with the dogs. It was in early June, the perfect weather, when the onset of summer feels so new, and the sun on your face is the most soothing feeling. Those days were perfection.
After my drift down memory lane, I still wasn't ready to go inside, so I plugged in my "Italian Villa" lights hanging over the deck, warmed up some vanilla comoro tea, and brought my yoga mat out to do what little yoga I know in the 36 degree weather. I listened to the same song a few times, and loosened all my muscles. Down went the last sip of tea, and i was ready to go in.
That's why I LOVE running. It's like the best date with myself, and I can do it EVERY DAY. 'Til next time.
I rarely run in the evening, but today, that's what fit the schedule. I left when the evening sun was highlighting the mountaintops. I had lots of energy from a rest day yesterday, and a hearty lunch today, and I had a fresh set of songs on my ipod. Everything was set up for the PERFECT run....and so it was. I caught all the different stages of the sunset. I beat my best 5k time, and wasn't even planning on doing it. Before I knew it, I had run 5 miles, and it was getting dark. I came home, and everyone was still napping. I drank a protein shake (love them! So good. I know that sounds so dorky and like I'm a total wannabe, but whatever) and went outside again to stretch. "Over the Valley" by Pink Martini started playing on the ipod. It's Aijahlyn's lullaby, but it always reminds me of the month we lived in a "cabin" in Lapine, where we could walk, in solitude, to the river, and sit in knee-high green grass along the bank. That month in my life is practically sacred, I loved it so much. I started crying, wishing I could be back in those moments again. Although my life now is still my favorite, those memories were so sweet. Jet was 10 months, and we went on strolls everyday along that river with the dogs. It was in early June, the perfect weather, when the onset of summer feels so new, and the sun on your face is the most soothing feeling. Those days were perfection.
After my drift down memory lane, I still wasn't ready to go inside, so I plugged in my "Italian Villa" lights hanging over the deck, warmed up some vanilla comoro tea, and brought my yoga mat out to do what little yoga I know in the 36 degree weather. I listened to the same song a few times, and loosened all my muscles. Down went the last sip of tea, and i was ready to go in.
That's why I LOVE running. It's like the best date with myself, and I can do it EVERY DAY. 'Til next time.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Realizations and Resolutions
Wow, resolutions this year have made me do some serious life contemplation. Ideas have been percolating for weeks, my whole life has been examined. It's been.....rigorous.
This past year I have finally started doing better at setting and achieving goals. Honestly, since Aijah, I make a mental list of goals every day, a VERY realistic list, so I'm productive, but not overwhelmed. A big contributor to this was playing Game On. It's a diet/healthy lifestyle competition. There's a book. Basically, you make teams, and every day there are a list of things you earn points for: exercise, follow your eating plan, communicating with team members, completing goals etc. You keep score, and the winners get a predetermined prize. I learned A LOT playing this "game." It changed my life for the better. (Thank you Kara (introducee), and for my family (players)) Before the game, each individual picks a habit to start, and a habit to break. You get points for doing or not doing things. Chad and I both spent a good deal of time deciding on what we wanted to change in our lives, and since then, the ball has kept rolling. I exercise more, I eat better, I enjoy life more, I fit more great things in, and I'm continually re-evaluating my life and myself.
So, the big 2013 rolls around, and I'm brainstorming and feeling confident about resolutions. Then a little bomb drops. We had a church lesson on goal setting. They had us write what we would like to be doing in 5 years. 5 years? Why hadn't I thought that far in advance? My goals were so short term. 5 years? What? Have another child? Hopefully. Be a good mom? Can't really check that one off. And, what else? Run some races. Read all the standard works. Good. After that, I was kinda stumped. It was a YW laurel lesson, so all the girls were obviously writing about college and missions, and moving and BIG THINGS. In 5 years, my life isn't going to change much.
Then I started wondering, am I just wasting away my time, living in a day-to-day mentality? Shouldn't I have some longer term goals? Suddenly, my original 2013 resolutions seemed small and silly. I felt like I was missing something. Aren't I supposed be doing something bigger? more important? I kept pondering, but wasn't getting anywhere. Should I be starting some organization for helping people? Should I be working on being more hire-able someday? Should I start some online income source? Ideas were getting weird, and non-inspiring. How do I want to live my life?
I changed my perspective. I thought, "Pretend it's 5 years from now, what would you regret doing or not doing?" Then most everything fell into place. Top priority, enjoying, loving and teaching my family. It far surpasses anything else. Oh, how I would regret not cherishing everything, and taking advantage of every age my children pass through. How I would regret not taking time to teach them as much as I could...not creating great memories... letting trivial things take priority. Really, there are plenty of time-worthy things I could accomplish, but for me, my best life, is enjoying my family, EVERY DAY. Yes, I could try to make money, or do something more for society, or really work my bum off at being "successful" in the world, but if I let those take priority over my family, I personally would feel like I missed the best part of my life. When my children are older, or moved out etc. resolutions will be different, but while they are growing up, I'm relishing every moment.
So, after much thought, here are my resolutions, ....rough draft....subject to tweaking, but the rough outline is solid.
Spiritual
-Complete weekly scripture reading goals. Read along with Sunday School Curriculum. If I do this, it will remind me to say my prayers too.
Physical
-Two 1/2 marathons, or 1 triathlon and 1 half marathon. Others races for sure, but those for now. Workout 5 days/week.
Education
-Read 3 parenting books. Peruse several.
-15 minutes of "preschool" for Jet, 5 days/week
Family
-1 great date night a month (this month's is already planned) (at least 1 photo (get a purse that's easy to take my camera everywhere)
-1 great family activity a month (at least 1 photo), 1 fun one a week or so (easy)
-personally, 1 fun thing with the kids every day....simple things, a dance party in the living room,a b-ball shooting competition, play dates, teaching fun things, cooking something together, making something etc.
-write my grandmas letters. 1 letter a month. That's 3, per grandma, per year.
Fun
-cook at least 1 new recipe a week, even if it's just tweaking an old one....1st goal? Crispy waffles, not just fluffy waffles...well...and the awesome menu I have for date night on Monday (it's a secret). Chad is gonna LUUURVE it! Can't wait!
-blog more frequently, and keep posts more simple. seriously, instead of watching ANOTHER cooking show, I could blog in the same time.
Service
- Cook a meal for someone at least once a month (whether they are coming over or I'm taking it to them) Finally i feel confident enough in my cooking to do this.
-Complete visiting teaching every month, even if simple.
Okay, it sounds like there might be too much fun in there, but I'm enjoying my life, and it's my choice. So much fun to be had! Yahoo! Don't worry, I get the more "serious" things done too. For example, financial goals would be WEIRD to post online, nay?
This past year I have finally started doing better at setting and achieving goals. Honestly, since Aijah, I make a mental list of goals every day, a VERY realistic list, so I'm productive, but not overwhelmed. A big contributor to this was playing Game On. It's a diet/healthy lifestyle competition. There's a book. Basically, you make teams, and every day there are a list of things you earn points for: exercise, follow your eating plan, communicating with team members, completing goals etc. You keep score, and the winners get a predetermined prize. I learned A LOT playing this "game." It changed my life for the better. (Thank you Kara (introducee), and for my family (players)) Before the game, each individual picks a habit to start, and a habit to break. You get points for doing or not doing things. Chad and I both spent a good deal of time deciding on what we wanted to change in our lives, and since then, the ball has kept rolling. I exercise more, I eat better, I enjoy life more, I fit more great things in, and I'm continually re-evaluating my life and myself.
So, the big 2013 rolls around, and I'm brainstorming and feeling confident about resolutions. Then a little bomb drops. We had a church lesson on goal setting. They had us write what we would like to be doing in 5 years. 5 years? Why hadn't I thought that far in advance? My goals were so short term. 5 years? What? Have another child? Hopefully. Be a good mom? Can't really check that one off. And, what else? Run some races. Read all the standard works. Good. After that, I was kinda stumped. It was a YW laurel lesson, so all the girls were obviously writing about college and missions, and moving and BIG THINGS. In 5 years, my life isn't going to change much.
Then I started wondering, am I just wasting away my time, living in a day-to-day mentality? Shouldn't I have some longer term goals? Suddenly, my original 2013 resolutions seemed small and silly. I felt like I was missing something. Aren't I supposed be doing something bigger? more important? I kept pondering, but wasn't getting anywhere. Should I be starting some organization for helping people? Should I be working on being more hire-able someday? Should I start some online income source? Ideas were getting weird, and non-inspiring. How do I want to live my life?
I changed my perspective. I thought, "Pretend it's 5 years from now, what would you regret doing or not doing?" Then most everything fell into place. Top priority, enjoying, loving and teaching my family. It far surpasses anything else. Oh, how I would regret not cherishing everything, and taking advantage of every age my children pass through. How I would regret not taking time to teach them as much as I could...not creating great memories... letting trivial things take priority. Really, there are plenty of time-worthy things I could accomplish, but for me, my best life, is enjoying my family, EVERY DAY. Yes, I could try to make money, or do something more for society, or really work my bum off at being "successful" in the world, but if I let those take priority over my family, I personally would feel like I missed the best part of my life. When my children are older, or moved out etc. resolutions will be different, but while they are growing up, I'm relishing every moment.
So, after much thought, here are my resolutions, ....rough draft....subject to tweaking, but the rough outline is solid.
Spiritual
-Complete weekly scripture reading goals. Read along with Sunday School Curriculum. If I do this, it will remind me to say my prayers too.
Physical
-Two 1/2 marathons, or 1 triathlon and 1 half marathon. Others races for sure, but those for now. Workout 5 days/week.
Education
-Read 3 parenting books. Peruse several.
-15 minutes of "preschool" for Jet, 5 days/week
Family
-1 great date night a month (this month's is already planned) (at least 1 photo (get a purse that's easy to take my camera everywhere)
-1 great family activity a month (at least 1 photo), 1 fun one a week or so (easy)
-personally, 1 fun thing with the kids every day....simple things, a dance party in the living room,a b-ball shooting competition, play dates, teaching fun things, cooking something together, making something etc.
-write my grandmas letters. 1 letter a month. That's 3, per grandma, per year.
Fun
-cook at least 1 new recipe a week, even if it's just tweaking an old one....1st goal? Crispy waffles, not just fluffy waffles...well...and the awesome menu I have for date night on Monday (it's a secret). Chad is gonna LUUURVE it! Can't wait!
-blog more frequently, and keep posts more simple. seriously, instead of watching ANOTHER cooking show, I could blog in the same time.
Service
- Cook a meal for someone at least once a month (whether they are coming over or I'm taking it to them) Finally i feel confident enough in my cooking to do this.
-Complete visiting teaching every month, even if simple.
Okay, it sounds like there might be too much fun in there, but I'm enjoying my life, and it's my choice. So much fun to be had! Yahoo! Don't worry, I get the more "serious" things done too. For example, financial goals would be WEIRD to post online, nay?
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Biking Ridgeline
So basically, I was in this totally freaked-out state of mind for the first half. I was basically just trying not to fall. It reminded me of my first time skiing, and I went down a trail way too difficult for me. I had just enough control, screaming (literally, and speed-wise) down the hill, to not injure myself, right on the borderline of disaster. Except the difference was that, if I fell, I would get REALLY hurt instead of just landing in snow. Big whoop if you fall in snow! Tumbling down a rocky, forested hill? No thanks!
After halfway, hills got to be more fun, and less freaky. My eyes actually wouldn't bug out before I saw them coming. The scenery was beautiful. When I was done, I was really proud of myself. It was fun, and now I know what to expect. But, more mountain biking with have to wait until better weather, and apparently I need to practice on some baby trails.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Chillins
Monday, December 3, 2012
Autumn update
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