handstandykins

Handstands are hard, y'all! Call me a dork, but I am posting this for my mom. Because if I was in Virginia, I would go, "Hey mom! Look what I've been practicing!" So here it is, mommy. With love.

xmas

Keith and I had a very nice Christmas together. We slept in a bit, opened presents, I took another nap and then we went to see Avatar. The use of color in that movie was phenomenal, but it was 2 hours and 42 minutes long. The last hour could have easily been done without! I got bored so I had to get up and go to the bathroom twice. That is way too long to be sitting in a theater.

Keith's mom got us a gift certificate to stay at Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood which also comes with two lift passes per night! We are so excited. I think we will use it for Keith's birthday. Can't wait! Keith also made an appointment for me to get an hour long massage this Tuesday evening and my mom sent me slippers and candles and QUARTERS for laundry! Yes! And Tonya got me a huge coffee mug and subscriptions to Yoga Journal and Vegetarian Times. And I got a gift card from Tony and Jenn. And a scarf from Dana! Holy cow, I got a lot of presents!

I am at work and something smells foul. It is not the trash. I think something died (no joke) and I am too afraid to look for it. I would go to pieces if I found a dead animal.

On that note, I have to leave this area before I vomit.

xoxo-
T

my baby and me

merry xmas eve

Xmas eve is different this year. Here I sit, drunk and alone in keiths section at the olive garden as I wait for him to get off work. I'm reading a yoga journal that tonya sent me for xmas (along with a full subscription!) and just observing my surroundings. Across from me sits a couple holding hands across the table. Behind me sits a couple from san diego. Beside me sits a family of thirteen enjoying a pre-christmas meal together. This makes me miss my family. But then I know that my family would never spend xmas eve in olive garden. This is my second big holiday without my family. The first being thanksgiving. But this has been an eye opening experience. I now know that I will never take my family for granted again. I cherish their love and all the past holidays we've spent together, and the ones we will spend together in the future. I cherish the relationship I have with keith, because no matter how far physically I am from "home", I know that as long as I am with him my soul will always be at home. I am grateful to my family who has never forgotten about me, despite the miles between us. And I'm grateful to my yoga students from whom I've felt an outpouring of love and support all year long. So yes, this xmas christmas eveis different. I feel more conscious and more aware of the love in my life than ever before. I can't wait to see what the new year brings for me.

Merry christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Love,
T

party

I went to an ugly holiday sweater/cookie exchange party tonight at Julia's. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find an ugly holiday sweater so I had to get creative. I decided to wear a red dress and wrap myself in Christmas lights. When I got there I plugged myself into a wall.

clean and fresh

This has been a weird couple of days. I have been so lazy, yet I have gotten so much accomplished. All of my bills are paid, my apartment is really clean and all of my laundry is done. My bathroom has been cleaned with bleach, I have fresh sheets on the bed, food in the kitchen. What more could I ask for?

something to remember

The lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud.

love my cindy

game night @ shan & kev's

Silly Julia!

Julia and John

Summer

Shannon and Kevin

Shannon

Shannon and Kevin have a fat orange cat named Simon, too!

Julia, John and Simon

beautiful life

My life has changed profoundly this year. It's days like today that make me realize just how much different my life really is! Keith and I went to Sauvie Island to enjoy some peace and quiet and take in the amazing views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood. We took some photos and had a wonderful time. It was so quiet I could hear every breath in and every breath out. I could hear the sound of the ripples in the water, and the lightest breeze moving through the nearly bare trees.

This week, we have had some really beautiful weather. It's been cold, but sunny and clear at the same time. I decided not to sit around and take it for granted, so I made it a point to get off my butt and go see things! I am so glad that I did.

xoxo-

T

lovely day

Julia and I had our coffee date this morning at Cup and Saucer. It was so much fun! We sat around and drank who knows how many cups of coffee for an hour and a half and then I took her to work and went to the gym. I also happened to notice what a clear and beautiful day it was, so I decided to take my camera out and capture the beauty. I went to the Rose Garden and to Washington Park and took in the fantastic view of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens for a bit, and then I just walked around some. I noticed that the poopy reservoir was almost completely drained and I took a picture of that too! I was so conscious and aware of my surroundings today. I noticed that I could see Mt. St. Helens from the corner of 18th and Davis. I wanted so badly to take a picture of it, but it wouldn't have shown up. It's amazing how clearly we can see these mountains from Portland. They are about 100 miles away. Imagine what it would have been like to be in Portland when St. Helens erupted. That's a sight I would have liked to have seen!

All in all today was a very good day. I will teach two yoga classes tomorrow and spend my time in between relaxing. Tomorrow will be a good day, too!

xoxo-

T

Mt. Hood

Here are some photos I took of Mount Hood on my little stroll today...