snuggly simon

2010 Highlights

This year has been a series of ups and downs. But instead of focusing on the bad, I'm going to make a list of some of my favorite times!

• Spending two nights at Timberline Lodge with Keith in January
  
• Visit from Melissa in February (yoga in Hood River, art shows, movies, fun!!)
• Picking out my wedding dress
• Cupcake & champagne party, which my sweet co-workers (& Kyla) made extra special
  
• VEGAS WEDDING!
• 10-day visit from Ben and Dana (Oregon Coast, yoga with Kathryn Budig!)
• Crater Lake camping with John and Julia, despite the frigid temps in August!
• Acquiring some new yoga gigs (Adidas & PPS!)
• A beautiful month of October
• Practicing yoga every day (sometimes more than once) at YoYoYogi
• Day (or night) trips to the mountain for snowboarding

latte

Can you imagine what life as a celebrity would be like? It's headline news when one of them steps out for a latte. Seriously. One of the headlines on people.com right now is "Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal share coffee- again".

And on that note, off to yoga I go!

sunday

A few minutes ago I felt inspired to write, but once I got logged in I lost it. I mostly just wanted to say that I am really looking forward to going home for Christmas (even though I am dreading having to board my baby), and that Julia and I went to an art opening type thing last night and it was really fun (and tasty). I had a red velvet cupcake, a slice of red velvet cake, a glass of champagne, two creme puffs, a mini quiche, a couple pieces of broccoli, two strawberries, and a few pieces of bread dipped in olive oil. Needless to say I didn't need to eat dinner once I got home. Getting back to basics today. Yoga this morning, vegetables for lunch and yoga again this evening. And no more cake for a while.

Now I feel inspired. Perhaps I'll buy some feather earrings?

sick

It's been a rough few days for the Aplands. It started last Monday when Keith started getting sick with a really nasty cold. On Friday, I started coming down with it. Saturday was my worst day, and lucky for me it came and went (for the most part) pretty quickly. By Sunday I thought the worst was over, so I changed the sheets, towels, toothbrushes, bath sponges, did all the laundry and cleaned everything from top to bottom to de-germ the place. Then out of nowhere, Keith wakes up really early Monday morning with flu-like symptoms. It was terrible. He's feeling better now, but I am ready for us to both be completely healthy and back to normal. This is the first day in four days that I've even had coffee, which is a pretty big deal for me. I've spent so much time vertical that my back is now killing me. I did some yoga this morning, which seems to be the only thing providing any relief.

I suppose it's better for this to be happening now than when we go home for Christmas in five weeks! Five weeks! I can't believe it.

veggie love

me + vegetables = love

I am a fan of snacking. I love to eat. Therefore, I am committing to eating more vegetables. Every single day, lots of vegetables. Raw. I love vegetables, and they love me back. Right now I'm shoving broccoli in my mouth.

yay!!

This little yogini is now the proud owner of a brand new Lamar Foxie board and a Ski Bowl Super Value Pass! YES!!!!!!! Couldn't be more excited!

no sleep

Productive morning so far. I got up at 7, did a load of laundry, had coffee while watching Guiliana & Bill (love that show) and went to the gym. I'm not sure why, but I am tired. I went to bed around 10 last night, but for some reason I don't think I slept very well. My current goal is to regulate my sleep schedule. I am up before 6 to teach yoga three mornings a week, and whenever I can I go home and go back to sleep after class. Sometimes I will sleep until 9 or 10, and sometimes I will sleep until noon or 1. I always have a hard time falling asleep, but more so on nights before I know I have to be up before the sun even thinks about rising. I've been dealing with this issue for months now, probably even more than a year. I've tried everything. Melatonin doesn't do anything but make me feel groggy the next day, I've used lavender essential oil, yoga before bed, a sound machine, a sleep mask, hot tea, nothing seems to work. I can be completely wiped out, but when my head hits the pillow I can't sleep. I have a healthy diet, I exercise regularly, I just don't know what could be contributing to my lack of sleep. I recently have noticed that I get the best sleep during the day. For about a week recently, I was in the habit of sleeping anywhere from two to five hours in the middle of the day. I don't want to be doing that. I used to have a friend who took a nap or two every single day and I thought it seemed like a really unhealthy and annoying habit. So starting this past week, I decided I would not go back to sleep after yoga and I would not let myself sleep during the day. It's been hard. I am hoping that my body will learn to relax and sleep at night. I've even gotten acupuncture once a week for the past five weeks in hopes of solving the problem, but the mystery remains. This is such a tiring issue to struggle with. Literally!

xoxo-
T

bye bye, October

pumpkin cupcakes from Julia on my birthday

haunted corn maize on Sauvie Island

Well, this is my last October blog until next year! I've got to say that it's been a pretty nice October. We were blessed with some really magnificent weather, and I acquired a couple new yoga gigs. I also enjoyed lots of pumpkin flavored things, and even celebrated my Halloween at a haunted (and incredibly muddy) corn maize on Sauvie Island. As I type this, Keith and I are watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is a favorite of mine. I just love the Pumpkin King!

From here, I can officially start thinking about Christmas. I'm about half way done with my shopping, and I already know what I'm getting the folks I don't have anything for yet. Easy enough! Can't wait to go home and spend the holiday with family this year. It was pretty depressing last year staying here in Portland. I always wondered why movie theaters were open on Christmas until last year, when Keith and I went to see Avatar because we didn't have anything else to do.

Going to watch the movie now. Hope y'all had a nice October! :)

xoxo-
T

birthday

So, yesterday was my birthday. I woke up at 4:55 for yoga and then worked afterward, so by 8pm I could literally barely hold my eyes open, but it was still a decent birthday. Julia baked me pumpkin cupcakes and I had a roasted beet burger with truffled yam fries for dinner, in addition to a few highly coveted peach bellinis.

thursday

Another night of not-so-great sleep. I am getting so sick of this! Simon meows so loudly and constantly in the middle of the night sometimes that I just want to throw him out the window. It is a good thing that I am so in love with him and am able to forgive him once morning comes.

I painted my nails this morning. One hand is black and the other is orange. Birthoween nails? I got this idea (not that it's super creative or anything) from a magazine when I was flying home from Vegas. One hand was painted dark pink, and the other was painted a lighter shade of pink. I'm not sure I would do pink, but you can do it with any two colors of similar shades.

Today I will teach two classes, go to the gym, maybe get a free spray tan (coupon, woop!), maybe get my eyebrows waxed, maybe go to the bank, and I will definitely be watching It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at 8! Can't wait!

xoxo,
T

wednesday

Well, I just woke up about an hour and a half ago and I've been in flannel pjs drinking coffee ever since. It is 3:00. What is going on with my sleep schedule? I am starting to sleep better during the day than at night.

I'm really excited because I just bought our ski bowl passes! Lifts could be open as early as this weekend, but we can't go because I don't have a snowboard yet, and more importantly (according to Keith) we can't go because the Vikings are playing on Sunday. I can't wait to start going all the time. Our passes are valid for every day but Saturday, and with the season starting this early I am hoping to go like 20 times! Most of my friends are hot weather beach people, but I don't consider myself to be in that category. First of all, I feel more comfortable in snow pants than a bikini. Also, I do not like to be hot and/or sticky (unless I am at the gym), and I'm really not interested in getting wet (like say, in the ocean or pool). I may have said this before, but my favorite weather is cold and sunny. Or if I am in the mountains, I like cold and snowy! Rain, however- I can always do without that.

So that brings me to my next topic of discussion: San Diego. Yes, I still want to move to San Diego (one day). San Diego's weather is neither cold nor snowy, but it is so beautiful! I love the desert. Sometimes I wonder if I just like anything that isn't like where I'm from? But then I go, no because I really don't think I'd like the midwest, or somewhere super hot and sticky like Florida.

Yesterday I had a really great acupuncture appointment. I fell asleep for an hour and fifteen minutes. It's so calming.

My birthday is in two days. Twenty five. I feel good with where I am in life and am happy to be having this birthday.

I am going to do some laundry now!

xoxo-
T

love

Here are a few things that I love:

• yoga
• being married
• fall foliage
• pumpkins
• Trader Joe's
• peach bellinis
• San Diego
• coffee
• boots
• nail polish
• celebrity gossip
• writing
• back to back episodes of Ellen and Oprah
• daydreaming

cousins

Just came across this photo of my cousin Tonya and me in Las Vegas right after my wedding. I like it, and want to go back. We had so much fun!

random story

See those arm warmers I'm wearing in the above photo? You can barely see them, but they're winter white and they're fingerless, so I can see where a drunk person might mistake them for a cast, if I was wearing just one of them. But why would I do that? The other night, Keith and I went on a date to the tiny bar and I was wearing a cute 3/4 sleeved top with my arm warmers. While walking up 21st, a drunk and presumably homeless man walked up to us, looked at me and said, "Awww, you broke your arm! Hey, can I borrow a cigarette?"

sunday

Why do I watch the GARBAGE I watch? I do watch some pretty tacky shows, but at the moment I'm talking about The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which I watched last night on hulu. Not only did I watch it, but I also enjoyed it. I can't help myself, for some reason I love shows like this.

The women on the show look like plastic. They've had a lot of "work" done and they look terrible. Why would someone want to do that to themselves? I can maybe comprehend a small procedure every now and then, if you're into that kind of thing, but some women take it to a whole new level. I feel like they think they're making themselves look younger, but in reality they're making themselves look like 40 or 50 something year old women who are desperately, yet unsuccessfully, trying to make themselves look 20. And what really blows my mind is, why would you even want to look half your age?! Now I know I'm only in my mid twenties, but I have to say that the older I get, the better I feel because with each passing year I become more comfortable in my own skin. I wouldn't want to ruin that by pumping collagen into my lips and botoxing every last wrinkle off my face. Ultimately what I am saying is that I think women who do this to themselves have some deep seated insecurities. One woman on the show is so thin and artificial looking that she resembles a cartoon character. Not a good look.

So will I be watching this stupid show regularly? I don't know, that is contingent upon hulu and whether or not they post all the episodes. Who can afford cable these days?

xoxo,
T

saturday

I've been gone all day and Simon is being a real snuggle nugget right now. He is all in my face, purring up a storm. I'm glad he is so happy to see me! He isn't even meowing for food, he just wants some love!

So far I have scratched two people off my Christmas list. I meant to start earlier so I could soften the blow to my bank account, but I guess two and a half months will be early enough. I I usually think I am pretty bad at gift giving. I always want the person to like it so much that I get stressed out over it and end up getting something stupid. But the presents I have gotten so far are definitely good.

Alex and I had a late lunch at New Seasons today and post late lunch coffee at Albina Press.

I really can't finish writing this blog because Simon is rubbing all over me and it's very distracting. I will post a picture, or two.

sunday

Well good morning.

Yesterday Keith and I went to the gym and it was a lot of fun. When I go with him, I tend to stay much longer because he spends so much time with weights, plus he also runs. We went to my favorite gym (the one with the televisions on all my favorite pieces of equipment) and stayed for an hour and a half. Somewhere in recent history, I've pretty much "mastered" my headstand. I say "mastered" because it can always be better, but you know. I'm currently practicing different leg variations while I'm in the pose. Right now, I'm working on eagle legs (wrapping one leg around the other).

When we got home, we watched a documentary called Corn King. It was on Netflix Watch Instantly and I highly recommend it. I knew corn was in practically everything these days, but you really should check this out for yourself. For me, it was disturbing and even hard to watch at times. Here's a fact that really stuck with me: A piece of corn-fed beef has around 9 grams of saturated fat, whereas a piece of grass-fed beef will have only 1.5 grams of saturated fat. If you were born in the last 30 years, it's likely that you've only ever tasted corn-fed beef. So if corn-fed beef is so bad, why keep producing it? Because it's cheap, and Americans want cheap food. Here's one more thing, and then I'll stop: The use of table sugar has dropped significantly over the last 30ish years. What's taking its place? You guessed it- high fructose corn syrup.

So I know I don't often talk about Keith on my blog. Well, it is my blog, after all- and I happen to be peeved by women who get married and suddenly lose their sense of self and everything becomes "we", "I love my husband", "my hubby is amazing" and blah blah blah. (Okay, we get it, you married him.) But, I would like to say that I feel super lucky to have Keith. Thursday night, I got really sick in the middle of the night and he took supreme care of me without a single whine or complaint. And this isn't anything out of the ordinary. He always treats me like that, and it goes both ways. What's the key to a happy marriage/partnership? "We actually like each other." Well said, Mrs. Clock.

This little dingbat has thrown all of her towels in the wash and now has nothing to use when she gets out of the shower. Guess I'll have to sit here drinking coffee for a little while longer until they come out of the dryer! Oh well.

xoxo-
T

thursday night

I've been inspired to write recently. Even if it's not much, or it's not really about anything, I am still inspired to write. This is a good thing because when it comes naturally, I love to write.

Today was a hard day. I just had a whole paragraph written about my day but I deleted it. I did have a hard day but there's always tomorrow.

After I finish my peppermint chamomile tea I will hit the sack, and wake up tomorrow with a fresh perspective.

xoxo-
T

thursday

Coffee, cereal, orange juice. Yum. I can't tell yet if it's going to be nice out today? It's looking a little gray. Two minutes ago I opened the blinds thinking I'd let some sun in, and then it turned gray. I need the rain to hold off until I get my Merrell boots so I at least have something to be excited about. Waterproof boots that aren't bulky and made of rubber. That's definitely something for a Portlander to be excited about.

I'm teaching two classes today. One to a group of 8 kids at an elementary school, and the other at Adidas. I pleaded with the Universe to throw some more classes at me so I could be more on track to becoming a full time teacher, and it finally did. Om shanti to that.

For now I'm just sitting on the couch drinking coffee and orange juice, listening to The Social Network Soundtrack. I can't stand how perfectly it worked for yoga last night. It was amazing. I'm also chatting with Erica on facebook. It's 5:51 in the morning in Hawaii right now, but she is writing a paper for school. Good for her.

I am a little bummed to be missing Ellen & Oprah today. That sounds pathetic, right? Maybe I shouldn't have said it. Oh well, I did.

xoxo-
T

simon love

Simon is so happy to be my snuggle bean!

wednesday

One of the greatest things about the Social Network movie is its soundtrack. Trent Reznor scored it. Yes, it was amazing. We downloaded it and I played it tonight in class. So awesome!

I had my first acupuncture appointment this morning. It went well, I suppose, but really all I wanted to be doing while I was being poked with needles is curling up in my own bed with my sleep mask over my eyes and my husband by my side. I was so tired from waking up at 4:55 for yoga and not having slept well the night before that I think I was unable to relax. There was a time or two when I felt like I was levitating over the recliner, but I only laid there for about 30 minutes, and I had expected to lay there for two or three time as long. I think when I go back next week I will go in the middle of the day when I am well rested. It was interesting though because I felt an immediate sense of relief when my acupuncturist started putting the needles in (although the relief was temporary). It's interesting to me how you can cure one part of the body by placing a needle somewhere totally different. I am intrigued by this and will be going back consistently for six weeks.

After acupuncture I came home and went to sleep. For four more hours. I woke up at two in the afternoon, made pumpkin pancakes and coffee, watched Ellen and then Oprah, worked on a playlist for yoga, and then went to teach yoga. What a satisfying day. I can't say I wasn't productive because I went to my acupuncture appointment, taught two yoga classes and even squeezed in some cardio. Teaching yoga is the greatest job on the planet. Oh yea, and I switched my nail color today from black to brown.

I think I'll go watch an old episode of The Hills now!

xoxo-
T

birthdays

Happiest of birthdays to Erica and Ellie!

tuesday

It is such a lovely autumn morning in Portland! I woke up early and had coffee with Julia at Albina Press, then I drooled over some delicious new Merrell boots that just arrived at the store. These boots are so good I can't stand it. I've made the decision to no longer purchase shoes that aren't comfortable (no matter how cute they may be), so these babies are perfect. They're black, and they come all the way up to the bottom of my knee, which can sometimes be a hard thing to find since I've got pretty long legs. And they're 100% waterproof (perfect for PDX) and 100% comfortable. So, happy birthday to me, I just ordered a pair. Sha-bam! They should be here next week.

I made an appointment for acupuncture tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to it. I've never tried it before, but I've heard some pretty interesting things. I hope it helps with the pain I've been dealing with. I'll be back with a full report tomorrow.

Off to teach yoga! xoxo,
T

monday part two

I would like to say that I did put a birthday card and some Sesame Street stickers in the mail today for little Ellie. When it comes to presents for my niece and my nephews, I think I have a tendency to overthink it. They are kids, and when I was a kid I was super excited by the little things. I hope Ellie will enjoy her stickers.

I don't know how I've managed this, but I had two days off in a row and they've been great. Wait, I do know how I managed it- I quit working for the Gap. I've known for quite some time that it wasn't working for me anymore and I finally mustered the strength to let go of my discount and quit. I feel like that job just wasn't serving me anymore. I wasn't making much money, I spent more than a little bit on clothes that I didn't even need, and somewhere along the line it just stopped being fun. So, I put my two weeks in two weeks ago and now I'm done with it. It feels good. And more importantly, it feels right.

Tonight, I am going to relax. I've been working so hard at the gym and my body is hurting. Not from the gym, but from these other issues I have, which I feel would be there whether I climbed 100+ floors on the Stair Master or not. (Yes, my love affair with the Stair Master continues). My right shoulder is killing me. It hurts to even get dressed. This has been an on/off issue for over a year now and I think it's my.... DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN... rotater cuff. Not good. Not good at all because one, it hurts, and two, it is very detrimental to my yoga practice. The second issue is my right hip, which hurts me so badly the pain sometimes even finds its way down into my knee. I've been to the chiropractor for my hip twice, the first time the issue cleared up for almost a year, and the second time it didn't really help at all. I've decided to give acupuncture a go. I don't have health insurance, so I'm willing to give anything I can afford a fair shot. It really breaks my heart and hurts my soul when these issues flare up. And now they're both bothering me at the same time. I guess the Universe is telling me I need to slow down? If that's the case, I chose not to listen, because I had planned on trying to get acupuncture tomorrow, but instead I picked up a second class for the day. Yikes. Maybe I can get acupuncture between my classes on Wednesday?

After Keith left for work today, I was sitting on the couch with nothing to do. I'd already done laundry, played on facebook for a while, gone to the gym and showered, so I was fresh out of things to do. I decided I'd walk around for a bit and I am glad that I did. It was a lovely evening. I went in a bunch of different stores just to look. It felt like Autumn. So nice! Before coming home I decided to treat myself to some orange juice. Treat? Yes, treat. I love water. It tastes so good, it's so refreshing, it has no calories and it's free. For the most part, water and coffee are all I drink. When I buy orange juice, I tend to drink it really fast. I am a thirsty girl and always have been. So not only would an orange juice habit become expensive, but I would also be taking in that many more calories each day. I am not a calorie counter, but I am conscious of what I put in my body. If I am going to ingest empty calories, it's going to be from something like a ginger cookie (which Julia and I shared today!).

Speaking of Julia, we are going to get coffee tomorrow at that goddamn shit hole also known as Stumptown on third. We both complain about this place, neither of us ever go there unless we're having a coffee date, but we still choose this place. What sense does that make? We don't know. One time Julia ordered a bagel and they forgot about it. Another time their coffee was grainy. I've since switched to Americanos when I go out for coffee. And I always get them in a tiny cup. Why would you dilute that deliciousness with water?

Tonight, in about thirty minutes, I will park my pink velour clad ass on the couch and watch Dancing With The Stars. I have never been into this show before, but this season caught my attention. The Situation, Audrina Patridge and (dare I say it) Bristol Palin are my favorites. I'm intrigued by Bristol Palin. But we won't get into that now. Where is her baby while she's doing this show though? Life is so hard as a teen mom. Especially when you're getting paid $14,000 a pop to speak about it to other teens. (Okay, so I guess I did get into it a little bit). I also liked David Hasselhoff. Perez Hilton said it right when he said The Hoff danced like that uncle at the wedding who's had a little too much to drink. He was entertaining, to say the least.

I think maybe I will go make pumpkin pancakes for dinner now? They will go nicely with my mug of orange juice.

Namaste-
T

monday

Yesterday was such a good day! Keith and I spent the whole day together. We went to the gym, then to Trader Joe's, and then to see The Social Network. It was a most fascinating story. Did you know that this college kid came up with the idea for facebook one night while he was drunk? He is now the youngest billionaire in the world.

This morning I've just been sitting around listening to good tunes, drinking coffee, and getting a load of laundry done. I also skyped with Erica for a little bit. We skype a lot. A couple times a week at least. I miss her. I recently almost bought a plane ticket to Hawaii on a random whim, but I decided against it. As much as I'd love to see her (and go to Hawaii, HELLO!), I'm glad I didn't spend the $360. Keith and I are getting passes to SkiBowl this winter so we can snowboard at least once a week, so I need to be saving money for that! Speaking of Erica, her birthday is tomorrow! Happy 28th birthday to you, Erica Lin. If you lived here, I would bake you a cake! Perhaps we could have cinnamon buns for breakfast as well? ;)

And, speaking of birthdays, tomorrow is also my niece's first. I didn't get her a present or send her a card. I don't know how to handle first birthdays from a distance? I don't know what to get a one year old, and she can't read cards yet, what do I do? Do I call her? She won't know it's me! She is so adorable. I wish I could squeeze her sweet face.

My cousin is getting married next May. She lives in Alabama and is considering a Georgia wedding or a North Carolina wedding. Last week, she officially asked me to be a bridesmaid and I happily accepted. Right now it seems like so far away, but I am sure it will be here in no time. It will especially feel like it's sneaking up on me since I will be needing to buy a dress and two plane tickets (one for me and one for Keith). I'm looking forward to it, though. I've only been to Georgia via the Atlanta airport, and North Carolina is beautiful. I wonder if it will be humid in May? Since the wedding will be outdoors, I am hoping that it won't be. I do not miss humidity one bit.

I feel like I haven't been blogging about anything good recently. In fact, I am only writing this blog right now because I want to keep my blog up to date. Hence the babbling. I think I'm done now.

xoxo-
T

birthdays

Happy birthday to three of my dearest friends: Amy, Dana & Julia! Yay for October birthdays!

oh, october

October is officially here! I love it. This, in case you didn't know, is my most favorite month out of the entire year. A couple days ago I had my ceremonial pumpkin spice latte (with an extra shot and half the syrup, of course). I say ceremonial because I really don't care much for sweet drinks, but I have to get my hands on everything pumpkin at least once each Fall. Amber is having another pumpkin carving party sometime this month, and I'm excited to have a pumpkin smoothie from Burgerville. And since I've been baking recently, I am going to practice pumpkin baking. Pumpkin no-cheese cake maybe? Oh yeah.

October is also my birth month. I am so excited I wasn't born a few days later than I was! I can't wait for peach birthday bellinis. Can. Not. Wait. And birthday hot yoga. And birthday pumpkin pancakes. And a birthday pumpkin smoothie. And I am excited about turning 25. I don't mind getting older. I already feel older than I am, I think. I don't feel like my body is old, but my soul is. In a good way. Like for example I go to bed early and can't stay out past 11 or so, even if I don't have to wake up the next day. It was a miracle that I stayed out until 1:30 am in Vegas for my bachelorette party.

Let me also share with you my new found excitement for the Stair Master. I have found that 20 minutes on that machine gets me so sweaty, and sometimes even nauseous. What a seriously intense workout. I love it. I like to go pretty fast and either grip the sides lightly for balance, or not even hold on at all. I've heard that gripping the machine (whether it be treadmill, elliptical, etc.) can reduce the amount of fat you burn by up to 30 percent. 30 percent! Yowza. For now, I am only doing 20 minutes, and hope to build up to 30 soon. At this point I really do feel like I could puke after 20, so I think I'd better not push it.

I made spaghetti squash for dinner last night. It was okay. I think I should have cooked it a little longer. Sometimes I am impatient.

xoxo-
T

julia

I just baked my friend Julia a cake for her birthday. It's Saturday, but because of the way my schedule is this week, I had to bake the cake today. It tastes so good! It's totally vegan. Chocolate with vanilla frosting, and totally made from scratch. But! It looks like crap. I let the cakes cool for what I felt was a sufficient amount of time before removing them from their pans, but the one that was to go on top cracked. A lot. And on top of that, the vanilla frosting slid all over the place. At first it looked like everything was going to be fine. But then slowly, it started to slide. So, the cake looks bad but it tastes good. Better than the other way around, I guess? This was also my first experience with coconut oil. You buy it in a jar and its consistency is the same as candle wax. I had no idea. I am such an amateur baker. I made the biggest mess, but it's all cleaned up now and I had fun. And Julia gets a homemade birthday cake, the main ingredient being love!

Happy birthday, Julia!

saturday

I feel mentally unstable tonight. I taught two yoga classes this morning and did a load of laundry. After that it was downhill. I fell asleep in bed for three and a half hours. I never really ate an actual meal today. I miss Cindy a lot and have terrible feelings surrounding her death. Everything has changed and it's difficult to accept. I cried on the couch today and I didn't know why.

sunday

So I've finished watching Weeds. I've seen the first five seasons, and I've got to wait for the sixth. What am I going to do while I wait?! I started watching Dexter, but I only made it through the first half of the first episode before I started thinking about how much I missed Weeds. Maybe I will come back to it? Who knows?

In the meantime, I've got a bigger dilemma. I've been blessed with a wonderful opportunity (through yoga) that could blossom into something great. The problem is that I still work for the Gap, but since they generally schedule me 0-4 hours a week (no joke), I went ahead and agreed to this meeting/class. I went into Gap yesterday to have the shift they scheduled me for (they don't do their scheduling very far in advance) filled, but they said they couldn't do it. After I went in the bathroom and cried for a minute, I left. They told me that I should have gotten my request in sooner. Yes, I know I didn't request the date off in time, but I also know that I am paid minimum wage at a mall job and I want to be teaching yoga. I don't like conflict, so much so that within minutes I had decided I would cancel my yoga thing to work an extra two hours at the Gap. But it really is time for me to move on. I stay there only because I love the discount, and I don't even use it that much anymore. It doesn't benefit me in any way. In a year and a half, I've never gotten a raise, I've never been approached about potentially moving up, and to be honest I feel quite disposable. I hate to quit without giving them notice, but I think I am just going to have to. Even if this new opportunity doesn't turn into anything, I am still teaching a lot more classes than ever before, and I only see these scheduling conflicts becoming more and more of a problem. I've put in a year and a half, made a couple thousand dollars (yea, that's it) and gotten some cute clothes. I think I'm done.

Breakfast time!

xoxo-
T

tuesday

I'm still watching Weeds. I just can't get enough!

monday

quick update:

I've been obsessively watching Weeds and teaching a lot of yoga. I had a really great weekend. I treated myself to a jasmine bubble tea today. I took a new class last week called Willpower and Grace and it was hard, but I think I want to try it again this week. I'm so proud of my chatturanga. I ripped part of my baby toenail off and it's quite painful. I'm so thankful, so thankful, for nice people.

Back to Weeds.

sunday

something fun i'm working on... now to master it without the blocks.

hot damn.

Earlier today I thought this whole weekend would be lame. Keith is working and I am not. My friends are either working or out of town. I got so bummed. I went to the Nike Factory store, which only irritated me because I didn't find anything good, and couldn't have purchased it if I did. Traffic sucked. Road closures everywhere due to festivals and road work. From there I went to the gym and did cardio and some yoga, then I came home and sulked. And for no reason! I'm a believer in that 'life is what you make it' saying so I decided to give my attiturd a makeover. I decided I would use my alone time to bake a cake, cook myself dinner and do some much needed cleaning.

I've been baking a fair amount of cakes recently. Because I've been baking them from scratch I just decided I wouldn't ruin them with store bought frosting so I left them naked. Tonight I baked a vegan chocolate cake and made vegan chocolate frosting to go on top. I just ate a tiny piece and honest to God it's one of the best cakes I have ever tasted. Ever. It's moist, it's rich, it's chocolatey, it's everything I could ever ask for in a cake and more. Yea, I'm that passionate about it. It's amazing.

I made curried tempeh for dinner. This is the second time I've made it and it's much better than my first batch. I didn't cook the potatoes long enough the first time, so I made sure not to make that mistake again. And I have enough to last me for another two or three days, since Keith won't touch it. At the grocery store today, I picked up the things he requested. White bread, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced cheddar cheese and american cheese. Oh and mexican rice. Those are the things he likes, so I don't take offense when he doesn't eat my cooking.

Still listening to The Black Keys Pandora station. It's still great.

I've got to go hop in the shower now. I'm meeting Melanie and her boyfriend for drinks soon. YAY! So glad I made the decision to makeover my attiturd, this has turned out to be a lovely evening!

saturday

Mornin' y'all.

Two & a half cups of coffee and The Black Keys Pandora station. This is my Saturday morning. I talked to my sister in-law this morning. Jenn. Had to clarify because I have two now. Although I feel like I may forever refer to Becky as 'Keith's sister' because that's how I've known her for the past six years. Jenn's been my sister in-law for eleven years now. Lucky me :)

I'm homesick today. I feel lonely. I know that if I was in Virginia I would have gone to Hunter and River's football games this morning, and then probably gone shopping with my mom. I'm just missing familiarity today I think. And once again, I'm craving nature. I would have loved to go hiking today. There's a hike I've been wanting to go on for a while now. The Tom Dick & Harry hike on Mount Hood. I almost always wake up early but Keith sleeps in every day and isn't that into hiking anyway. I've blogged about this before, but I never craved nature the way I do now until I moved to Oregon. I think it stems from the desire to feel grounded yet free at the same time. Plus if you're going to crave nature, Oregon is a great place to do so.

I have today and tomorrow completely off. I also had last Saturday and Sunday off, but I was busy camping and seeing Crater Lake! These are the first two days in a row with no plans that I've had in a long time. Feels a little strange. What will I do with myself? I've already had plenty of coffee and a delicious breakfast. Fruit and cereal. I suppose I will head out to the gym next. Then maybe some cleaning? Keith is working tonight and I'm hoping to see Melanie. She's arriving today and will only be here for a few days. I miss her. She was always my Virginia connection in Portland, but now she's gone.

What a Debbie Downer blog this is turning out to be! I know I'll feel better after an hour of cardio. Off to the gym!

xoxo-
T

friday

The redbox is filled with crappy movies and I don't know of a video store in my area. What a bummer. I got an email from redbox telling me that I should make tonight a redbox night. I thought that didn't sound like a bad idea, so I went online to pick one out and there was nothing. I've already seen all the good ones in there. Crazy Heart, Up in the Air, An Education, Shutter Island, It's Complicated. That's about it. What am I supposed to do now? I am open to suggestions.

Yesterday was nice. I took a yoga class. Donated lots to Goodwill. Shopped a little with Julia, then went to happy hour and a movie at the Bagdad. We saw Eclipse. I was disappointed, but maybe that's because I haven't read the book? I remember starting that book, reading less than half of it and getting bored. I felt the same about the movie, but it was still fun. J and I had been waiting to see it since it came out over two months ago but we didn't want to pay $10!

This morning I taught a yoga class. I've decided to start getting there early(er) so that I can warm up/wake up on the elliptical for 10-15 minutes before class. I woke up at 4:55 am. Yowsa.

Keith is watching Borat. I remember Cindy always hated this movie because she thought it made fun of Kazakhstan and she had close friends from there. She was fiercely loyal to those she loved and would get so mad at Stormy and me for laughing at the movie! I still miss her so much.

I'm teaching yoga again at 5:30. I've got a new playlist and I can't wait to share it! I'll post it on my yogaseedpdx blog after class. Don't want to spoil the surprise...

I've got to go to Trader Joe's to pick up some things. I'm going to make curried tempeh tomorrow. On Monday, I went to the Farmer's Market and bought a bunch of veggies and made a quinoa salad with them and have been eating it ever since. I like to make large batches of healthy food and have it for several days in a row. I never tire of eating the same things. I ate fettucine alfredo lean cuisines (yuck) every single day for two or three years straight. Same thing with wheat thins. And refried beans. I still eat those, but not every day.

I'm dying to take a road trip to Salt Lake City. This weekend would be perfect. If I can talk Keith into it, we'll go. We could leave tonight even. There's my spontaneous spirit talking, he will never agree to it.

Have a great day, friends. I'll blog more soon.

xoxo-
T

my summer in photos

morning coffee at doppio coffee+lounge in hood river

snow on mt. hood at the end of june!

stormy and me

shannon & me at my cupcake and champagne themed bridal shower

keith and me with manzanita in the background

MARRIED! 7.8.10

keith and me- brand new husband and wife!

dana & me in manzanita

dana and me at ben & jerry's on hawthorne

engagement photo

julia and me at crater lake

alex, me & julia at at the portland underground film festival for the opening of the corners.

monday

Camping at Crater Lake this past weekend was so much fun! Let me recap it for you.

• We picked John and Julia up around 9 Saturday morning, and 10 minutes later we were on the road.
• We stopped for gas somewhere south of Woodburn.
• We stopped for pizza in Sisters. There were lots of antique malls there, but overall it seemed like a really outdoorsy town. I was doing yoga on the sidewalk to ease my sciatica, and there was a man staring at me with the most bizarre look on his face. I was facing away from him, just going through sun salutations, and the next time I looked back at him he was doing his own version of yoga. He had his leg on the table and was stretching! I loved it. Wish I'd taken his photo for yogaseed (not without asking first, of course!).
• We stopped in Bend for coffee. Cooler than Sisters, but not as cool as I'd hoped it would be. We went to their Saturday market. That was a bust. Julia and I also discovered a cool little store that sold Frye boots and feather earrings, and a bunch of other neat stuff.
  
• Finally, we were officially on our way to Crater Lake, with no more stops to make. It took longer than I'd thought it would. It was cold. Really cold. Once we got into the National Park, it was really cool. It was cloudy and really foggy! The first area we drove through was called Pumice Desert. And after that it got extra foggy. We could see that there were steep drop-offs, sometimes on either side of us, and there were no guard rails. It was snowing. (I said it was cold!). We got to a sign that said something along the lines of falling would cause injury or death, and I said, "falling from where?" It was so foggy that we could not even see the lake to our left. We pulled over to catch a peek, and you had to get right up on the edge to see it, but we were definitely able to see the water. It was so very blue!
• On to the campsite. We got the last of 200 tent sites. Yes, there were 199 other groups of maniacs willing to sleep in tents in 30 degree weather too! We found our site- F4- and set up. Well, the boys set up. I sat in the car. We started drinking (had to warm up!) and took a walk. There were some beautiful sites to see. It was like nothing I've ever seen before. I climbed a tree (got stuck in it too) and then we headed back to the camp site.
  
• We found sticks in the woods to cook our veggie dogs! I'm still learning how to be an outdoor girl, and my veggie dog fell off my stick and landed in the fire. It was not salvageable. Keith ended up cooking one for me, and I ate another one cold because I didn't want to chance losing another one. I forgot to mention that before dinner, Keith and I went to a program put on by a park ranger and we sang camp fire songs and learned a little bit about the park. When we got there, the ranger said, "I see you've got hot chocolate in those bottles to keep you warm?" Who puts hot chocolate in a bottle? We said yes anyway because we assumed maybe we weren't supposed to have beer at the sing-along.
  
• We went to bed pretty early. It was cold. Then it got colder. And colder. We barely slept, and we shivered all night. At one point, we decided to see if we could both squeeze into the same sleeping bag. We aren't very big people, but it wasn't really a success. We did the best we could! When we woke up, we looked up and the sky was the brightest blue and birdies were chirping. (Our tent didn't have a rain fly, so thank goodness it didn't rain!).
  
• The J's and I walked to the store to get coffee and Keith slept a little more. Once we got back to the site we packed up and headed up to the lake (camp grounds were about 7 miles away) and checked things out. It was much more clear than it had been the day before and it was beautiful. I (of course) was doing yoga and a woman commented on the pose I was doing and I told her that she should do it with me. She did! I told her about my yogaseedpdx page, gave her my card and asked if Julia could take our photo in reverse warrior to post on the site. She agreed. We spent 10 or 15 minutes doing yoga, and I heard someone say my name. I looked up at there was one of my students! So bizarre! He was with his family, so I did some yoga with him, and his little son as well. It was really awesome! Here we are, 5 or more hours south of Portland and I'm running into someone I know! Those pictures will be posted on my yoga blog soon.
• From here we headed to Ashland, Oregon. John went to college there and told us it was a pretty cool town. He was not kidding! I loved it! It was farther than we'd anticipated and it ended up taking us a couple of hours, but it was so worth it. We drove through a bunch of towns. Keno, Ft. Klamath, Klamath Falls. Nothing of note happening at any of those places! Ashland was so awesome, I could totally see myself living there! We had dinner at a brewery (Keith had a double i.p.a., so flipping delightful), and then we walked around the town. John showed us some neat spots, but unfortunately, we had to get back on the road. Ashland is really close to California, and we had to come all the way back to Portland. It was a straight shot up the 5 but it was about 5 hours. We were so exhausted when we finally got back. All in all, we had a most fantastic time and I am so glad we decided to brave the cold and just do it!
  

Today I'm going to go to the farmer's market in Pioneer Square and pick up some local organic produce! Right now, I am loving being an Oregonian! Yay!

xoxo-
T

tillamook cheese factory

high fructose fiasco

Keith needed the car yesterday for a catering gig, so I decided I'd take the bus to my 5:30 class. Well, I didn't really have a choice in the matter, but I did it. Never having taken the bus to that gym before, I decided I should get there a little early in case anything weird happened (like me getting on the wrong bus or missing my stop). I got there about 30 minutes early, which was great because I had time to hop on the elliptical and get some cardio in. But first, I needed a little boost because I was hungry, so I grabbed a fruit bar at the gym. Assuming the gym would only be selling healthy snacks, I didn't look at the ingredients. I only looked at the calorie content, which was 200. No big deal. Well, one bite of that thing told me that something was off. I looked at the ingredients. Number three, high fructose corn syrup. I wanted to take that thing back downstairs and chuck at it the front desk attendants. Why would they be selling crap like that in a health club?! It tasted like a sugary and syrupy mess! So unacceptable. But in the end, it was a lesson learned. No more buying things without first checking the ingredients!

xoxo-
T

tam & jooj

Julia came over this morning for coffee and yoga. We had fun! My only complaint is that we didn't have more time to play around!

monday

Today I went to the farmer's market with Julia, grabbed some fresh produce and came home to saute it for lunch (so good). Had someone stop me in public to tell me she'd taken my class yesterday and loved it (also so good). Tried a new yoga studio, and a new style of yoga (acro). Flipped upside down, using someone's knees (he was in bridge pose) as the support for my shoulders. Ran into another yogi who'd recently taken my class in Clackamas. Thought about my mother and how sweet she is. And wrote a short blog.

xoxo-
T

wednesday

Lazy Wednesday. I've had lazier days, but this one is pretty lazy too. I taught yoga this morning, then had an impromptu coffee date with the DIY Girls (Emily & Monique), then went to the chiropractor to get a much needed adjustment. Blasted piriformis muscle was acting up again. And that's pretty much all I've done. I did, however, have a rather productive day yesterday. I got my name changed with the DMV, social security office, all of my jobs, my credit/debit cards, and both of my banks. Go me. Now all I can think to do is change my name on my car insurance and I'm done! Oh, and I also did two loads of laundry and taught a yoga class in Clackamas. By the time I was done with that ridiculous commute I was too tired to put the laundry away, so it's just been laying on my bedroom floor ever since! Can you believe that? What a slob.

I've got to go make something of this day. Time to do the dishes, put the clean clothes away, make the bed, and buy some more trash bags since I am fresh out. Boooooring.

xoxo-
T

monday

Big to-do list tomorrow! Starting the day with some coffee and yoga with Julia, then I've got a few errands to take care of. I got my official marriage license in the mail today, so I'll be taking care of the name change tomorrow. I filled out my paper work already and I decided on Tami Hurley Apland. It was a tough decision. I didn't really want to drop either of my names. My dad said he liked Tami Hurley Apland, so I went with that one. I also have to pay that pesky parking ticket and return a sweater and pair of flats to the Gap. What am I doing buying cardigans and ballet flats right now anyway? I also bought a lemon tonight so I can make hummus tomorrow (I already have all the other ingredients), and I need to cash a paycheck and get Keith on my gym membership so he doesn't have to pay for it anymore. One of the many perks of marrying a yoga teacher. Then I'm teaching yoga all the way in Clackamas at 6:30. Yea. Not a good time to be commuting. Last week it took me an hour to get there.

Tonight I had someone from Lululemon take my class. She asked me if I was connected with Lululemon at all, and when I said no she told me that I needed to be. I would totally teach a class there in exchange for a free top. It would be so much fun, plus I'd get to connect with the community in a new way!

I can't believe I am up this late. I stayed up until midnight last night, and now it's 11:10. This is going to make it difficult for me to be asleep by 10 tomorrow night for yoga the next morning.

Got some new tunes in the mail today from Ben and Dana. Serious treat! I love new music. We got some Album Leaf, Thievery Corporation, Broken Bells, Spoon, Camera Obscura, plus many others!

Eat Pray Love comes out on Friday and I plan to go see it. Hoping I can squeeze it in between my noon and 5:30 classes! I loved the book.

Off to bed!

xoxo-
T

new blog

Hi! I will still be blogging about my personal shenanigans here, but I also have a blog dedicated to my yoga now. Check it out if you're interested in yoga- and if you're not interested in yoga, maybe this blog will get you interested? Enjoy!

http://yogaseedpdx.blogspot.com

sunday

I've decided to limit myself to one cup of coffee per day. Any more than that and I start to feel bloated and full. Plus I read somewhere recently that it doesn't matter how many cups of coffee you drink in the morning, anymore than two will have the same effect. So there. I tried it this morning and so far I feel okay. I've recently realized that I really am a coffee addict. I think I am just as addicted to the morning routine of drinking it than the caffeine itself. Either way, I'm reigning it in a little.

Last night I laid in bed with a Vegetarian Times magazine and found some good recipes for hummus that I'm really looking forward to making. Hummus is one of those things I can easily have too much of. I love any type of food that involves dipping. Chips and salsa, hummus and crackers, veggies and dip... anything dippy, I am sure to love. I think I could really get into this whole cooking thing. I love yummy, flavorful foods. Being a vegetarian who doesn't cook can really put a cramp in your diet. There's a farmer's market in Pioneer Square on Mondays that I think I might hit up tomorrow for some fresh vegetables, fruits and spices. I also found a recipe in Yoga Journal for rosemary olive oil cake that I'd like to try.

It's funny when I think back to being a kid and my relationship with meat. Like most kids, I was a fan of chicken nuggets, but anytime there was a fatty piece I would be appalled. My family always thought of steak as being a 'nice dinner', and I was never into it. Pork chops, no thanks. Ribs grossed me out, and I would pick the fatty pieces off a slice of bacon until there was practically nothing left to eat. One thing that really sticks out in my mind is watching my mom make birds for holiday meals. I remember thinking, and probably saying, "If this is what cooking is, I never want to do it. I will never do that." In my younger years, I didn't fully understand why I didn't want to eat meat. I just thought it was gross. But now that I'm older, I realize that I eat this way for health reasons, and also because I want to keep my diet and lifestyle as cruelty-free as possible. I don't mean to knock any meat-eaters who may be reading this. I just know that this is what works for my body, and it's easy for me. I can understand and respect that not everyone is like me! This is one of those subjects I can get really passionate and rambly about, so I will stop here.

Keith and I are going to have a date tonight. To the gym. My favorite kind of date! It's about a mile to walk there and a mile back, and on a nice evening (or day) it's perfect! Plus, going to the gym always makes me feel great.

xoxo-
T

saturday

So much to write about. So many wonderful and positive things on my mind! Where do I even begin?

Our time with Ben and Dana was so fabulous. We dropped them off at the airport last night around 8:00, and I am happy to report that there were no tears! Although I really was very sad to see them go. We had a blast with them, and I learned so much from them both. Some of my favorite moments/memories are as follows:

-listening to The Album Leaf, a band Keith and I had surprisingly never heard of, on the way home from the coast, while driving through the Tillamook State Forest.
-watching the Christian Bale flip-out remix for the first time, and then countless times after.
-the yoga practices Dana and I shared at Yoga Pearl, led by the amazing Kathryn Budig.
-my Manzanita headstands, and the incredibly powerful loving encouragement the Benanas gave me, which I will never forget.

There are too many to list, really. I am so grateful for their friendship. It's so crazy to think that Dana and I met by chance, two years ago in Norfolk at a yoga teacher training. I am so happy that we've kept in touch and remained so close. I already can't wait to see them again! I think their visit made a huge impact on me, and will continue to mold me into the kind of person I want to be. Perhaps that sounds a little dramatic to you, but let me explain. Keith and I live out here with no family anywhere nearby. Having Ben and Dana out here to help set us on track as a newly married couple was a tremendous blessing. Ben hung curtains for us, which neither of us really knew how to do, Dana taught me some simple vegan recipes, and also the value of a houseplant. She also taught me that you should own six of everything, so that you can entertain two other couples, that you should nuke your sponges for a minute once a week to kill germs, how to saute vegetables, that I can throw my curtains in the dryer with a damp towel for a few minutes to get the wrinkles out, that you should always buy organic apples, or at least peel the skin off non-organic ones, that rice cakes with raw unsalted almond butter and unsweetened applesauce taste amazing, and so much more! She is like the big sister I never had. (Except I imagine if I really did have a sister, she wouldn't be into yoga and organic health foods, being that I seem to be the "different" one in my family). She and Ben are just one of the sweetest, most down to earth, kind, loving and generous couples I have ever known. I can't say enough good things about them. They are as sweet as a tiny pumpkin cupcake.

Speaking of sweet couples that I love, our camping trip with John and Julia is coming up at the end of next month! After freezing my backside off in Manzanita recently, I have definitely learned the "summer in Oregon can be cold" lesson and will be packing lots of warm clothes and blankets. There are few things worse than being cold! And as silly as this sounds, I do like to look as cute as possible, and when you find yourself layering up in whatever you can find that was randomly thrown in the trunk of the car (ie: dirty work shirt belonging to husband), you don't feel very cute. Dana came prepared, with a cute jacket and scarf, and I felt like a total dweeb. I will definitely be packing my arm warmers, scarf, jacket, Holly socks and anything else I can think that will keep me feeling warm and looking cute for the trip to Crater Lake. I'll also be waxing my eyebrows before the trip. Dana will understand that one, and so will Julia if I don't do it.

Tonight I went to the gym and had a nice workout. That was one thing I did miss when Benana was here. I think I subconsciously allowed myself a break. It wasn't that I felt like I had to entertain them constantly (though I could have, since I have six of everything!), I just skipped out on the gym more days than I would normally allow myself. But, to be fair, I did do take those intense Kathryn Budig workshops and dance/skip/gallop on the beach quite a bit. And on the flip side of that, I drank more wine than normal, too. Oh well! I had fun.

One thing I meant to mention earlier is that the Benanas and the T-Kaps (that's Keith and me) went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory on our way home from Manzanita. It was crazy touristy. Lots of screaming kids and parents and grandparents. We stayed long enough to eat some greasy food, fresh ice cream cones (mine was pumpkin and the size of my head), and do some cheese tasting. Keith was in heaven. I, however, do not like cheese very much. Actually, I'm not much of a dairy-lover, in general, but that pumpkin ice cream sure was a delight. My favorite cheese, and the only one I actually tasted, was the vintage extra sharp white cheddar. We were going to buy a block to have at home that night with some wine, but the line was about a mile long so we decided to pass. People were buying so much cheese I could not believe it. Doesn't that stuff go bad? Some of these folks had to have been spending upwards of $100 on cheese. They won't be pooping before Christmas, eating like that!

I think I may have said this a time or two before, but I have a friend in Salt Lake City who keeps a seriously entertaining blog. Check it out. www.multiculturalanimalfarm.com

I either don't have anything else to say, or I have a whole overwhelming lot of stuff more to say, I can't decide which. Either way, I think I should smother myself in lavender oil and call it a night.

xoxo-
T

sunday

Happy Sunday! I am very pleased to report that I actually slept last night. For over ten hours. This is a huge deal because recently I've been battling insomnia and it's really been affecting me. I would lay in bed for two or three hours before I could finally fall asleep, when I did fall asleep it was never hard, and I would wake up a couple hours before I needed to. So I was generally getting four-ish (poor) hours of sleep each night. This is not okay for the girl who needs her ten hours of sleep per night. I almost blogged about my hopes for a peaceful sleep last night, but then I decided not to even throw the negative energy out there, and it worked! Well, that combined with the fact that I'd had a glass of wine, a very intense yoga practice, an hour long massage, and I was still covered in ylang ylang oil from that. But it worked, nonetheless.

Also, I think my very happy home space contributed to my restful evening. Ben and Dana have been so kind and so good to us since they've been here! They've helped us hang curtains and pictures, and Dana has been helping me arrange my kitchen in a really organized manner (since we got some new kitchen gadgets and essentials for our wedding, I really wasn't sure where things should live). I also got a bamboo jasmine soy candle that sits in my window, where the cool breeze blows the heavenly scent all around my home. It's a very nice place in here now. I'm looking forward to having some of my Portland friends over soon. I can make dinner! Quinoa salad, anyone? Dana taught me!

I am still very sore from all of the yoga (and truthfully I think I was a little sore even before all the yoga). My traps are extra sore and it hurts to lift my arms above my head. Owwie! But that's okay. At least I got some SLEEP!

xoxo-
T

saturday

I am a yogi.

If I learned anything in the five hours I spent with the amazing Kathryn Budig, it is that. She would put us in these seemingly impossible asanas, but not without first saying: Remember- you are in a community that wants to see you succeed. She was so inspiring. And lucky me- I got the chance to talk to her after our Friday night workshop. Her words will stay with me forever. She has the sweetest, most kind, gentle and loving soul. And having Dana next to me through it all was just the icing on the cake. What an amazing experience.

That being said, I am so sore I don't think I will be able to move tomorrow! I decided to do something tonight for myself that I very rarely do: I got an hour long massage at Dosha Salon. The Benanas are in Hood River for the night and Keith is at work, so I figured, why not? Now I'm sitting here in my lovely apartment with a glass of wine and taking in this beautiful evening.

xoxo-
T

thursday

We've been having a blast so far with Benana! Yesterday we walked up to the Rose Garden and went to the Japanese Gardens, today we did some shopping and at vegan pizza at Rocco's, and currently the Benanas are out with Keith seeing The Quick and Easy Boys play! So much excitement and it's only day two! I'm loving this. And yesterday morning, I woke up to this sweet little gem of a picture text from my sister in-law...

xoxo-
T

breaking news

I just baked chocolate cupcakes from scratch. This marks the first time I've ever baked anything from scratch and I'm pretty happy about it! Here's the recipe:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/one_bowl_chocolate_cake.html

duvet

I was just perusing the West Elm website and I had a few thoughts. They were all along the lines of, 'I want that', or 'When did it become acceptable to charge $700 for a rug?', or 'Maybe I should finally get rid of my pink bedding since I've been living with a man for over a year and I'm now married?'. Keith never complains about my pink sheets, or my pink and orange comforter. Those are nice sheets, and the comforter isn't so bad either. I got it at West Elm when I was living on Monument Avenue and I waited forever for that sucker to go on sale. When we were at The Wynn I was dreaming of my pink comforter. It is so soft and plushy. But I think it's time that I work toward gender neutralizing my home. I also would like to purchase matching furniture and some decor that doesn't involve pin-up girls sitting in martini glasses. When I really start thinking about tackling this project, I get overwhelmed. Where do I start? I guess I could pick a room and start there? I also guess I could think more about starting this project when I work more than two days a week? Or when Keith becomes a famous director? We'll see, I guess. I also want to paint our bedroom. A sunshiny happy yellow, or maybe a serene seagrassy-type green? Oh, yes- green paint with chocolate furniture and crisp white bedding.

Speaking of bedding- how much of a pain in the rear are duvet covers? I've got one, and it's great, in theory. A few years ago, I decided that I was going to ditch the pink bedding in favor of something more neutral, so again I went to West Elm, picked out exactly what I wanted and waited for it to go on sale. When it finally did, I snagged it up. I paid a million dollars for a white comforter (that I didn't even bring to Oregon with me) to stuff inside of the swanky duvet cover. Every time I wanted to wash the duvet cover, it was such a production to get it back on the comforter. I had to lay it out on the floor and crawl inside of it to get it to lay flat, and then after sleeping in the bed for about five minutes, the comforter would get all balled up inside. So frustrating. There are tons of duvet covers I've fallen in love with over the past several years, and West Elm generally has some great deals on sale ones, but I simply refuse to buy another one and deal with that circus every time I want to change/wash it. If anyone has any duvet cover tips, please share. Until then, I guess my pink comforter is here to stay.

I have got to hit the sack if I'm going to wake up and meet Shannon in the morning. Why am I still awake?! It's 11 pm and everyone knows that's way past my bed time. Good night, friends!

xoxo-
T

sweetness

Tomorrow morning I've got a date with Shannon at Sweetness Bakery. I can't put into words how excited I am for this. I've been hearing about Sweetness ever since I met Shannon a year ago, and she was kind of enough one time to share some of her raspberry bar with me and I nearly fainted, it was so damn good. So I get groupon emails every day. Generally I find them annoying, but the other day I got one for Sweetness Bakery. $7 for $15 worth of treats. I bought it and then immediately scheduled a time for S and I to go. I...can't...wait.

sunday pt II

This happens often. I blog religiously for a while, sometimes even two or three times a day. And then it stops. Life happens and I don't always have the mental or creative energy to sit in front of a computer and tell you what's happening in my life. Today is not one of those times. I love blogging and today I shall do it twice. Perhaps even a third time, the day is still young.

So I need to vent about people who let their kids act like senseless orangutans in public. This is not okay and I wonder what kind of values people think they are teaching their kids by saying nothing more than, "oh, those are pretty, sweetie!" when the kid picks up a pair of $120 patent leather shoes and clinks them together just before throwing them on the ground, and then repeating the cycle before even cleaning up the first mess that was made. I felt like saying, "Well, mom, I'm glad you think those are pretty because you'll be buying them if your kid continues to beat them up." Instead I said, "NO!". Hey, parents! There's your cue that your child's activity is not appropriate. Instead of taking the cue, these parents continued to pay more attention everything but the kid. I feel awkward about correcting other peoples kids and I generally avoid it at all costs. But these parents were so negligent. Their kid was also smacking her hands against the mirror and getting fingerprints all over it. No big deal. Annoying, but that's what Windex is for. I was so glad when they left.

Tonight Keith's film is showing at McGillacuddy's. I'm looking forward to it because I like ninkasi and they have it. Also, because there won't be any kids there. And most importantly- I'm so excited for the world to see Keith's work. He has submitted to three film festivals this fall (all in Oregon), and we'll see where it goes from there. He also just finished a new script that he's been working on for quite some time. I admire his drive and dedication and am honored to be along for the ride. It is fun to be married to someone who you think is super cool! I am hoping with all of my heart and soul that we can get decent funding for the next film. People should know that The Corners was not a low budget film, it was a no budget film. Filmed entirely with borrowed equipment, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the cast and crew who worked tirelessly for free all through the night, and an insane amount of passion. I hope someone (with lots of money and/or rank) sees this film and says, "If these guys made this with nothing, imagine what they could do with $___,___.__)!

Ben and Dana will be here Tuesday night. I am thrilled beyond words! I remember last time Dana visited, I cried when she left. I lurve her! The plus side to working two days a week is that I have plenty of time to spend with them while they're here! Dana and I are taking two of Kathryn Budig's workshops at Yoga Pearl, which I am literally bursting at the seams over. I love Kathryn Budig. Adore her. I've been wanting to meet her and practice with her for probably three years now. B & D are also going to Hood River while they're here, which holds a special place in my heart. Everyone knows I love Doppio Coffee+Lounge. For Pete's sake I've driven the 60 miles to Hood River before just to sit in this place with a cuppa'joe. It's that good. However, I'm not sure if I/we will get to go with them. Depends on whether or not they spend the night. We'll see. Also, I should take into consideration that they may want a little alone time! We're supposed to be going to Manzanita for an overnight trip, too! I could stay in Manzanita for a week and not get bored, I think. They have the sweetest little yoga space there. It's such a beautiful place. Also I am looking forward to our work party on the 25th! John and Julia are riding with us. I hope J&J can meet B&D because I think everyone would get along nicely and have a good time. I love having such quality people in my life! In addition to all this great friend time, I'm also looking forward to camping at Crater Lake with J&J, and hopefully soon a BBQ with J&J and K&K! (K&K? Kyla and Kelly!).

I feel like I'm finding my niche. Finally starting to feel the dark cloud that's been looming begin to lift. There's still a pretty big storm cloud hanging over the financial aspect of my life, but other than that I feel happy. The sun is out, the weather is nice, I married the man I've wanted to marry since I was sixteen, I spent lots of time with Stormy, I ran around the desert like a maniac with my best friends, I'm teaching yoga to countless beautiful souls several times a week, and that's just the beginning of what is shaping up to be an amazing summer.

xox0-
T

sunday

Last night was the perfect Portland night. Fingers are crossed for a series of nights like last night for Ben and Dana next week. Keith was working this new catering job and had a gig at Mt. Hood. Lucky him! I bet it was so gorgeous. I worked until 6 and then decided to go to the gym. I was so on the fence about it and I really didn't want to go, but I got dressed and went anyway. For 5 minutes. Then I wondered what I was doing inside on an elliptical machine when it was so beautiful outside? I left the gym and went for a walk. That didn't last long either because I saw a wedding party taking photos in Tanner Springs Park and I had to park it on a bench and check out what was going on.

The bride looked like a cake topper and she looked perfect and lovely. Her bridesmaids were wearing really classy light yellow dresses and they were all carrying yellow flowers. The guys were all wearing light gray suits. It was a perfect looking summer wedding. While I was able to appreciate the cake topper dress, I still know that I made the right choice with my more simple and more understated dress. First of all, I didn't have the money to afford myself a lot of options when it came to my dress. I had to decide what was more important to me- a high quality, more simple dress, or a big frilly cupcake dress from a chain. Easy peasy. I choose quality. (How did this turn into a blog about my wedding dress?!) So anyway, I don't know who reads my blog. I know my mom, Julia, Shannon, I see that Monique and Emily are now followers, Dana, maybe Ina? Cora, are you still out there? All of these people already know about my dress and probably heard more than they needed/wanted to hear about my dress. But in case any creepers from my facebook page read this and care to know the deets on my dress, here they are: I got it at a boutique on NW23rd. Thanks to Miss Melanie, who used to be a coworker of mine and has since moved back to the V-A, I discovered this cute little shop called Lena Medoyeff. When Keith and I were first engaged and keeping the news to ourselves, she said, "If I ever get married again I know where I'm getting my dress!" And she told me about this place, which she didn't know the name of, on NW23rd. I assumed I couldn't afford it, but I wanted to find it anyway. One Saturday, while working with Ina, I took a Fat Straw run. To my surprise, there was a little dress boutique on the way and it happened to be the one Melanie was talking about. I popped in just to check it out for a minute. I saw a dress. It was 'the' dress. They asked if I wanted to try it on. I couldn't believe it, because I was dressed down and didn't even have a ring on my finger at this point. So I quickly tried it on and of course fell in love with it. It was silk and it was perfect. The price was $752 and it needed a sash that was $163. On top of that, you needed some special panties and boobie stickers that would have been who knows how much more. I knew right away that I couldn't even consider that dress. Yes, I know that's not much for a wedding dress. Some people spend upwards of one and two thousand dollars on their dresses like it's nothing. I get it. But I was buying this myself, and my parents are simple folks who got married in jeans while standing in their living room. My father would fall out of his chair if I asked him for $1,000 for a dress. I didn't even ask. I went back into the store several times and tried the dress on again. Maybe hoping it would go on sale? "These dresses you are looking at will never go on sale." Great. One last time I went in the store, and the store was a wreck. There were racks of dresses in the middle of the tiny store. They were setting up for a sample sale. I browsed the racks and saw mostly 'mother of the bride' type dresses. And then I my dress. They hadn't marked prices down yet and I saw that the price tag said $852. And I was thinking to myself, "Lord have mercy, that is even more than the one I originally wanted!" The sales girl then informed me that tomorrow that dress would be $300. I tried it on. Sold! I was so happy. It was made with 100% raw, organic, unbleached fair trade silk. The designer was a local Portlander who learned to design dresses while she was in the Peace Corps, and it was put together by a local seamstress. All of these things were very important to me. All that I really cared about when it came to the look of the dress was that it wasn't strapless- and it wasn't. I will never see a girl I went to high school with on facebook wearing that dress on her big day and I love that. Nobody is going to say to me, "My friend wore that dress too!" It's mine, all mine! And I love that.

Good grief. I guess I'll have to write about the rest of my night later!

xoxo-
T

saturday

I love our new coffee maker! There is nothing better than waking up to the aroma of coffee. For some reason, I am having a hard time waking up this morning. I haven't been sleeping well recently, but for the last two nights I've slept like a rock. Thank goodness. It's hard to function without good sleep.

Yoga was fun last night! I felt like I had an extra great class. It was funny because at the beginning of class, I asked if anyone objected to a plank-heavy practice, and someone actually said they objected! When I asked her what was up, she pretty much said she just didn't like them! I was expecting her to have a wrist issue, or something else that prevented her from doing planks, but no, she just didn't like them. So I said "ok, you can do every variation from your knees if you want, but I used to hate plank too and I've grown to like it. Give it a shot!" I watched her during the practice and she did great! I guess her objection lead me to believe she didn't like plank because she didn't have the upper body strength? Not the case. Girlfriend rocked it. Maybe last night I was her Arlene? Pulling strength from her that she didn't know she had?! I can only hope.

After yoga, Keith and I had a date night. We went to Trader Joe's for dinner stuff and wine, then we rented An Education from the redbox. It was a superb evening, really. For dinner we had fat free refried beans from TJ (really extra good because there are some whole beans thrown in there), with taco seasoning mixed in, along with TJ salsa autentica and a dollop of light sour cream on top. We ate it with reduced guilt chips! I love how I'm explaining this like it's some gourmet meal. In truth, it's one of my favorite meals. I used to eat it practically every single day for lunch when I worked for SyCom and could drive home for my lunch break. And because I really don't cook, this is about as good as it gets for me. Trader Joe's also has a really good Oregon pinot noir for like $5, and we have new wine glasses that we got on clearance at West Elm, so that was super fun. It was our first time using them. They're hard plastic, which is nice because we have a tendency to break wine glasses (we've broken every one we've ever had), but they look really nice (like glass). They have a greenish tint to them. I got four of them instead of two so that when I have the girls over for cupcake night we have fancy glasses to drink from! Also, when Ben and Dana visit we can all have wine glasses. The other night (pre-wine glasses) we were drinking from paper cups that my mom sent for my bridal shower! This paragraph makes it sound like I drink frequently. I don't.

So, about the movie... it was so great. Have you seen it? You should see it. I thought it was going to be one of those boring and serious movies. You know how sometimes when a movie is nominated for an Oscar and people keep raving about the performances and the director? Sometimes I mistake that for being boring and serious. I shouldn't do that. I wanted to rent Valentines Day, but one- I've already seen it, and two- Keith revoked my movie picking privileges for the next time or two because they last couple I've picked out have been girly and super horrendous. The Bounty Hunter was one, and the other was so bad I can't even remember it's name. So if you remember, many blogs back I was writing about the best picture noms and how I was trying to see all of them. Up until last night, I thought I'd seen 9 out of 10, but it turns out I'd only seen eight. I still have to see District 9, which I'm not so sure about. It was about aliens and Keith loved it. He loves alien movies. Cloverfield? Total crap. He loved it.

I feel musically challenged this morning and I could really use the help of pandora. I was listening to the Devotchka station before the internet starting acting crazy and it stopped working. Now I'm listening to Taylor Swift on itunes, for probably about two more minutes. I take that back. I'm changing it now. Velvet Underground. Now that suits my mood a little better.

I have all sorts of places I want to take Ben and Dana when they get here. Portland City grill, but only for the view. M Bar because it's cute and tiny. Their menu is simple, only beer and wine- nothing else. And it's good beer. And good wine. I don't think you'll find a Miller Lite on this menu. Henry's, because they have like 100 beers on tap. Elysian night owl was my favorite last fall- pumpkin beer. Yes, I still love everything pumpkin. If someone made a pumpkin toothpaste, I'd probably buy it.

I should go get ready for work now. My hair looks so bad I wouldn't even wear it like this to my early morning yoga class. Yikes!

xoxo-
T

gift card dilemma

In my last post, I discussed my gift card issue. This is an issue I don't mind having. How do we spend our gift cards?! Today I got a piece of mail from Target. It's a card that we can use to save 10% on every item left on our registry, even items we've added after our wedding. This is great because we can add items, and then go to Target and buy them off the registry at 10% off. This is super exciting to me! We've got a hefty little chunk of gift card- we could get pretty much everything else we need for our kitchen. A microwave, cake pans, hand mixer, pyrex food storage containers, garlic press, can opener, and other miscellaneous items. I asked Keith today what he thought about me doing this and he thinks we should wait. He is holding out for a tv. My official opinion is that the television can wait. It's either wait a few months and save extra dollars for the tv, or get all these kitchen essentials now. I like instant gratification.

Today I went to Sequel Apparel to see what I could find. I've had a store credit for quite some time and I've been holding onto it waiting to find the perfect thing. Well, I found it! It's the cutest little dress I've ever seen. I can't wait to wear it. I hope someone has a gathering soon so I can show up with home-baked cupcakes while wearing this dress.

Yesterday I found out from Dana that their dog, Barkley, is sick. This dog is their baby, which I can understand because I feel the same way about my sweet orange nugget. I hope that he will be okay. Everyone send your loving energy to Barkley, and his mommy and daddy (Ben and Dana!).

I've taught two classes so far today, and I'm teaching a third in a little bit. I've been doing lots of planks recently. 10 breaths at a time, maybe two or three times throughout class. Holding plank like this always reminds me of Arlene. I remember the first time I took her class. It was at American Family in northside with Iffet and Erica. The first time I saw her she was practically doing the splits mid-air. Her class was the hardest class I had ever taken, but she had such a sweet spirit and was always so encouraging. Her classes always made me want more. She always pushed and had a way of being able to pull strength from you that you didn't even know you'd had. When I first started practicing with her, I could not hold plank for 10 breaths. Now I can. Here's my point: Practicing yoga is the coolest thing ever, because once you stop thinking so hard about something, it will come to you when you least expect it. One of my favorite things about teaching yoga is seeing the progress that people make. And seeing the look on their face when I say, "Hey, I was watching your sun salutations today and you're getting so strong!". I love practicing yoga, and teaching it too!

xoxo-
T