sick?

I'm feeling sick again. Last night I was sitting on the couch watching The Biggest Loser when I noticed the beginnings of a sore throat. I thought maybe I was just thirsty, so I drank some water and the situation did nothing but worsen. I woke up several times last night because my throat was so sore and I'm crossing my fingers that this doesn't turn into anything more. I got sick in November, December, January and February and I've almost made it through March with a clean bill of health, I'm hoping to keep it that way. When I'm not feeling well I usually don't want coffee, so this morning I'm drinking jasmine green tea instead. Soothes my sore throat while also providing me with some much adored caffeine. If you're reading this and thinking I should give up caffeine, you are probably right- but I'm still not going to.

I downloaded some new albums last night. Lykke Li, Bon Iver & The New Moon Soundtrack. Don't judge- it's really good. I'm looking forward to making some new playlists for yoga with my new music.

Today is my first Wednesday morning in two years not having to wake up to teach my early class. I have to say, I feel like a new person. Really! It was so nice to be able to stay up until 11 last night and not feel stressed out about it. It also felt nice to wake up without an alarm at 7:30 and have a few hours to lounge before heading out to teach my first class of the day. This is the start of a new chapter for me.

My tea tastes good.

day eleven

A picture of something you hate. Factory farming. The world could do without it.

seattle

Seattle was fun! We ate lots of great food (my favorite place was probably Pies & Pints- I had a delicious Indian pot pie and one of the best beers I've ever had, Hale's Mongoose IPA), went to Pike's Place Market, saw the gum wall, the Space Needle, went to the waterfront, stayed at a really cool hotel (Maxwell), went to The Corners screening (success!), drank more than I've drank in three months combined (probably six beers throughout the weekend, that is a lot for me), visited Duvall- a small rural town outside of the city, went to Discovery Park, and just had lots of general fun. The trip was a fast whirlwind, but it was so nice to get out of Portland for a couple of days. I only wish that it had been sunny.

day ten

A Picture of the person you do the craziest things with. Cristena.

warm & sunny... ??

Something weird just happened. I was on facebook looking at Margie's photos (she's a girl I met in Fort Lauderdale at a yoga teacher training) and I got this wild urge to move somewhere sunny and warm (or at least visit). I'll share the photo with you...


Beautiful, right? Margie is lovely and obviously where she lives is lovely, too. This was taken today. Today, while I was so cold all day I didn't even take my jacket off while working indoors. Oh. My. Gosh. More than anything, I think I just miss the sun. I am finding myself craving a bluebird day on the mountain like nobody's business. When Sarah and I went on Monday, we had lots of fun and it was beautiful, but it was so snowy and foggy we couldn't see more than three or four chairs in front of us or behind us. We weren't even halfway up the lift before we couldn't see the base area anymore. With that said, we thought it would be a good idea to tackle this steep beyond steep slope (upper canyon, yowza!) until we realized that it was so incredibly snowy and the fog was so stupid thick we couldn't tell where the ground was. I decided to veer off to the right, thinking Sarah would follow but instead I heard her yell. I was too focused on keeping my eyes on the ground that I didn't look back over my shoulder, and when we got to the bottom she told me she thought I was crazy because the way I was going looked like a complete drop-off. It was pretty seriously steep, and I will admit I was a little bit terrified, but it wasn't a complete drop-off. The point of this story is that I couldn't really tell where I was going because of all the snow and fog. But that's the thing about skiing or snowboarding- you'd better be damn sure about your route, because once you're on it you have no choice but to finish it. I will wait for a clear day before I take upper canyon again, that's for sure.

See, look. I talked for thirty seconds about warmth and sun before my focus shifted to cold and snowy. I think I've found my niche.

day nine

A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most. MY MOM! Who else?!

day eight

A picture that makes you laugh. This is Pete in Vegas two nights before our wedding. He and Adam ordered two burgers and a beer through room service at the Flamingo and it was $41. This picture always makes me laugh!

day seven

A picture of your most treasured item. I couldn't pick just one, so I chose my snowboard and my yoga mat. Not just this particular mat, but any of my yoga mats. The joy I get from these two items is so great- and I want to use them both every single day!

day six

A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day. Kathryn Budig, yogini extraordinaire.

snow day!

I went to Skibowl with Sarah today after my yoga class and it was a delightfully amazing day! It was snowing almost the whole time, so we were constantly getting fresh tracks. We did so many runs we lost count, but for sure the ones we did are:

• lower surprise (or suprise, as their sign says)
• no surprise
  
• wildfire
• mount hood lane
• upper reynolds
• middle reynolds
• lower reynolds
• upper canyon
• lower canyon
• upper bowl
• lower bowl
• low road
• rock garden
• dog leg
• fire hydrant
• high road
• easy street
• skyline

We basically covered the whole mountain, with the exception of The Outback (to the right of the map) because 1- it's all double black over there, and 2- the terrain is better for skiers anyway. And then we ate pizza on the way home. Such a fun day! The conditions were so awesome. I want to snowboard every day!

day five

A picture of your favorite memory. I must admit, this was a hard one. My friend and fellow yogini, Dacia, took this photo of me in Fort Lauderdale when we were there four a four day teacher training. This was an interesting time in my life. I was fresh out of a relationship I never belonged in, fresh out of a crappy living situation, and just beginning to truly find myself. I first embarked on this amazing adventure in June 2008, and this was in September, just a couple weeks after I'd taught my first "official" yoga class. I learned so much during these four days. In fact, just writing this short little paragraph is making me feel all mushy and sentimental, so if you care to read more, you can read my yoga story. http://yogaseedpdx.blogspot.com/2010/09/yoga-story.html.

day four

A picture of your night.

This isn't this night, but it's a typical night. Snuggles with Simon.

day three

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

Sex and the City. It never gets old! Well, the ladies might, but the show itself does not!

day two

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

day one

A picture of yourself with five facts.

• I believe in sending cards. It's exciting to get something in the mail that's not junk or a bill.
• Morning is my favorite time of day. I generally try to wake up at least one hour before I have to leave the house (more if I can) so that I can lounge, listen to music and drink coffee.
• I can't imagine my life without yoga. My practice has saved my soul many times over, and the people I've met through yoga are so very near and dear to my heart.
• I procrastinate. As I write this, I know that I have to leave my apartment in 13 minutes and I'm still wearing pajamas and drinking coffee. I operate this way and have no real desire to change that about myself.
  
• I don't like makeup. I wear the same tinted moisturizer, blush and mascara every time I wear makeup (there are certainly days when I don't wear any at all) whether I'm going to a yoga class, going out, or getting married. Seriously. I'm not a fan of the stuff.
  

30 days of photos

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with five facts

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Day 04 - A picture of your night

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the craziest things with

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate

Day 12 - A picture of something you love

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity

Day 19 - A picture and a letter

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change

Day 25 - A picture of your day

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

tuesday

I loved this day. 1.25.11.