Just another day (journal entry from 1.1.2010)

New Year...what a strange idea.

I approached New Year’s Eve this year with a fairly casual attitude, mostly because it snuck up on me. I was excited to go snowboarding then party into the morning hours with close friends. We had our 50s attire ready (per the theme request), and I was excited to not spend a lot of money but instead have a lot of fun.

Later in the night it dawned on me that it really was a new year! That may sound ridiculous, but I also sustained a mild head injury on the mountain so that might account for some of the confusion. Overall I was just shocked that another year went by so fast. (My friends with children swear that it just gets faster the older we get…probably true.)

Even later in the night someone mentioned it was a new decade. What?! How did this happen?! I started thinking back to the last change of decade: the dreaded Y2K. I was home from college and went to a “formal” party at a friend’s house. Actually, it was her parents’ house and I was still underage. A boy I knew kissed me at midnight and this made me blush because in 2000 I was still quite naive.

In ten years I have moved more than 500 miles 3 times, and lived in 5 different states. I have traveled outside the US 3 times and within the US for 4 months by myself. I have been homesick and happy. I made a few bad friends and a lot of great ones. Most important I have experienced heartbreak and love. Real love.

I have said that I do not think I have changed much since high school; my core is still the same. I value my friends and family above work and material items. I love art and practice less than I should. Nature still blows my mind and I am constantly looking for new challenges. The point is, that core is definitely still there, but it is so much stronger now. Every moment I have experienced (and sometimes endured) has affirmed who I am. I know that I can choose who I want to be and what I want to do. I am confident and happy with the foundation set for me and now I am building upwards.

I do not do the resolution routine because to me New Year's Day is just another day. Real goals will be achieved regardless of the last digit tacked onto the date. Instead of looking forward I tend to look back and today I am grateful for the time passing quickly. It has been a wonderful decade and I look forward to the next.

A good find

Big news...
We got a puppy! Not really...
Neebs got a puppy!

His name is Ezio (EZ E for short) and he is cute and cuddly. So far he has no idea how to lie down, shake or give kisses. He is teething and that makes him extra nippy. He can not sleep without being on top of you and his breath stinks...super funky. BUT he rocks at running with you, even if you happen to be on a skate board or bike. Dylan took these pictures. I made the dog bed.

Love him.

'Tis the season

Actually I suppose it no longer is the season. More like 'twas the season, and here is a little recap of how it went...

I finished up the Go Love Tour in mid-December and returned to Portland on a mission to get ahead of the curve. In order for you to understand this mission, you should probably understand my interpretation of the idiom. I know that "ahead of the curve" is actually referring to a bell curve and being above average. However, when I was a kid I pictured a foot race and a curve in the road. If you were ahead of it you were doing well because you could see the road still ahead of you. Maybe I combined "ahead of the curve" and "ahead of the pack". Either way, I've been working hard and I am at the curve. I may be purely average, but I can almost see the future!

Dylan and I became incredibly domestic at the tail end of 2009. I would say we got an A+ in organization (ahead of the curve). We determined that one household does not actually need to own 5 tents. We bought new pots and pans (hopefully now our lives will not be cut short because of flaking Teflon). We also sorted out the coat closet...it is shocking how things fit when they are on shelves instead of piled on the floor. I feel caught up and that is amazing. My 3 page to do list is about 1 page. Incredible.

Christmas was in Portland this year. Low key. Just me, Dylan and Neebin hanging out. Since I am technically unemployed now I need to be smart about the monies and plane rides are not cheap! The day after Christmas, we did take a mini vacation...to Portland. I guess that is now classified as a "staycation". It is amazing how the pearl made us feel like we were teleported to San Francisco. Where did all these stylish people come from and what happened to all the hipsters? Here are a couple shots from our walk around town...

In total, we attended 11 holiday parties in 3 weeks including 4 in one night and 3 fugly sweater parties. We attempted to take one "serious" picture for my mom. Not so good...now we are a little boring. We tried.

New Year's Eve was a riot with a 50s party at my old house. We slept in the NEW (to us) Volvo. This is always a viable solution to avoid drunk drivers. Warning: the police may think you are homeless. Totally explainable.

All in all, the holidays flew by and now I am flying out. I am going home to PA for about 3 weeks to help with Granny-duty.

Being at the curve is good. I still can't quite see what is coming, but judging from the amount of light pouring around the bend it is going to be amazing! It will be a bright, bright future!

Slacker

I know, I know. I've heard it from everyone that I am a blog slacker. Sorry bout that. I'm just about done with my sabbatical from the fitness and wellness world and I cannot believe how fast time flies. Four months, gone. Just like that.

I had a great time with my adventures in marketing and most importantly met great new people! I will be officially unemployed in about a week and a half and I will blog so much you can all start commenting on my lack of life...all 5 of you.

Some more highlights from the Go Love Adventure Tour:
Biking the Bay Area and over the Golden Gate
Road trip strategies
Halloween
And of course, the Wildlife Safari!

Have faith that I am writing, but not necessarily posting what I write, as seen by my sudden posting of 5 new entries. Thanks for the patience!

Sausalito

My mom raves about Sausalito. When I was on my road trip it was a must see location. The other day I wandered the streets and saw a little taste of the funkiness she has always talked about.

First there was the art car

Then there was the sailboats on the boardwalk

And the old, rusty tug boat hiding out at the very end

Last but not least the house boat village and their weird choice of lawn ornaments.

The fact that I was able to wander with no sense of time was spectacular. I might have been taking pictures of that car for 15 minutes or 1 hour. I have no idea! That is such a great feeling! It was the perfect reminder to slow down and notice the little things. There is so much beauty all around all the time. Most of the time, I'm just too busy to notice, and I need to be better about that. It is in the details. The little things. Contrasting colors and open doors.

Now I'm staring out my window at our little beach house in Muir Beach watching the ships cruise into the Bay. I have one of the best views of the city from my couch and I love it. Here is to living in the now and enjoying every moment of each day. My eyes are once again open.

If you want to see more pictures, check out my flickr.

Seattle Round 2

After I flew out of Atlanta the day after Thanksgiving, I decided it would be fun to hit the complete opposite corner of this great country (Alaska not included) and head to Seattle with Dylan, Neebin and Marley. Check out these lovely family portraits.

You can see some more here or visit with Seattle Round 1 here. Life is good.

A lot to be thankful for

This thanksgiving I went to visit my family in Chattaooga, TN. It was a full house with Oma, Kathy, the boys (Branden, Daniel and Dennis) plus all the out of towners (myself, Kyle, Nate, Ryan and Katrina). Here are a few shots from around the house:

I love this crew! Reminiscing about the old days and all the trouble we could get into running up Lookout Mountain. It was so great to see everyone! Dennis graduates this term (congratulations!) and I think I have been successful in convincing all of them that a trip out west is the much needed vacation they need.
We got lucky with some beautiful, crisp fall weather and, as always, there was good food to be had all over town, especially Thanksgiving Day! Kathy cooked a delicious feast with Katrina's help while everyone else enjoyed the snooze fest...

I baked the pies and got the best compliment of my life from Oma when she scarfed it down. We've been force feeding her hospital food for a week, but she ate the whole piece in about 1 minute flat! She said "it's hard to find a good piece of pie nowadays" (insert a visual of me patting myself on the back here)

Also, mad props to Ryan and Katrina who drove 16 hrs just to spend 1 day with the chaos. THANK YOU! I love you guys!