Mountain Biking-Mt St Helens

Justin & I were so busy with wedding preparations at the beginning of the summer, and after that special day in May, we were ready to go go go with activities for summer fun. One adventure we embarked on was camping & mountain biking at Mt St Helen's. We knew this would be more adventurous than our usual more flat, desert biking, but we had no idea just how intense this riding would be! The bike path was less than 2 feet wide with STEEP edges to either side of us. If something were to go wrong, broken bones would be the minimum result of sliding off the edge! The heat became very intense as the 1980's eruption of Mt St Helens took out the forest that used to surround it. Next time, we'll bring more water and lunch so we can do the full 30 mi loop rather than the short out & back that we did bike (but took a long time because of challenging terrain).

Scrapwhispers Challenge #101 provided a great color scheme to use for my "On the Edge" layout, and I used old sketch from Inspired Blueprints (Sketch #10). Sadly, IB has temporarily closed their website. The owner said she is taking a break, but the goodbye is not permanent.

No Bites - No Worries

Free Fishing Weekend 2010 in Washington was June 12-13. We spent that time camping at Bumping Lake near Mt. Rainier. Picked up a cheap pole+tackle package for the trip, and we did cast a line a couple times at the lake, but didn't even have a nibble. Regardless, there was so much to enjoy about the perfect campsite with good friends.

Scrap Whispers' Challenge #88 was to dive to the bottom of the scrap stash and see what old unused items were down there. I found a whole package of old tags for "Outdoor Fun" and "Summer Fun" that just never seemed to work...until now! I also have a bottle of felt flowers that just never seemed to have the right place. Fortunately, the 2 coordinate very nicely and worked perfectly to bring out the essence of the camping trip. Also, back in 2004/05 my sister and I posed for an "old tyme" photo. The photo came with a mat that I had hidden away in my scrap stash but pulled out for the background on this layout.

Even the sketch used for this layout was dug up from the old stashes.... I've been meaning to go back and use some of the old sketches from Inspired Blueprints. Sketch #1 was just right to incorporate all these old items into the layout.

A must try!

Hot Yoga cleanses, strengthens, refocuses, and enlightens your life. I think it's 1 thing everyone should try at least once in their life. Look up "Bikram Yoga" in your area and be sure to follow the advice for beginners given by the studio.

Tonight at my bikram yoga class, I may have witnessed a live contortionist. The contortions of her body, according to Bikram, are signs of a very fit and focused individual. She certainly seemed fit beyond imagination. I want to share this experience with friends, but it's a session to be selfish in, to extend all focus on one's self - inside and out. Try it if you can!

Right Reasons to Keep a Voicemail

Some of the smallest, weirdest things can have such a lasting impact! Many months ago, I saw the movie P.S. I Love You. Today I realized that this movie has had a small lasting impact on a decision I make almost everyday. With nearly every voicemail on my cell phone, I ask myself, "if this person died tomorrow, would this be a voicemail I want to hang onto just to be able to hear their voice again?". Such a morbid and odd thought to cross one's mind with each message, but it's a natural, imbedded routine now without really knowing how/why I started this habit.

At the heart of the matter, is there a better deciding factor between keepers & deleters? (Especially since they're automatically deleted after 14 days anyway.)

From Seneca

"No good thing is pleasant without friends to share it," he said. Impressive considering he, Seneca, was a Roman philosopher. Who would've guessed that ancient Romans would rank friendship so high in their set of values. Most people would say this special bond plays a stronger role in modern times. In my life this is certainly true because my family is no longer near. Regardless of the friends vs. family debate, it's important to have trust, support, and others to share with close to home.

Hokey Pokey Heritage

There is much pride in heritage. Even if heritage is ages old and almost forgotten, some little nuances are bound to be passed on through the years. The Hokey Pokey happens to be apart of my German heritage and still heralded at the majority of family gatherings. With that, I had to share this little joke to get the day started:

"In Memoriam

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote 'The Hokey Pokey', died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started."

Busy Day Preparations

The agenda for tomorrow looks a little hectic.....meeting with managers & dentist visit in the AM, workload pressing heavily on the shoulders. Cinco de Mayo potluck & birthday wishes to a friend in the afternoon. Overdue run, work late, and Cinco de Mayo fiesta to attend in the PM. What better way to prepare for a busy day than to enjoy a late night of baking :-) Tonight I'm tackling Mexican Wedding Cakes & Tres Leches Cake.

The beauty of baking is the sweet treat that comes out at the end - and I don't mean the cake itself. I'm referring to the sense of accomplishment, and the feeling of having a product for others to appreciate from a mini project that can be done in just 1 evening in a state of relaxation!

Hunting Happiness

With a little weight on the shoulders this morning and a 3rd day of mostly cloudy skies (when it's said the Tricities sees 300 days of sunshine a year), I sought out "happy clouds" in a Google image search for some pleasant inspiration. Bob Ross smiled at me in one of the results. Semi-superstition tells me that I need to finish work quickly today because fate has spoken through Google, and I should pick up my acrylics and brushes tonight.
Any description of Bob Ross ought to discuss his painting TV show that used to (and maybe still does) air on PBS. His way of teaching painting really was ideal for an average person wanting to paint. As a 6th Grader, I took a mini course on acrylic painting and made a rougher version of the painting shown next to him. This painting legend who passed away in 1995 had an amazing voice, like that of a good yoga instructor. It's just the soothing and relaxing type of voice to teach you in a good hobby and as you re-establish harmony in your life.

Spring indeed

Put a new spring in your step. Spring into action. Bounceback like a spring. It is certainly spring time, and there sure seems to be a reason for the season's name. After a long winter, no matter how much fun playing in the snow may have been, there's nothing like the sun's renewing warmth to come back to every March/April. Although we do not hibernate as humans, it's as though everyone is waking up with that renewed energy that was bundled up deep in our skin and minds as we bundled up in fleece and wool. Welcome back energy, I'm ready to feed from you and share with you.

Shine in a new day

Work shoes just don't last. I've had a favorite pair of black heels for far too long and they were almost turning gray (yup, can't wear shoes to work for 3 years...pitty I'll have to go shoe shopping). First time since college, I broke out the Kiwi shoe shine. Today I am very grateful that the Navy taught me to shine shoes. I'm just glad I do it to my own standard and liking now (and to heels rather than blistering uniform shoes).

Inhale the sweet relief

4:30am - 1st alarm rings....if I get up, it's housework, a run, or rushing off to an early workday

5:30 - more popular second alarm

6:40 - last call to get to work

7:00pm - most popular end of work day

8:00 - arrive home after running, groceries, community events

8:01 - start that sweet relief; tonight banana bread, last night Polynesian Pork

Or is this so called "relief" a slow poison cutting into sleep time, scrap time, Justin & Michaela time, losing this booty time....

The lingering aromas, gracious little praises from hungry coworkers, and sense of completion of a small little project tell me this is therapeutic and a habit worth continuing.

But something's gotta give, right!?!? We do not live to work, we only work to live, right?!? I'll take a break tomorrow....plant flowers instead.

Why not George

Yesterday on a drive back from Mt. Hood in Oregon, I received a "Where's George $1 bill" with a bag of Munchies picked up at a back country gas station. When the bill was entered on Where'sGeorge.com, I found it had only travelled a meer 164 miles in almost a year (not quite across the state of WA). Overall, I've noticed most bills on Where's George.com have few entries. It mystifies me that people aren't more intrigued with that funny stamp on some bills directing them to this website.

If one is not puzzling the curiosities we come across on a daily basis, what is on one's mind? Perhaps the smallest things in life are not worth most peoples' time (no matter how short of time that may be). Both sides of taking the time for the smallest things are taking a loss.....which loss is greater? Is there a way to test the greater of the two?

Inspirations from Hollywood

I just finished watching Julie and Julia. This may be one of those movies to add to the collection and pull out every so often for the inspiration and motivation to stick with something. I am in awe of and mystified by some of the perfectly consistent occurrences around me. Being surrounded by engineers makes me feel my life is very inconsistent in the small stuff. Some coworkers park in the same unassigned parking space everyday and drink the same coffee from the same cup everyday and have done so for the last year or more. Sometimes it seems my inability to maintain consistency in these small things is my own bit of rebellion because the bigger picture is kept so structured - meeting deadlines, promises, commitments.

So a movie like Julie and Julia makes me wonder if I'm capable of committing to a small feat like writing in a blog everyday. Or writing to a friend everyday. I think committing to something small for a year would be an interesting challenge that would bring more happiness to life. Thank you Hollywood for the inspiration for a fun challenge.

January Holiday Weekend

It surprises me that not all government offices had off work for Martin Luther King Jr Day. Justin was supposed to work, but fortunately he had training that only lasted half the day. With just another of those hectic weekends, it was nice that he was able to come home and we could have some quality time today. Even with a quiet day off, no time for scrapping (yet). Finally made it out for a run tonight after over a week of hip pains that stopped me from this oh so relaxing activity. Still had to keep it sure to be safe. Chiropractor said I was just over straining myself with rigorous activites, and the hips just needed a rest. Hope rest time's over. I'm ready to get back out there ;-)

Internet Back = Lots of Catching up

Justin & I came back from vacation to Wisconsin to find that our modem had died while we were away. On top of that, I had been away from home computer for about a week before the trip to make sure work, home, & other errands were in order before leaving town.... Ultimately that puts me about 3 weeks behind in my home emails, usual scrapping, and getting my Team in Training Fundraising site launched and getting this blog started. I had a nice welcome back surprise when I visited one of my favorite scrap blogs today..... I had won a prize on Jill's "Drawn to Scrapping" blog :-) Here's the blog entry she wrote: http://drawn2scrapping.blogspot.com/2009/07/and-winner-is.html

If you're a scrapper looking for inspiration, Jill is a very inspiring scrapper and photographer. I have to put in a 30 minute run today for Team in Training, and Justin and I have a Sunday night tradition of watching "True Blood" on HBO. That means this opening entry for my blog is brief, but leaves lots of room for improvement. Before I go, here are a couple of photos of my nieces that I'll write about next time :-)