I grew up in a house one might describe as being "football mad." I hold my dad completely responsible for this. Can't wait to share a game like this with two of my favorite soccer fanatics.
Tonight I get to go with my dad, my brother, and Paul to a Portland Timbers game. For those of you not savvy to the Timbers, they are the new MLS (Major League Soccer) team in Portland, Oregon. I went to my first game during our last trip to Portland with a few other family members and had a blast. The energy of the games is crazy; everyone stands through the whole game cheering and chanting. When I root I root for the Timbers!
I grew up in a house one might describe as being "football mad." I hold my dad completely responsible for this. Can't wait to share a game like this with two of my favorite soccer fanatics.
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trips to Portland, Oregon ... being accepted into Paul's family ... my mom's vulnerability, humility, and strength ... sharing new adventures with my family ... paid vacation time ... metamucil ... compassionate doctors ... health insurance ... grateful clients ... amy and rich's hospitality ... the oregon coast ... connecting with my wonderful sister-in-law ... nice suitcases ... southwest airlines ... having a good book to read ... friends who watch Pedro when we're gone ... tasty breakfasts ... having everything fall into place while packing and preparing for a trip.
My community garden is one of my favorite places in the world. I feel so at peace so easily in the garden. I love watching the plants grow, getting to harvest Watching the changing of the plants, growth, harvest, decay. I really enjoy my nightly watering ritual. Photographing the garden has helped me notice details I might have otherwise missed. Like the light hitting a small yellow flower on my cucumber plant. Or the way another flower twists up as it prepares to give way for an acorn squash. Or just how photogenic a daily harvest can be. I've been really happy with my harvest this season and am looking forward to my fall crops (squash, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, and lettuce). Can only imagine how good my garden will be next year with all I've learned in my second season as a community gardener.
I don't think I've ever been so happy and relieved at the end of a doctor's appointment. I'm going to share a bit about this health experience, but don't worry, I will not be sharing all the exciting (read: way too personal) details with you.
For the past several months, I've been dealing with stomach pain that never seems to go completely away. I've had trouble concentrating at work, have basically stopped exercising except for walking, have low energy, and have been eating really erratically. Basically, I haven't felt like myself for about half of 2012. Majorly annoying. After a couple of visits to my primary doctor, I still had no answers about what was wrong. I started second guessing myself. Was I just imagining my pain? Was it all in my head? If there's anything worse than feeling sick, it's worrying that your brain has somehow imagined everything and that you're just not strong enough to "get over it." Then yesterday, I visited one of my new favorite people in the whole world, my GI doctor. He reassured me that no, this was not all in my head, and that yes, it looks like my symptoms match a syndrome that actually exists. Also major plus: there's things I can do to feel better, and I don't have to keep questioning what is going on with my body. (Again, sparing you all the fun details!) So while I'm not happy I have a chronic digestive issue, I am very happy that I have a good idea of what I'm dealing with. No more questioning. No more feeling down on myself for not being able to get better. My mom recommended looking for the silver lining in this (aka: finding joy in all things!), and I think I've found it. The upside to all of this stomach trouble is that it's going to force me to lead a very healthy lifestyle. I'm supposed to exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, get 7-8 hours of sleep, and eat a healthy, high fiber diet (25-30 grams a day). I'll also be trying to avoid high fat foods, highly processed foods, alcohol, and caffeine. So alcohol and caffeine -- major boo -- but like I told my brother, at least I'm 27 and not 21. That would have been terrible. Ready or not, I'm about to get down with me and my healthy self! Bring.on.the.fiber (BOTF). Thanks for reading! This weekend I... Ate freshly foraged Wisconsin apples at a community garden potluck event. Shared my favorite snack of crackers with goat cheese and honey with other gardeners. Got my nails done nice and purty with my friend Mary. Celebrated our beautiful nails with a delicious brunch at one of my favorite local Milwaukee restaurants, Cafe Hollander. Decided to lay off iced tea and tomatoes for a while -- sorry tummy. Watched two great movies with Paul (highly recommend this one). Craved sushi but settled for mac'n'cheese and a fake hot dog. Had time to paint and read. Enjoyed lots of time in the garden pulling weeds and taking care of my tomato plants. Remembered that low-key weekends with nice little moments are some of my favorites.
What did you do this weekend? I'll continue to climb trying to reach the top, but no one knows where the top is!
Now I know I just featured a film here, but this one was just too good not to share. Jiro is the greatest sushi chef in the world. The first sushi chef and the oldest person to receive three michelin stars for his restaurant. And the 85 year old's small sushi restaurant just happens to be in a Tokyo subway and has only ten seats. Jiro follows the same routine every day, believing that only by repeating the same tasks over and over can he reach perfection. One of his apprentices explains that he had to make a dish over 200 times before it was considered good enough to serve to customers. 200 times. This movie was beautiful and wonderful, probably one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It seemed that everyone featured and involved in the film was driven by a love for their craft, a desire to be the best they could be. One of the most repeated lines in the film was "I'm not doing this for the money." The cinematography and the score elevate Jiro's work (and the work of his sons and apprentices) to a symphony. My favorite scene in the movie featured Jiro's self-proclaimed-anti-establishment-tuna-supplier. The tuna supplier chooses his fish at a live auction in some type of warehouse, and the scene turns in to a kind of dance between the auctioneers and the tuna suppliers. That's the level of amaziness of this film -- a simple not-essential-to-the-plot scene features an anti-establishment tuna supplier AND a bloody, gritty warehouse turned dramatic stage. HIghly recommend checking this movie out (you can do it on Netflix instant watch!). I give it 5 out of 5 stars. I made one of my my most ridiculous purchases to date this week. Though my wardrobe purchases are usually pretty predictable and practical, sometimes I like to buy something just slightly out of my comfort zone. Something just for fun. Say hello to my latest just for fun purchase - my new bright orange 5" platform heels. "Hello new bright orange 5" platform heels!" Here's another view to help you understand just.how.tall these shoes are. And how silly this purchase was. I had to practice walking around in them! Sometimes a new pair of shoes does wonders for my mood. And these shoes certainly did just that. Now, who's up for a night on the town??
The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If one piece busts, even the smallest piece, the entire universe will get busted.
I am really looking forward to seeing this movie. The trailer has a super magical feel to it, doesn't it? The movie is about a six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy who lives in a southern Delta community (the Bathtub) with her father (Wink). When her father gets sick, the universe unravels -- global warming essentially sets in allowing prehistoric creatures named "aurochs" to escape the polar ice caps. As flooding begins, Hushpuppy sets out on an epic quest to find her mother. That plot line mixed with the music, acting, and cinematography makes me super excited to see this. Sometimes I have a difficult time explaining to people why Paul and I live in community. If I'm venting about frustrations to someone outside the community, the response I usually receive is "why don't you just move out?" To be honest, I've asked myself the same question. With the challenges of community life, you really have to be dedicated and have a reason for staying. So, what is keeping us here?
An answer came to me last night while I was talking with one of my friends at the community garden pruning tomatoes - the place where all great thoughts are revealed. Before I even realized what I was saying, I started talking about how moving around so frequently in the past few years has allowed me to avoid working through many difficult parts in relationships. Just around the point when I'm starting to get to an overall level of annoyance with where I'm at, I have the opportunity to move, and I never have to work through those feelings of annoyance. This year, I've had to face many uncomfortable and challenging situations head on. There's only so many places to hide when you're living in an apartment with three other people. I've had to grow past my tendency to run from conflict like the plague. I've had to learn how to resolve problems so that we can continue living as community members and have a peaceful household. I've had to grow in honestly and non-violently expressing my feelings and in admitting when I'm wrong. While visiting my family in St. Louis last weekend, a few things happened that helped me realize I've made progress in dealing with conflict and uncomfortable situations. "Oh my God!" I thought, "I'm GROWING!" Staying committed to this community has broken the cycle of being able to avoid uncomfortable parts of relationships. While learning healthy ways to deal with conflict resolution isn't the only reason I'm living in community, it's an example of how living in community can help lead to personal growth - if you're willing to commit and stick with it when things get tough. I've got a LONG way to go, but living in community has helped me kick start my journey to being a better person. And on and on it goes, in a thousand directions, everything occurring at once, in a great storm of the present, of the now...
Just finished this really satisfying book recommended by a friend with great taste. Written by Spokane based author Jess Walter, Beautiful Ruins tells the story of an Italian inn keeper, a 1960s Hollywood actress, a Hollywood producer, a Donner party survivor, and Hollywood wannabees. Their stories jump back and forth across several decades in such a way that the book ends up making better sense because you can understand the connection between different events in different time periods. My favorite character was the Hotel Adequate View keeper, Pasquale. I loved his struggles in love, with his family, in finding his place, in figuring out how to do the "right" thing, and in his efforts to speak English. I just wanted to give him a big hug... and then have a drink with him. The book has one of the most beautiful and satisfying concluding chapters I've read in a long time. Questions are actually answered! Parts of the story come to a conclusion! But not too completely or concisely that you're overly satisfied or bored. It begins with this beautiful quote: There would be nothing more obvious, more tangible, than the present moment. And yet it eludes us completely. All the sadness of life lies in that fact (Milan Kundera). I finished reading this book with a smile on my face. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it! I'll leave you with one of my favorite segments from the book: But aren't all great quests folly? El Dorado and the Fountain of youth and the search for intelligent life in the cosmos -- we know what's out there. It's what isn't that truly compels us. ...true quests aren't measured in time or distance anyway, so much as in hope. There are only two good outcomes for a quest like this, the hope for the serendipitous savant -- sail for Asia and stumble on America -- and the hope of scarecrows and tin men: that you find out you had the thing you sought all along. Any one else read Beautiful Ruins? Read any good books lately? |