LOVE THURSDAY: WHERE MY HEART IS

We were in the airport waiting for our flight out of Portland, when I realized that I should have gotten an Oregon sticker for Gertrude (yes...my Macbook has a name; we call her Gert for short). I ran down to the many gift shops in the airport, but I couldn't find any stickers. So, I pouted and headed back to our terminal with a heavy heart.

It wasn't just because of the sticker. Leaving Portland that day was one of the saddest days. When it was time to board our plane, I hugged our friend Amy goodbye. She went on the trip with us, but her flight home was at a different time. I cried saying goodbye, which was stupid because I knew I'd see her really soon. But Chris and I both felt the same way. Like we were leaving parts of our souls there.

Chris gave me that sticker for Gert last week. He had been looking for something to put on his scooter and sent away for a bunch of stickers and some pins to go on our backpacks. Since leaving Portland, we talk constantly about how we are going to get back there for keeps. Sentences start with "when we move to Portland....". We'll get there eventually. Patience. If anything we have to go back at least to collect our souls (I think Chris's is at Voodoo Doughnuts).

THE LAST TRAINING

So...the last teacher training weekend is over and done with. Once I finish up a short list of things (video of me teaching, update CPR card, some essay questions) I will be done and ready to become Yoga Alliance certified. Yip!

This weekend was really good. I learned a few things that just hadn't dawned on me (yet). For instance, crunches just make your belly pooch out more. Information that would have been useful, oh I don't know, about a gagilion crunches ago. I also learned a better way to teach the yoga tricep pushup. I have been struggling with this one. I learned a couple of new tricks to make this pose easier to grasp.

I know I should jumping right on that list of things to finish up, but I'm giving myself this week off. I'll worry about it all when I get back from the annual girls' trip to St. Louis. I am actually looking forward to this.

THANKFUL FRIDAY: BOING

This weekend marks the last weekend for yoga teacher training. Yippee! Oh, I'll still have work to finish up and a video tape of me teaching to make, but no more entire weekends of cramming anatomy and sanskrit into my brain over the course of sixteen hours. So, I am thankful for that.

I realized last night just how thankful I am of my personal yoga practice. The month of June is turning out to be full. I have something every weekend in June and I've taken on some extra subbing hours. When I think of everything I'm doing this month at one time, I get a little panicky. But when I sit back and just view it on a day by day basis, I'm perfectly calm. All of those things are going to happen no matter what my perspective on them. And I know this calmness is due to my yoga practice.

These are the things I am thankful for today, being thankful for what each day's adventure will bring. There will be more blog entries and pictures coming for the month of June. There's a girls trip to St. Louis next weekend, my parent's 50th wedding anniversary (crazy!) the following weekend, a yoga workshop with a famous yogi the next, and a blessed camping trip for the fourth. So hang on. This month is rolling.

LOVE THURSDAY: BREAK THROUGHS

I love that moment just as the clouds are breaking up from a storm. That moment when just a peep of bright blue glimmers through the gloom. It's a promise of new beginnings and fresh starts. The storm has washed everything clean so things sparkle as the sun breaks through the clouds.

Happy love Thursday and here's to all of your own fresh starts and new beginnings

INSPIRED BY UP

So Chris and I scootered over to Citybites for lunch and we're sitting there talking about scooter rides. We were supposed to do a group ride next Sunday, but I forgot that I have teacher training all weekend. Chris said something about riding out to Pop's on Route 66. I know he said it with the idea that we would do it some other time. And maybe it was because we saw Up on Saturday and it's all about living life, but I looked up at him and said "Why not go today?".

And that's what we did. Our first long scooter ride. No gear, no water. Just us, the scooters, a camera, and lot's of sunscreen. And you know what? IT WAS FUN!

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

Today, I am thankful for the sun. The Glorious Sun. I am thankful that I am almost done with my work today so I can get out into that glorious sunshine (I have sunscreen!).

And even though I know the grand brats will be staying over this weekend and it's usually annoying, I am thankful that they are coming. I'm planning to turn them into slave labor. If they help me clean up the back yard, I will take them to Pink Swirls (best ice-cream ever). If they agree, but complain and only pick up one piece of dog poop, then they get to come and watch us eat the ice-cream. If they don't agree to help, they don't even get to watch the ice-cream being eaten. Them's the rules.

I am also thankful that my name is on this new paper being submitted for publication. It really belongs to the guy my boss works with in Germany. I am usually not involved with their projects. But this time I am! One more for the CV.

What are you thankful for today?

LOVE THURSDAY

Two summers ago, I pulled up everything from the front "flower bed" at the old house where we were living. When I finally got all of the rocks out and hacked away a horrible shrub, I had to decide what to plant in the space. It had to be something I couldn't really kill and things that could tolerate the harsh Oklahoma Sun.

This is when I became obsessed with grasses. I'd see these tall beautiful wavy grasses in purples and golds and greens and I'd want to go dig them up and transplant them to my garden. Every time I looked at them at the local garden center, the price tag prohibited me from buying them. What if I killed a $20 grass!?!

I don't have my own home right now and have little gumption to invest in plants that won't be mine in a year or two. Sometimes, I'm still tempted to fill in an area of our front yard with those grasses (I know they would drive the mother-in-law mad!). But I resist. Instead, I just enjoy them from afar and plan ahead for the future garden.

What on earth does this post have to do with love, you ask? Think of it as loving the beauty that surounds you in this moment, capturing memories to share in the future. Or you can see it as loving nature. Take your pick and Happy Love Thursday.

WHAM!

This weekend was crazy busy. It started with the Paseo Art Festival and ended with the return of Mrs. Swan. The Paseo Art Festival was a little uneventful for me. I only ended up with one student (the studio owner) for my free class. I had also agreed to hang out in the studio as part of the Welcome Wagon until eight that evening. So...didn't get to see much of the festival or take all the pictures I had planned. Chris and I did have a splashing good ride home in the rain on the scooters.

The next day we had been invited to two different cookouts. We kind of just BBQ hopped. I unfortunately ate way too much at the first cookout, so ended up drinking my dinner at the next one. Sometime between the two I lost my keys, but didn't realize it until the next day. I had left them at the first cookout, where we were invited back on Monday to help eat all the leftovers. Once again, I deserve an award for most potato salad consumed in a 24 hour period. We drove home last night only to realize that the mother-in-law has returned from her trip. The honeymoon is over.

I did take some pictures at the Paseo Fest. I also took some at the cookouts we attended. Just some random, candid people and kids shots. I haven't gotten around to uploading and editing those yet. But enjoy the ones taken at the Paseo!

RANDOM MEMORIES

A few Christmases ago, my friend Robin gave me a set of wind chimes. Not only do they have cute wooden elephants dangling on them, the chimes have a very soothing sound. They are just the right pitch. I hung them in the living room of our old place and they would chime every time a breeze from the fan would hit them (those were the days of no AC).

I remember lying on the couch, trying not to move because it was so hot and hearing those chimes. I remember thinking how nice it will be when I have my own backyard sanctuary to hang those chimes. I can see the place so clearly in my head. Lush green ferns, some sort of gazebo and most importantly, some sort of swing. Better yet, I can even hear what the sanctuary will sound like, with a bubbling fountain of some sorts and birds. Oh and don't forget the crickets.

Those chimes are packed away neatly in storage for now. I don't know why I just thought of them or the image of them just so clearly popped into my head. Maybe it's because the weather has been so nice and I've been dressing like an island girl with tank tops and flip-flops all week. We are on the very cusp of summer.

Happy Friday everyone. Enjoy the holiday!

LOVE THURSDAY: COMBINING LOVES

When we purchased the scooters the pecking order for best money spent on something went: the dog, then the scooters. For me the pecking order goes Chris, dog, scooter. Every thing else falls bellow that line.

One of the best parts of riding the scooter (besides the time I passed that old guy on a Harley) is being able to ride with Chris. I got my license first and had to ride behind Chris (with his learner's permit) for weeks until he finally got his license. After that it didn't matter who was in the lead. We tend to play scooter tag at stop lights and Chris's general goofiness just makes me laugh. It makes for the best commutes to work.

My schedule has gotten a little out of control recently with all the yoga classes I'm teaching. Chris and I haven't had many days where we get to ride together. But the very best days are those that combine my first love with my third love. Now, if there was only some way we could get Hooper to ride in a side car...

HOPING FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

It is beautiful here today. The sky is blue; the sun is shinning. It's warm, but breezy. Chris and I scootered into work together this morning. My daily walk got to be outside and since I had to cancel todays yoga class, Robin and I decided to have our own practice outside. And it was the best yoga class I've had in a very long time.

Robin is the best kind of "student". I don't ever really teach her as much as I just share my practice with her. I occasionally cue breathing, but I don't have to. All I have to say is "in preparation for insert pose here" and Robin hops into that pose. And being outside just made our practice perfect today. We even did poses that I usually avoid because they are too difficult. But even the hard poses seemed easy today.

If only every practice could be this beautiful.

MONDAY MONDAY

So, as I said earlier, I've been reading the War of Art. I haven't finished it yet because I've actually been taking my time reading it, underlining things and writing notes in the margins. I even tagged the chapter about friends and family who criticize with a sticky tab.

At first glance this seems like a book for the creative type, a category that I really don't put myself in. I know I like to take pictures and that is, in some circles, considered a creative endeavor, but it's not something I ever plan to make a living on. But the book is really about getting off your ass and just doing the things you want to do. The author calls the obstacle that keeps us from doing these things resistance. Resistance employs everything, including ourselves and the kitchen sink, to keep us from achieving our goals.

This week I start my war on resistance. Time to turn off the distractions and take charge. Of what, I'm not quite sure yet, but I'll figure that out soon enough. One thing for sure, which I realized after the long Thursday last week, is that I have to take time out each day to take care of myself. I can't teach if I am too worn out and the way I'm going I'm going to make myself sick. So I'm vowing to do something nice for myself at least once a week. I also plan on taking more pictures, something I've done a lot less of since I finished my 365 day project. I didn't take the greatest, most creative pictures for the project, but I had fun and I enjoyed taking the pictures.

So...Fuck off resistance! You don't scare me. Well...maybe a little, but fear is a good motivator. It says so in the book.

THANKFUL FRIDAY

I thought I'd make today a Plinky Friday, but when I went over there, the first question I got was "what do you do to relax?". There's no way I could write a whole entry off of that question with out sounding like a broken record. Instead, I decided I would post about things I am thankful for on this particular Friday.

First of all, I'm thankful it is Friday (can I get a Woop, Woop?). I know. I know. Every one is thankful for Fridays, but this one in particular seems exceptionally sweet. Thursday turned out to be the most physically demanding day. It did not help that I started out with a poor night's sleep (thanks to the storms). I taught a 7AM class, walked, got some science started, spent the afternoon on the confocal microscope, and drove through crap traffic to the other side of town to teach my 6PM class. I was exhausted by the time I made it home. But that day is over and today, today is all new.

Which brings me to another thing I am thankful for. Today the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the threat of storms doesn't happen until later this evening. I was able to scooter in to work this morning and do my daily walk outside. It's breezy, but there's that hint of summer in the air. It makes me want to take off my shoes and walk around barefoot.

Last, I'm thankful for the quiet weekend that approaches. I have zero obligations this weekend. My work load is light today and I'll probably get out of here early. There are some serious chores that need to be done this weekend (mow yard, clean, clean, laundry), but it all is going to happen at my leisure. The most important things that need to happen is to spend some time with Chris. And maybe get caught up on some TV.

What are you thankful for today?

SPREADING THE LOVE THURSDAY

Because I've been so inspired by this blog lately, I've decided to contribute to love Thursday. Plus devoting a day's entry to love is just so uplifting and positive and it's a direction I really need to be taking not just in the blog, but in my life.

I took this picture in my mom's backyard over the weekend. There's a lot about my parents home that makes my skin crawl with all the clutter. But I can always find peace and sanctuary in my mom's gardens. My mother is a true southern bell and she brought her green thumb to Oklahoma when they moved here from Mississippi many moons ago. And though there is very little rhyme or reason to her landscape design, the mess of it crashes together to create a beautiful escape.

In the back of the house Mom has created a bird sanctuary. Every time I visit it seems she has expanded the garden and added more flowers, bird feeders and bird baths. I can sit for hours at the kitchen table, staring out the window at all the different little finches, sparrows, woodpeckers, and doves flitting to the feeders. Sometimes the squirrels are out playing and sometimes the rabbits are out chasing each other.

I don't believe that I'd ever miss the house when it's gone, but I will miss the yard and all the memories of building forts, picking wild blackberries, and chasing fireflies. Even the injuries that occurred in that yard don't seem so bad (broken arm, chased by hornets, scraping my back against the tree while swinging on the monkey swing...yeah, I was dangerous).

Happy Love Thursday!

COMING SOON

I'm reading the War of Art, recommended by Chookooloonks. And I have a big entry coming soon thanks to the book and some things I've been thinking., but I want to finish reading this book first. We all know how I feel about multitasking (it's bad!). So, promise, by Thursday, good entry coming to this blog.

Stay tuned!

ADVERTISEMENT

I've had a few questions about the yoga classes I'm teaching. I do have a yoga website, but I haven't linked it to this one yet because it's still under construction (I have a few entries on it and a class schedule, that's something at least). But for those that live in the area and are more likely to come to this blog, I will post some class info.

Starting the 12th (Next Tuesday!), I will be teaching a class at 7:00 AM at the Art of Yoga studio on the Paseo. There is no need to pre-register. My class is a drop-in class, but if you are new to the studio, you will have to fill out a student information sheet and figure out how you want to pay for the class. They charge $15 a class, but also offer different packages. Check out the price list on their website.

Starting tonight, I will be teaching at Yoga, Home of Therapeutics. This is a new studio that just opened off of McArthur and Britton (west side of lake Hefner). My class meets Thursday's at 6:15 PM and it's the same set up as with the above studio. Drop-ins welcome.

I will modify the class as needed for beginners. And I look forward to seeing all of you there! Namaste.

HUMAN CONTACT

I'm not sure when exactly it happened, but some time around college I became a person who didn't touch others. This may sound odd, so let me explain. I avoided human contact like hugs or even just laying a hand on an arm in comfort. I didn't actually stop hugging people. I mean I still hugged friends and family. It's just that act of human contact became strained for me.

This is something that I don't even think Chris knows about me. Maybe deep down he knew, because it took me a while to get used to being physically close to him. Now, I couldn't live through a day with out something from him; a kiss, a hug, a touch, something. But it did take time to let my guard down even with Chris.

I'm not sure what made me build that anti-human contact wall. Maybe it had something to do with all the hugging from my 4-H and church years. I know that by the time I got to college, I was tired. Tired from all the volunteering and a bit jaded. But I've noticed lately that the wall has some major structural damage. Even though sometimes it feels slightly dangerous, I am more likely to reach out and lay a comforting hand on a student, even a stranger. And I'm beginning to realize that we need and even crave that human contact. I am learning, microscopically changing, everyday.

Note: Today's post brought to you by the letter C, for cheese. Don't know where this one came from.

Untitled

What a drizzly rainy weekend we had! Things seemed to move in slow motion for us this weekend, but we still managed to do a lot. I promoted my new yoga class at the Paseo Art Walk Friday night. It went well considering the weather made for a slow turn out. Still, I was able to talk to three or four people about my class and also encourage other to come to any of the classes listed on the schedule. Hopefully I'll see some turn out on this.

Chris and I also went to the Oklahoma History Center to see the new Rock and Roll exhibit. Wow! There were a lot of people there! The exhibit was really great and the best part was that it was free on Saturday. Could be why there were so many people there. Doesn't matter. Just glad there were so many there to see the history center. It's another one of those surprising things to find in Oklahoma. Very well put together museum, with tons of things to see.

That's about it for us. We did our chores. Consumed almost an entire bottle of wine and did a lot of TV watching. Oh...and I took some pictures. Enjoy!

DRAG

I have no idea what happened to me this week. Maybe it was not ever getting a chance to recover from eight hours of teacher training on Sunday. But this week was tough. I dragged this body though the week and now that it's finally Friday, I feel like pulling that scene from Rocky when he runs all those stairs. But then I think about the chores I need to do and I'm like blech.

What I should be doing right now (while I wait for my gel to run) is work on the meal plan for the month. I've started. I filled in all the pizza days. We eat pizza a lot. Every Thursday to be exact. We are creatures of habit. Or at least I am.

Also, I'm thinking I need to do something about the yoga website. An entry or something. I'm getting ready to hand out business cards with the website listed. The least I can do is write up something about when and where I'm teaching. I'm starting to think I need a business manager to take care of all this stuff. Will trade yoga for managing my life. Any takers? Didn't think so.

But you know what I really want to do. Nothing. I want to lounge on a beach with a drink that has alcohol and fruit in it garnished with a tiny umbrella with a good book (which reminds me, I'm between books right now. Any suggestions?). I want magic elves to clean my house and mow the yard while I lie listlessly sipping my drink.I get the feeling that this is going to be a really long month.

Rattle

There's a blog entry rattling around in this brain somewhere. It's not like I've been doing nothing lately. The problem it that every time I sit down to write an entry, it just sounds so boring. Does the internet really want to hear about a childless couple attending a four-year old's birthday party? It doesn't matter that it was the coolest birthday party and that I'm really considering having my next birthday at Jump Zone (wonder if they have an age limit).

I'm also getting tired of blog entries about yoga teacher training. We spent eight hours on Sunday covering how to teach routines four and five. By the end of the evening, I was no longer hearing words. I woke up at 4 AM remembering that I left my Sonic drink Chris had brought me at dinner in the yoga studio. Then laid there for an hour worrying about leaving garbage on the floor in the studio. I want to believe that the studio owner realized this drink was mostly full and that I obviously obliviously left it behind. She did right? Right? Sure.

Well, blessedly there is only one more teacher training session left and it doesn't happen until June. Then I do my teaching video and critic and BAM! I'm a certified yoga teacher. Then no more yoga teacher training blog entries. Instead I'll just have to tell you about how bad my yoga mat tastes. I'm not kidding. I've washed it several times, but if I have to lick something off my fingers (like for instance baked Cheeto dust) after using my yoga mat, they taste just awful. Like I chewed asprin mixed with ass. Just thought I'd let the internets know about that.