THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY TUESDAY

Some time around Saturday, I realized that I had been neglecting my Happy List and putting all of my energy into my LIfe List. That's not good! Chris asked if it was because nothing had made me happy this week. No...I just hadn't written those things down. So, I present the list in no particular order this week.

• Fixing the shower head so that we have actual water pressure all by myself
• Starting my scooter!
• Going to a yoga class
• Having a student recommended to come to one of my classes by my teacher
• Not having to turn the alarm clock on
• Making the bed every day
• Taking pictures of my scooter. She's so pretty and shiny.
• Finishing my life list (will publish soon)
• Hopefully being a good listener and supporter to a friend
• Planning my veggie garden in my head
• Planning our Anniversary
• Newcastle Beer (I know it's the Bud of Britain)
• Misti's little pig-tails
• Joining a CO-OP
• Weekends that seem to last forever
• Academy Award dinners
• purple potatoes

Hope every one is having a great week so far!

I FEEL SPRING TRYING TO SNEAK IN

Last night I breathed a sigh of relief as I plopped into bed because I didn't have to set an alarm for the next day. And today, I woke up around 8 (people, I usually start my day around 4:45 or 5:20 depending, 8 is sleeping in), took a shower under the shower head that I had fixed, and went to a yoga class. Then I thought about how I could make this day even better.

I went out to the garage and moved some of the kitchen remodel debris out of the way, pulled the blanket off of my scooter and dusted her off. I was pretty sure that V wouldn't start. I never hooked up the battery tender for the winter and even before winter had started she had been having a little starter issue (more like a cough really). But I did this thing that's pretty impressive. I read my manual. I know right?!? There was some bit in there about carburetors and clogs and it included the ancient symbols and incantations to help fix the problem. So, I started my scooter and then took her for a spin around the block

People...I AM READY TO RIDE!

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

I am so blessed. The more I wrote on the Life List (I'm up to 96), the more anxiety I began to feel. Then I had all these people, these wonderful friends, chime in willing and ready to help me accomplish some of those things on the list. I am thankful to have you all in my life.

Tonight we drive out past Shawnee to meet my parents and sister at Dad's favorite catfish place. We are celebrating some birthdays. Both Dad and Janell's birthdays are on Monday. I am thankful that we will be able to sit down as a family and visit and catch up on all that's been happening.

I have a lot to do in the lab today, but really, I'm thankful for this as well. I need this day to fly. I am ready for the list of things floating in my head to start happening this weekend. I need a yoga class. I need a tempeh sandwich. I need to dust of the V and see if she'll start. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up about Spring and this weather, but I just can't help it. I'm ready to tackle some things.

Hope every one has a fabulous weekend and wonderful Thankful Friday!

LOVE THURSDAY

Because it just seems to be the thing to do, Sunday I started working on my Life List. I have been following Maggie Mason and her Life List Adventures and had just about decided to start a list of my own when Chookooloonks posted her list.

I only glanced at the first few things on Chookooloonks' list because I didn't want to copy. But I reached a lull some where around #60, so I started looking around at what other people had listed, including Chookooloonks. What I was surprised to discover was how so many of us have the same or similar things on our lists.

Also, I was surprised at just how difficult writing the list could be. It started out to be really easy and at what point I thought about making it my "50 things I want to do before I die" list because I know there are things that I will probably never get a chance to do. But this is where the list becomes important. The list is like a pact I'm making with myself to live each day to the fullest. It's a promise to get up and get out there and just do something. Any thing.

I'm up to #91 on the list, so I'm not ready to post it. But here's the first 50 (no particular order)

1. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
2. Grow my own vegetables
3. Move out of the state I am currently residing
4. Learn to really use my camera
5. Live like a native in France
6. Learn to speak a foreign language fluently (preferably French, if I plan on living like a native).
7. Visit all fifty states (I have 19 down, 31 to go!)
8. Learn to scuba dive
9. Take a Zumba class (because I think it would be hilarious)
10. Learn Ashtanga yoga
11. Go kayaking with whales
12. Hike parts of the Oregon trail
13. Learn to surf
14. Go snow skiing at least once
15. Go on a cross country trip on my Vespa
16. Learn to make cheese
17. Get my bicycle fixed and ride it!
18. Travel on Route 66
19. Visit Yosimite
20. Taste 100 new wines
21. Learn Acupuncture
22. Raise some chickens
23. Have a Beach Blanket Bingo themed party at the lake
24. Buy a good swimsuit (I've avoided the purchase of any swimsuit for the last three summers)
25. Learn to drive a standard
26. Take a small engine repair class and learn how to do my own scooter repairs
27. Read Bhagavad Gita all the way through
28. Memorize the Yoga Sutras
29. Visit Yellowstone
30. See Mt. Rushmore
31. Ride elephants in Thailand
32. Camp on the beach
33. Learn to make gravy
34. Tour the Grecian islands
35. Take my mom to Ireland
36. Buy and refurbish a n old 50s styled camper
37. Go hang gliding
38. Be in a play
39. Sing on stage
40. Have a dinner party
41. Learn how to make tofu
42. Grow my hair out really long and then cut it all off for charity
43. Design a Threadless shirt
44. Learn how to can foods
45. Learn to make pickles
46. Try 52 new recipes
47. Taste 100 different kinds of loose leaf tea
48. Learn to play poker
49. Be in New Orleans on Halloween
50. Learn to fly an airplane

Here's to life! Happy Love Thursday!

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Some of this stuff on the list are things that carry over from the previous week. We all know why I didn't post last weeks. Moving on. Here's the list! Seeing Misti in a play! That's made the list before, I believe, but it never gets old. Watching the Olympics and crying with the athletes as they finish their run (woman's downhill--I'm looking at you) The pictures I've taken so far for my 365 day project My ticket to BlogHer Portland like weather That moment just after using my neti pot where I can smell everything Listening in on a trigonometry lesson at the book store. That tutor was so patient and engaged with his student, it made me want to go back and take trig again Making sure Austin eats something wholesome before heading off to choir contest These yoga pants I'm wearing today No great expectation days Getting involved in a new book Making meals up days in advance Trying out the pre-set oven controls Resisting the lab meeting "food" Laying around on a Saturday watching crappy movies The Earth Cafe! Finding now exactly what we're missing for tax stuff as opposed to the night before taxes are do Having most of the lab gone for retreat

Uh...Can't think of any more. Happy Tuesday!

UNRELATED NOTE

Chris mentioned today that lately I've been blogging on the designated Love Thursday and Thankful Friday entries. And he's right! So, since I'm doing nothing but lounging on the couch, watching The Mummy Returns, I thought I might as well write something.

Today we had planned to take our tax stuff in to a friend of ours in Norman. But as we scrounged all of our paper work together, we realized we were still missing the tax info on Chris's student loan. Bummer because I was planning on using this as an excuse to try out The Earth Cafe. Well, Chris being Chris, says "let's go anyway". So, we did and we were magically transported back to Portland to our favorite little vegan place, Paradox.

Seriously. Why? Why am I just finding this place now? I think there were two actual meat items on the menu: a turkey sandwich and a tuna melt. They use organic and local products. THEY USE VEGAN MAYO! As I finished up the last of my Fool Your Mom chk'n salad sandwich, tears welled up in my eyes. We finished our lunch with a macaroon and just as I was about to take the last bite, one of the guys from the kitchen came out with a chocolate cake. This wasn't just any chocolate cake. This was obviously homemade, with that light dusting of flour on the cake. It was beautiful.

Good food and I mean good food (ethical and healthy). Now...I'm watching House Bunny.

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

Well, I have to say that I'm really thankful to be back on the mend. Yesterday was my first full day back to our normal routine since Monday, and I couldn't have timed it any better since most of the lab (including the boss) are all away at the annual retreat. So, things have been really quite around here, and I've been able to actually get a lot of things done. I am deeply thankful for the peace. As usual, I am looking forward to the weekend and the extra rest. Chris and I plan to take our taxes in tomorrow, which is always a mixed blessing. I am thankful that we have a good friend in the tax business, but I'm worried that we'll owe (because we always owe). I'm worried that I haven't kept track of certain things like I should have, receipts and whatnots. But I am thankful that Chris and I don't have to figure the mess out on our own for once. [RAISES RIGHT HAND] I swear to keep better track of all yoga-related transactions and receipts. Amen.

Hope every one has a great weekend!

LOVE THURSDAY

Oh, Hello internets. I've been MIA this week. A nasty stomach flu hit on Monday and I've pretty much have been comatose since. But I'm back from the brink of death just in time for Love Thursday.

Last Friday, Chris and I attended the opening of our friend Misti's new show Love Song. That's right. The title is Love Song. The play is funny, sweet and a little sad, but it's all about love and being open to the possibility of love. It was a great performance, though I might be a bit biased because I think every thing Misti does is awesome and great.

Being open to the possibility of love I think can be the most challenging part sometimes. This week, my husband saw me sicker then he's ever seen me. He was there to pat my head as I emptied everything from my gut and then dry heaved into the trash bin. He forced me to drink Gatorade even though I cried at the prospect. It was ugly in here, but he was there.

Obviously still a little fevery and delusional. Happy Love thursday!

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

After an incredibly painful lab meeting on Tuesday, I've done a bang up job of staying under the radar until yesterday about ten minutes before five. So...I have a bit more work to do today then I had originally planned for. That's fine. In fact, it's all microscopy work, so I'm really good. And because I'll be so busy, this day will zoom by just like all the others. Before I know it, I'll be sitting at the opening of Zelda's play Love Song and crying and laughing with the most amazing friend. Really? What more could I be thankful for?

LOVE THURSDAY

Really, this should have been last week's entry, but I had already typed up and posted before looking at my Phrase-a-day calendar. On voit le bout du tunnel. Which is a perfect phrase for Thursday.

Thursdays are my favorite day. I teach a 6 AM, work all day, and teach a 6 PM and then that's it. It's all down hill from there. Thursday's are our pizza nights, so I don't even really have to cook. I know that if I can just survive Thursday, every thing will be OK. It's my light at the end of the tunnel.

Hope everyone enjoys their down hill slalom as much as I. Happy Love Thursday!

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Starting a fresh new journal because I filled up the old oneOut of control lasagna that I made and shared with friends Short weeks A bunch of other things that I wrote down in the new journal, but have forgotten already and the journal is in the car. My new soy candles The gardening magazine I bought this weekend Taking my lap-top to my favorite coffee place and getting some things cleaned up on the computer That this day is minutes away from being over Jambalaya made my way Fat Tuesday!

Hope every one's have a great one!

THANKFUL FRIDAYS

The kitchen remodel has been under way for a few weeks now and for the last week we've been with out a sink. Chris and I have been washing dishes in the bath tub, while his mother doesn't even bother. She just sets the dirty dishes on the back porch. Last night we came home to a working kitchen sink, Hallelujah! Chris and I have nothing to do with the kitchen remodel. It's all been orchestrated by his brother with out any communication of what and when things will be done. It's not our kitchen and it's not our house. We just live there. And this is one of the things that I am thankful for. I am thankful that this is not my house or even my home. I am thankful that I don't have to deal with the stress of a kitchen remodel right now. So, we have a working kitchen sink and this week has been busy, but controllable at work. I am thankful for this long weekend and once again being able to leave work guilt free, without little tasks and problems nagging at me. Also, my friend and co-worker Robin was able to get hired on in another lab here. We had had her farewell party last week and the prospects then were bleak. I am so thankful that someone realized that losing Robin and her experience (22yrs!) would be really bad thing for this place. I am thankful that she is back and that we will be able to walk together every day.

I feel like I'm ending this week with a a heavy sigh of relief and contentment. Thankful that it is Friday, but not in the way I have been for the past few months. As in "if Friday didn't hurry up and get here I'm going to slit my wrists" kind of way. Have a wonderful weekend.

LOVE THURSDAYS

One of the things I wanted to start doing in the new year was to burn more candles, or any actually. The thing is, I'm always a little disappointed in candles. They rarely smell like I think they should or I never have the right kind of holder so the candle leaves a mess. But I love the idea of the candle, the soothing flicker of the flame and gentle calming scent.

Chris talked me into buying this candle from the farmers' market. It's made of soy and now...NOW...I get why people burn candles. This candle burns evenly with out a mess and the smell is subtle and not overpowering.

Now, I'm finally really enjoying the candle thing. This winter has been brutal. When I light that candle, I can imagine it warming my room and remember the countless times I curled up in a blanket and fell asleep on the floor in front of the fire as a kid. The candle is a reminder of warmth.

Happy Love Thursday!

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY TUESDAYS

I did not forget about the list. It's just that work has been...work and I've been busy. So here's the Happy List for the week. When I have a student that finally gets it Tuning out the lab with my new iPod My new chai tea and tea basket Happy hour with friends from work Finishing up a task that has been bothering me for a week on a Friday and being able to completely leave the lab behind Going to a yoga class (as opposed to teaching one) Lunch with friends and then impromptu movie watching Lazy Sundays The new fake chicken soup recipe I invented Getting that @#%$ Western Blot to work Having the house to ourselves all weekend, no kids.

There's probably more. In fact, I'm sure of it. I just can't remember right now. Save it for next week.

THANKFUL FRIDAY: WARNING. READER MAY FEEL OBLIGED TO VOMIT FROM THE MUSHYNESS

Tomorrow is Chris's birthday, so I thought I'd devote today's entry to him. I am thankful every day for his presence in my life. I know. I know. Roll the eyes and gag ya with a spoon. But it's true.

It's impossible to imagine what my life would be like if I had never met Chris. Most of the friendships that I have now that are so dear to me, I made through Chris. Every day he lets me be me and pushes me to be a better person. He was the driving force behind my yoga teacher certification even though he gets dragged along to all the classes I teach.

I am thankful for the silliness we share and our serious political debates that we have in the car on the way to work. I am thankful that he reads and has a brain and that most the time he knows how to use it. I am thankful that he is my better half.

Hope every one has a great weekend and a thankful Friday.

LOVE THURSDAYS

I am normally not a fan of the cold weather. Our winter storms are usually accompanied by high freezing winds, the kind that cut right through to the bone. But the one that hit us last week (and is still sticking around) didn't come with the winds and it allowed us to have a day off from work.

The best part about this weather is that it forces you to slow down. There's no getting any where in a hurry on our iced over roads. I was able to really rest and take a moment to really look at the snow and ice. I've been really trying to hold onto that idea through out my work week. I think I finally got my boss to understand that faster isn't always better and that I need to time to process and actually look at my results before plowing ahead to the next thing.

Hoping that this lasts, not the snow, but the slowing down. Hoping that all are having a wonderful Love Thursday

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY TUESDAYS

Have I got a list for you today! My new iPOD Touch (the next few things on the list all has to do with this thing) The Zen timer app for the iPOD The skee-ball game on my iPOD The "prizes" I've purchased with my skee-ball winnings. So far I have clown glasses, a spider ring, a kazoo, nail clippers, a watch and a glitter pencil. Snow days My own yoga practice Spending the day reading a really good book and finishing it (The Lacuna, Kingsolver's best) Vegan cupcakes (yeah.. this can make the list many times) Hanging out with Chris at the Drunken Fry The organic Edelweiss beer we had at the Drunken Fry Wearing one of Chris's sweaters on laundry day Taking pictures of how everything re-froze over the night Seeing our usual Sunday breakfast waiter at the bar, totally wasted. People watching at the Drunken Fry. Dude looks like a lady! Chris's silly key chain flashlight

Have a great day!

TID-BITS OF THE WEEKEND

This weekend has been so lazy and slow, I wish it would never end. And I have nothing really to say, so here are some snippets from our weekend.

• Chris and I checked out a newish bar in town called the Drunken Fry. We requested a menu and sat in a corner booth of the very dimly lit bar. Chris pulls out his key chain flashlight to read the menu.
• Tranny walks into the bar. Not a joke. Awesomeness.
• Making our way tipsily back to the car. We clutch each other's hand and call it a Death Pact. The next day we smile at another couple as they make their Death Pact to brave the grocery store parking lot.
• Laughing at the little girl in the laundry mat who runs up to her little sister and says "Laura, you want a tattoo? I can get you one.".
• Chris takes a drink of orange juice and then a drink of coffee at breakfast and says the two are going to make a tornado in his stomach.

Such bliss.

THANKFUL FRIDAYS: SNOWED IN EDITION

Le Sigh. After checking my email at 5:30 this morning to see that work was closed, I crawled back to bed and slept until nine-ish. I'm rarely the type to sleep in. Sleeping in means getting up at seven. But today the body said "Cindy! You need sleep" and I listened. When I finally woke up, I took a shower, cleared the blocked side of my sinuses, played around with the camera and some 365 picture ideas, and then I did my own yoga practice.

I think I did a good hour and a half of yoga including my twenty minute savasana. And as the bell began to ring on my new Zen timer app (for the new iPod), a smile of bliss spread across my face. So, today, I am thankful for peace. As I type this, I can see out into the backyard and watch the snow fall and feel the white silence of the day. I am so blessedly thankful for this.

Hope everyone is safe and warm. Hope that every one is able to stop and enjoy the peace a silence of this day. And, I hope ever one is also having a blessedly Thankful Friday.

LOVE THURSDAY

As part of my birthday celebration weekend, I decided I wanted to go roller skating. When I was a kid, I went to the local roller rink at least once a week. I had my own pair of white skates complete with pink pom-poms on the laces. I loved roller skating. So I made a date with my best friend and her little girl, Cati, for some roller skating.

It was Cati's first time on wheels and we did a lot of practicing on the carpet. She only ventured out on the main rink a few times, but we still had a great time. For one thing, I'm really proud of Cati. She fell right off the bat and many more times after, but every time she would pull herself up, take a breath, and start again. We decided that this needed to me a monthly ritual.

It's crazy that we stop doing such traditional kid like things as we get older like roller skating or even blowing bubbles with Bubblicious bubble gum. Today's Love Thursday is dedicated to the childish and the perseverance to be child like.

Happy Love Thursday!