Have a Beautiful Weekend

We are in Portland for Easter weekend. Spring might officially be here because the weather is supposed to be gorgeous in the Northwest. I am taking full advantage of it and pulling out the sandals and aviators.

Have a great weekend!

One Question

This beautiful video asks one simple question...

“What do you regret in life?”

At first, people stand there and ponder…probably skimming through the millions of choices they’ve made throughout their lives. Were there missed opportunities? Should they have taken that job? Should they have not dated that girl? Gone back to school?

Regardless of age... 20 or 78…. Most people had a response.While the concept of regret has a depressive undertone, this video offers some insight to wisdom. Just listen to the responses…

Many said they would have done something sooner. Some regret they didn’t move to a different country sooner, or marrying someone sooner. One woman wished she would have started “living for joy sooner”.

“Not taking enough deep breaths and enjoying the moment.”

“Not living my life to the fullest.”

Some said they don’t regret anything, and to… “Take life as it comes.”

There’s a lesson here… if you choose to see it. I personally try not to regret the choices I have made and instead try to learn from them.  While watching these strangers contemplate their regrets, here are a few I can come up with, and what I learned from them:

I regret not telling my brother that I love him.             
Say “I love you” more.

I should have studied abroad.                                       
Make time (and money) to travel.

I regret some hurtful things I’ve said.                          
Choose your words wisely.

I wish I would have spent less time wanting to grow up, and more time enjoying my youthful freedom.

Be present. Enjoy the time, moment, and breath you have while you are in it.

Do you have regrets... or things you wish you would have done differently? What have you learned from them? 

In the News: Marriage Equality

No one knows for certain how the Supreme Court will rule in June. But we do know that the day will soon come when LGBT individuals, couples, and families are equally protected under the law. We know it won't be long until we are fully and wholly included in the lofty American ideals of liberty and justice for all. And we know that we will win this fight.

Let's Make History

Top 6: Things I learned while Spring Cleaning

1)      I suck at sweeping. I swear, I swept the kitchen 18 times and the floor still wasn’t free of debris. Is there some science or technique I am not aware of?

2)      I really dislike scooping the litter box… so I don’t. The litter box was my chore growing up and I hated it then… and I hate it now.

3)      I love Clorox wipes. They work magic.

4)      We have a lot of random towels. We tried to get all the towels clean, and with each load we kept finding more dirty towels to throw in… I don’t get it.

5)      My hair gets everywhere. I don’t know how my hair is almost down to my butt, because I must lose 100 strands a day. Poor Noah had vacuum duty and got the brunt of it…. He even posted this:

Not sure how I feel about all the love this post got...  :)

6)      I like buying fresh flowers and placing them in every clean room. After spending hours scrubbing, vacuuming, wiping, and even making a donation to Goodwill…. We went to lunch and stopped and got beautiful flowers from Trader Joe’s (They have the best flowers).

                                                             Yay for Spring!!

Puff Pancakes

Saturday morning I was craving something a little special for breakfast. So...I pulled out all the fixin's for Puff Pancakes, or what Noah has delightfully renamed, Puffcakes.

Ingredients

(makes 1 Puffcake)

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk (I used Almond Milk)

1/2 cup flour

dash of salt

dash of cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. While the oven is preheating,melt the butter in a pie pan or 9 inch square pan.
2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
3. Pour batter in hot dish and bake 10-12 minutes (or until the pancake is firm and has puffed around the edges).

The pancake will shrink down a bit after coming out of the oven (that's okay). Serve right away with lemon juice, powdered sugar, maple syrup, fruit or whatever! This time, we used Nutella (I'm obsessed), a mix of berries and powdered sugar! 

    

Tibetan Singing Bowl

Before each morning meeting at my internship, we take a brief moment to center ourselves using a Tibetan Singing Bowl. A strike of the bowl creates harmonic overtones that naturally evoke a deep feeling of relaxation.  For an office that often manages crisis and conflict, the purpose is to begin each day by taking a moment to focus on the present.

After 6 months of these meetings, I wanted to purchase one for myself. Call it Pavlov’s Dog, or what have you… the single strike of the bowl gives me immediate awareness of my breath, my thoughts, purpose for the day, and gives me overall mindfulness.  

My life has been a bit hectic (to put it lightly) and I’ve started using my bowl to end my day as well. Often times I lie in bed at night and recount all that happened throughout the day, what I didn’t get done, and what I need to do the next day; this ritual is of course counterproductive to sleep, and creates more stress, thus contributing to countless nights of insomnia. To me, hearing the sound of the strike is a signifier that another day has ended. I close my eyes and think of all the tasks I completed, the people I spoke to, the emotions I felt…. I take a deep breath in, and I ….. Exhale. That release of breath is an acceptance of my day. The day is over. Nothing more I can do. That breath is peace.

In a world full of stressors and pressures, self-care is an essential part of maintaining balance and energy. Can you tell I am a social worker?  I have friends that do yoga, lift weights, or just veg out with some bad* television. How do you handle stress? What helps you stay focused and productive?

*The Kardashians, Housewives of what-have-you, Honey What’s her ****

Bits of My Weekend

This weekend was glorious. I slept in late, had breakfast waiting for me, and we went to Costco! Is it sad that I am excited for a new Ninja Blender… or Costco? Who cares...I'm ecstatic! It blends the crap outa fruit to make delicious smoothies!  

After the Costco adventure, we grabbed some food and finally saw ‘Silver Linings Playbook’! I think Noah and I both have a crush on Jennifer Lawrence now. Can you blame us? If she doesn’t win your heart in the movie, perhaps this will help: Click Here.

On Sunday, I checked out a new (to me) restaurant and indulged in a ginger beer and St. Patrick’s Day inspired macaroons. Also, I made my first attempts at homemade spring rolls. I stuffed the rice wraps with lettuce, sweet peppers, cucumber, carrots, and rice noodles. I dipped them in some spicy peanut sauce and BOOM… They were pretty fabulous… if-I-do-say-so-myself.

Finally... A Day OFF.

I've worked 13 straight days... And boy do I need a day off!

Scratch that... Let's be real here: I just need a stiff drink and some sleep! In that order...

Saturday, be fabulous.

Cheers to a wonderful weekend!

13.2

The CrossFit Open is in its second week, and the new workout was announced yesterday.

Workout 13.2

10 minute AMRAP of:
5 Shoulder to overhead, 115 for men / 75 lbs for women
10 Deadlift, 115 for men / 75 lbs for women
15 Box jump, 24 for men / 20 inch for women

The weight is fairly light so the workout is more about technique and pushing through utter discomfort. Noah and I completed the workout just a few hours after it was announced. We sweat, screamed and both thought we were going to die in that gym. But, we didn’t.

The workout is scored by how many reps you completed. I completed 5 rounds with an additional 13 reps. My overall score: 163

I know I can do better.

I may try the workout again on Sunday to see if I can improve my score…
Because I am just that insane.

If you’re interested in watching the top athletes… see below. Julie Foucher's score was 274 reps. Yeah... gives a bit more perspective on how beastly these athletes are, huh?

Vegetarian Humor

I love JT.

An Event: Classes Complete!!!

I could barely sit still, let alone pay attention yesterday. I am officially done with my graduate coursework!! 

Is it June yet???

 *My break-out dance moves were not captured, but know... they were fabulous.

Last Class!!!

Tomorrow is my VERY LAST class of my MSW program. I've already submitted my FINAL paper, and all I have to do is try and be mentally present tomorrow. It's hard to believe....

All I have left to complete are Practicum hours. These past three years have been rough, and I am oh so excited to just kick my feet up and relax in my hooded gown. :-)

Cheers to an amazing weekend!

Gluten Free Lemon Bars

Ingredients

Filling:

6 whole eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 cup lemon juice (about 8 lemons)

1/2 cup coconut oil

Crust:

1 cup of raw almonds

1 cup of raw pecans

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup of melted coconut oil

2 eggs

Directions

Filling

1. Whisk eggs, honey, and lemon juice together in a small sauce pan.

2. Heat on medium/high and add coconut oil. Stir until the coconut oil has melted.

3. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles.

4. Remove from heat and place in a bowl in the refrigerator to cool and thicken further.

Crust:

1. Place nuts in a food processor or blender until finely chopped, do not puree. They should be in tiny pieces but not as fine as almond flour.

2. Mix the nuts with the remaining ingredients until they are well combined.

3. Spread over the bottom of a greased 8 x 12 pan. I used olive oil spray.

4. Heat oven to 400* and bake for 15-18 minutes. The crust will be done when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. (Watch closely, it can easily burn)

5. Cool crust completely before layering the filling over the top. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

An Event: The CrossFit Open

The CrossFit Games have been held every summer since 2007. The Games are styled as a venue for determining the "Fittest on Earth," where competitors should be "ready for anything."

Well, this year I was peer pressured into registering for the CrossFit Open.  During the CrossFit Open, a new workout is released each week. Athletes have several days to complete the workout and submit their scores online.The top CrossFit Open performers in each region advance to the regional events, held over the following two months.The top athletes (up to 3 of each gender) from each region are eligible to compete in the CrossFit Games.

The first workout was released today… and here it is. 

AMRAP = As Many Reps As Possible 

GULP.

Obviously I will not be joining the amazing athletes that will make it to the CrossFit Games… but CrossFit is unique in that it welcomes everyone. Anyone can participate! 

You can even follow the leaderboard and see where people are ranking, check it out here: The Leaderboard 

I be will attempting this brutal workout on Friday. Ugh…. I hate burpees. 

100

More days until graduation.

Body Image & Why I Write About It

I am a woman who makes a constant effort to eat healthy and feel good about herself. I am also a woman who loves red velvet cupcakes, ice cream and can eat an entire box of cereal in one sitting. I stand with all women who are told what size they should be. How their legs shouldn't be touching. And to ignore hunger or indulgences. At the grocery store, with our carts full of low fat, low calorie slim-and-trim snacks, we pass by dozens of magazines that offer an iconic image of beauty and offerings of advice: Super Simple Slim-Down..... How to Turn Off Hunger.....Tips to fit those jeans.We are never good enough. We could always be thinner, prettier, better in bed.

After reading this article, I was inspired. This is why I write about body image: 

Notice the contradicting headlines. And the awkward why her hand was airbrushed.

 

I write about body image because "How can I know what I think until I see what I say." - E.M. Forster

I write about body image because I hardly ever feel beautiful, but know that I am. 

I write about body image because beauty is an alienating thing--a terribly lonely thing--belonging not to the the person in possession of it, but to all those with the eyes to behold it.  

I write about body image because at the age of eighteen, heartbroken and homesick and absolutely out-of-my-depth, I learned what a calorie was. 

I write about body image because it takes five minutes in front of a mirror to reshape how I perceive my own body.

I write about body image because the body is flesh and bones and tangible in a way that everything else is not. 

I write about body image because it's easier to think a man doesn't love me because-of-what-I-look-like than to hang in the gray space of the-infinite-unknown. But why, why doesn't he love me?

And I'm not good at the gray space.

I write about body image because body-image sometimes seems like a life-raft worth clinging to in the choppy waters of this impossible sea we call life.

It isn't.

I write about body image because for years when I would feel too much, and couldn't control a thing, I would control the one thing I could. Only to feel nothing, if only for a moment.

I write about body image because some days it is absolutely unbearable to live in my skin. And I think I cannot endure this sensation a moment longer. And I know it has nothing do with my physical body...yet it feels like it does. 

I write about body image because for a long time it was easier to hate my thighs and my hips than admit I really did not like myself.

I write about body image because it is the prism through which we, as women, see and talk about the world.

We talk about wanting to look this way or that way, when (I'm convinced), what we really want is love and acceptance and life-alteringly-good-things. (And appearance, for the most part, does not alter one's life--not in the big ways we always imagine it might).

I write about body image because it is the code by which we discuss things so large they scare us to say aloud.

I say “I'm fat” when what I really mean is “I'm sad.” And I berate the size of my thighs because that is easier than admitting I am untethered and adrift and totally lost at this point in my life--that notion is too big and too true and will surely make others uncomfortable, so I make it small...so small that it is about the size of my waist or the awkward way I smile.

I write about body image because before I can tell you just-why-it-is-I-really-don't-care-for-a-particular-woman (and sometimes, I really don't) I can say no less than five judgmental and evaluative things about what-she-looks-like. (Think about it, I bet you can do this too).

I find this both appalling and fascinating.

I write about body image because it shouldn't be a thing, but it is a thing, and more than that.. it points to THE THINGS!(all the big and significant things that life is really and actually about and therefore difficult to break down into small, manageable pieces).

I write about body image because eating disorders have effected women that I love madly and cherish deeply. Including myself.

Express Yourself