my life in photos

so maybe I'm to lazy to take my super-duper nice, big camera with me everywhere I go... so I take iphone photos.
So here is my last week in photos - iphone photos. Nothing fancy. just expression and documentation.

Flooding

On my way home from the gym.
it was dry when I went in. I was there an hour.
it was poring when I walked home.
We've been experiencing massive amounts of rain. I like to call it "river rain" or "loud rain".
It's so loud on our flat roof. I feel like I have to yell at Ben for him to hear me.

Floating Beer
This is probably 2 feet deep. How perfect is the floating beer can?


Fridge magnetI've felt inspired this week. Thanks Gandi for your wise words.
Thai food does change my life.

Ants. Again.
This is the second time since moving to California that we've had ants. And we're the only ones in the complex (or so they say). What is wrong with us?
This time they are in our bedroom. Perfect. Apparently they like essential oils. They used my book ("Three Cups of Tea") that was leaned against the wall as their bridge to get to my nightstand.
Brilliant neighbor gave us some raid. They were dead in seconds.

KaleI have a new obsession with Kale. It's delightful and full of healthiness.
I'm changing my lifestyle (beside the frozen yogurt that sent me to Utopia last night.) in the food I put into my body and the way I exercise. I'm seeing results and loving it.


Home office
I am sitting here on a Sunday. As you can see I'm organized, I have my space heater, blanket, trash, Ben's computer (because for some reason mine won't print what I need it to)

I am grateful for a good week.

I'm kind of a hopeless romantic. So I made this video of us from the beginning. He's my sweetie and I adore him.

Click here.

So I'm doing this thing...

The SXinney challenge.

Some Liv (the company I work for) distributors started this challenge on January 4th to help people be held accountable for their resolutions.

so I joined...

I thought, "why not?"
I keep telling myself I need to be more dedicated and want the motivation but haven't found it on my own. I go to the gym almost every day, but haven't gotten into a "routine" or something to push myself. You know, I do the elliptical for 20 minutes and go home and stretch. I have weights by my desk (at home) and I will lift weights but that's about it.

So I weighed in, sent in my measurements and before pics.
I've been going longer and harder at the gym, and I just started Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred.
I really enjoyed it. (I've done it once.) It was challenging. And as someone else described it, "That soggy sweat means you're working hard" Thanks for the encouragement.

I have changed my diet and I lost 15 pounds.
Ben and I are both vegetarians and we really try to eat a lot of fresh (as in fresh. not frozen or canned) veggies and fruits. But I still love those carbs and sweets. So I am trying to train my emotions and my cravings to be ok with only having one bite, being done, and being ok with that.

I am free to be healthy and comfortable with my body and eating habits.

New Year. New Thinking. Fresh start.

Since moving to California I think I have begun to battle with depression of some sort. Don't get me wrong, I love it here! But I'm alone most of the day. I work from home and don't have a lot of human contact. And when B is in school I have LESS human contact....needless to say I am lonely.

I have caught myself saying phrases like "I don't have friends in San Diego." or "I'm lonely" (please see above) and the list of self pity goes on and on. And I am quickly realizing that I am creating this reality with my words (and my actions).

I say I don't have friends and the Universe says "your wish is my command". I say I am lonely and the Universe says "your wish is my command". I am not walking my talk, and I forgot that my thoughts and words create my reality. So I am changing that!

I am reading a book by Pema Chödrön called "Comfortable with Uncertainty". Pema is a buddist nun and this book is based on 108 of her teachings from an interview (or seminar) she gave. She teaches about how you really can't change anything but yourself (duh! but I forget.) And if you take the pain of the world (But I like to think of just taking my own pain) and changing it into compassion for the world then it will make our world a better place. Meaning our reality. We create our reality.

She talks about Bodhichitta which in Sanskrit means "noble or awakened heart" and is equated with our ability to love. And each individual on this planet has this characteristic. I am beginning to understand if I can hold each person I come in contact with in that light, then I will be a happy person. Meaning, if I see everyone for the love that they truly are, it will then make my life more full of love and light.

B and I just watched "What the Bleep do we know". I had heard of it but never have seen it. I loved the way that they portrayed their message. I don't know if you have ever heard of the experiment that a Japanese man did with water. He took microscopic photos of water and for 24 hours put a negative word on the water and then another 24 hours he put a positive word.

Here he put "You make me sick. I want to kill you"

"Thank you"

"Love and Appreciation"

This was obviously an amazing study. What I took from "What the Bleep do we know" was obviously look what negative and positive words can do to water, but what does that mean negative and positive words are doing to me? The human body is 90% water.

I am the creator of my reality and happiness.

After reading this friend's blog, I get that I can't just change my way of thinking overnight, but I can make baby steps. She gave herself the goal of when she catches herself thinking negatively about herself, she then can only think positively about herself for 5 minutes. This is perfect. It's tangible and attainable.

And so it is. I am a good person. And I can be happy.

Christmas 09

I figured that I should make a Christmas post before I create a New Years post...Ya know, just to keep things "in order". My fam came down from Utah and spent a week with us for Christmas. It was so fun and relaxed. Of course we are a hoot together!

For some reason Ben thought they said "smile like your 5 years old".
We all went up to our friend Michele's house who lives in Escondido (30 minutes North and East from us). We had an AWESOME dinner (Jay made fish just for us!) and sat around the camp fire singing, Ben doing his funny impersonations (he was the star of the show!) and enjoying each others company.
Of course we didn't get any photos of us alll together... Bah!
So here are some of us in a couple of pictures...

The smoke made a cool effect on their skin.

Sadee loved playing with mom. Mostly because no one else will talk to her in doggy voice.

He's so sweet.
Too bad my super cute flower wasn't on the other side so you could see it.

John is such a stud. He's soo fun to hang out with.
He is growing out his goatee in honor of his friend who died. He's so cute!

K just sent me this photo from her phone. So one photo of MOST of us all together... This is in Ocean Beach by the OB Christmas Tree. All the locals kept told us that someone donates a tree every year and this one is the ugliest they have had.. haha

We took them up to La Jolla which is one of the most beautiful parts of San Diego. We are standing on caves that drop into the ocean and in the summer (when the waves aren't so violet) you can swim through them and go on kyak tour. Wayy cool! We are getting married just around the corner from here. It is absolutely beautiful!

For some reason this picture is cut off, but it isn't when I post it. annoying.
We headed up to Long Beach for the Christmas part of the trip. My Auntie Carolyn lives up there so we spent a lovely 4 day weekend up with her. She is the one who is teaching me all I know about photography (which isn't much) but she's the Master Sensai.

She also is a gourmet cook! Her specialty is what we call "Mexican night". She makes 3 types of meats (and mushrooms for us veggies!), 3 salsas, all the toppings you can imagine...and it's amazing! It's a tradition.

She gets more and more beautiful by the second. Bleh!

I colored her hair and put some awesome purple panels in. Then of course I had to put some in mine!!

Auntie Carolyn took some photos of us on the Long Beach pier, and she caught this handsome fella looking like a stud!

And of course the stud eats all day long! He's like a baby. On an afternoon at Seal Beach (5 minutes north of Long Beach) he had to get a taco at this lovely beach taco stand.

I wasn't hungry, either was John...but they gave Big B tostada sized ships that were quite tasty! There was one bench. And we snagged it.

John played su-chef all weekend and loved it! I'm sure CB loved it just as much!

Christmas day we headed to Venice for the afternoon and of course had soo much fun!
There are more photos but I haven't edited them and don't really feel like it. Buttt...we learned that Jim Morrison lived in an elavator shaft in an apartment right on the Venice boardwalk for 2 months without anyone knowing he was there and wrote most of the Doors' most popular songs. He later moved out into an apartment across the street. That apartment is now called the Morrison Apartments. And there are painted murals of him all around Venice (we only saw one...) Maybe I'll edit those sometime and get them up... if anyone's interested.

Anyway...

Merry Christmas from all of us!

December 14
Big B finished his first semester of law school today!!
Yippee!!
He feels really good about his finals and I already know he did great! He is a brilliant man and sometimes I have to say "Can you say that in non-lawyer terms?"
My cutsie little brain sometimes doesn't understand.

To celebrate we went here:
We have some veggie friends who told us about it.
This was our first time since being "veggies", trying a vegetarian restaurant.

And let me tell you that we LOVED IT!!
and really any dine out with him is enjoyable.

The restaurant was so cute and eclectic.
Of course we enjoyed our time in our own conversation, but also listening to the overly passionate man (who was on a date) talk to the hostess about diesel fuel and gasoline. Meanwhile his date was texting...

Of course like any great "one of a kind" restaurant, this was a "hole in the wall" one.
It was the only store on the longg street with lights on, and we were the only ones there (at 8pm) but were soon joined by the "regulars".

So if you'll excuse us, we are going to enjoy our veggie burgers now...

And here is to many more successful semesters of law school!

P.S. Don't let B get the "daily side salad" which turned out to be curried apple and potato salad.
You will be awakened in the middle of the night waving your hand in front of your face (in your sleep) by the dead cat fart smell.
During dinner he would take a bite and say "this is just to much. too much curry." while taking another bite...

December 12

merry christmas!
Love, Pumpkin Spice Latte