Our Christmas Wish

Mele Kalikimaka!

I hope that magic and wonder is finding all of you this holiday season.
Magic and wonder are filling me this evening. Dave and I got word today that our papers of incorporation for our non profit were filed successfully. To all of you that have asked me what Dave has been doing during this time in Hawaii, I have answers for you.

Dave and I basically started dating on Christmas 4 years ago. He invited me to dinner with his family which was being served at his brother's house. The drive was about 1.5 hours. During that time we talked the entire way. It became clear almost immediately that we both felt the same way about life. A common theme in that conversation and many conversations to follow is that we both felt we are here for a larger purpose. We have grown so much since that day. We are moving away from unfulfilling jobs and toward that dream. This non profit org that we are starting will be called A Good Day Inc. We will promote health, happiness and hope to cancer survivors across the country. This is such an important day for us as it leads us into that dream of becoming more. In many ways we are taking chances. It is scary sometimes but exhilirating at the same time. We ask for your support, prayers, and encouragement. Most likely, you will get to be a part of this movement at some point as well. We're gonna be big!
We also would like to thank our friends and family for always supporting our dreams. We will always be there for you in return if and when you need us.

So Merry Christmas and sweet dreams. May happiness find you my friend!

Eat, Pray, Love

The above is the title of one of the better books I have ever read. I thought I would blog on it a little tonight. I actually read it about a month ago. I borrowed a copy from my friend at work and when I returned it, I went on and on about it so much that she bought me my own copy. I am glad to own it because it is something you could go back to over and over.
The book is about a woman who takes a spiritual journey for a year after going through a divorce and an even more tumultuous rebound relationship. She becomes depressed and unhappy. She decides to take a year long trip of self exploration. She spends three months in Italy, three in India, and three in Bali. The woman, Liz Gilbert, is a writer and it is an amazing memoir. At first I thought it was going to be wishy washy but it was quite the opposite as she tells her story while educating and enlightening anyone who reads it. This is on of those books that I feel gets invited into your life at just the right time however it means something different for everyone. For me, I enjoyed getting it at this time in my life as Dave and I have done a lot of studying and meditation (very elementary meditation)on the life altering powers of positive thought and power talking. I found myself nodding many times throughout the book thinking, EXACTLY. That is exactly what I am thinking. I can't believe someone else has had this thought yet put it so eloquently.
In Italy, Liz decides to learn about pleasure. Although she remains celibate, she allows herself to eat anything and everything she wants, sleep in, etc. This book will make you want to go to Italy and have pizza, if nothing else.
She then travels to India where she stays at an Ashram. Here she studies devotion. This is where a lot of her deepness comes in along with defining what she feels God is. It is very spiritual but in a practical sense.
After India she returns to Bali to see an old Medicine man she met before during an interview. Here she learns about balance and finds love. Bali is also a place I feel would be amazing to visit.
If anyone else out there has read it, I would be interested to hear your opinion. If you haven't read it, go get a copy and get crackin'!

The 30th Birthday/Marathon Weekend EXTRAVAGANZA

Let's just get it out of the way....I'm 30. I have officially left the twenties. You know what? If feels pretty good! Many have assured me that 30 is not the new 20 because it's better. I think those wise people are right.
So my actual birthday was this last Wednesday. Not the most exciting of days to have a birthday. I went to work. Dave gave me a lei that morning (get your minds out of the gutter it was the flower kind!) that I wore all day so people knew I was something special. He made me a nice breakfast, showed up for lunch at work with my favorite fast-food indulgence, Arby's, and then took me out to dinner of my choice. I chose a place called Nick's Fishmarket which is sort of expensive but fortunately my mom and dad put money in my bank account for the momentus occasion of my coming of age so to speak so it made the thought of the bill not so horrible. I ordered a medley of seafood. Here is where I learned that no matter how nice a place looks, how much they charge or what their claims are--the food may not be great, or even good. Out of five kinds of seafood, only the scallops were decent. The rest of it was dried up, overcooked, and rubbery. The last thing on the plate I had was a bite of Mahi Mahi. Upon swallowing the bite, my mouth immediately began to itch. I drank some water and didnt think any more of it....I have had no fish allergies in the past and have tried a multitude of fish in my lifetime. Luckily, after complaining (rightfully so) about my meal, they comped it and gave me two free desserts...much better! Yummy desserts (should be called Nick's Dessert Market) and a little extra money for the weekend endeavors from the bank of Mom and Dad.
As I consider this an educational blog in addition to your pure entertainment from my somewhat strange life, I pause for a little lesson. If you eat fish and it makes your mouth itch, it means one of two things: You are allergic to the fish or you just ate old (not yet rotten but going there fast) fish. Apparently the latter was true in my case. I went to sleep that night and woke up next morning with, well, a swollen lip. Benadryls helped it but as my friend Jessica put it, I looked like I just got back from getting Collagen injections. Moral of the story, BEWARE ITCHY FISH! End of educational report, we now return to our regularly scheduled program.

Flash forward to birthday weekend/marathon weekend. My sister flew in to cheer me on and drink adult beverages. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for most of her trip to this point which included backpacking and camping on Kauai (two things my sis LOVES). But she was a good sport about the whole deal and knowing when to say when on something that just wasn't going to happen. She flew back to Honolulu a day early. We had SUCH a fun weekend! We chilled out on Friday night,watching movies and sleeping. Saturday, Dave made us a wonderful breakfast that included his artistic "Honu" (Turtle) Pancakes. We then had a leisurely morning and wandered down to the shorbird where we met with a few friends at our favorite bar/restaurant The Shorbird. We relaxed on the beach and then headed back to get ready for Marathon Sunday which started at 3 AM. I was so nervous I only slept about 3 hours.
Now, one word about the Honolulu Marathon in general: HUGE. The third largest marathon in the country. Lucky for me it started about a mile from our apartment. Even luckier for me, Dave and Teresa went with me. This marathon is extremely popular amongst the Japanese who make up approximately 85% of the 28,000 people in the run. The whole thing was beautiful. It was dark of course and it was just me, my sister, my husband and the greater metro population of Tokyo. Oh, did I mention the weather? What you say? In Hawaii isn't it always perfect? The answer is a big fat no. The race started a 5 AM and at about 4:50 what can only be described as torrential downpour descended upon us. What makes 26.2 miles more fun? SOGGY shoes and underwear and everything in between. However, by the time they started the fireworks, the rain stopped and we were off!....until about a mile in when cats and dogs descended from the sky again just to give my shoes that extra soggy feeling and add a half pound to each leg. But Teresa was with me and we laughed the whole way....
SO, my race continued on, through Chinatown, Waikiki, up Diamondhead....the first 7 miles were literally elbow to elbow (or maybe elbow to face with the Japanese--I am a giant next to them) and had a cattle herd effect. Luckily, my sister helped me out with the beginning, my friend Karen met up with me for about 6 miles, and then Dave finished the last three, all went well....mile 25 produced more downpour,almost welcomed at this point but it also produced mile 26 and then mile 26.2! That right! Not only was I crazy enough to enter, I actually finished! My time was slower than I wanted but when you consider the rain and the asian invasion, I think I did pretty well.
Today I hurt in places I didn't know I had but we had a fun day of shopping and being on the beach for my sis' last day. I am back to work tomorrow but I can't even complain about that. This whole weekend was AWESOME! SO far, thirty feels great. Thanks to all who helped make it such a wonderful event.Check out details here of my marathon http://results.active.com/pages/oneResult.jsp?pID=30036984&rsID=50629

Mt Vesuvius

In my teaser blog, I said that one thing I would be writing about was the amazingly ginormous boil that erupted on my chin last week. I named her Ida. You will soon find out why.
Now, it is important to know that I have never had great skin. As most of you know, I have battled with acne since about age 12. Unfortunately there is no connection between my acne problems and hygiene/cleanliness like it was as a teenager. Upon doing some digging into why big boyles from deep within well up on my chin(ALWAYS the chin now) for no apparent reason I found out some interesting stuff. I have tried every cleanser, toner, moisturizer, hydroculator, retinol, geritol, antibiotics, creams, gels, powders, pills. Nothing seems to touch it. What is becoming more apparent is that it is somehow hormone related (either too much or not enough of one of them) and the trend is growing for women in their thirties (do I have to be an early bloomer at this )? And to throw a little more crap on the pile of disheartening information, there is not a lot out there they can do for this type of acne. I can scrub my face all day long and it probably won't change.
One huge factor is stress. Bad stress brings 'em out in droves. Overall I have been pretty good at trying to minimize my level of bad stress...you know the kind where you don't eat, sleep, and get to where you obsess about something all the time.
Last week, I had bad stress. As much as I would like to blame someone else, it was my fault. However, I have learned from my mistake and now I can see that it is one big learning experience after another in this crazy world. You know....what NOT to do in the future.
The facility I currently work at here in tropical, carefree Hawaii (or so it seems) hired a new OT and she started at the beginning of November. Now, I will spare the details other than to say she COMPLETELY misrepresented herself and knows so little, it's scary. Supposedly she has been an OT for 30 years but, and I am not even joking, Dave knows more about OT than she does. Anyway, it becomes pretty clear that they want to get rid of her because they thought they had an experienced therapist joining their very small and overall inexperienced team (lets just say that I have been a traveler there for 8 months and I have been there the longest out of the inpatient OT's). The bottom line is they need to get rid of this person because not only did they pay here a 10K bonus, they moved all of her stuff out here too. Plus full benefits from day one. The bad part is that the only people who have any real qualifications to say whether or not she is competent is myself and the other traveler. I worked with her for five minutes and knew! Anyway, to keep it short, they asked me to take a lot of responsibility about whether this woman sinks or swims (and Jessica the other traveler too) and I bit....at first. But when Ida junior hit basketball size proportions on my chin and I was crying to Dave at a bar, I knew it was time to step down. Luckily, I stood up for myself and told them they needed to get someone else to do their dirty work and since then I have had very little to do with it. Ida Jr. went away, mostly, I slept over the holiday weekend and now my skin looks better than it has for a long time.
I don't blame anyone but myself for the stress but luckily I have turned it around and viewed it as a learning situation.
Okay, time for sleeping!

Happy Birthday Risa-Roni!

A day late and a dollar short. Oh, and your present is going to be late. But here is a blog to bring you complete and utter happiness!
Marisa is one of my oldest friends. I don't mean old because she is now a thirty something....and a whopping two and a half weeks older than me--nanny nanny poo poo!
Anyways, Marisa, or Risa, Ris, Risa-Roni and I go way back. I am beginning to feel a wee bit not as young as I used to be when I can say that I have known this fiesty red-head for over 25 years. Her, in addition to my friends Olivia (Liv, Livers) and Melissa (Mel,Melly-belly)are the ones that have known me the longest that aren't family--well, officially. Marisa, Melissa and I all grew up in the same neighborhood---in a Suburban track home hood called Panorama. Now, I lived on Zion Road whereas Mel and Ris lived on Teton Road. This is only important to know because unfortunately for me, all the cool kids lived on Teton. It was the party street for the 5-10 crowd. They got to ride bus 14 while I rode bus 23. But we became friends nonetheles. In my group of girlfriends that formed growing up, we all had special connections between us. My special connection with Marisa was that we were both tall and gangly as kids. We were always the kids in the high water pants that were never EVER long enough because we grew so damn fast, especially in the legs. The other girls could wear these dainty little outfits and Marisa and I would have our pants cut right to our ankles at any given time. We would be the type of girls that when someone would ask us how's the weather up there we would probably "skeech" (GJ word for Gleek) on them and tell them it's raining.
It's interesting that we all are turning 30 this year. What amazes me is that I have stayed in touch with all of my very first friends from Panorama and Wingate Elementary (all in all there are about 6 of us). We all hated it as teenagers but Grand Junction was probably one of the better places to grow up. It wasn't such a small town that you knew everyone and everyone knew you. But it isn't such a large city that it would have been unsafe to go exploring and "get lost" every once in awhile. Those first friends have become family to me. I keep in touch with them like I would a relative. It is not always regular contact but when we do talk either on the phone or in person, we can pick up where we left off and it's like we never missed a beat. Last year at our ten year reunion our group of girls got together before the big event. Amazing that such a variety of individuals was and continues to be friends. We have scattered throughout the country; some are moms, some are married, some go adventuring around the globe. However a pure moment of bliss for me was being with my extended family and knowing that those individuals were laregely responsible for my happy childhood, even during the teen years of torment. And yes, Mom, I said largely....my family gene puddles, I confess played a role as well.
So, happy birthday to my lifelong friend, my sister, my co-conspirator. You may be thirty but I look forward to knowing you for the next 25 years and beyond.
I love you!

Hey There Lonely Blog

Okay, so I guess a few people were still reading this but the fact that nothing has been put up here has probably not helped its popularity. And as I am too dog tired from the last two weeks, you are not getting much of one today other than to say hey and check back soon. Coming attractions are below and will be completed when I can stay awake:
-The 23 mile run with plunge into the ocean (pretty self explanatory, really)
-My friend Marisa--Happy Birthday!
-The reasons behind my mount vesuvius sized zit on my chin.

Until then, I am off to hibernate to make it through one more day before a little vacation! Gobble Gobble!

Ode to My Husband

I have to admit that right now the most annoying thing in my life is the smell of cigarette smoke that is rising from the condo below us. I am on the wonderful island of Maui in one of our great unearthed discoveries. The town we are in is called Honokowai. Out of the super developed areas of other parts of Maui it is mainly 30 year old condos on a little two lane street. However, the condos are perfect as they are direct oceanfront. There is also a grocery store, ABC store, and natural food/farmers market all within walking distance. We could easily (and with about one mil) see ourselves here for indefinite amounts of time. This will be our third night of being rocked to sleep by the sounds of the ocean crashing below. And all for an affordable price if you learn the word Kama'aina and can use it successfully without actually being a Kama'aina. Kama'aina means local and just by knowing the word, you can immediately get almost half off of anything related to tourism. Plus, this is probably the slowest week for tourism in Hawaii. Hence why we got married here two years ago and why I am writing this blog.
Dave and I got married November 1, 2005. It is an unbelievable two years later. We came to Maui not for our anniversary as much as for my mother in law who is visiting from New Orleans but we are celebrating all the same.
Whenever I take inventory of my life, there are lots of ways I can see that other people have done it better or where I could have improved my situation by having done it differently. I could be making X amount more dollars if I had chosen Y or I would look X times amount better if I had bought Y and on and on. What i am truly amazed at is that I am completely successful in love. Those that know me from pre Dave days, myself included, would never have thought this to be my current love reality. There are a lot of things I don't do well. My relationship with Dave isn't one of those things. But after having failed so miserably pre-Dave, sometimes I wonder, how has it worked so well this time?
Dave. Dave is the answer. He looks at me and tells me he loves me in a way I never thought I deserved...until he convinced me I did. He never does things just for himself but how it will benefit us both. Sometimes I wonder if others consider us co-dependent and/or antisocial. My single friends will ask me out to a girl's night. But I don't go most of the time because the bottom line is I would much rather spend time with my husband. That is how we make it. I work to keep him as the single most important part of my life. He does the same for me. Knowing that you are the center of someone's universe is so entirely awesome to me yet there are so many that feel they don't want or deserve this kind of love.
How could this be? And then I realize that they have never experienced it. They think they have, but they haven't. I wish I could inflict this feeling on everyone. When I see a friend or family member struggling to find love or make something work with the wrong person, I want to shout "let it go! It isn't right! It shouldn't be this hard!" I feel inadequate to give advice at times to those who are struggling because I almost feel guilty that I've got it so good....note I said almost.
I have only known Dave almost 4 years. When we look back at what we have done, the timeline is almost dizying. It is still hard to believe I found someone that wants to live the kind of life I lead. Not only does he want to live it but he is trying to find ways to improve it so we can do it more and on a larger scale.
So here is my gift to my husband but it really isn't a stretch. To you, in front of anyone who cares to read this, I want you to know how happy you make me, how much you have changed my life. I love waking up every day excited for where you will take me, what you will say and what you will do. You are my hero and my best friend. I love you times a million billion stars. Thank you for your smile, your heart, and for the two best years of my life. I can hardly wait to see what the next year brings.