My Dad Climbed Kilimanjaro

Last month, my dad and a crew of 12 other guys climbed Kilimanjaro. He posted this on facebook last week and I wanted to share it with you. I'm so proud of him and so moved by his endurance on this trip. I'll let him explain...

POLE POLE, is Swahili for “gradually”, “easy does it”. At 2 AM Friday morning we had been hiking two hours up from the Barafu Camp where we had four hours of sleep before setting off at midnight and stopped thinking about how I was able to continue. This was day two of the worst lower intestinal illness I have ever had. Barely able to even hydrate, let alone eat, I was lucky to be drinking one third of the 3 liters of water I should have been drinking. I could not fathom the idea of eating, so I forced down bites of peanut butter sandwich and energy bars. Hardly matching the calories I was burning. Yet my legs felt strong as long as I followed the mantra of Pole Pole. And I knew that I had to bring Ken to the top. 

Ken is a friend who died several months ago, accidentally careening his truck into a river in Northern California. He was a fellow adventurer who knew the Sierra Nevada Mountains like the back of his hand. We had been friends since our early teens. We were together when he met his future wife. We watched our families grow. We rafted down rivers in Alaska together with our friend Jim. He ran with the bulls with me in Pamplona. Ken wanted a party to celebrate his life and we said fine things about Ken. Many fine things. But I wanted to give Ken a parting gift. I was able to find a somewhat recent photo of my friend, stuck his mug on an 8.5 by 11 piece of foam board and carried this memento in my backpack for seven days, ultimately to the top of Kilimanjaro. 

This recent trip was beset with logistical difficulties even if everything went according to plan. But El Al Airlines did it’s best to screw me over (more stories on this later) and Turkish Air cancelled a key leg, failing to let me know they had cancelled and rescheduling me, and the booking agency Vayama also failed to advise me. Yet I ultimate arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport, albeit a little more battered and bruised than planned. 

I sat in the lounge at the Mountain Lodge in Arusha the Sunday morning after returning from the climb and reflected on the logistical problems solved, the physical difficulty of the climb, and the spiritual realizations I had experienced on this most bizarre of trips. The first realization was being overwhelmed as I went through Hortus Gethsemane beneath Jerusalem, which especially surprised me as I never considered myself particularly religious. The second being how I managed to climb in roughly an eight hour stretch 1,800 meters in elevation to the top of the Roof of Africa at 5,895 meters (about 19,400 feet), while being sick as a dog, dehydrated and barely an extra calorie to burn. Asante, Ken. Asante Sana. 

And thanks to the twelve members of our climbing team and our guides.

We were kept updated on all of his trials along the way - being stranded in Newark when the plane left without him, a cancelled flight out of Istanbul, closed gates when he finally arrived at the lodge in the wee hours of the morning, and finally beginning his trek with little time to adjust to actually being in Africa. With the encouragement of the rest of the crew, they were able to "boogie" their way up to the Roof of Africa - taking along a friend who would never be able to make the trip himself. 

San Francisco Birthday Adventures

I told you we went to San Francisco for my birthday last weekend, but I only talked about the Golden Gate Bridge adventures. Sorry for reusing this picture. I wanted something iconic.

Here's a look at the entire weekend, and all its glory.

We arrived pretty late on Friday night. We knew where we were and we knew where the hotel was, but we didn't know where anything else was, so we maaaaay have walked the wrong direction once or twice before we figured it out.

BUT WE GOT THERE!

And because the hotel knew it was my birthday, they had a bottle of bubbly and some fruit and chocolate waiting for us.

The bubbly is Martinelli's, by the way, because I had also told them that I'm pregnant. On the ball, those folks.

30x30; See the Golden Gate Bridge in Person

For my big 3-0, I planned a trip to San Francisco for my honey and I. We would do as many ridiculous touristy activities as we possibly could in one long weekend.

Part of the reason for this was because I had two specific to San Francisco items I wanted to check off of my list; see the Giants play the Dodgers and see the Golden Gate Bridge in person.

Though I'd been to San Francisco before - and even walked along areas you can typically see the bridge from - it had always been too cloudy to actually see the Golden Gate Bridge from where I was standing, so I told the hubs I wanted to see it, and he made it happen. He did one better, actually. He wanted us to walk across it.

It was a beautiful day in SF and we walked all the way from the Financial District up to North Beach to get to the bridge. My feet were killing me.

Currently; July 2014

It's mid July. My 30th birthday is this month. I haven't quite figured out how I feel about that. I mean, it definitely feels real, but also very surreal. On the one hand, I feel like I'm already 30, and on the other I ways thought of 30 as being old. Why is that? 30 isn't old. That's dumb.

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
I just plowed through the entire Divergent series. It's a fun read. I have to say, I liked Hunger Games better as far as dystopian femme hero young adult lit goes, but still. Fun. ;)

Watching...
Nothing on live TV. Ha. I only caught a few snippets of the world cup games on TV at the gym. We started watching Sons of Anarchy last week. Most nights we'll watch an episode or two.

Listening to...
I'm bored with music. I listened to the Hair soundtrack a week or so again. That was magical. I sang What A Piece of Work is Man and Good Morning Starshine to the babe. It was fun. Then I proceeded to have the former stuck in my head for the rest of the day. It was kind of great, actually.

Struggling with...
Same ol' same ol'. Except my organs are feeling especially squished lately. It's very uncomfortable, almost to the point of painful some days

Inspired by...
This little human, mostly.

My workouts are...
Varietal? Is that a word that can be used when not applied to wines? I've been taking spin and barre and prenatal yoga and boxing. Anything and everything. On the days I feel good, I feel great and on the days I am tired, the workouts totally kick my ass and I feel dead to the world.

Eating...
Tacos. Toast. Strawberries with whipped cream. Smoothies. Greek Yogurt. Pop Tarts. Not a lot of veggies, I'm ashamed to say. I need to get back on the veggie train. I'm trying.

Planning...
Repairs mostly. There's been some drama 'round these parts pertaining to a mysterious leak in our garage. We're planning and coordinating repairs and such. I get to take a backseat now, which is nice. Let other people figure it out. I would just really like the mystery puddle to stop showing up
On the positive, there's a big family vacation planned for next June (my grandparent's 60th anniversary) and we've all agreed on a location! FINALLY! There are about 25 of us, so agreeing on a locale was a big deal. Hubs and I used our trump card anywhere we didn't want to worry about travelling to with a 6 month old.

Teaching...
My Monday class is cancelled indefinitely. At least for the summer - people just stopped coming. My other classes are doing great though. Tuesday and Thursday are really picking up and I've got some regulars who make me smile.

What are you upto?

Currently; May 2014

Happy Monday and Happy May!

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
A Long Way Down. I am really enjoying it. I found I just really enjoy Nick Hornby's writing style. I don't always like his message, but while I'm reading it, I find the characters and the plot pretty entertaining. I'm excited to see the movie. As I'm writing this, there have been a lot of Toni Collette movies playing on TV, which is a little weird since she'll be one of the leads in the movie version of A Long Way Down.

Livermore Wine Country Festival 2014

Remember we went to the Livermore Wine Country Festival last year? We went back. You're shocked.

There was some drama getting to the airport - I left my phone at my aunt's house. We went back to get it and almost ran out of gas on the way back to my parents, were worried we'd be late for our flight...

... and then the flight was delayed over an hour, so we were fine... and I was glad to have my phone/camera.

We ended up getting into the hotel around midnight. I love so much that they give you warm cookies when you check in.

Solo Staycation

I planned it for months. As the weather warmed up through February and March, and I got out of my car every morning in Malibu, I longed for beach house lunches and late afternoons on the sand.

This was the first year in a long time that I didn't have something planned for the foreseeable future. No parent sponsored trip across the Atlantic, no long weekend in Portland with my sister, no talk of Hawaii in September. 

Tax season loomed and I struggled through the burn out of longer work days, teaching more yoga classes, fitting in my own exercise schedule, and not blowing off everyone I love. Thinking about the day to day sent me searching for my zen place - slow methodical breathing and a little mantra repetition. 

So, I planned some time off. 

A week, if you want to get all picky about it. The week after Easter... because it was the week after April 15th.

Into 2014...

Yous guys, the end of the year is upon us. We are in our last hours of 2013, so I thought I would take a moment to recap some of the more wonderful (and sometimes challenging) things that took place in 2013.

This year...

In January, I figured out this headstanding business ;)

In February I got officially certified as a yoga instructor and started teaching my very own class on Thursday evenings.

March I ran my second 10K ever (which was brutal) and went to a self defense workshop.

In April, hubs and I went on a weekend getaway to Catalina - where I had never been before.

We went up North for the Livermore Wine Festival in May. We also cleaned out and reorganized the garage.

June, I took a long weekend to visit my baby sister in Portland.

In July, I celebrated entering my 30th year.

In August, we went to Vegas.

In September, I saw the Backstreet Boys in concert for the first time since 2000. I ran a half marathon and the following weekend, we went up to Santa Barbara and Los Olivos to celebrate our second anniversary!... oh yeah, and then I went to Hawaii.

October was mostly cooking. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen - making oatmeal, pesto, and granola.

In November, we finally painted the master bedroom - after living here for 3 years. It was time. I also did 108 sun salutations.

And December I ran another 10k, had a wonderful Christmas, hosted a photo challenge, and realized that very soon it will be the year I turn 30. Like, whoa.

I have lots of ideas about what 2014 will be like, but you never really know, do you?
I'm excited to see what the future brings.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Kitchen Adventures; Pesto Genovese

Last year, on an Italian vacation with my family, hubs and I took a day trip up to Genoa. Part of the reason we went up there was because a few days earlier we'd read in a guide book that Genoa was the birthplace of, not only Genoa Salami, but pesto.

It was settled as soon as we'd read it. Our itinerary "free day" would be spent taking the two hour train ride West, from Milan to Genoa, where we would adventure and eat pesto.

Aloha; A Little Maui Recap

Welcome back to me! Haha, you probably know I spent most of last week on a Hawaiian vacation with my family. As beautiful and inspiring as it was, it was bittersweet leaving my honey at home. I spent a good amount of time wishing he was there with me.

I did still manage to have a good time though, and I've put together a little photo journal for you.

Anniversary Getaway; Santa Barbara & Los Olivos

You may or may not have noticed, we celebrated our anniversary a little while ago. We have officially been married for two years. Since our anniversary fell on a Tuesday this year, we decided to take the weekend before to do the celebrating - and just have a nice evening together on the 17th.
Last year we got knocked out by the flu just when we were about to go on our anniversary trip, so we had to cancel. I was crushed, but this year we tried to make up for it.

Guest Post - Alyssa Anderson; Ready, Set... Play!

Hey folks, I'm on a relaxing Hawaiian vacation with my family this week, so I've asked some beautiful, talented and inspiring ladies to guest post for me while I'm away. 

I first met Alyssa on twitter. She is vibrant and outgoing and we got along swimmingly - despite us both being introverts. ;) Because Alyssa gets just as excited about all things health, yoga, and fitness as I do, I was thrilled when she reached out to me about guest posting while I'm away. I know you'll love reading about her experiences as much as I do. I mean, she is writing about some of my favorite things, after all. 

When I first approached Alyssa (by the way, we share the BEST NAME EVER and have the proper spelling…) about guest posting, I was brimming with ideas. However, as the time went by, one theme seemed to keep bubbling to the surface.

I would spend every minute of every day outside if I could. I would walk barefoot in the sand, run through the grass, and roll down hills. At this point, you might be thinking This chick is stuck at 7 years old. But before I pull out my crayons and prove to you that I’m on to something…let me tell you a story. Grab something yummy to sip and play some fun music. I’ve got a cup of coffee with honey and am listening to the Ryan Montbleau Band.

At the end of February, I went to Oahu, Hawaii (a few islands over from where Alyssa is!) for the Wanderlust Yoga and Music Festival. I was selected as a volunteer and jumped at the chance to practice with some of the world’s best yoga teachers, visit Hawaii, and serve. One session I participated in was with THE Baron Baptiste…you know, the guy who INVENTED Baptiste power vinyasa yoga.

I expected his class to kick my butt, since he’s known for power yoga. Instead, I was delightfully surprised to see a different side of Baron. His class was about playfulness. Invite playfulness into your practice. Dance in the poses that scare you. Playfulness creates lightness. By allowing ourselves to play, our hearts and spirits opened up. As a class, we laughed together, fell out of balance poses, and felt oh-so-sweetly free.

I decided to play more in my life. Be childlike in my wonder of the world. I mean, have you seriously looked a leaf recently? Go outside and grab one and come back. We’ll wait…Ok. The veins and striations, the dancing of colors depending on light. Beautiful. Heck, even the color of a leaf is powerful! The green comes from the chlorophyll, which creates carbohydrates from light. SUGAR from the SUN. Science is cool.

Anyway. Another session I went to was with Eion Finn. This man is amazing. After leaving Baron’s class, my bar was set pretty high. Eion blew the bar away. He started the Blissology movement and lives for the connection to nature. We practiced outside, in the grass (Grassasana), to reconnect with the earth. We jumped around like frogs and pretended to surf. We played like children in a grassy field. His class further altered my worldview.

What I’m trying to say is that all to often we feel this need to grow up and stop playing and “get our lives together.” I suggest we never stop playing and get outside some more. I know you see hills and think Man, it would be so great to roll down that hill. Well, I dare you to do it. I double, no, TRIPLE dog dare you. Let go a little. Live a lot. Laugh more. I think you’ll find that by playing and getting outside, you’ll find lightness in your life. A breezy easiness. Appreciate a good climbing tree. Jump over the waves at the beach. Play!

Oh, important piece before I go. Stop caring what people will think if you decide to act a little goofy or stomp in puddles. Are you happy? Did you smile while you were playing? Yes? Then you’re beautiful and free. Free from the judgment of others (plus, they just WISH they could be you). Now, excuse me, my mud pies are almost finished and I have a round of hopscotch to finish. 

Alyssa Anderson is a recent graduate (yay!) with her M.S. in Community Health Education. She currently lives in Pensacola, FL surrounded by sugar white sands and seashells with her fiancé and dog, Lemon. While she isn’t a yoga teacher quite yet, it is on her life plan. For now, she works for a non-profit dedicated to improving the health of the community through a variety of events and resources. Tweet with her @alyand18 

Eating on Vacation

This morning I was sitting at my kitchen table, enjoying my healthy low-cal breakfast, thinking to myself I didn't have some great theme to post about for the Be Happy Link Up today. Yet another week would go by without linking up with some of my favorite ladies on the web.

Then something occurred to me. I am about to go on vacation. (Yay!) ... but, as I looked down at my cottage cheese and melon, I realized, "how am I going to maintain a healthy diet in Hawaii?" and I started to stress out a little bit. I am so happy with how I feel and look right now. I don't want to go on vacation, prance around in a bikini, eat tacos and ice cream, and throw away all my hard work.

In order for me to stay happy through the trials of vacation binge eating, and still come home feeling great, I've realized that a couple of things have to happen.

1. I need to continue to eat reasonable portions of healthy food as much as I possibly can. To not succumb to the "vacation diet" as much as possible. I don't need to have french toast or eggs benedict just because I'm on vacation. I can be that girl that has oatmeal or cottage cheese. I can skip the heavy, fatty dinners in favor of something lighter. It's Hawaii, right? They serve a ton of fish. I will eat ALL THE FISH and I will love it.

and 2. I can allow myself to veer off course a little bit, and still accept and love myself. Maybe I don't need to fill my breakfast plates with pancakes and sausage and all the fat and carbs - can you tell how much I love breakfast? - but if I do it once or twice, it's not going to ruin my trip. I'm also planning on keeping up some kind of exercise routine, so  if when, I do decide I need something deep fried, it won't completely ruin my healthy day.

And that's it, isn't it? Try your best and don't beat yourself up if you don't do it perfectly. Just as in life, so it is in healthy eating. Done and done.

Las Vegas; Summer 2013

So, that's it. I got in my two romantic weekends away, but you're kidding yourself if you think I've had enough. I don't turn 30 for another year. I'm gonna get in as many weekends away as I can! :)

We had a great time in Vegas this weekend. Here's a little run down for ya... with pictures, duh.

Sister Trip; Visit to Portland

This past weekend, I was fantastically lucky and happy to be able to visit my baby sister in Portland, Oregon. She's been living up there for about 3 years - since graduating from college - and I miss having her around.

Before I get into what a wonderful time I had visiting her and celebrating her birthday this weekend, I feel like I need to get something out of the way. There are inevitable questions that you'll have pop up in your head, so rather than wait for you to ask them, I'm nipping it in the bud.

My sister has Alopecia. It's an autoimmune condition that causes your hair to fall out. That's it. Thus the beautiful bald head you see above. No effects on her health whatsoever, unless we get into how emotionally traumatizing it can be to have your hair fall out when you're 14 years old.  She is a beautiful person, inside and out, and she doesn't let it define her as a person, but it is something people notice and ask questions about. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you. Leave it in the comments or email me. :)

But, seriously, let's get back to my trip...