Scarf Tying

This is a really great little video that shows how to tie a scarf 25 ways in less than 5 minutes! It is scarf weather!

It's been a while!

Well, it's been a while since the last time I posted on this blog. I've been posting almost daily on my photo a day blog - check that out here - and haven't really thought to post here. The trials and tribulations of having more than one blog. What an ailment of the digital age!

At any rate, things have changed! We're living in Asheville! We have been for about three months now. And it's wonderful. After I went to Michigan to visit Leigh I drove all the way to North Carolina in one day (it took me 11 hours) to see my family. And see my brother graduate from high school! That was exciting! Then I spent the summer looking for a job and a place to live in Asheville! It took a few trips, but things really fell into place quite smoothly. We have a cute little two-bedroom townhouse-style apartment and it's wonderful. Scott's in school again working on his business degree. And I'm working downtown Asheville.

It's fall in the mountains and it's lovely. It's FINALLY cooling off and for-real feeling like fall now. It's been strangely warm throughout October. The trees are changing colors and many of them are losing their leaves. It's past peak at higher elevation, but we're still enjoying the colors. And tomorrow is Halloween! We're having a tiny get-together with our wonderful next-door neighbors and we're going to eat chili and drink harvest-time-beverages and play games and wait for trick-or-treat-ers. I'm really excited! I even have a fun hat to wear - it's a purple witch hat with a spider. It was worth all four dollars that I spent on it.

So here's to me posting to this blog with some more regularity! It's worth a try people! Check back soon for more interesting posts.

ypsithings.

Fun with Leigh in Ypsilanti!

Outside the Ugly Mug Coffee Shop in Ypsi.

Fire Spinning at the Corner Brewery.

Coffee hearts at Beezy's.

Taz Mandrila, the kitty cat.

Hello Summer.

It's about time for a vacation, if I do say so myself. I've been on an epic adventure for the last year since graduating from Warren Wilson. Let's look back for a bit:

I moved out of the dorm at Wilson, drove home for a few days, and then drove to Maine to work on a schooner until October. Or at least that's what I was planning on. As it turned out, working on the boat was miserable. I was so depressed. It became clear to me very quickly that I would not be able to stay there for the next 9ish months as I had previously planned. And I was also told by a wonderful woman that I met who worked on another boat that if I gave a two-weeks notice that I would then be fired. So I left. I just packed all of my things back onto the boat without telling anyone and left. It went against every grain in my good-work-ethics body to leave like that and then call later to say that I was not coming back, but it was the best decision I could have possibly made. So Scott drove up to Freeport, ME and we spent the weekend camping at a nice little campground and figuring out my next moves. I decided that I would try to get a job(s) in Freeport and find a place to live, and if that fell through then I would move to Littleton with Scott and try again for a job there, and if that also fell through then I could always just go home to Chapel Hill. It was worth the adventure. I collected, filled out, and turned in about 12 applications in Freeport and then went to stay with Scott's grandparents in Kennebunkport while I waited to hear back about jobs. Then I started looking for a place to live. Scott found a couple looking to sublet a room in their tiny house right outside of Freeport. We went and looked at it and it was perfect! I got three job offers, took two jobs, and ended up with one almost-full-time job for about five months. It was probably the best thing that could have happened. Then as time went on we realized that Scott and I were not going to realistically move to Maine together at this point in our lives. So on Christmas Eve I had my last day at my job and moved to Littleton. I spent a week visiting my family and then started looking for jobs in and around Littleton. I applied to about five places, and started waiting for phone calls again. Then my grandfather passed away and I took advantage of the fact that I was currently unemployed and spent about a week with my grandmother after the memorial service. It was wonderful. During that time I got three calls for jobs. I came back and was hired at EMS in Acton! I have been counting my blessings with getting jobs and have felt so fortunate to have found great places to work. I worked at EMS for about five months and spent some wonderful time living with Scott. He decided to go back to Wilson to finish school, which is taking us back to Asheville, NC! We will have gone full circle, on an epic adventure, and end up back in the place where we met and fell in love, a place that we both are so happy. A place where we can jump out on our own and nest and make it ours. I couldn't be much happier!

Right now I am mid-road-trip-move-back-south in Ypsilanti, MI visiting my friend Leigh. We've decided to treat this week like a vacation and rest and relax and enjoy our time together. And after a year of moving around, it's nice to have a vacation before I get back to looking for jobs and places to live. The plan is to stay in Asheville for at least a few years until Scott is finished with school ... and who knows, maybe we'll stay longer. Here's to an adventure called life and all the wonderful places it is taking me and all the wonderful people I am surrounded by.

I continue to count my blessings.

so many blogs!

I'm doing a bit of an experiment. To see what the differences are between certain blogs. Namely: WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr. (Respectively: http://aphotofortoday.wordpress.com/ , this blog, and http://alittlehappydance.tumblr.com/ )

That's why I haven't been posting here on Blogger quite as often. Feel free to check out my other blogs though! I'm working on figuring out which one to keep up with a bit more regularly. There are definitely differences between all of the hosts, and some are better than others at certain things. They all have their peculiarities, that's for sure.

In other news: things are looking up for moving back to North Carolina!!! I'll be back in time for my brother's graduation in June ... with just enough time before said graduation for a trip to Michigan. I know, random and not-at-all-on-the-way. But what's life without a bit of adventure, even if it's not necessarily "on the way."

Things in this neck of the woods are going. That's the most I care to elaborate other than to say that work is going well and it's been glorious to be able to see my sweetheart on a daily basis. I'm really going to miss that a lot for the couple of months that we're apart. Oh, and it's spring! Finally!!! Here are a few photos to document that it is, indeed, spring here in New England.

Repotting tomato seedlings into their own pots to grow, grow, grow!

The very last of the snow in the front yard just as it was melting.

Fungus!!! Neat mushrooms growing all over the rotting wood in the backyard.

Iris shoots!!! I can't wait until they bloom.

Mutual Weirdness

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." 
- Dr. Seuss

GPOY Lazy Sunday Morning

We were watching to see if the squirrel would run away with his mouth on fire and smoke coming out of  his ears after eating birdseed with cayenne pepper on it. To our dismay, he's still there. Not for long!

skivvies?

Mkay, thanks.

feeling all earthy and stuff.

1. Green Smoothies: This is very strange and new to me, and I think it's wonderful. And I'm probably not "doing it the right way" because I use frozen produce rather than fresh produce because I think it makes a better smoothie, but hey! Who cares!? Not me. Much. I've been learning that it's very much part of the raw food movement, and I think that's great, but I'm not doing it for being a raw-foodist. I like cooked food. I'm doing it because it just adds that many more healthy things to a smoothie, and it still tastes great! I've also started adding carrot juice to my smoothies. The idea of putting fruits and vegetables together into a smoothie is a bit strange to me still, but I've tried it and it's super tasty! Also a great additive for smoothies - peanut butter. On to try new things!

2. Yoga: I'm utterly and completely sold on yoga. It's amazing. It makes me feel so good! I have yet to find a class here in MA to go to, so I've just been doing yoga by myself in my room. And let me tell you, it's amazing. I do miss being in a yoga class, but it's also wonderfully relaxing to do it alone because it gives you so much freedom to do whatever pose you feel like, and to hold said pose as long as your little heart desires! Yay yoga!

3. Bare Feet: First off, this is something that I miss about warm weather - being able to step outside barefoot and not freeze to the ice that covers the ground. One day. In the mean time, I'll stay inside with my bare feet. Working at a gear store I've been learning about the new fads in outdoor gear and activities. I suppose this one is not all that new, but parts of it are - barefoot running. I could go on and on, but I'll try to be somewhat concise. Our bodies are meant to be barefoot - the way our bodies are aligned, the way we walk, the way we move, the way our foot muscles are supposed to support our bodies alone and without the support of shoes. Super supportive shoes have allowed our foot muscles to atrophy, becoming very weak and unable to support our bodies they way they're designed to. Therefore, we must continue to add more support in our shoes to compensate for those weak muscles. Insert new idea here: BAREFOOT SHOES. This is not an instant fix! It takes diligence, training, strengthening, concentration, and devotion. And some other intense-sounding things too. When standing barefoot, the muscles in our feet should support us. The feet, when bare, are able to feel the world and make adjustments based on those feelings to support our body properly - proprioception. Yaddah, yaddah, blah, blah, blah. If you're curious, Google "barefoot running" and you can learn more. My point is - barefoot shoes! You've seen those Vibram Five Fingers - those are barefoot running shoes. They give your foot a bit of protection from things you step on, while still allowing the benefits of being barefoot. Think they look a little silly? Me too. But they're awesome! And now Merrell makes a barefoot shoe that looks more like a "conventional running shoe" but still allows for the benefits of barefootness. Sold.

4. Positive Psychology: My friends in Maine told me I sound very "crunchy granola" when I ramble on about these things. Hippie? Maybe. I prefer crunchy granola if you're going to categorize me that way, mostly because I actually do like crunchy granola for eating. Anyway - more to the point here. I believe that believing in these things adds a degree of effectiveness that is unparalleled when just participating in the activity at hand. For example, if you walk into a yoga class feeling like it's just another silly fad that people are into right now, chances are it's not going to help you nearly as much as if you go into that same yoga class with the mindset that says, "This yoga class is going to be amazing and I'm going to feel so good after we're done!" Okay, so maybe you don't actually say that to yourself, but the idea is that you are instantly more open to the possibility of that yoga making you feel awesome. And it applies to making smoothies with veggies AND fruit, even when it sounds kinda yucky at first. And it applies to being barefoot and strengthening the muscles in your feet to make your body feel better. You, my friends, have the power to help yourself just by thinking positively. (My Positive Psych professor would be so proud.)

Think about it.

mon petit chou

My little cabbage! What a fantastic little termofendearment.

birds and squirrels

I give up. I've tried to keep the squirrels off the feeder and it's just not working. They shimmy up the beam on the porch and leap onto the feeder with such grace that it seems almost rude to run out there and scare them off. Wait a minute ... BIRD feeder not SQUIRREL feeder. [Runs outside and chases squirrel away ...] The birds do seem to be okay with landing on the feeder at the same time as the squirrels are there, but this is bird seed we're buying, not squirrel seed. Rascals.

So I coated the seeds with this spicy squirrel repellant that was in the garage. It involves mixing the bird seed with a tiny bit of oil and some spicy stuff (like cayenne pepper) and then filling the feeder with that. Granted, it does say on the container of spicy stuff that it takes some time to get the squirrels to stop coming back to eat the spicy seeds, but I just watched one sit there and feast and he definitely didn't run off with smoke coming out of his ears like I hoped! The spicy doesn't bother the birds, thank goodness, but it's supposed to bother the squirrels! I'll give it some more time and see if they stop coming back, but so far today has been a feast day for those fat little buggers. Ah well ... they have to eat too I suppose.

The battle continues.

for the love of food: homemade guacamole

We made guacamole today! I haven't made guacamole since being in Chile, so it made me reminisce a bit about that. Mind you, whilst in Chile we at so many avocados that they will forever remind me of that trip. In our Spanish classes we learned that "aquacate" means avocado ... but in Chile we were corrected. "Palta" is avocado in Chile. Important things to know when you go to the supermarket down there. I miss Chile. What a beautiful country.

Anyway. We made guacamole today and it was delicious. Two avocados, half a tomato, some fresh garlic, a dash of salt and pepper, and some mixing! We had it with some black bean salsa mixed with cream cheese (this is something I was introduced to in this family ... it's amazing, you should try it).

Re: Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day ... the so-called "Hallmark Holiday." And I'm feeling loved. Emotions flying here, there, and everywhere. Geesh! Wonders if it was something in the water, or the coffee I drank this morning. Valentine's Day usually means lots of candy and little folded up "Valentine's" that were bought at the drug store or supermarket and then addressed to various friends. I suppose that was more middle school, but the memory is clearly very solid. Now that I actually have a valentine, it's not quite as chocolate-centered as it used to be. (Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate.)

Today was our fourth Valentine's Day together. It wasn't a particularly remarkable day, so to speak. And because he's working third shift, he's sleeping during the day. But it was still a lovely day. We spent some of this morning together. And I baked him some brownies that I cut into heart shapes. And of course, there were countless hugs and kisses while he was not sleeping. And it was perfect.

Things I've been thinking about today: As cliche as it is, I'm unbelievably lucky. I am so loved, by such a wonderfully patient person, with so much to offer, who loves me for who I am, and who tells me I'm beautiful even when I've just gotten out of bed and my hair is going everywhichway and I'm not feeling particularly beautiful. But he makes me smile and feel warmfuzzies inside when I burrow my face into his wooly sweater for a hug. Patience is a virtue not to be toyed with. It must be acknowledged and nurtured. Philosophical blah-blah-blah-ing. Patience, virtue, etc, etc. But really, it's worth being patient to see what happens when we're not so in limbo. This time is a transitional one. One in which we're waiting until we can move on to the next phase of our life together. And I'm so excited!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7.

baking: banana bread!

I bought some bananas several days ago, and that very same day Scott's mom also bought some bananas. Needless to say, we had a LOT of bananas. We didn't really expect to be able to eat all of them. And then when some of them started turning funny colors at the top, I decided they would make great banana bread! They weren't quite as ripe as I would usually consider "overripe bananas" for banana bread to be, but I couldn't wait anymore ... I needed to bake!

Add to those bananas some flour and butter (I used my new-to-me Pyrex mixing bowls too!):

I used two different recipes and made two different loaves - one had sour cream, one had brown sugar, one had walnuts, I added chocolate chips to the other, etc. It's hard for me to follow a recipe exactly ... I like to improvise a little.

So one with walnuts. 

One that I added chocolate chips to. 

Makes two lovely loaves of banana bread! And you've put those funny looking bananas to good use! You don't even know they were funny looking to begin with! We think they got cold at the top ... note: do not refrigerate bananas. 

I love baking. Especially when I have no agenda for the day and can thoroughly enjoy myself. However, that being said, I would love to bake all the time! Maybe one day I'll have a cafe that I can bake delicious things for. Definitely on my list of things to do. If you want to try these recipes, let me know! I can send them along. I found them on allrecipes.com and tweaked them a little bit. They're super easy and quick!

And a small side note here at the end: Jacob, the dog I posted about, is entirely unpredictable. I can't wait to have my own dog.

cute sometimes-grumpy old man dog

Jacob. Scott's family dog. He is a lab mutt with perky ears and a sometimes-grumpy personality. He's an old man, to say the least. He likes a couple of friendly pats and then he sometimes growls to let you know not to touch him. He's a little moody. I think he's trying to figure out why I'm still here. Needless to say, we're getting there. He likes that I share my banana-slathered-with-peanut-butter with him sometimes. And lets him lick the leftover peanut butter from the spoon off my finger. He doesn't like it when I pet him too many times. He's more my friend when we're outside playing in the snow. He comes trotting over to my car when I get home, tail wagging, presumably excited to see me. Just don't look at him funny. Or touch his tennis balls. Ever.

Right now Jacob is about as close to me as he possibly can be. Closer than I think he's ever been. We've introduced a new subwoofer to the speaker family and he doesn't so much dig the new beats. Thunder-esque sounds? Sort of. He's a little afraid I think, so he's curled up under my feet. It's pretty cute. I think we're friends for now. We'll see what happens later ... hopefully we'll stay friends.

have ____, will travel.

Have love, will travel.
Have laptop, will travel. [Not absolutely necessary.]
Have camera, will travel. [Absolutely necessary ... might even need to buy a better camera.]
Have money, will travel. [This one might be the deal-breaker ...]

I'm itching to travel. And I have an endless list of places I want to go. Anyone wanna come with?

golly!

I have so many books to read and so much knitting to do! I keep getting new books and adding them to my list to read:

• Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Girl Who Played With Fire
• Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
• Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
• The Botany of Desire
• The Color Purple

I won't list the things I need to knit. On principle. If you know me, you know what I'll be knitting. 

Good thing I have a day of travel ahead of me! I have some work to do!

rain, rain, sun, rain.

In Oregon, as I've been told for however long, it rains during the winter. Sometimes there's snow. But mostly, just rain. And they talk about "dry spells" on the weather ... days without rain. The rest of the days, presumably "normal winter days" are rainy.

We arrived in Oregon on Friday evening and it was raining. It rained on Saturday (while we ran around the cemetery looking for our great grandparents' graves, and while we waiting outside to get our Voodoo Doughnuts) and it rained on Sunday (while we ran into the church for Grandpa's memorial service). Yesterday it was sunny and lovely! We went for a walk. Today it rained. I'm growing accustomed to the rain, but I miss the snow in New England! I brought my new winter boots with me out here ... and I must say I'm very glad that I did! They're water proof and they make me happier to go out in the rain!

So here we go, out in the rain, to go to Grandma's quilt group meeting! I'm bringing my knitting with me ... she said sometimes they just sit around and knit. At the quilt group meeting. What can I say, sounds like my cup of tea!

I'm realizing that with the proper attitude and clothing to wear it's making the rain entirely bearable!!! And Grandma and I just laugh and run through the rain to the car. Yahoo!!!

Grandpa

My grandpa passed away last night. Donald Porter Mitchell. He passed peacefully in his sleep, just as he wanted. We used to sit on the couch when I was little with my toy tape player and microphone and play airplane. You were the captain of our flight and made all of the announcements. I was always your copilot. I still collect stamps for you. It's hard for me to throw them away. We used to sit with you and look through your stamp collection. Today is for celebrating life and remembering the good times. Rest in peace grandpa. I love you!

The man loved to laugh! And it was infectious.

Grandpa's model face. 

Family.

yoga: my drug of choice.

I guess I can't go on without saying that coffee is also my drug of choice. But today, yoga was it for me. Drug of choice, therapy, sanity-saver, pain relief, and so many things un-named. Now that I've moved it was time to find a space for doing yoga. At my old place I had space on the floor in my room. Not so much the case anymore. But now that the living room has been rearranged, a new yogaspace has been opened up to me. Yogaspace: a place in which to do yoga esp. a flat, hard surface without distractions, and ideally with some privacy. So that's what I did this afternoon.

Now I'm embarking on the (my dad will like this) pilgrimage-of-sorts to find a new place to take yoga classes. I have a few places that I'm going to check out, and I can't say that I've actually gotten off my tush to go check them out, but maybe I'll do that later this week. My body has been so out of yoga-shape lately since I've been waiting until a space was cleared that it's nice to know that there are some possibilities out there for classes to attend. And they're not that far away either!

... I left and had dinner while I was in the middle of this post and now I've forgotten exactly where I was going with this ... at any rate:

As I was saying, yoga is my drug of choice. It's amazing what it does for me. It loosens me up, it relaxes me, it helps me to be centered and balanced, it helps me stay calm, it helps my body feel better, it makes me feel healthier. I could go on and on. At any rate, bodies are pretty important things to keep healthy!

Before I ramble on about this any longer ...

"I am convinced that life in a physical body is meant to be an ecstatic experience." - Shakti Gawain 

Thirty-One Main

The restaurant we were going to go to this evening was closed ... unexpectedly so. So we walked down the street and tried a new place! Thirty-One Main in Ayer, MA. It's a classy little place with a nice looking bar, cloth napkins, waiters dressed in all black, big windows to the street outside, low-key enough that jeans are totally okay, relatively dim lighting, but not so dark that you can't see your food! It was great! I had the Feta, Spinach pizza with Sliced Fresh Tomatoes, Greek Olives, Onion, and some Monterey Jack cheese. I had it without the olives, because they're not my favorite, and it was fantastic! The pizza crust seemed to be freshly made in-house and the toppings together were incredible. Savory, delicious, juicy but not dripping, cheesy, but not too cheesy, and the toppings stayed on instead of all falling off with one bite. It was wonderful. It's not the cheapest of places, but it's possible to get in and out without making too much of a dent in the funds and still having a great meal. Yay for new restaurants. Click here to check out their website, menu, and the upcoming gigs!

f*** you and f*** her too.

Ain't that some shit. 

New Year's Resolutions 2011

1. Leave the country. (Read: include some other country in my travels for this year ... at least Canada.)
2. Keep doing yoga, and do more of it!
3. Get outside and go hiking more often.
4. Read more books.
5. Spend more time on adventures and doing new things.

Some of these are somewhat vague and leave room for interpretation. That's the general idea. Cheers to a great beginning of a new year!

Happy 2011!!!