Goal: Meet People!

I took step one in meeting some people last night. I did something that I am relatively confident in, or was, swimming. I attended a US Swim Masters practice in hopes of meeting some swimmers my age and to get into a workout that I will look forward too.

Well, my evening started with trepidation as I entered the pool parking lot, clueless as to who might guide me in the direction of a Swim Master Member. I had *NO IDEA* how popular swimming pools are in Maui. Duh, right? Swimming, water polo, diving, you name they are amazing and gung-ho about it. The weather is perfect for it year round so it make senses.

Anyway, I saw an older man, no make that, an older gentleman, who looked like he might be involved in the swim master program. He was *SO* kind. He explained everything and was genuinely excited for me to join the group.

I was still nervous, even after this great introduction because I began to wonder about my swimming skills and how they would stack up against the other swimmers. Let me remind you, it has been 2 years since I have swam regularly so I am no where near in swimming shape.

Bob, the very nice gentleman introduced me to the swim coach, Mike. He instantly started asking me what my swimming background was/is.  "Uh, I do sprint triathlons and was on a club swim team in college. I'm self-taught and not great, but I CAN swim." I left out the part that I was on the team for two days and really? 'I can swim?' Ugh.  Anyway, I still had this crazy feeling that I was going to impress everyone with my graceful swimming.

Nope, sorry to say, that graceful swimming was worthless and drowned last night. I learned some techniques to swim more appropriately and actually use the rest of my body versus just my arms. My abs are actually sore and that is GREAT!

So after realizing that I wasn't that good, in horrible swim-shape, and not very fast. I thought "What the hell, this is great. No cares, if I hold them up because they aren't waiting for me."

For once in my adult life, I was able to let go and focus on improving my technique and totally forgot to worry about what others might think of my ability. "So what if I suck, I am trying and listening to what I am told." This motto of sorts kept running through my head, it was a great realization. Oh and the fact that I wasn't last in every set, some sets yes, but in others I was in the middle of the pack. For being out of shape and learning so much, I am proud of the results.

I cannot wait until next Tuesday to go back, learn more, and maybe meet a couple of the swimmers that were my age. After all that was the goal I went in with, but came out with a whole slew of other goals that I met by attending that one practice and hope to continue to meet at other practices.

Yoga Beginnings

My flexibility has always be subpar, it's a mix of hating to stretch and inherited inability to sit "cris-cross applesauce".  So I have decided to teach myself some basic yoga moves in hopes of stretching, strengthening, and toning the muscles that don't like to budge.

My first attempt was yesterday evening after work, I laid out a beach towel, turned on my fan, and began by reading the description of a pose and then tried it. I have never been one to breathe correctly when I work out so I really focused on calming, deep breathes. I worked through 6-7 poses before I was interrupted by Chad's early arrival home from work.

If this would have happened in any other work out, I would have been frustrated but the breathing techniques I practiced with each pose had me so calm, I was happy with the progress I had made and was truly happy to have Chad home. (Like I should be!)

The moves are not easy but my muscles felt so good when I was finished and I was at peace. I have a problem of thinking too much and this workout was great not only for my body but my mind as well. I think yoga will be good for me to be able to focus on one thing, I always have about 30 things running in my head and it's not like I am busy. I am just a worrier and as I work from home, sometimes not having anyone to talk makes my mind run even more.

And when I work out, I am usually thinking about getting it over with or what else needs to be done. But doing these yoga poses that are difficult forced me to only think about keeping my pose correct and breathing.

So even though I haven't taken a class yet and don't plan to until I get a little better at the basic moves, I am sold.

I used the Best Yoga for Women slideshow from Women's Health and will continue with this to master these moves. My plan is to do 10-15 minutes of this a day as a supplement to my walking. I am also hoping that yoga will help with some of the pain that I incur while I run and will allow me to get back to training for some races, as that is at a stand still for now.

I think the yoga will help release some of the mental frustration I am encountering as a result of not being able to run like I want too. I hope.

Protest...the right issues.

"Baby Killer!"

I find it hard to support freedom of speech when it is closer to slander and libel than exercising the right to speak our opinions in an educated, constructive manner.

I feel many of the recent protests, referring to the past year and a half, are racially charged and based on matters that are always used to throw the attention off the issue at hand.

Need examples? Abortion. Gay Marriage. Gun Rights.  Not to say that these are not important issues, they are. I think they are trivialized each time they are thrown into the political spectrum just to get voters on one side or the other based on what you believe on these emotionally charged topics. They need to have their own forums, their own discussions, and their own time to be the ONLY issue. But that never happens.

Why? Because of actions like when a senator yells “Baby Killer” in the voting process of the current health care bill. He is setting up another prefect example of getting the American public off what the true issue is: lack of a solid, fair health care system, and onto the worry that everyone is going to have free rain to abort pregnancies.

Whatever you choose to believe, why can’t we have a little more faith in human kind that we are all not baby killers regardless of our social, political, religious, and financial positions, opinions, and beliefs in life?

It is this insecurity and ignorance that politicians play on. We are getting nowhere. I am so frustrated by the fact that politicians use the tactics to hide the really hideous problems in our government.

But you can bet the Tea Party Protesters will be out there fighting taxes for a program that will likely help most of those with picket signs in their hands. Why don’t you have a tea party against the astronomical pork barrel spending and wasteful use of state and government tax revenue? Why don't you protest the fact that our children's education systems are failing? That our teachers are paid at poverty level? Why don't you protest the injustice, not the issue that will take some of the injustice out of our healthcare program? Protest the right issue! 

But will we ever get so far as to protest the injustices that truly matter? So long as senators are yelling “Liar” and “Baby Killer” and generally not willing to do anything to improve the gridlock fight between Democrats and Republicans, I guess the American Public can expect no less of a similar argument over the wrong issues.  

Simple Pleasures: Cards from My Mom

I got the cutest card from my Mom today, if I wrote about each card she sent me it entry would start out this way. Cutest, sweetest, nicest, most thoughtful, I'm lucky, I have a Mother that loves to write and shares how much she loves me whenever she can.

I also enjoy the Mary Engelbreit clip outs she sends me. She often writes who the illustration refers to and they always brighten my day. I have kept every single one she has ever sent me. They are now in various places but I bet I have over 100 and 98 of them are different. She's only duplicated one illustration. Amazing.

Mom always says that when she writes a letter it's like having a conversation with the person she is writing too. I feel the same way. I don't write much snail mail but when I do I feel more connected to the person I am writing to without them even realizing it. I think if more people wrote letters again friendly connections would deepen. Yes, email is irreplaceable but so is the smile that a piece of mail, a hand-written letter puts on the receiver's face.

In, college my friends, guys and girls alike would gawk at how much mail I got from my family. As we would leave the mail room many of them would say "Wish I got mail like that! Tell me if you got anything good." This reaction always made me happy, I of course would share my care packages and the $10 or $20 bill enclosed in a note sometimes went to a pizza party, just to share the love.

I count my blessings every night and I try to hit one small pleasure each night, as not to ever take them for-granted. Tonight will be the notes, letters, and cards I get from my mom. :)

Goal: Spend Less Time on the Computer

As a work-from-home graphic designer I am on my MAC all the time. I work for 8-hours, then I design and write  for the three blogs that I keep up, I check my email constantly, Facebook frequently, and scour local sites like craiglist.org and Maui Time for island events and activities. I also get my recipes online; I see my family online (Skype) and I shop online.

I have made an effort in the past to be on my computer less and it has been enjoyable and not all that hard of an adjustment but some how I just keep retreating to my computer little by little and spending way too much time doing nothing online.

Of course there are some influences, I live in Maui, my family lives on the east coast, email and Skype are my connection to them and thank goodness for them both!  I am new to Maui so researching events is a must, especially since I work from home and don’t get much input from others.

But the time I log on Facebook, Amazon, and other places are wasted in my estimation. So I am again concentrating on spending less time on my computer. This time I identified old hobbies and new, alike, that I would like to invest more of my time in. I am satisfied with my selections and think it is creating for a healthy balance of media time, me time, and hopefully social time.

Pastels:

I have taken up my pastels again and am almost finished with my first piece of, “for my own pleasure” artwork since 2004! It is so therapeutic. I sit on our beautiful lanai and draw in the evening breeze listening to classical or Bob Marley.  I am glad I am making the effort to draw again and am pleased with the positive impact it has made on my artistic confidence already. 

Jigsaw Puzzles:

I also adore putting puzzle together, something I realized, when Chad’s friend Angie, from Vancouver, Canada visited us several weeks ago, had never put a puzzle together. We got some people together and had a puzzle party with pizza and beer. Angie enjoyed the evening and was able to mark that task of her ‘life list’. 

So I am now putting together a Charles Wysocki’s ‘Americana’ puzzle together. They are my mother’s favorite puzzles and are mine as well. They remind me of the hours she and I have spent talking, laughing, and eating at the puzzle table in our living room, such a great memory and one that boosts my mood very much.

Cooking/Baking

I have also taken up cooking and baking. I love to bake ‘healthier’ desserts; I make things with less sugar and wheat flour. Chad approves. I enjoy making dinner 3 or so times a week. It’s a true feeling of accomplishment when I finish a meal I thought would be challenging and it turns out tasty. Broiled scallops was my latest accomplishment, Chad said they were the best scallops he had ever had!

Walking/Running

I have always been an athlete and love the outdoors. Working at home I don’t get up and down as often as I did when I worked in the office. So now I make an effort to take at least two walks a day or a two-mile run. I also like to plyometrics outside. 

Blogging

Though Blogging is on my computer I feel it is a better use of my time. I write, design and think. I don’t just mindlessly scroll through pictures and “stalk” people.

Sketching Dress Designs

I did this all the time when I was younger and wedding dress design is still a passion of mine. I have yet to fully devote any time to this but when I am struck with the inspiration I have my sketch book prepared.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding

This is a completely new hobby that Chad and I do on the weekend. We went out this past weekend and I had a shorter, smaller board. I fell off a lot and got frustrated but a kind of mantra came into my head after awhile: ‘Get up, don’t think about falling, stand straight, and react to each wave.” I realized after about the 100^th time of repeating this, that I had learned a great lesson. I was overcoming a challenge in a extremely positive way. My mind just starting coaching my body and I was encouraging myself. I didn’t fall the rest of the day! J

Learning to Shoot and Handle Guns

I have shot a shot gun twice in my life and it has been within the past two months. Chad and I go to the shooting range in Upcountry to shot clays. I was terrified as first but the second time I went my confidence soared. Again, this was another activity that I was intimidated to try, but finally did and now love it and want to get better.

Next New Hobby

Calligraphy

I love hand lettering and fonts. So this is a natural progression for me. I am going to ask for a calligraphy starter set for my birthday. I have a lot of things to focus my time on right now so around the end of May (birthday time) I will be prepared for a new hobby to add to the mix. J

Tipping The Scales

Fashion is Finally Becoming Aware of the fact that most woman cannot safely NOR should they try to attain the stick thin model body. Hell, even the models that do these shows are not healthy. This article references the fact that a model died in 2006 immediately after steeping off the runaway. This model became a martyr battle towards realistically shaped and aged models.

I am happy to see that the fashion police are starting a trend towards healthy women (the article says 'voluptuous', that's a joke) but maybe changing their perspective can change the European and American views on the ideal, it's a hope.

150 Blog Topics

100 Blog Topics I Hope You Write
100 Topics from Chris Brogran

55 More Blog Topics I Hope You Write
Inspired by Chris Brogran, from Darren Barefoot

Life List

Life List (in no particular order)

Take motorcycle safety course and learn to ride

Learn to drive a stick shift, well

Do part time work at a cake shop or bakery

Attend an Olympic Games

Live closer to my family

Stop by my sister’s house for girl’s night

Attend Bible study

Visit the UK

Run a half-marathon

Go to Romania

Visit the great artworks of Itlay, touch the water in Venice

Do a volunteer trip/vacation

Plant a garden

Swim with dolphins in a natural setting

Take a floral course with my Dad

Attend an NCAA Basketball game or tourney with my Dad and Brother

Learn to quilt, ask my Mom for help

Design my wedding dress

Devote more time to my artwork

Visit Santa Fe

See a Georgia O’Keeffe painting in real life

Do therapy dog training and volunteer at hospitals and nursing homes

Coach High School Girl’s Basketball

Run, bike, or swim for a cause

Collect antique china place settings

Visit all of the National Parks

Rock climb

Get a tattoo

Go back to France

Learn how to do Calligraphy

Buy jet skis

Design a font

Live near a lake

Camp at least twice a year

Do not judge people

Do not complain

Train a dog to do agility trails

Listen better

Be spontaneous

Watch all of the Friends seasons

Design my Christmas Card

Learn CSS and web design

Work or volunteer with a wedding planner

Be a florist

Be the ‘cool’ aunt

Quit caring what other people think

Live in Colorado

Visit Washington State often

Take a pole dancing class

Get buff biceps

Skydive

Have a house with a library

Expand my vocabulary

Be more patient

Improve my relationships

Be more confident

Write more snail mail

Volunteer in an orphanage

Improve my flexibility

Be the change I want to see in the world

Speak out and up for what I believe in

Work in a design studio

Have someone have a crush on me

Get laser hair removal

Take a woodworking course

Do boot camp for a day…just to see if I could do it mentally

Make a friend that is a senior citizen

Eat more food that is locally grown and organic

Take a cruise

Drive a tractor

Be a living example of a moral/fair person

Goals that I have reached

Bale Hale – July 2009

Learn to Shoot a gun – March 2010

Sleep on the couch - 2008

Learn to Ride a horse – 2007