Tuesday, January 31, 2012

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on the treadmill, and a walk around the neighborhood with Finn.
Duration:  54 min.
Calories Burned:  236 cal.
Description:  .5 mile walk on treadmill, 1 mile run on treadmill.  Then a 1.25 mile walk with Finn.

What I think I love most about running is that it's a form of instant gratification:  If what I want is to run a mile, than I can make that happen immediately.  In that way, running is such a positive cycle -- it's so easy to accomplish your goal if you just push yourself, and then when you do accomplish that goal, you want to do it even more.  Maybe it's like that with all things, but with running, it's just so much more obvious.

I didn't intend to run a mile today.  I was going to be lazy [again] and only run half of it -- especially since I'm working from home today and needed to get to it.  But then there was the music and the adrenaline and pace, and sooner or later, the mile was done.

Love it when that happens.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Piglets and Politics

Are farm tours a really California thing, or is it just me?  I feel -- and I may be 100% wrong here -- that it's a lot more common here in the West given the whole Alice Waters, farm-to-table, California cuisine thing we've got going here, especially in Northern California.  Thoughts?

In any case, the farm tour I took this weekend with Nate and a good friend of ours, Ferron (who has an awesome food blog, by the way!), was so much fun and super informative, and it really inspired me to keep thinking about and changing my food habits for the better -- something I'll keep in mind as I create my Girl♥Health February Action Plan.

For this particular tour, we headed an hour or so north to visit Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma, CA.  Tara Firma is a picturesque 300 acres, complete with fishing pond, farm store, CSA program, and really knowledgeable people to offer free tours each weekend every hour on the hour.  I got to scratch some pigs, hold a baby chick and see newborn piglets.  If you ever visit me, we'll go.  Promise.


What was maybe the best part of the whole tour was that it reaffirmed everything I've been learning about where our food comes from, big agriculture, and how large of a role the government plays in what we eat.  It's currently such a corrupt cycle -- huge subsidies for corporations that not only feed us crap that makes us obese and sick, but also destroys the livelihoods of small scale farms while causing so much environmental degradation that it boggles the mind.  We think the government will protect us from it all, but instead they're hiring the executives or board members or stakeholders from these corporations to become Supreme Court justices or high-level administrators in the EPA and FDA.  And so it continues.  It's way more interconnected than that, yes, but I think that's it in the most general sense.

I mean, we've all seen Food, Inc., right?  This farm tour brought it all home.

But aside from getting me slightly political, something I usually try not to do here, the farm tour was also just a great chance to get out of the city into the fresh air and sunshine, geek out on soil and grasses and what it means to be certified organic, and buy some delicious free-range, humanely raised food stuffs to fill our bellies this week.

Wish you could have all been there!


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A Theme for 2012

For the past few weeks, I've been working on coming up with a theme for 2012.   After a lot of stops and starts, I think I've finally settled on one I love and one that I think pretty much speaks to everything I want my new year to be (or that I want to be in this new year):


Fearless and Authentic.  Fearlessly Authentic.  Fearlessness and Authenticity.  Has a nice ring to it, huh?  I think so.  So what does this mean for me?  Let's take this apart a little bit:

Fearless: When I say I want to be fearless in 2012, I'm actually being very literal and very serious.  I've often felt like, in the past four years (yes, FOUR YEARS), I've made a lot of my decisions based on fear whether I've realized it or not.  I have a deep fear of being financially insecure, and that fear served as a pretty deep root in my desire to go to law school.  I was also afraid of what others would think if I dropped out of law school.  Would my parents be disappointed?  Would people think I just couldn't hack it?  So I kept going.  For a long time now, I've been afraid of the unknown too.  How is my life going to turn out?  Screw that, how is my choice of what to have for dinner going to turn out?!  I'd like to do xyz, but what if that's the wrong choice?  What if I'm wasting time?  What if it doesn't pan out?  What if, what if, what if, fear, fear, fear.

You get the picture, right?

So this is the year I'm dedicating to being fearless.  To taking the plunge.  To "giving it a try" and going where the road leads me (in some respects).  And this is not just a grand gesture sort of thing either.  I'm finding it very useful in the day-to-day of my job hunt too, or in just how I relate to others -- I'm putting myself out there more.  Or, trying to at least.  This is a work in progress.

Authentic: This ties pretty closely to my goal to be fearless in 2012, but it has more of a focus on also being true to what I want and who I am.  It tempers the fearlessness a little bit (because it'll stop me from packing up my shit and moving to Vegas, which is fearless but totally not me), and at the same time it pushes me forward too (because although I may be really afraid to do xyz, if it's something that hits that spark of "Yes, that's Kahea!" inside me, than it's something truly worth pursuing, you know?).  And my desire to practice more authenticity also stems from the realization I've been coming to this past year, that I make a lot of my decisions based on what others think or say, or the way I feel I'm going to be judged or perceived, or what I consider to be smart, safe, secure choices.

These aren't necessarily bad things, but I just know I wasn't always like that.  I was never careless, but I listened to myself more.  I was more authentic.  And I know that I used to be happier.  Ergo, perhaps if I find the way back to being more Me, I'll find that same well of happiness and breathlessness for life that I used to feel.

Really, when you boil it down, 2012 is the year I'm dedicating to finding my way back to Me.  And I think that's a pretty noble goal.


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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around neighborhood with Finn, finished up on treadmill.  Followed by a run on the treadmill.
Duration:  48 min.
Calories Burned:  216 cal.
Description:  1 mile walk around the neighborhood, 1 mile walk on treadmill, half a mile run on treadmill.

My workout question today is this: how do you feel about doing less one day (i.e. not running as long or far) than you did the day before?  Is this okay, since you're ultimately in control of your own workouts and there's really no Exercise Police who're going to come around and scold you for not going as hard.  Or is this something you should try and avoid doing, simply because you should keep pushing yourself, especially if the doing less comes from a place of laziness.

I obviously already know the answer to this.

I'm just looking for someone to tell me I wasn't a lazy ass today for running only a half mile instead of the full mile I know I'm capable of.


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Monday, January 23, 2012

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around the neighborhood with Finn, then on the treadmill.  Pilates at home.
Duration:  1hr (and 2 min)
Calories Burned:  at least 174 cal. (not sure how much I burned during pilates)
Description: 1 mile walk with Finn, followed by a 1 mile walk on the treadmill.  Finished up with 20 min of the basic Malibu Pilates workout.

After about 10 days of not working out because of a cold Nate gave me, I started back today pretty easy -- I definitely decided to do Pilates instead of breaking myself back in with a run.  Unfortunately, a mile into my walk with Finn it started to drizzle, and since neither he nor I felt like a chilly walk in the rain this morning (actually, Finn never feels like a walk in the rain.  Poor guy hates it.), I cut it short, came home, and finished my 2 miles on the treadmill.  Pilates, as usual, followed.  And the great (read: really not great) thing about Pilates is that, if you stop doing it regularly, even just for a little while, getting back at it is like starting all over again.  Core-weakened, muscles flimsy. 

In other words, pathetic.

But it was nice to work out again, to get back to a healthy routine.  And speaking of, I know I haven't posted my January action plan and, since it's nearly the end of the month anyway, I'm not going to.  We'll pick it up again in February, kay?


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Friday, January 20, 2012

7 Years Later

7 years ago today, at the start of an amazing three months in New Zealand, Nate and I started dating.  I remember thinking that I'd never met anyone who could make me laugh so much.  To this day, on top of all the love and respect that's grown over the years, there's still that thought: I've never met anyone who can make me laugh so much

When people ask me about the strengths of our relationship, it's the first thing I always want to say.:  Laughter.  Love.  Fun.  Silliness.  And then yes, all those other things as well: communication, patience, commitment, faith.  I don't think I'm naturally a very easy-going person; I take myself a bit too seriously and usually prefer to be in control of things (it's something I'm working on).  And Nate manages to balance me out so well.  He's more roll-with-the-punches and lets-see-where-this-road-goes.  More lets-tell-some-jokes or make-funny-faces.  More I-know-you're-mad/sad/worried/busy/stressed-but-it's-time-to-let-that-all-go-now-just-be-with-me.  And, as I've learned over the years, without him, my life would be so much...less.

So if you're reading this -- yes, you! -- I love you.  And happy anniversary!

January 2005.  Auckland, New Zealand.
Now.  Northern California
 
 
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Friday, January 13, 2012

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around the neighborhood with Finn
Duration:  29 min.
Calories Burned:  100 cal.
Description: 1.3 mile walk.

This is just a bad morning all around.  There's no particular reason, except that I'm super irritable and I have shin splints.  So Finn's walk was cut pretty short today, and I'm sitting at my desk at home totally not in the mood to do pilates. 

Any suggestions for lifting yourself out of a moody funk?


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Thursday, January 12, 2012

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on treadmill (at 7am)
Duration:  56 min.
Calories Burned:  at least 139 cal. (accidentally turned the treadmill off halfway through and restarted the calorie count
Description:  2 mile walk on the treadmill, followed by a 1 mile run on the treadmill. Stretch.

I was not feeling the run today and sort of dragged my butt through it.  Mornings are always tough for me.  Plus, when the workout is particularly blah, it's so much easier to cut corners, you know?  Especially when the alternative is sleeping in for an extra hour.


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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around the neighborhood with Finn, and pilates at home
Duration:  1 hr. (and 2 min)
Calories Burned:  at least 159 (not sure how much I burned during pilates)
Description: 2.1 mile walk, followed by 20 min of the basic Malibu Pilates workout.

Pretty standard work-out.  I find myself wondering if I'll ever be able to do all the pilates positions and reps without stopping because my arms or legs feel like they're going to fall off.  That's a nice little goal to set, I think.


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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk with Finn around the neighborhood; run on treadmill
Duration:  59 min.
Calories Burned:  276 cal.
Description:  2.1 mile walk with Finn, followed by a 1 mile run on the treadmill.  Cool-down walk and stretch.

The one mile run is still kind of a beast for me, but I'm hoping that by next week I can move up to running (no walking, no stopping) 1.5 miles.  I'm still pretty psyched every time I run the mile, especially since for the first half of it, I'm thinking, "OK, so maybe I won't run a mile today because God this is tiring!"  But then I push through and it happens and I do a mini-celebration (read: singing and dancing in the shower) afterward.  I'm a happy gal these days.

In case anyone is wondering, for my walks around the neighborhood, I'm using the free iMapMyRun app on my iPhone to keep track of distance, time and calories.  Does anyone else use this app?  If you do, are you liking it?  I can't figure out if it's accurate or not, and I know for sure that my treadmill isn't 100% accurate -- every 4 seconds or so, it'll get stuck for about 3-4 seconds before moving on, so I'm definitely running more than I intend, but that's fine with me.  If you use another app and you're liking it more, I'd love to hear about it!


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Monday, January 9, 2012

Famers Markets and Activism

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Here in Kahea-land, the weekend went by quickly but nicely.  Friday and Saturday night was for hanging out with Nate and watching movies at home, and on Saturday (as I mentioned here) we went for a pretty easy hike at Sunol Regional Wilderness Reserve.  The park has a cool section called Little Yosemite, where a waterfall and river cut through a ravine and you can walk along it on a really flat road/trail.

On Sunday, we went to our local farmers market to pick up some stuff we've been running low on (namely greens and oranges).  Last weeks meals consisted of a lot of kale stuff -- I made both a kale soup and a crispy kale and pancetta risotto -- and, although we're getting a little closer to the point where we want something else, since kale's in season that's what we're eating.  Do you eat seasonally and regionally?  Alongside really reducing our meat intake, that's something we've been working to do lately.  It's not easy, especially since as a society we're so used to the non-seasons we see in grocery stores, but with the help of a regional/seasonal produce chart, and shopping for some of our stuff at farmers markets, we're acclimating.

Last night, I also volunteered to help out with an event hosted by the Save the Peaks Coalition, a forum which tries to give a voice to citizens who are committed to saving the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona -- which are sacred to a number of tribes -- from being spiritually desecrated and environmentally destroyed, all in the name of recreation (in this case, the U.S. Forest Service is looking to use reclaimed water -- that's right, sewage -- to create snow on the mountain range for skiing, snowboarding, etc., never mind how much of a health hazard this will be if it actually goes through).  Today, the 9th Circuit will be hearing this case and deciding if the environmental risks outweigh the economic benefits, if you can even call them benefits, of this project.  The court won't even consider the fact that this mountain is incredibly holy to Indigenous peoples in the area and destroying it would be tantamount to spiritual genocide.

If you'd like more information on this, you can visit (and support) the Save the Peaks Coalition, or read up on the issue here and here.

Some pictures from the weekend:




Photo by International Indian Treaty Council
Dine' youth come together to save the San Francisco Peaks.  Photo credited to http://instagr.am/p/fqUMe/.




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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around the neighborhood with Finn, and pilates at home
Duration:  1 hr. and 10 min.
Calories Burned:  at least 171 (not sure how much I burned during pilates)
Description: 2.2 mile walk, followed by 20 min of the basic Malibu Pilates workout.

This was a nice way to ease into the week. In keeping with that theme, I followed pilates with the most amazing bowl of yogurt ever consumed in the history of the world.  If you don't currently eat Saint Benoit yogurt, you need to hurry up and get on this train.  Especially if you live in Northern California, since it's completely local, sustainably produced, and you get a deposit back when you return their jars to them through your grocery store or their stand at local farmers markets.  It's also just absolutely delicious, and this is coming from someone who traditionally hasn't cared for any yogurt ever.

Yummy yogurt.



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Saturday, January 7, 2012

[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on treadmill; hike with Nate and Finn
Duration:  1 hr and 36 min.
Calories Burned:  at least 367
Description:  .5 mile warm-up walk, followed by a 1 mile run and .1 mile cool-down walk.  Then a 2.7 mile hike with Nate and Finn at the Sunol Regional Wilderness Reserve.

A couple of things felt extra nice today: 1) Sticking to my work-out routine even though it's a Saturday and I usually use that as an excuse not to, and 2) Getting outdoors and seeing "Little Yosemite" at Sunol Regional Wilderness.

It's been a great day, so far.


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Friday, January 6, 2012

Just Because

Because I can't stop watching old episodes of Glee right now.  Because Santana and Mike Chang are my favorites (even though he wasn't my favorite when he was on SYTYCD).  Because FUN is awesome.

And because it's Friday.


Have a great weekend!


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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk around the neighborhood with Finn, and pilates at home
Duration:  1 hr (and 2 min)
Calories Burned:  at least 145 (not sure how much I burned during pilates)
Description:  2.1 mile walk, followed by 20 min of the basic Malibu Pilates workout.

As I mentioned, I definitely skipped the run today and substituted in a 20 min Malibu Pilates workout.  Nate's mom recently got the Malibu Pilates bench and a few DVDs, so I decided to give one a try.  It is such a workout!  I couldn't even finish all the reps for each position and I just know I'm gonna be sore all over tomorrow, but it was a lot of fun (I love pilates to begin with) so I'm gonna stick with it.  Has anyone else ever tried it?  Did you like it as much as I did?

Though I haven't gotten my January workout action plan together yet, I think I'm gonna do pilates three days a week and run three days a week, that way I'm working a variety of muscles and hopefully won't get bored doing the same old thing.

In other news, my blisters still hurt.  Bastards.



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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Planning a Great Year and Some Promo

Although I've never been a huge fan of New Years Eve (too much hype, rarely ever what you thought it would end up being), I have always appreciated the month of January for being a time when so many people are trying to start over, to hit that reset button, to forgive and forget all the things that went on in the last year and to gear up for the 365 days ahead of them.  It's always been a time of hopefulness, you know?

And for someone like me, that means it's a time for plotting and planning.  For envisioning all the wonderful things that could happen, for making preparations and contingency plans for the speed bumps ahead, and definitely for reevaluating priorities and setting new goals.  The thing is, though...I suck at resolutions.  Like, really suck at them.  I can't think of a single resolution I've ever made and kept.  And believe me, I make them all the time, and not just on New Years Eve.  I mean, really, does anyone keep their resolutions?  And don't resolutions just feel sort of surface-level when you think about it?  Say your resolution is to lose weight (it's been mine for the past 10 years, so why not?) -- how does that statement help you in any way?  Does it require you to lay out an action plan for losing weight?  Does it speak to your motivations and inspirations?  Does it set you up for overcoming the struggles you'll face?  Mine never did and maybe that's why I always gave up on them 2 weeks into January.

So this year I'm trying something new.  I'm going to sit down and really think through 2011 (the good, bad and ugly), and then seriously plan for 2012 -- no spur of the moment goals, no off-the-top-of-my-head hair-brained ideas.  And instead of resolutions, I'm creating a theme!  It's taking me some time, but I'm playing around with ideas like pursuing passions and exploring authenticity, all that cool stuff.  Once the theme is nailed down, I'll use it to work on a mind map and a vision board and then some action planning (with real steps and benchmarks) for the next 12 months.  I'm so excited!

I'll post all of that stuff as it develops but, to give you an idea, here's my 2011 vision board and mind map -- I actually really tried to live by the ideas on both and 2011 ended up being a serious upswing year for me.


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So kind of in keeping with all of this, most of you know that I'm a huge fan of Stratejoy, right?  I use a bunch of its products and am, actually, a sort of volunteer staff member too (and have we got some great things in store for you guys!).  Molly (the founder), her company, and all the women that participate in Stratejoy either through blogging or commenting or the groups have literally helped me in ways I can't even explain.  And just in case you're in a place in your life where you're looking for really supportive community, or you're doing some positive planning for 2012, or you just need some help connecting with yourself again, I wanted to share some of these resources:
  • Creating Your Magical Year: This is what I'm currently using to help with the thinking and reviewing and mapping and planning for 2012.  I took part in the live calls in December, but with this you can listen to all those call recordings, all the interviews, get all the worksheets, and even get the extra goodies Molly sent out during those three weeks.  As an organized soul, I have loved this course.  So if you're thinking of really trying to beef up those resolutions this year, go forth and try it.
  • The Joy Equation: This is what started the upward swing for me last January.  It was 30 days of absolutely turning my life around.  For those 4 weeks, you get weekly audio sessions, a workbook (that I still look at almost daily), daily journal prompts, and tons of tools to reconnect with yourself.  My favorite part is a toss up between figuring out what my values were and actually believing that it's okay for me to decide the course of my own life.  Can't say enough good things, except maybe that the price of this e-course is a "pay what you can" donation.  Seriously.
  • Joy Juice: This is a years worth of journal prompts that I'm currently using as well.  The prompts are emailed to you every few days and cover a different big life topic each month (like love, money, health, authenticity, etc.).  Because I loved how The Joy Equation's prompts got me in the habit of journaling daily again, I jumped at this.  It really does help to sort of turn light switches on in your head.  Best part is that it's all on your time, you don't have to journal every day (the emails can just hang out in your inbox...mine do until I'm in need of a topic).  I use it.  I love it.


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For full disclosures sake: Again, I'm a volunteer Team Stratejoy member, as well as an Affiliate.  So, as an Affiliate, if you click on the above links -- or the links in the sidebar -- and purchase any of these Stratejoy products using those links, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.  But that doesn't mean I think this stuff is any less amazeballs.  If you were a pal you would use my links.
 
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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk and run on treadmill (at 7am)
Duration:  56 min.
Calories Burned:  339 cal.
Description:  2 mile walk on the treadmill, followed by a 1 mile run on the treadmill.  .1 mile cool down walk and stretch.

Do you know what my word of the day is today?  PAIN.  Pain, pain, pain, pain, PAIN.  And it's really a toss up as to what hurts more: my muscles (thighs mostly, though abs are putting up a fight too) which have not experienced this much consistent exercise since the end of November, or the humongous blister I have on the side of my foot right below my big toe.

Really, can you imagine how I'm walking right now?  I'm hobbling.  And yet still, still I want to exercise tomorrow.  But I'm thinking of resting on the running for a day.  Definitely doing the walk, but then trying some pilates or something instead.  Or back strengthening exercises.  Whichever.  Anything but smashing on my foot some more.

The really craptastic part is that I'm thinking this means I need to consider investing in better shoes.  I'm hopeful it's a fluke blister (because why now?  why not when I was running more consistently back in October?) since it's not like I'm rolling in cash right now, but if I get any more of these suckers, new shoes it is.

Got any favorite running shoes?


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Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Back from the Holidays

Waipi'o Valley, Big Island, Hawaii.

Being away from home isn't easy for anyone, I don't think, especially around the holidays.  2010 was the first time I spent Christmas outside of Hawaii and away from my family, and while Nate made that Christmas beautiful and special, it just wasn't the same.  So you can bet your ass we went to Hawaii this past year, for a lovely 10 day trip that, in the end, still wasn't enough time.

My family is large.  And loud.  And in-your-business, most of the time.  Any given meal will involve no less than 15 people, and a trip to the nearest town 20 minutes away takes strategic planning and an attention and sensitivity to detail and everyone's needs and feelings.  Our household is dominated by strong women with opinions on the "right way" of doing just about everything.  At any given time, my baby nephew will be crawling around your feet, my niece will be laughing hysterically at something in the next room, and my other nephew will be running in and out of the house with his little neighborhood friends offering promises like a priest and crossing his fingers behind his back. They are the cutest kids in the world.  There are dogs milling about everywhere (the yard, the porch, the house itself), 2 cats (one of which may actually think she's a dog as well), and most likely a full-grown dead mountain boar packed away in the ice chest in our garage (I come from a family of hunters, after all).  My mother and my sisters and I get along like best friends.  We also probably annoy one another like best friends.  My father makes me laugh like no one else in the world can.  I missed my grandfather every single second I was home this year.

We are related to half of our village.  We live in a sleepy country town on the slope of a mountain.  It used to be a sugarcane plantation, and my grandma will still identify areas of our village by camp number.  There was snow on our mountain this year, and someone brought some down in a pick-up truck and built a snowman just across the street.  I think the rain melted it within a few hours.

Hawaii -- the place, the land, the air, the ocean -- it grabs at something inside you.  For all of it's problems and pitfalls (and believe me, there are many), those islands are the most alive place I've ever been.  Regardless of however long I stay away, however long I choose to live in the mainland, I will never not be intricately connected to it.  It's at the center of my history, my family's history, my ancestors histories.  It's home.

This is all just to say that I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and that you were where and with whomever you needed to be with this year.  I was!

Happy New Year.


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[Girl♥Health]: Daily Workout Stats

Type of Workout:  Walk with Finn around the neighborhood; run on treadmill
Duration:  1 hour (and 2 min)
Calories Burned:  290 cal.
Description:  2.2 mile walk with Finn, followed by a 1 mile run on the treadmill.  Cool-down walk and stretch.

So today is sort of a mini-celebration day.  For one thing, it's my first day back working out after over a month of lazy-assing around.  And for another, this is the first time in my life that I've been able to run a mile straight without stopping to walk for a bit.

Happy dance!

I know, it's doesn't seem like that big of a deal, right?  Because I've done a 10k and a 5k and my high school had the most nightmarish of P.E. programs ever (although to be honest, I miss it now), but I've just never gotten through that mile without stopping at least once to rest and walk and catch my breath.  It's like having a mental block -- it's been a hurdle I've just had the hardest time overcoming.  It just goes to show how out of shape and unhealthy I've been.

But it's also this crazy sort of accomplishment that feeds a desire to keep going, you know?  So I'm looking forward to sitting down and thinking of my January action plan over the next couple of days.  I'll post that as soon as it's ready!

How are your workouts shaping up in the new year?


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