I love the snow every time it shows up. It is magical, beautiful, fun and intrusive. I love that it makes you stop and reconsider your plans (at least it does in Seattle because it's hard to get anywhere in the snow). Tonight I was supposed to go out to dinner to celebrate a birthday and then go swimming with a friend, which I would have really enjoyed but instead I'm forced to stay here at home.
Tonight I have cleaned my kitchen, made a pumpkin pie, watched 3 episodes of Lost, worked on my niece's hat and took Sophie on a long walk in the snow. What a great night...the only thing that could make it better would be to have someone to snuggle with :-)
Taking Sophie on walks in the snow is one of my favorite things to do. She puts into action the way that I feel about the snow. She sprints, jumps, runs in circles and looks like a complete goofball doing it. I think I need to be more like my puppy when I grow up. What's the reason for me not running, jumping and looking like a fool? There is no reason. Maybe I will leave this computer to do that right....NOW!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Dye lot
'I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down
*Abraham Lincoln*
*Abraham Lincoln*
It is truly a wonderful thing when you find a friend who was cut from the same cloth. I am so very blessed to have friends who understand me fully and love me anyway. These friends and I do so many things together; laugh, sit in silence, hike, triathlon, marathon.
I have learned from, and been blessed by, my friends more than can be expressed (so I don't know why I'm trying!). These people have made me who I am. Without them I would not know how to solve conflicts, dance, knit, make hot buttered rum, communicate effectively, identify random plants in the forest or make gingerbread pieces of art :-)
From my very first friend until now I hold every single person close to my heart. There are many people who have left over the years whether by natural drifting or altercation. I have learned to look past these situations to find the good in the memories (some days it is more possible than others.) Although there have been some tough endings to friendships...and most I wish had not ended...I do not regret one smile, tear or word that has been said. These relationship have truly made me who I am today. I know that in the future there will be more new friendships and more that come to an untimely end, but I will continue moving forward and holding each in my heart like a small light that brightens every day.
This may be one of my posts that is a little too warm and fuzzy...but if I'm being overtaken by love and joy...why not share it? If you are reading this and you are a past, current or future friend please know that you are treasured and that you were made to be the exact person that you are. You have touched at least one person's life, MINE!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Food for thought
During the spring of last year I did a 3 week cleanse diet through my chiropractor. The cleanse consisted of a protein drink, fruits, vegetables and chicken/fish. For the entire time I was not allowed to have any kind of grain (other than 1/2 cup rice per day) and definitely not anything processed. After the diet I started eating 'normally' again and immediately experienced shortness of breath (something that I've been experiencing for years) as well as indigestion and headaches. After explaining this to my chiropractor she referred me to a great naturopathic doctor, Kim Celmer, for some allergy testing.
I had a blood test done as well as a funky test that had to do with energy flows in my body. After the tests I started an elimination diet and took out 15 things (pretty much everything) for over 1 month. After the month I began to work the foods back in 1 by 1 and kept a detailed log of my body's reactions to these reintroduced foods. The whole process took about 2.5 months. I had my days of extreme frustration with the strict diet, but I think that understanding my body is completely invaluable.
I found out that I'm mildly sensitive to corn (it hurts my throat), gin and red wine (they turn flush) and onions (they give me heart burn). I also have a more extreme sensitivity to wheat (not gluten), chicken eggs and whey protein (which means I can still have cheese...AWESOME). I know that I have an extreme sensitivity to these things because when I put them back into my diet I gained 12 pounds in 10 days...which is pretty impossible especially due to the fact that I was training for a marathon and running 25 miles per week when this happened. It turns out that when I ate those things, my body went into an inflammation response and held water all over. So, I was bloating and puffy and unhappy.
The good news is that I'm fortunate that I have easy alternatives. I am NOT sensitive to gluten...it's wheat. This means that I can still cook with barley, rye and spelt* (yummmmm....spelt!). Also, I can have duck eggs, so I often make cookies with spelt flour and duck eggs and they're still pretty yummy.
A couple of days ago I went to my amazing chiropractor, Katherine Ellison, because my mid back was hurting really badly. Once I laid down she did her assessment on my body and said 'well, this middle back section is where all of the stress is expressed when your digestive tract is inflamed...have you been eating something you aren't supposed to?' Well yes, yes I had!!! I had a tortilla and some cookies made with wheat the day before. The milk, eggs and wheat in those foods affected me more than I would like to admit. It's amazing to me what alternative medicine doctors know just from feeling your muscles and pressure in between your bones.
So, lesson learned, I do have to be strict and obnoxious at restaurants. It's so frustrating that I can't eat anything I want at any time, but what I feel when I do eat them just isn't worth it. I'm super duper thankful for the entire process of this food sensitivity testing. I haven't felt better in years. My breathing is better, I've lost a ton of weight, my mood is better and I'm less cranky.
*BTW: the blogger spell check does not recognize the word spelt...so it's not just my friends that have no idea what it is ;-)
I had a blood test done as well as a funky test that had to do with energy flows in my body. After the tests I started an elimination diet and took out 15 things (pretty much everything) for over 1 month. After the month I began to work the foods back in 1 by 1 and kept a detailed log of my body's reactions to these reintroduced foods. The whole process took about 2.5 months. I had my days of extreme frustration with the strict diet, but I think that understanding my body is completely invaluable.
I found out that I'm mildly sensitive to corn (it hurts my throat), gin and red wine (they turn flush) and onions (they give me heart burn). I also have a more extreme sensitivity to wheat (not gluten), chicken eggs and whey protein (which means I can still have cheese...AWESOME). I know that I have an extreme sensitivity to these things because when I put them back into my diet I gained 12 pounds in 10 days...which is pretty impossible especially due to the fact that I was training for a marathon and running 25 miles per week when this happened. It turns out that when I ate those things, my body went into an inflammation response and held water all over. So, I was bloating and puffy and unhappy.
The good news is that I'm fortunate that I have easy alternatives. I am NOT sensitive to gluten...it's wheat. This means that I can still cook with barley, rye and spelt* (yummmmm....spelt!). Also, I can have duck eggs, so I often make cookies with spelt flour and duck eggs and they're still pretty yummy.
A couple of days ago I went to my amazing chiropractor, Katherine Ellison, because my mid back was hurting really badly. Once I laid down she did her assessment on my body and said 'well, this middle back section is where all of the stress is expressed when your digestive tract is inflamed...have you been eating something you aren't supposed to?' Well yes, yes I had!!! I had a tortilla and some cookies made with wheat the day before. The milk, eggs and wheat in those foods affected me more than I would like to admit. It's amazing to me what alternative medicine doctors know just from feeling your muscles and pressure in between your bones.
So, lesson learned, I do have to be strict and obnoxious at restaurants. It's so frustrating that I can't eat anything I want at any time, but what I feel when I do eat them just isn't worth it. I'm super duper thankful for the entire process of this food sensitivity testing. I haven't felt better in years. My breathing is better, I've lost a ton of weight, my mood is better and I'm less cranky.
*BTW: the blogger spell check does not recognize the word spelt...so it's not just my friends that have no idea what it is ;-)
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