Visit from a friend

Christine & I with Dr. Kataria August '10 @ the Laughter Yoga Conference

Since I've had a little friendship theme going on here: One of my best friends, Christine, was in town for two weeks, visiting from New Hampshire. She moved back home to NH a year and half ago after being unemployed in Portland for a year. I have missed her dearly. She is much more of a social butterfly than I and so had a cram-packed schedule during her two week visit. I had lunch with her, breakfast another day, went to church several times with her at Unity and luckily got to see her numerous times before she headed out this last Monday. We had a few people over, in her honor, for a potluck at our house this past Friday. Mostly folks from our 2009 Mazamas BCEP (Basic Climbing Education Program) group, which is where we became such good friends.* The hold outs at the end of the potluck ended up at a bar due to Chris' allergies to my cat. :P But we had a fun time watching Chris and Tiff sing Karaoke. Dan and I even had Jello shots! I haven't had one since college. They were actually designer Jello shots that one of the employees was selling to raise money. Their dodge-ball team is going to nationals! I had strawberry champagne (so much lower alcohol than most) and Dan's was margarita. Here are a few more photos:

Being Witnessed

My post on friendship garnered a good bit of response yesterday, on my blog and Facebook. I felt the love and understanding from friends. Thank you. As I said in my comment, I felt virtually {{hugged}}. I also heard from one of my childhood friends regarding the post. I won't go into detail. I'll just say that things are good. We are good ... But it got me thinking ... Why do we take this weird step of posting our lives for the world to see via the internet, on a blog? We have the technology now to do many things, but that doesn't mean we should do them just because we can. As my mom always said when I wanted to do something, because others were doing it, "If your friends jumped off a bridge would you jump too?" It made me wonder for a split second, is it a good idea to allow yourself to be so vulnerable, in such a public way? I have a friend who works in IT and does not allow himself to have any online presence, even to the extent of once removing himself and his email address from an E-vite I sent. My father will not order anything online. That is obviously too extreme for me. I already have LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts (among others) and order stuff from Amazon regularly, but is it a good idea to allow yourself/myself to be so vulnerable, in such a public way, even if there is the possibility of directly or indirectly hurting others?

Reflecting on Friendship & EFT

Clearly writing and posting was easier during the 30 for 30 Remix challenge since I haven’t posted much since it ended. My original intention was to share my inner journey and the 30 for 30 seemed like a good way to break in to blogging on a regular basis and also expose myself a wee bit, albeit in a different way. I enjoyed the 30 for 30 and feel like I got a lot out of it. Recently, I've had a lot going on in daily life and internally. I thought about writing here and steered away from it multiple times, but I'm feeling up to sharing a bit of my journey today for some reason, so here it goes …

In March, I participated in four days of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) training with Alina Frank through EFT Universe. Emotional Freedom Technique, often referred to as tapping, is an acupressure/meridian based technique created to help release negative emotions stored in our energy system. The belief is that “the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system.” During the training we did a lot of partner work which I’ve continued with some people from my class (Thanks Rebecca!). Basically, I am continually amazed at how things from our childhood can affect us so greatly, even when we think that they do not or should not.

I had a pretty good childhood - full of family, a healthy dose of sibling rivalry, playing in the sprinkler and riding my 10 speed to the creek with friends. Softball, Girl Scouts. No abuse. I was a decent student and in honors classes much of the time. The biggest issue, in my mind, had always been my move across the country - from South Carolina to Oregon just before High School started - but even now when I look back on that I am happy I moved. The move to Oregon helped me become the person I am today. Yet, what has come up in my recent past and reared its head, again, in the training, was something always in the back of my mind that I never focused on much: My female friendships, from the time I was young, have been fraught with difficulties. 

A Few More Finds

Here are a few more thrift/consignment shop finds from the last few months. The basement lighting just does not do them justice!

 Toile'ish inspired linen shirt - Coldwater Creek

A Symphonic Outing

I completely forgot that I was going to the symphony with my mom today. Oops! But we talk often enough that she reminded me yesterday. I had to rearrange some things, but it all worked out and we had a great time. Not only had I forgotten about it, but this particular show was a Sunday matinée instead of the regular 7:30 pm show, so I had to miss the Hawthorne Laughter Club as well. Note to self: The parking and traffic downtown is much worse on a Sunday at 1:30 pm versus 7 pm. It took almost 20 minutes to go three blocks to get into the parking structure! Luckily, we made it in the door before they closed them tight and started the performance.

We usually get a packet of tickets and go to 5 or 6 shows a season. Today's show had Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by 23 year old Natasha Paremski and finished with Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. Natasha nailed the concerto, which was written and premiered by Prokofiev when he was only 21. Guest conductor, Michael Francis, was filling in on the spur of the moment as the other visiting conductor had to cancel. I loved this guy. He told us a little about the music and composer. I always like a conductor who chats a bit prior to the performance. This is one of the reasons I love Jeff Tyzik and the Pops performances so much. Bonus: Michael was funny.

In Portland, you can wear pretty much whatever you want anywhere, even to the symphony, but we always dress up a little. I see it as one of my few opportunities and hate to waste it! This is what I wore today:

Asian Mandarin Collar Jacket - thrift find; Black slacks - Gap Boy Fit Trousers

New haircut

Anyone who was following me during the 30 for 30 read that I was growing my hair out (from really short) and it was driving me crazy on and off. Well ... I finally got the weird mullet grow out trimmed off the back and it looks and feels 110% better. Yay! A hair cut is always a sure thing for picking up my spirits. I think that is one reason I continually grow it out and cut it off. :D

Below are photos of my haircut and my outfit from Friday. I posted a photo from the 30 for 30 so you can remember what my hair looked like before.

Finally! Some finishing thoughts

Life was a little crazy there for a bit. I was sick for an entire week and then immediately had some training that took me to the Seattle area. My laptop is on the fritz, so I was not connected during my training, plus I've been playing catch up on the rest of my life. Today I decided that it was high time I share what I learned during the 30 for 30 Remix Challenge. The fact that I got a haircut today (stay tuned for photos) and that the sun was peaking out when I got back home this afternoon helped. I got to take some photos outside! Of myself and the blooming spring flowers. Woo-hoo! Anyway, hear are some of my thoughts ...

Spring had arrived and with the flowers comes what us Portlanders call 'sun breaks'. Here's
 hoping for many more between now & the 4th of July (that's when our summer actually begins)

Final outfit

I expected to get a little further than this even when I decided that I might not make it to 30. However, I ended up with a super nasty case of the flu and have been in my jammies for longer than I care to admit. The fever and cough have lessened a bit today, but now my nose will not stop running and I am sneezing like crazy, so I still feel pretty sick. Ugh. Anyway, here was the last outfit caught on camera before the flu took me out.

Day 24

Turtleneck - Old Navy, Sweater - NY & Co., Silk scarf - vintage thrifted,
Khaki pants - Loft, Boots - Ariat, Earrings - gift from my mom

Water Logged - Days 21, 22 & 23

Okay, so we all know that it rains a lot in Portland, Oregon, right? But our winter rain is often a drizzle. Real Oregonians do not even use umbrellas. The last few days it has been pouring. Like the weather gods think this is a Southern thunderstorm, but we do not have any thunder and lightening, a rarity here.

BUT the deluge has been enough that we have water seeping up through the concrete cracks in our gear room in the basement. Ugh. Luckily, the few things that got wet are things that can get wet. Dry bags (designed to keep things dry!), coolers, Rubbermaid storage containers, one cardboard box of freeze dried food. But it has also been colder than normal. We had that little bit of snow and ice last week and the snow level is coming down to between 500-1000 feet again later this week. Which means there is always a chance it actually gets to the valley floor. We seem to be hovering just above freezing in the mornings. So we will see. Weird weather, especially for February! The good news is that the mountains are getting more snow again, which is important for spring mountain climbing, but also to ensure that we do not end up with a drought this summer. We had a warm spell and all the amazing amounts of snow we had accumulated this winter were almost melted in January!

What you can't see is all of the coolers and other items stacked up on the "dry" side of the room. Hope it stays that way!

Second thoughts - Days 19 & 20

I am starting to have trouble with the 30 for 30 now, but not in the way I thought. I am not running out of ideas as much as I am dreading taking photos!! I have never had issues having my photo taken. In fact, I love photos for the memories they provide. I was always the friend with the camera, but not shy about being in front of it either. I think since this started I have been judging myself and the photos and this week it hit its culmination. I take 50 photos and will have one or two with my eyes open. Ugh. Very frustrating and making me contemplate continuing the 30 for 30, but without the photos! Ugh. :P

So Monday I took a pajama day and did not get dressed (one of the pluses AND minuses of working from home) and on Tuesday I did get dressed in another 30 for 30 outfit, but did not take a photo. I was completely unmotivated. I may recreate it for you all on another day ... So days 19 & 20 are not really 19 and 20, but its what you're getting, I guess! At least I made myself get back in the program and not quit! =) On top of that, we've had crazy weather this week. Cold, snow and now even colder, but sunny. I was not prepared for this when I selected my clothing. By the time February rolls around it is typically warmer. It's our December and especially January that are usually colder.  This is only the 5th or 6th time on record that Portland has had snow in February. So I have been layering other t-shirts or tanks etc. under my 30 for 30 clothes to add some bulk. And just in time for my weekend on Mt. Hood, outside in the cold for Mountaineering First-aid this weekend.  Brrr ...

We had more, but it was only 34 degrees so it melted down during the day yesterday. I should have taken the picture in the morning when the road was covered. Today it is below freezing & everything is now ICE! This is what we usually end up with, ice. Much less fun. See the bike? The kids were out of school for a snow day yesterday and some kid left his bike there all day and overnight. Finally disappeared sometime this morning. I just hope he took it & not someone else ...

Weekend Review - Day 18 & 19

I did actually get out of my PJs over the weekend, but my husband thought it was only appropriate that you all get to see me in my favorite pair of Pajamas. Here is my just rolled out of bed look. Okay, I take that back. I look grumpier right after I roll out. This is me after the funk has been shaken off. I was excited for pancakes! Even though I was the one making them. I like cooking and on the weekends I often make a big breakfast on at least one of the two days. When I make pancakes, however, I have to make two batches! I am used to it by now, but regular cakes for Dan and gluten-free for me. On Sunday we actually had a healthier, fancier breakfast: Leek & feta omelet over a bed of balsamic sprinkled arugula. Yum!

Joe Boxer PJs - Kmart

This photos is how I know my hair is getting longer. When it was short-short it would've been sticking up all ways to Sunday! Might make for a more interesting photo for you all - Andrea looking like a rooster.

Full moon fever - Day 17

Since it was clear and sunny yesterday, we were blessed with awesome views of the full moon last night. Unfortunately, I did not snag a photo, but it rarely happens in the winter in Portland, so it is note worthy. Today the clouds have started to come back in, but when I was ready for photos it was not actually raining, so I took some outdoor shots today. Yay! The weather gods are messing with me this week, but I am not complaining. It's been good to change it up.

Day 17

blouse - vintage Thrifted, sweater - ??, Red velvet pants - Loft, Shoes - Born

Crazy weather - Day 15 & 16

So I complained a little about the weather in Portland in my last post as I took time to explain to fellow bloggers why all of my 30 for 30 photos are indoors. Rain, rain, rain. Well, we woke up Wednesday morning to this!

Yes, that is snow. Big large beautiful flakes.

However, it was not quite cold enough to stick. Just above freezing. So we got the beauty of the falling snow and none of the mess. 'Cause when it snows in Portland it is a disaster. Laugh, but we do not have the equipment to deal with it, no one knows how to drive in it and even if you know no one else does so it is crazy to go out. Everything shuts down. And we usually end up with freezing rain on top of our snow when it does snow. Ice is never fun, unless you are ice skating. Or eating ice cream. =)

It's a Laughing Day - Day 14

Day 14

Tuesdays are my Laughter Yoga & Toastmasters day. I have the Awakenings Laughter Club early in the morning and then I usually have a laughter club at a retirement community and then my Toastmasters Club meeting. So there is a lot of running around, but, of course, this month I also have Mountaineering First-aid in the evenings, so there is also rolling on the floor. Hence the need for jeans.

Turtle neck - Old Navy, Blazer - Thrifted (Talbots), sweater - NY & Co.,
Jeans - Thrifted (Mossimo), Scarf - Walgreens, Shoes - Born

Valentine's Day - Day 13

Happy Valentine's Day! This should be Day 14 of the 30 for 30 Remix, but I missed a day as explained earlier. I am excited about today's outfit. I am wearing two pieces that I have not yet worn. My red velvet corduroy pants from Loft and my Uniform Project Little Black Dress. I love red and love Loft pants, since I am short and they sell petites in everything. No hemming required! And if you haven't heard about the Uniform Project, please check them out. Watch the videos of the first year on their Vimeo page and follow the current projects. My dress is the original LBD. It is reversible, has a removable collar and can be worn as a dress or tunic. Brilliant! I purchased one of theirs and got the pattern, so I can hopefully make my own in another color/fabric. To top it off they are always raising $$ for various good causes.

Day 13
I have been having bu-co trouble with my eyes being closed in my photos. Especially on the days I am doing self-portraits. So I am taking a cue from fellow 30 for 30 blogger Kate in my photo below. She does awesome candid shots of her daily outfits on her blog It's a New Kate.

Blouse - Loft, Red Velvet Pants - Loft, LBD - Uniform Project, Scarf - gift-thrifted, shoes - Born

Catching up! - Days 10, 11, 12

I am behind on posting, but these three photo sessions help catch me up. I was experimenting with patterns and color combinations over the weekend.

Day 10
I didn't do much Friday, so I wanted to be warm & comfy, but decided to be daring by mixing patterns and colors that I might not normally. Not sure how I feel about it now, but I liked it on Friday! What you cannot see very well in the photo is that my tights are dark purple!

T-shirt - Old Navy, Scarf - Marshall's, Belt - no idea!, Skirt - Trade Roots,
Fleece Tights - Fred Meyer, Shoes - Born, Bracelet - GoodWill

Winter 30 for 30 - Day 9

Day 9

This was yesterday's outfit ... I have always liked hats and wear them on and off. However, in the past few months I have begun wearing them more often. Partly, because I am always cold, partly because I am trying to grow my hair out and because this is something I love. I know I can pull off wearing a hat! So I am embracing it. It dawned on me that I had not worn one in any of my photos, even though I might have worn one since the 30 for 30 began. So I am going to try and remember to throw a hat on in the photos once-in-a-while. I should also thrown in a few photos with my coats etc. so you can see what I actually look like when I leave the house.

T-shirt - Gap * Sweater - Loft * Scarf - Walgreens (seriously!) * Belt - Came with my black suit
from Loft, doesn't even fit now, but the belt works! * Jeans - Mossimo, Target * Boots - Fred Meyers

Assumptions & Expectations

I've been doing lots of thinking about the blog, the title and how clothing and the 30 for 30 really fit in with all of THIS (remembering self). What it boils down to is - I have some long held beliefs or assumptions about myself, my body or clothing that have been dictating how I dress or don't dress and really how I feel about and present myself to the world. I am kind of tired of them and would desperately like to move on! Warning! This will probably be a long post ... Let's start with a little history:

Winter 30 for 30 - Day 7 & 8

Day 7
I've been having issues with my camera timer and my eyes always being closed in most of my photos. This was truly the only photo with eyes wide open. I thought they were open when looking in the LCD preview, but I guess not. They were either closed or I looked drugged once downloaded!

Blouse - thrifted vintage, Corduroy blazer - Gap, Khaki's - Loft,
Belt - Belonged to Jeff, my late husband, Shoes - Born

Winter 30 for 30 - Day 5 & 6

Day 5


Saturday I hung out with my parents. Went to the movies, which I rarely do, did some computer related craftie stuff with my Dad (Photoshop & Corel Draw). My Mom and I saw "The King's Speech". Excellent!! I highly recommend it. There were laugh-out-loud moments and tender, emotional moments, plus history, royalty, WWII, stellar casting. What else can you ask for in a movie? I am half Australian, so there is always a little fascination with the Royal Family, not that I follow the tabloids or anything. But he was king when my Mom (Mum) was little, so that's pretty cool in my book. Then my parents and I went to Chang's Mongolian Grill for dinner, after which I picked up my awesome friend, Kristi at the airport and hung out with her before heading home to see my hubby and bed.

Blouse - Thrift, V-neck sweater - NY & Co., Pants - Petite Sophisticate, Shoes - Born

Winter 30 for 30 - Day 3 & 4

Day 3 - Still Sick

So I have been fighting a cold with a nasty cough this week, so I didn't post my outfit the day of, however, yesterday was another day spent in jammies until the afternoon. I had a CPR/First-aid class that I couldn't really miss in the evening as it builds up to more in-depth training I am doing throughout February (Mazamas MFA), so I showered and dressed, but not to impress. This is exactly why I threw in my Prana hoodie at the last minute, relaxed without being boring.

T-shirt - Gap, Hoodie - Prana (REI), Jeans - Mossimo (Target), Shoes - Born, Socks - SmartWool

Christmas/Birthday present

I've wanted a home exercise machine for a while now. I was really keen on getting the NordicTrack Incline Trainer to help simulate hiking in the off season (the new versions even have a decline feature!), but for various reasons we decided on an elliptical instead. Life was crazy with other things these last few months, so we actually did not purchase anything until after the New Year. Luckily, the sales on exercise equipment continue into January due to those old New Year's resolutions.

But things have still been busy, so there it sat in a box, first in the Suburban and then the garage. The biggest issue being that I was not strong enough to help Dan get the bulk of it in the house so that we could put it together. (It needed to be lugged up the stairs to the front door and then down into the basement.) Every time he went to go ask a neighbor, and he asked four different neighbors at various times, the guys were always conveniently gone. Finally, our neighbor Joe was around Sunday afternoon and they delivered it to the basement. 

This is what I could not help carry. Heav-Y!

Winter 30 for 30 - Day 2

Cough ... cough ... cough! So today is day two and I am sick. :P What I thought was a scratchy throat from too much laughing turned into a real cough and running nose. So I spent most of the day in my Joe Boxer, Winking Smiley-Face PJs today. However, I did finally take a shower and get dressed as I need to run to the grocery store. So here is a self-portrait, outside in our rare and magnificent winter sunshine. Guess I should have added sunglasses to the accessory list.

Okay ... Maybe my hair is turning reddish! I haven't highlighted it in over a year.

Shirt - Old Navy, Pants - Petite Sophisticate, Socks - SmartWool, Shoes - Born

Roll'n, roll'n, roll'n along!

Rawhide! So one of my best friends, Christine, suggested that I ditch my black clogs for the 30 for 30. As she says, "Too much black!" So I sent her a picture of a few non-black shoes and she picked ... My cowboy boots! Not sure how this will work, but I will wear them at least once and definitely try for more. I have also decided to go for more bold and I picked a cute, bright, school-girl inspired plaid mini as my final item. I thrifted this quite awhile ago. I love it, but I am not sure I've actually ever worn it. Again with that voice-in-my-head. So I am throwing caution and my fear of decision making to the wind. I think in their honor I will wear the plaid mini with the cowboy boots!

Winter 30 for 30 - Day 1

Tuesdays are always my earliest day of the week. So last night I checked the weather and picked out my clothes before heading to bed. Deciding was made easier by only having 30 items to choose from!  Of course, Day 1 it is colder than normal and very windy, but we were blessed with blue skies (a rarity here in the winter) and we have better weather right now than most of the country so I will not complain. I also made sure to set my alarm with plenty of time to get up and dressed and have my husband snap a photo of me before I had to head out the door by 6:45 am for my laughter club. Most days I will not have the luxury of Dan playing photographer if I want my photos taken in the am when I am fresh. That's because I am not usually up and dressed before he leaves for work! Lucky me.

Here are my outfit photos for Day 1

 

30 for 30: Almost

I have finally picked my clothing for the 30 for 30 - almost ... We'll get to that a little further on. BUT I have definitely spent some time thinking about why I want to participate in this challenge and what I hope to get out of it: Experiment & discover personal style, Accountability to blog on a regular basis, Practice opening up.

Taking the Plunge

I discovered Kendi Everyday's blog a day or two after the Fall 30 for 30 Remix began. It became a small obsession for me. I had been in a style-rut for a while and finally became feed up and started looking at some fashion blogs, but was not liking what I was seeing. Everything was very materialistic and not practical or down-to-earth. I discovered Kendi Everyday while on someone else's blog. Now I do not even remember how or who. After the discovery, I read it everyday, just like the name implies (amazing as she is, she does take weekend's off - which she deserves). I even started to tinker with the idea of doing my own 30 for 30 or a mini version at the beginning of December. I pulled up Excel and began brainstorming away, but a family illness, along with the normal holiday busy-ness distracted me a few days in. 

To Blog or not to Blog

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Both writing and journaling have been keys to my sanity and ability to stay grounded over the years. I find if and when I get away from writing I lose touch with myself. Guess what? I have not been making journaling a priority! So I decided what better way to work on my writing and take care of myself all at the same time than to reach out to an audience and share with others via a blog? I have been thinking about this for three years. Seriously. And I am finally doing it. Yikes!

I must admit that there is some fear and a little excitement to starting this new venture. The age old questions of whether one is any good, if people will love and accept the honesty and totality are bound to come up. But in reality, it doesn't really matter because it is as much about the process as anything else. Actually, this time it is REALLY about the process. Over the years, I have often tested the waters of a new relationship by sharing a poem or essay and gauging the response. Why should this online relationship be any different? So be prepared for vulnerability.