Things I'm Focusing on Loving Lately

Lisa just posted a "Things I'm Loving Lately...." and in leaving her a comment I realized that I need this bit of reframing in my life after this weekend.

The last few weeks I've been feeling much better about work & life (while still ruminating and questioning) and I've just been in a better physical, mental, energy space in general. I'm not sure if it's been the dietary changes, extra vitamins, tons of prayer, a lighter work load, or all together....but my head space has been great. I even was more than okay when my planned shrimp boil with friends fell through on Saturday and I had a ton of fun going out with best bud (who came up for the event) & another guy that we know. The next day I also was so happy to host and have a great visit with two of my longest standing friends and their kiddos.

So I've been a lil bummed to be a lil bummed as some resurfacing grief and annoyance has risen in the last 48 hours also. I really try not to talk too much about my ex, but he was also connected to all 4 of the adults I spent time with this weekend...and it meant that my mind is attempting to process (but avoid) thinking about some things :) As I hadn't seen my hometown friends (who are like extended family to me....and the husband shares a best friend with my ex) in about four years, there was a bit of lost time to cover. The other two guys (best bud & the other vet) both are former friends of my ex and have or are currently living with him. [And in general, I've been feeling some annoyance lately at the responsibility of having all three of the pets that the ex and I chose together. (I absolutely love my dogs and know they've been absolute blessings...but we chose them because he wanted them.)] In some ways, the time with our mutual contacts was validating for me, but it also just makes me sad to realize how he has treated (and continues to treat) others. The good news is: I'm always truly grateful that I learned a ton in the process and I have no doubt that I needed many of those lessons, I truly am much better off now, I had a great time with all of the contacts this weekend, and I know I'll get over this newest little mental hurdle :)

So in an attempt to do so, here are some of things that I SHOULD be focusing on, because truly life is pretty blessed and I need to be much more grateful. At 33, there is still so much of life potentially ahead with ample time and opportunity for amazing & simple moments to unfold :)

So what am I especially grateful for as of late?

--For solid sleep and comfortable mattresses.
--For slower weeks of one job and relishing the potential last bits of my flexible work style.
--For work covering my travel tickets and the fastest refund they've issued yet.
--For the ability to harvest fruits and veggies directly out of my yard.
--For a stable housing situation & that C will transition in this weekend.
--For a great visit with my long-time friends who are on the verge of transitioning back to Oregon.
--For great conversations with J about sustainable permaculture farming operations.
--For great conversations with D about holistic health care.
--For amazing moments with their lil tykes: picking berries in the yard, digging through the toy box, swinging on the playground, and just getting to know their fun personalities.
--For a fun weekend outing with best bud & our buddy E: pizza, annual bowling trip, getting down on multiple games of air hockey, burgers, and a 4 hour game of super scrabble.
--For the opportunity to reach out a hand and help others.
--For good books and time/motivation to read them.
--For my body pushing out miles while still taking ample opportunities to rest & restore it.
--For getting the dogs on trail to see their joy & smiles.
--For a great tea gathering & walk with an old gal pal.
--For the professional opportunity here at my feet.
--For the opportunities that the last year has afforded me to travel, grow, develop, and explore.
--For the friendships I have spread throughout this country and globe.
--For hot days followed by needed coolness & rain showers.
--For access to healthy food, medical care, anything I need for my needs, and freedom.
--For flowering bushes & Poppa's roses.
--For the love, support, & time with family.
--For my new great-nephew who should be arriving any time in the next week or two.
--For the immense peace, trust, and faith that arrives with routine prayer.
--For optimism in the midst of despair.

And the list could go on and on......cause truly there is so incredibly much to be grateful for....

Life As of Late

So I hope to get a few blog posts done in the next week or so...because I've been thinking of several things I want to update/share. But for now I'm just going to do an overall share "update."

--The term is over at my old institution--woohoo! After an especially rough term, I debated shutting the door on that original position, but an appreciation luncheon a few weeks back led to multiple refreshing and encouraging conversations with my current and prior supervisors at that college; which made me remember how much I truly do love the student body and the institution. I'm staying on but cutting back to one class each term next year.

--Two more weeks at the new institution and I've been working on scheduling an event for student presentations, grading assignments, some program items, responding to emails and concerns, setting up the next placements, prepping for Tanzania, and the lists go on. I have my official interview for the full-time slot next week and then we'll see...

--I bought my tickets for summer work travels...and ended up in this fiasco of a situation due to one of the links/bookings I went through via  re-route from kayak.com. It took five hours on the phone and multiple calls between my credit card company and the booking company to more or less rectify that situation and I'm still not sure if I totally have one ticket or where the charge for it went.... but in good news...I'll be in Tanzania for 3.5 weeks total, will spend a weekend in Munich with my host sister, and then will spend a week in Ireland! I was debating between Italy, Greece or Ireland. I decided to go with Ireland cause it's the one place in Europe that I definitely would like to see in my lifetime AND when I checked prices it actually was the better deal (even with an additional connecting flight!). I still need to plan the week that I'm there...but I'll get to it.

--I took care of the tire rotation.....only to discover that I needed to replace a part...that had a cost of almost $1700. Oh man....so yea, that car will still get paid off by the end of this year, but that part is delayed for a bit...and I'm hopeful this sucker lasts me another 100k miles at least :) I'll also have to replace the spark plugs at some point later this summer or fall, but everything else "seems" to be running alright. :)

--I'm not looking forward to this half marathon. :) I have no doubt that I CAN do it. I'm just starting to realize that I don't know that I WANT to do it. Running isn't as fun for me as it used to be, but I'm still glad that the half is motivating me to get back after some longer distance. Ironically I just sent a link to my gal Christina about running a half next spring in a National Park I've been desiring to get to...so maybe I'm not totally done juuuuust yet :)

--I also finally went in to see the doctor. Really I had a list of about 6 items I wanted to touch on but I went in for 4. After a week of trying to get malaria pills, I was able to finally get the prescription. I had my wrist x-rayed because I'd been battling with pain for about a month and couldn't put weight on it. I had a PAP cause it'd been waay too long since the last one. And then I also had two wonky moles on my back looked at. I'm also still coughing after getting sick in DC...but I've had issues with "weak" lungs most my life so this is pretty standard.

--One of the other issues I had thought about talking over with the doctor was just a general lack of energy & motivation, but over the last 2 weeks things have been a bit better. I spent a few weeks granting myself down time and I had a mini-staycation over the Memorial weekend. I've been getting better about shutting work off...and I'm soaking up these next few part-time weeks as much as possible. I also was given an antibiotic for another issue they discovered at the doctor's appt and that antibiotic didn't permit alcohol use. So I also stopped my coffee habit and decided to stop eating excess sugar all at the same time. Tomorrow will be two full weeks without any of the three items. I also added in drinking extra water, cross training with some yoga and walking the dogs, monitoring my sleep hours, eating solid meals, AND daily supplements: Vit D, calcium, fish oil, and b complex. During these last two weeks, I've had a MUCH better mood, more overall energy, increased motivation levels, my skin has cleared up, and my mind is just operating better in general (both mood wise and with things like processing & recall). I'm hopeful this keeps up because it would be great to go into this summer's travels already feeling full & restored!

--Oh and the other big thing is that last month I was doing a 30 days of prayer challenge....that I'm continuing on with for the most part into this month. I'm truly finding that when I spend time just talking to the dude upstairs for a bit every day...that life just goes a bit easier. It's not smoother per se, there are still unfortunate things in this world and still bumps to life (like $1700! :)), but I also just trust a little bit more that things will work out. He's got this...we've got this...and I also am realizing yet again, just how blessed that I have been...and continue to be.

--And I also have a summer houseshare set up! Ironically after the surprise costs, I'd thought about just subletting for full or half price in order to input some more money....but then I decided to go ahead with my original Plan B....so the student who stayed here for a few weeks last summer post-Tanzania will be here in two weeks (as his current lease will be up). He'll stay on through the summer taking care of the house, yard, plants, and Major while I'm gone...and then he can decide once I'm back at what point he wants to transition back downtown. He's a pretty quiet guy so I don't forsee any issues and I'm just so grateful to have someone to look after the place (and cat) while I'm gone. I also know that he'll enjoy the raised beds...and having a full house to himself.

I'm sure there is more....but some of those will be covered in coming posts!

Life in Teacher Mode

Some weeks my work schedule is looser than others and I've learned to roll with work energy when it's here...and let things go when the work energy is less. Somehow it all balances out in the long run and everything more or less gets accomplished.

The beautiful thing of how the schedule has unfolded over the last several years is that I tend to work via prepping and grading for at least one solid weekend day in order to play hard on at least one solid week day. However there are other week days that also can be full of super long days of work.

Case in point:

I attended some work events at my original teaching institution on Thursday afternoon and picked up some work related books & responded to some work emails for my new institution on Friday. However I didn't do a ton of practical work things on Thursday & Friday of last week. I did check and respond to most emails those days and I set up meetings for this week. I took all of Saturday off and then put in about 1.5-2 hours of teaching prep on Sunday and spent about another 45 minutes doing some grading.

And then today happened:
--7 hours on site at the new institution (2 hrs of which were teaching, 3 student meetings, various emails, and dealing with two issues that came up)
--3.5 hours of grading at home for my original institution
--2.5 hours (home) online content review & analysis typed up for a phone mtg tomorrow morning

On Tuesdays I generally work for my original institution but tomorrow I'm doing 3 items for the new institution:
--phone mtg on program lay-outs
--prepping independent study that I just picked up with two students
--mtg with said students to lay out academic plan for rest of term

Then I will update grades for my online courses & review material for teaching...and then teach for three hours in the evening (for my original institution).

At some point Weds-Friday (yea for flexibility!), I'll grade online & in-person assignments for my original institution, follow-up with all of my mentor students via email, book my summer tickets, grade assignments for my 3 classes at the new institution, review syllabi for the potential 4 new-to-me courses I might be teaching next year, meet with the independent study students again and teach them course 1 material, prep said material in my own head, follow-up with a couple of community contacts and research others, and take care of any additional items that arise.

In theory, it's not a ton, but sometimes managing so many different items exhausts my brain. Two more weeks of the term at the original institution and then a few more beyond that at the new one. But the reality is that I'm trying as much as possible to soak up the flexibility of the schedule that I do have (and that I have been incredibly fortunate to have had for the last several years). I haven't mentioned this here but it's been on the table for the last six months that I might be transitioning to full-time at the new institution. While I'm still not sure (1.5 months out from said contract start) whether this will actually be the case, it's been a bit of a mental shift for me to contemplate working a regular schedule for the first time in six years. I'm excited for the opportunities it could create (plus financial benefits and better boundaries), but there are also some hesitations, especially as I also contemplate potentially letting go of my other teaching position....

Big changes could be unfolding....but for now I'm going to enjoy the chaotic freedom that exists...and trust that life will work out as it should during the academic year that will soon be arriving.

Now here's to skedaddling to bed :)

NE Trip: Maine Stole My Heart

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Ha--that title alone makes me sound/feel like a 13 year old girl :) And speaking of the past, here's a bit of back story on how Maine so fiercely wound up on my radar: via my first blog I connected with Heather at Townsend House. Over the last 10ish years, we've followed each others endeavors through chickens, gardening, and our attempts at more natural living. I've enjoyed seeing her raise her beautiful babies, and through the last several rougher years, she constantly encouraged me to come out to explore Maine. When this work trip opportunity came up (and I finally realized that instead of visiting cities, I needed time exploring nature), it just seemed to make sense to take some time to finally meet Heather in person and see more of the state of Maine. And I just have to say that I am SO GLAD that I did. Anytime you meet a blogger friend it's a new & fun experience, but I'm not even kidding that within the first three minutes of meeting this great gal in real life, I seriously wished we were neighbors and was so glad that we had taken the time and energy to stay in touch all these years. ********************

So without further ado, here's the Maine part of the trip:

My first stop this day was the small town where Heather lives which was a couple of hours away from North Conway. The drive there was great (although lots of construction on the roads as they get pretty torn up from winter!) and I was surprised by how many amazing lakes I passed on the way. (aka great kayaking territory) I also could tell right away without even being on the Maine coast yet that the state had the feel of a more progressive version of my hometown (on the Oregon coast). This alone made me start to fall in love with it a bit.

I met Heather in the super cute downtown area of her small town. She treated me to a coffee at the local co-op (THANK YOU!!) and then we sat on some benches in a little plaza area to chat about life happenings, Maine, and sociopoliticalecological topics (THANK YOU!!). As we only had a bit of time together, we then did a little walk about of the rest of the downtown area and checked out this area in the waterfront:

So awesome! And so great to see her. Definitely plan on meeting up again :)

Oh one word of note: toll roads in Maine---you absolutely need cash! They don't cost much but I was short on the first toll. I grabbed more cash for the second one and tried to pay up the shortfall but that sweet lil' toll booth lady wouldn't let me settle the difference. Maine! :)

Next I decided to head over to Acadia National Park. I'd already looked up the trail maps online and knew that the hikes weren't intense so I didn't feel like I'd miss too much if I just went for the views and not the mileage.....and man, those views did not fail. SO absolutely beautiful. You could just sit and stare mesmerized for hours.....

From Acadia, I drove down to Deer Isle and the teeny tiny lobster capitol of the US: Stonington. I'd found this cabin option (with kayaking available although it turned out to be too cold for it) on AirBnB. This site would be great for the on-season and I absolutely loved the host here. (Some reviews said he was "rough" but I thought he was great!) Luckily I got there before dark so was able to get my initial bearings and still make it to the one diner in Stonington to grab some food and a local brew. And while I knew it would be this way, Stonington is the type of place that when you walk in the diner, they know you aren't from around there..... Not that my purposely ripped jeans, leopard flats, and aviators gave it away by any means.....ha! :) Super friendly individuals but it's an incredibly small community. The town has one main street with just a few main buildings and that wraps around the small bay/harbor. I love these types of places as they're super off the beaten path however and I'm more of a small town gal to my core. Oh and at the diner, I had lobster mac n cheese!

The view from the diner with lobster boats in the distance.

After dinner, I went back to the site for the night and Bill had set me up in the better cabin option that had a heater--so awesome! After a bit of a cold shower in the bathroom quarters (about a football field's length away....this site wouldn't be for everyone....), I loaded up in layers and headed down to the nearby dock to hang out for a bit before bed, such a beautiful view:

This next morning I rolled out fairly early after exploring the property a bit more. I knew there wouldn't be coffee until I found some back on mainland Maine so I didn't really make many stops along the way. I did stop to snap this picture of the neat bridge that you drive over to get to Deer Isle however :)

And I stopped to snap this gem also because....Maine, it's just so beautiful!

It's the NE: white clapboard buildings everywhere! :)

Back on the mainland, I did finally come across a coffee shop where I stopped to get a cup of java and a pastry before continuing to head on toward Camden (which is a place Heather had suggested). As I arrived in Camden I saw the first thing I was looking for: the state hiking trails :) It was $6 for out of state entrance and the rangers were super friendly. The guy had done some hiking in Oregon so he gave me a suggestion of which trail to do and I set off up the hillside:

This is the overlook of the Atlantic & Camden in the background

Neat trek through the woods: There were options for shorter or longer versions, but I knew I was on limited time here.

Post-hike, I drove through the town which was pretty cute with many historic buildings (but I didn't stop). The gal I was staying with this night via Air BnB had been in touch earlier in the day and seemed a little particular so I felt like I was on more of a time crunch this day. I did manage two more stops however.

1) I stopped in Freeport to go to the flagship LL Bean store. Truthfully, not impressed (and generally I like LL Bean stuff but this day I just felt it was all overpriced and not of interest)....and not impressed with what I saw of the surrounding area of high priced retail stores here either. I literally walked through the store and out, around the block, and then got in my car and drove on.

2) I did happen to look up some running options for Portland, ME on the way and found one that was right next to the Old Port district and along the waterfront. I snagged an easy parking spot and then headed out for some jogging mileage. Lots of other joggers were out and this particular trail connects over to another as well. There also was a kayak group in the bay AND a dog park right on the shore. I (again) felt like I was right at home. (On a side note: this paved trail does take your jog right by the water treatment plant however....)

Post jog--I explored a bit of the Old Port area on foot. Very cute with lots of great restaurants and storefronts....and SUPER packed. This was the off season and I couldn't imagine how busy it would be during high season :) I did snag this fun picture of the lobster boats along one of the arms of the port however!

From here I jogged back to the car and then headed to the house in South Portland for the night. In some regards staying here was a good experience because it reminded me not to be so anal retentive as I continue to age. I think she was just being mindful....but there were instructions for everything and even every single light switch was labeled with a post-it. Luckily she was out for the evening when I arrived, so I took a quick shower, got my things settled in the room, and then walked toward food options. I ended up eating at this bustling BBQ joint where I ordered the big plate and a great local beer. (Are you noticing a theme here? :) I tend to drink lots of coffee and eat a pastry in the morning and then hit one solid meal and a "local" beverage at some point during the day when I'm on road trips.) Since I was flying out the next day, the rest of the night I spent getting my bags re-packed (with some pretty sweaty clothes at this point! :)) and everything in order. 

The next morning I was up early and out. There was a really cute bakery within walking distance of the house so I headed there for a cup of coffee & a scone. I also had a great conversation with the owners who were super friendly and had both been to the west coast Portland. People seemed to love it when they asked me where I was from and I said "the other Portland." One of the reasons I'd opted to stay in South Portland was that it made many of the lighthouses super easily accessible, so from here I drove to do a bit of a lighthouse tour and to find a lobster roll :)

One of the three lighthouses I checked out this day was also an old military location, so it was fun to trek around the surrounding area here. Getting to and finding parking was a bit of a challenge at one of the other light houses, but I eventually figured it out with a bit of help from a local and googlemaps. :) And in my final hours in Maine, I had an infamous lobster roll from The Lobster Shack. 

Before heading to the airport, I drove the rest of the loop around Cape Elizabeth, passing many local farms, and then back up through a different part of the city of Portland. The city itself is small feeling (which I loved) and it really only seemed like the Old Port area had a ton of people :) But truthfully I didn't spend much time overall in Portland. 

Because of the ding in the windshield, I got to the airport early so they could process paperwork on the damage. (Which eventually it was waived, then re-instated, then waived again. So far I've been super incredibly fortunate and haven't had to pay for the chip to the windshield---oof! Out of all the thousands of road trip miles I've put in and back roads I've driven of course the one time I would have a ding would be in a rental car :) and in a spot that I never would fix on my own vehicle! Ha!)

The Portland, ME airport is small. I grabbed another book and enjoyed perusing the gift shop. Look at this awesome gem....just another reason why I love this state:

I spent some time reading part of the book and had some great people watching before getting on board for my flights. From ME I flew to NJ and then on to "my" Portland. The gal I sat next to on the NJ to Portland flight was great to talk to and I had a great conversation with a guy at the airport bar in NJ. Both individuals were from very different perspectives on life and yet we found lots of common ground. These conversations also really sort of restored me in a sense. 

Altogether though this particular trip didn't really re-invigorate me as I'd hoped. Most of the time when I 'get away' I come back feeling refreshed but this wasn't exactly the case with this one. I'm not sure if it was the distraction of the guy I was talking to, the cold I ended up with on the way and the lack of sleep initially, the interesting array of AirBnb stays, and/or the fact that I was still working across the distance by grading and responding to emails. There were lots of beautiful moments, sites, and people interacted with, but I don't know that I truly felt as fully "present" on this trip.

In a sense, waiting a few weeks and then reflecting/writing about the trip has allowed me to really highlight the beauty that I did experience though....and I truly do want to go back sooner rather than later. :) There's just SO much to see and do...and in so many ways Maine (and Vermont) truly felt like a great location to appreciate and explore further. Here's hoping that in the next few years, I'll get the opportunity to head back for a bit more of a "present" time exploring....or.....living....we'll see. :)

NE Trip: Vermont & NH

From Plymouth I drove north past Boston (where I did get in a bit of traffic but luckily not too horrible), through part of New Hampshire, and over into Vermont. I have no idea how I thought that ONE day in Vermont would give me enough time, because it definitely did not. I needed AT LEAST a week and I most definitely will be going back some day. :)

My best intentions had me hitting up 2-3 lower mileage hikes (under 5 miles), stopping at a brewery, checking out some local farms, exploring Burlington, and looping around through rural highway prior to arriving at my lodging that night. Not enough time :) There would have been so many incredible farms to check out, cider & brew options, and so many hiking trails. I also didn't stop at the well-known coffee nor ice cream factories. Must return!

But here is what I did see in 24 hours or less:

From Hwy 89 in NH/VT, I'd cut over to Hwy 4. This Quechee Gorge was located just on the Hwy and it was neat to see something that reminded me so much of home :) Just shows how so much of nature is similar and holds within it incredible patterns. Hwy 4 takes you through the little town of Woodstock, which had a few farms to investigate nearby, loads of trails, and covered bridges. I only had time for a quick hike however so I headed to the town park and walked up Faulkner's Trail to an overlook of the town:

  

From here, I got back in the car and headed for Long Trail Brewery which was just a bit further along Hwy 4 and going in the right direction. After my late lunch, I headed along the rural highway with every intention of checking out a local farm....only to realize that the "open" hours would end before I could get there :) But the sites from the highway with mountains in the background and so many incredible family farms sprawled across the country side sure made my heart happy. I made it to Burlington about 530pm...and I quickly realized that I would probably love it there. 

Lake Champlain from Burlington. Burlington has a population of 42 thousand, it's a college town, it's situated alongside a huge lake with mountains easily accessible, local sustainable farms nearby, and that path in front of that bench is a running/biking trail. The options seem incredible here. I stopped just long enough to check out this park & chat with a local coffee shop owner who made me some great herbal tea for my throat and suggested a top-rated brewery north of where I was staying (didn't make it though....). En route to my evening location, I drove through some of the rest of the town which had a cute plaza area downtown and lovely buildings! (And I'm just going to mention that the ads alone on the coffee shop bathroom bulletin board made me feel at home :))

This night I stayed in an AirBnB on Camel's Hump, which turned out fine but a bit interesting :) I had a rock fly up off the highway and ding the upper left drivers side windshield of the rental. The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful but the house was definitely located in the middle of no where. It also turned out that this guy is in the process of remodeling his home and the only furnished bedroom is his, so he literally rents out his own bed/bathroom. He was super nice (even offered to cook me dinner) and I didn't have any concerns with being there...just sort of a bit more awkward situation than what I'm used to with this sort of travel. We had a great conversation about my hoped for hike the next day and his little guy who lives in San Diego. 

Camel's Hump is one of the higher peaks that has not been developed in the state and thus it has blown up in terms of the amount of hikers (and preservation groups) interested in the area. (It was great getting a local's views on much of this!) I had a great time going up the first two-ish miles on this trail..... 

.....and then I hit the iced over trail that my host had forewarned me about. I've never had to hike with ice attachments to my shoes before (and I don't own them nor did I rent any for this trip) so at this point I turned around. Luckily I already knew this was coming and while he said I could probably navigate carefully on or around it, I didn't feel like it was worth it to get to the top at this time. Which can I just say that this was a huge example of how much I've settled down? Two years ago I would have hauled myself slip sliding across the ice to the top and shook off any bumps/bruises I gained on the way, but these days I'm okay with just taking life for what it is (and making sure to avoid injury). Besides, the trail run down was pretty awesome anyway :)

I actually had lucked out since I'd stayed on the mountain and had the trail to myself most of the way. As I hit the trailhead, three other couples were headed up and I met SIX other cars as I drove away. I agree with my host....it's getting over populated. 

From Camel's Hump, I turned off and drove through Montpelier. Super cute historical town, but I didn't want to pay for parking so I ended up not stopping for breakfast or more coffee here. From here, I'd had plans to stop on the west side of the White Mountains to do some hiking, but I decided to push on toward my night destination to check-in earlier and then explore the eastern side. (Plus since so many trails were iced over I figured it'd be better to get somewhere where I could ask around.) I drove along a variety of highways and I really enjoyed seeing so much of the "countryside" this way. Ironically it's not really the countryside because it's just the norm of the state. I also spent some time thinking about the lack of grocery stores, the true norm of the family farm, and I would absolutely love to explore more how this region functions in terms of food production and year round access. I have my own guesses, but it's definitely something to look into (and look upon as a model, which so many already do :)).

In New Hampshire heading toward the White Mountains. I stopped near here at the White Mountain Coffeeshop & Bookstore (finally...more coffee!!). It had amazing homemade juices, local food, delicious coffee (maple lattes) and I couldn't resist picking up a few books. I ended up with a hiking book for the White Mountains and I'm thoroughly enjoying reading the short stories found within Mountain Voices. 

It didn't take too long to drive through the bit of the White Mountains and arrive in North Conway where I was staying the night. North Conway is known as a hub for outdoor pursuits and I seriously loved the little room I had here in the historic Kearsage Inn. (Also was the best deal of the trip since it was the off season and a week day....and they had the friendliest staff.) In hindsight I wish I would have remembered to hit up the local outdoor store that the Plymouth host had suggested: IME and I also didn't stop at the AMC information spots. Both would be spots to check out next time. 

I did however head out for Diana's Baths and at the advice of a mountain biker I met (while trying to find the actual trailhead), I ended up getting in a great trail run that evening. There are so many various trails from North Conway and the surrounding region, but this particular evening the trail run was perfect:

Diana's Baths

After a shower and soak in the tub, I headed to SeaDog Brewery (which is actually a Maine brewery) in North Conway for fish tacos (yum!) and a blueberry beer (double yum and with blueberries floating in it!). After food, I made it back to the Inn to grade my online courses and then crash for the night.

Next up: Maine! :)

NE Trip: Boston & Plymouth

The train delivered me into Boston about 11am, so I grabbed a quick yogurt & a second latte from a coffee stand to fuel up. I'd researched online ahead of time and heard that you could stow your luggage at the South Boston station. It took a bit of asking around, but I finally was directed to this little shop that stows one bag downstairs in a locked area for a $5 fee. While not quite what I'd envisioned, it worked out great for my main suitcase. After dropping the bag, I headed out into what I discovered was a super breezy Boston setting. Who knew there'd be so much wind?! :)

From the train station I got my bearings and headed to check out the harbor aka the setting of the famed Boston Tea Party. They have a replica ship and museum but I didn't take the time to visit it officially, as I only had about 4 hours to trek around the city. From the museum location I walked along the harbor until I threaded up and over to the "Little Italy" area. While I really headed to this section to walk by Paul Revere's home and the original church where the messenger light was hung, it was pretty neat to see the Italian culture still thriving. I already had a spot in mind for lunch, otherwise I totally would have hit up one of the Italian restaurants here. In this section of town I also walked through a plaza dedicated to Revere and an old cemetery.

From here I crossed the bridge and reconnected with part of the "Freedom Trail" to head up to Bunker Hill. I really enjoyed seeing this historical site, although in its current context it's hard to really envision it being a massive hill and battle site.

I spent about 15 minutes wandering around the park at the monument here and then I trekked down the hill to Warren Tavern, which is supposed to be one of the oldest taverns in Boston and a location where some of the nation's changemakers drank beer. Uh, of course, I couldn't resist! :) I had an amazing Reuben, sweet potato fries, and a local cider while watching part of the Red Sox game, listened to great Boston accents, and charged up my phone so I could keep navigating my way around the city :)

From here, I walked to the historic Beacon Street and the main town square of Boston Commons (which is also where a lot of the finishers were as the Boston Marathon was happening this day). From there I headed back to the train station to pick up my suitcase and then walked the additional mile into a more industrial area to get to the rental car location. The guys at this location were a hoot though and I had my pick of SUVs. I went for the tiniest one both for gas mileage and parking reasons.

Luckily it also was a Boston holiday so I didn't have to deal with traffic as I drove out of the city at 430pm. From Boston I actually headed south to Plymouth to stay in this cute Cape Cod house with a sustainable farmer.

Ironically, the farmer ended up not getting home until later and this particular evening I really started to struggle with my cold so I crashed ridiculously early. I did have time to wander down to the coast line though and imagine some of my ancestors (yea for family history!) making the long trek by ship over the Atlantic and stumbling upon the shore.

I also checked out some of the reading material my host had on her shelves (including a great booklet on issues with FairTrade labeling). Had I been feeling a bit more energetic, I might have gone to one of the local eateries or some of the additional historic sites, but in reality, my stop in Plymouth basically ended up being a bit out of the way just to sleep for the night. On a side note: it also was interesting driving in this area of the NE. The emergency break-down lane can be used for passing on the right and I found the merging strategies of NE drivers to be so incredibly different than us here on the west coast.

I really enjoyed checking out all the various historical sites in Boston and it was great to be in Plymouth for a night as well. Definitely glad I was able to bumble my way along in both locations :)

NE Trip: DC and Yale

I've always wanted to visit our nation's capitol but didn't really have any intention of getting there at this point in life. However when work offered to send me to a conference at Yale and one of my gal pals was going to be on a work assignment to DC, I decided that it just made sense to add a few days on to the trip to explore some of the great history and political scene that DC offers.

I took a red eye to DC (which I never do but it seemed to be the standard flight and I was going for cheap here....) with a lay over in Detroit. Side note: actually pretty impressed with Detroit's airport! However the red eye meant that I had about 3.5 hours of sleep under my belt by the time I arrived at the Baltimore airport (again, cheaper than DC's airport). Getting the transport bus at the airport to the train into DC was really easy. The directions at the train station weren't quite as clear but I figured out which side of the tracks to get to and which train I wanted based on asking people. For $7 it was a great deal and it just might have been my first time on a train like that :) 

Upon arriving at Union Station in DC, one of my old military spouse friends drove into the city to meet me. She picked me up and we went to the coffee house that is run by National Community Church (the church mentioned in the book the Circle Maker and where my gal friend attends). I hadn't had the opportunity to really chat with Erin since they moved away from our military installation in 2010, so we had about six years to catch up on. (We actually met through our dogs and her husband served in a different unit than mine. They left the military in 2010.) It was great to see her after so much time and to see what an impact the church has had in her life. She also has years of history in DC so gave me a quick run down of the neighborhoods, gentrification, and general idea of layout on our drive to where I was staying in Dupont Circle. It's always super helpful to have someone give a lay-out of the land when traveling (I also use an initial bus tour sometimes when I travel to do the same thing). 

Since I was staying with my gal Christina in a short term flat rental, I let myself in and then attempted to take a bit of a nap until she got done with work. Once she got there, we changed into running gear and headed out for a quick 3ish mile jog together. We ended up off the beaten path along some creek but totally just were glad to be getting some miles in together. Post jog, showers, and a bit of chatting, we walked a street over to this great dive-y restaurant that had great food and drinks on the menu. Getting back to the flat, we chatted for another hour and then crashed. 

Side note here to say that the upstairs rental neighbor was SUPER loud and a phone pacer who did not go to bed generally until 2 or 3am. I'm a light sleeper and Christina was having problems dealing with this guy's noise herself. I was so tired the first night that I got some decent sleep anyway...but this became more of an issue as the night's went on.

Day 2: I slept in like a regular lazy bones adjusting to East Coast time, which means I rolled out of the flat a bit after 10am (or 7am Pacific time). Even with a later "start" time, I used my time well. I walked from Dupont Circle through "Foggy Bottom" which ironically took me right by GWU's Milken School of Public Health as I was heading to the Lincoln Memorial end of the National Mall.

One of the many "circles" in the city.

The famous view looking out from the Lincoln Memorial.

Seeing all of the presidential memorials and reading the quotes selected was quite timely given our current sociopolitical climate in our nation.

From the Lincoln Memorial, I started walking the length of the mall....first stop was the Vietnam Veterans memorial wall. The wall itself is much larger than one envisions further putting the enormity of the lives lost into context. There also were several groups of older veterans and dependents who were visiting this day and it was especially moving to slowly walk along the wall surrounded by prior military personnel who had lost friends and family in this war. Having lived and worked with veteran populations, this always tugs on my heart, but this particular day the enormity seemed to hit home even more...I also kept wondering what type of memorial our Iraq/Afghan veterans will have...

From the Vietnam Memorial, I walked up past the White House (which uh, I almost wanted to stage a protest just to get one of those handsome secret service dudes to chat with me...) :) I did ask the (female) police officer if the  First Lady's veggie gardens could be seen from outside the property, but apparently they're only viewable from inside the gates. While it was neat to see the White House, it sort of "normalizes" the life of our political figures also. I mean, we're all just people right?!

From the White House, I walked to the other side of the Mall, past the USDA building (perfect place for that protest :) but I WAS impressed with the herb garden out front), and up to Capitol Hill. I attempted to check out some of the botanical gardens on the way but the garden was closed. I sat on a wall on the lawn of the Hill for a bit to rest my feet and then I started back down the other side of the mall. I walked through a neat park area and then stopped in at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. There was a great exhibit on Africa, a neat photography exhibit on Iceland, loads of great focus on climate change and the environmental impact that our oceans are seeing, and then there was a neat exhibit that looked at human evolution (with some great food oriented components). 

They also had this neat little interactive feature...here's me as a sexy awesome Neanderthal-ha :) 

The Smithsonian also was having an IMAX film on the National Park's but I decided to bypass it as I've seen a lot of that type of footage in the past. From here, I walked back to our flat in Dupont Circle to meet up with Christina. 

We'd already planned on doing a longer run so we headed out to do the rest of the National Mall that I didn't check out:  

WWII Memorial 

We ran along the newer MLK Jr & FDR memorials and then looped around to the Jefferson Memorial side.

Altogether it was a 6ish mile outing and incredibly beautiful with the sun setting. DC truly seems like a great area for running (and there were lots of areas that I didn't get to...). 

After showering we both were pretty tired this night, but we walked about a mile away to this neat restaurant that had great local artisan pizza and local beer on tap! :)

The next day I decided to give the Metro a try as transportation to Arlington National Cemetery. (I always think its worthwhile to try out public transport in new places, but in the end I realized I could walk by foot about the same amount of time as it took with all the transfers to get to most places downtown. 

So incredibly impactful. The headstones (and thus the lives) go on and on and on. I also was able to see JFK's gravesite but didn't feel it was appropriate to take a ton of photos here. The timing also worked out to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. BUT this whole morning also left me really upset at the general lack of respect and appropriateness that many showed. There are signs everywhere asking people to keep propriety and respect in mind and this particular site is just serious in nature. Yet I can't count the number of loud students/teens, the number of female teens hanging over memorials or jumping around things while their moms photographed them, and should I mention the guy who answered his cell phone in the middle of the changing of the guard AFTER we'd all been reminded to be respectful and quiet? After 1.5 hours with other tourists at this location, I was a little over hanging out with tourists or many other people. Instead of taking the metro back, I walked back across the river, through half of the national mall, and then trekked by the Ford Museum where Lincoln was shot. Huge lines were at this particular location so I quickly rounded the corner and instead decided to hit up a local brewery. It also was warm out this day so it was great to just sit, eat some decent food, and try out a locally produced brew. From here, I walked back to the flat and hung out relaxing until Christina got back from work. 

I should also probably note two things that further impacted just resting for the rest of this particular afternoon. 1) I still had limited sleep. I had decided to stay up grading until the guy was quiet the 2nd night. So while all my online grading ended up completed, this also meant that it wasn't quiet enough to sleep until about 4am. 2) Which means that whatever cold my immune system had been keeping at bay, started to overtake my body once my sleep stores were knocked out three nights in a row. (This same cold keeps getting passed around at work even now. There are 6 of us routinely hacking in harmony....)

Christina arrived to the flat a bit earlier than the night before so we decided to head out for another 3ish mile jog together. Then since this was our last night (and she officially signed the sale of her Portland condo), we went out to celebrate with a pretty incredible meal at The Lincoln: absolutely incredible drinks & the food was amazing. Amazing rolls with gingerbread butter, chicken and waffle schnitzel, sweet potato gnocchis, kale salad, salmon with lentils. Truly some of the best fare I've had in a long, long time. 

All in all it was really great to spend a few days with my gal and to explore the city. I felt like I saw almost all of the highlights in about a 24 hour window but there were several things that would be totally interesting to still check out (Mt Vernon, National Geographic Museum, nearby Alexandria, biking trails). I also was super impressed that DC felt more like a small town than a major city. I totally recognize there has been major gentrification that has occurred (and I always have mixed thoughts about that) but I felt completely safe wandering around the city and it felt like a foodie & runner's paradise while being totally walkable. I can imagine for people who live in DC, most time is probably spent on work and it might feel like there's not as much to do beyond the touristy items. I totally was impressed though and could absolutely see myself going back there. If housing prices weren't so out of this world, it actually would be a place that I would be open to contemplating for PhD programs...and I never would have imagined feeling that way before actually visiting. 

From DC, I took Amtrak (metro to the train station....super easy process actually and boarding the train in this setting was super easy too) up to New Haven, CT to attend the conference. (Side note: just like with plane tickets do not delay on purchasing Amtrak.....the price went up 60 bucks in one week as it got closer....). The train ride was a neat way to see a bit more of the country side (although in many areas the train doesn't exactly go through the nicest areas of towns) and I also got to see NYC from a distance. As the train was packed, I ended up having a really nice guy sit next to me. He had traveled much of the west coast and had also been to Argentina. He was originally a lawyer from DC who now lives in Vegas and runs his own business. (Somehow this seems to be a pretty common theme: male DC lawyer becomes independent contractor/entrepeneaur.) But he was a great conversationalist and we chatted off and on for a couple of hours. 

I'd booked a hotel via the conference that was really easy to walk to from the train station. The conference itself was pretty decent and it was nice to be surrounded by so many others working in the global health field. The conference as a whole wasn't exactly what I'd expected (SO many sessions that could have been streamlined....and what conference has NO food?!) but it had a lot of great presenters, I was able to connect a bit more with a couple of my colleagues, and it was great to see my students there engaged in the sessions. Being at Yale was an interesting experience and I didn't really feel like I'd missed out by being primarily raised as a West coast gal. It was a pleasure to see the campus and to sit in classrooms that have housed some of our nation's incredible thinkers. There truly is so much history there. But it also left much to desire in my book and it was disheartening to learn how much of a contrast exists between one of the wealthiest campuses in the US and the rest of the community that surrounds it. There is a big push within global health that local is also global....and I can see where there is much need in this particular setting as well. 

With one of the students on the Yale campus. 

While at the conference, we ate a few of the local restaurants and there were some cute shops around, but I mainly hung out in the hotel at the end of the conference days. I did get a pretty solid run and some lifting in using the hotel gym....and I loved indulging in my nightly hotel pleasure of chomping on ice chips :) 

The conference was over a Saturday/Sunday, so on Monday morning I was up early to grab the train to Boston. There had been a couple of options how to do the final part of the trip, but the cheapest rental car option was for me to take the train to explore Boston and pick up a car there......and that part of the trip recap is to come :)

General summary here: DC was awesome and I'd gladly go back to study/work for a few years. Yale was a great exposure but not anywhere that I would need to return to...although there's probably the option of next year's conference there.....

Reframing: Things I'm Loving

Earlier today I posted on FB about the little light bulb that went off the other night when I finally started thinking about the positives in my life rather than letting myself continue to stay in the mental rut I've been in for the last several months.

While I recognize that life is still pretty darn good, several of my friends have also mentioned that 2016 just feels sort of "off" to them. There have been some major work transitions on the table for the last six months and last week the plan that has been in motion potentially changed direction....again. This term I've also been dealing with some challenging student issues beyond the norm and more behavioral issues keep coming up. I'm a little worried that I'm starting to burn out a bit on academia ...but am continuing to plug along toward the upcoming year while starting to mentally explore steps toward other options. On my road trip I also connected with a fun "potential" individual....only to have to block that person when he turned out to be a creepster. I've never had to block a date before....so it's taken a bit to process through and re-evaluate that experience.

But without focusing too much on some of the stressors, I instead want to practice some of that awesome reframing and focus in on some of the great things of late that I'm loving:

I have so much gratitude for:

--the comfortable state of my home. I love the way each room currently feels and I've been relishing being able to financially afford to live alone.

--the weather. This spring has been unusually warm (80 and 90 degree days already!) but I've also enjoyed the days that we've had of rain. The mix of rain and sunny days has produced a beautiful floral spring and there's so much abundant green everywhere.

--the dogs. Seriously, cause their furry dog faces just win over my heart all.the.time. I feel like I've won the lottery when I come through the front door. And even with Anna slowing down, it's still so rewarding to get them out for some easy jogs or walking outings.

--time with Reg D. The first couple months of this year were a bit rough between us as we both transitioned through a few separate things. He's not heading toward the Peacecorps after all, but instead will be fighting fires in southern Oregon. I'm selfishly glad that he'll still be in Oregon...and I'm so happy that our friendship is feeling a bit more normal again. Life is just happier when my brother-from-another-mother is routinely a part of it. We were able to get together both last week and this week before he transitions south....and last night was full of so much laughter watching Captain America, drinking a brew, and splitting an awesome burger in one of our old haunts.

--having routine work. While I'm tired with work, I also find it incredibly rewarding each time I'm on site at the office and I truly do enjoy my coworkers.

--family. I feel like I have had some of the best role models via my parents and my dad's parents. My sister has been checking in quite frequently and it's been great to be communicating with her routinely. It's still so great also to be able to routinely get together for monthly family dinner.

--recent travels. The trip to the NE was a great initial exposure to a new region of the US. I absolutely loved Maine and DC, and would love to go back to do more exploring. It also was so wonderful to finally meet in-person one of my longest blog contacts. (I'll write more about the trip later....)

--Central Oregon weekend. In an effort to clear my mind a bit, last weekend I hit the road for a quick overnight trip to one of my favorite outdoor locations. I've been needing to just hang out with God for a bit and this particular location is also one that reminds me of my grandfather (we spread his ashes nearby). Thus a bit of time chatting with the Man Upstairs and hanging out with memories of Poppa did my heart and soul much good.

--prayer in general. My spiritual engagement has been pretty nil and I'd intended to spend more of my NE roadtrip focusing in here. As that didn't happen, I'm instead spending a lot of time now trying to hone in a bit more spiritually and also engaging in some regular daily prayer. When I reflect upon last year, I see His hand at work in so many profound ways....and I know that He's continuing to guide me even now....

--garden. The starts and seeds are in. The second round of weeds have been pulled. The slugs need to be battled. My medicinal herbs in the entry way are growing and there already are a host of things already putting on: kiwis, berries, radishes, grapes, leeks, onions, greens, peas. I'm excited for the harvest that summer will bring and the produce that can be preserved in the process.

--finances. The credit card is paid off and I just made the first larger payment toward paying my car off. I just paid for a decent vacation and to get Roxi's teeth fixed out of pocket. I'm finally fully making all my bills on my own while also making headway on debt reduction. Even with some work items in the air, when I calculated out how much I can save before summer, I could still choose to live alone through what tends to be my "tighter" budget months (although I did just put a guest room ad out just to keep the debt reduction plan in motion). I've finally become more or less financially independent in a way I've never been before....and should the original job plan pan out still then I would make some pretty significant headway on being debt free in the next few years.

--mileage. Somehow I hit 85 miles last month. I managed a speedwork run last evening for the first time in a long time....and I just downloaded a follow-up half marathon training plan. It's time to get a bit more serious about re-training for the half that is in July.....and while I know it'll be a bit more challenging this go around, I'm excited to get my body back up to a better performance level.

All really great things....and I just need to continue to focus there. Cause the more I focus on the good, the more "good" I feel deep down into my heart and soul. :)

On Planning Trips to the NE

Somehow I forgot how much time and searching it takes to "plan" out an upcoming trip!

Yesterday I lucked upon a 50 Best Hikes in New England book and as I was boycotting working on the weekend, I decided it was finally time to start organizing my trip to the NE. And truthfully it was a good thing, because trying to just wing the east coast doesn't exactly appear to be an option :)

My original intention for the later half of the trip was to explore the region, do some hiking/kayaking, hopefully check out and maybe work part of one day on a sustainable farm, walk through history in Boston, soak in the coast line of Maine, and meet a fellow blogger. Ambitious for 5-6 days of travel, but this tends to be how I do most my trips.

What I've come to realize however is that things go fast on the east coast...and travel costs (lodging, rental cars, etc) are definitely higher than I expected. ALL of the farm stay options (and I must have searched in 3 different ways and investigated about 20-30 options) were well above my price point, especially when I was hoping to truly get a deal for putting in some actual labor. (Plus I had no idea that farm stays were such a niche tourist market in VT and NH! Who knew?!) By the time I had pulled up Boston as a location on Airbnb, there were exactly 17 options left within my price range. Within the greater Portland, ME area there were about 10 options left. Thankfully I also stumbled upon some other really great finds for lodging (like a room-themed historical BnB for $59/night!) but altogether I was pretty surprised to find that a basic room rental in the NE on AirBnb runs about the same price as a cheap hotel.

When I travel solo I generally like to go with the flow with a general plan in mind but lots of flexibility on when/where I have to stop for the night, but this time it didn't appear that would be a very safe case with trying to secure lodging etc. There is still some general flexibility with how far I drive on the second day and which trails I actually hike (weather dependent too of course), but overall this trip is appearing much more set than most the ones I've done in the last five years.

The tentative plan is as follows:
Day 1: Train from Yale, arriving in Boston around noon. Store luggage at train station and spend the afternoon treking around downtown seeing the bay, Boston Commons, Paul Revere's house, and other historic sites. Pick up rental car & luggage, Drive down to Plymouth to a beach house rental owned by a local educator/farmer. This spot is a bit out of my way but the location, the extra history, and the farming component made me decide that it was a great option. I'm really hoping this day works out well.
Day 2: Leave Plymouth for VT. It's about a 5hr drive to Burlington, but I'm hoping to do at least 1-2 short-ish hikes this day too so I'm not sure I'll make it all the way to Burlington to investigate the city. We'll see, as there are several small towns I'd also like to stop in along the way. I'm staying in an AirBnB at Camel's Hump, which is one of the hiking options.
Day 3: Leave Camel's Hump and stop in Montpelier for breakfast & to see the city. Head to do a 8-10 mile day hike in the White Mtns, drive to Mt Washington, stay the night in North Conway.
Day 4: After breakfast, head out of NH to Stonington on the coast of ME (4ish total hour drive), stopping en route to officially meet one of my longest held blog contacts (Heather at Townsend Home)! :) The lodging in Stonington is an old bunk house, lobster dinners, with kayak rentals on site. I'm really looking forward to this location and can imagine I'm going to wish for more time here...
Day 5: Drive from Stonington to Portland, ME, soaking up the coastal views, small towns, and stopping to do some hiking in Camden. I'm hoping to explore some of downtown Portland and grab dinner there. I'm staying on the other side of the bridge in South Portland.
Day 6: Breakfast in South Portland, explore Cape Elizabeth (how could I not?!), and arrive to airport around noon.

I'm really glad I made it a point to get back on a Saturday evening to allow Sunday for oodles of make-up grading I'll have to do and rest, before teaching and a full day of work on Monday.

I have to say that the more I've looked at the region, the more excited I'm getting. So much sustainable agriculture, so much history, so many amazing hiking/water outdoor options, so small of populations! After the long term and the first week of working in April, I'm going to be pretty excited to be hitting the road and doing a bit of exploring!

Looks, Food, Readings & Watchings of the Term

I always love how Amber and Lisa do these great recap posts...who knows if I'll keep up on these but I think they're great ways of summarizing where one is at for a period of time.

Clothing: I also haven't posted many thrifted looks in a while and truthfully I've been in a black/gray/beige phase so it's ironic that two of these pictures have color :)

Thrifted dress with a black long sleeve under, thrifted leather coat (recent purchase that I LOVE), scarf from local artisans in Tanzania.

This I LOVEd as I'm so into just plain basics these days: same thrifted coat, old belt, old leopard print flats, old thrifted skirt, long black sleeved shirt

And this is only half (I needed a picture for those who wanted to see the new hair), but this was St Patty's: thrifted green tunic, thrifted replacement gray cardi (w/ ripped capri jeans & old leopard flats)

I've been debating just streamlining the wardrobe to basics....but I've been thinking about this for months and have yet to do so. But I pretty much have a uniform down these days: pencil skirt or work appropriate pants with a regular long sleeve top or short sleeved business top, chunky accessories, tall boots or flats, and a cardigan or sweater. :)

I also started compiling my travel wardrobe for Tanzania of culturally appropriate pieces:

Maxi dresses/skirts (totally NOT my favorite but good for travel), a variety of coordinating short sleeved shirts, 3 interchangeable cardis/wraps, 2 scarves (for shoulders/head/beach wraps), and I've had my eye out for super light weight flowy black/tan pants (but I might have missed the boat on this one....)

Food: This term I made it 11 out of 12 weeks pre-gaming meals for the week and making sure to have food to take for lunch at the office.

Sweet potato with a salad of mixed greens, purple cabbage, broccoli, & salmon.

From scratch waffles (w/ blueberries, pecans, & coconut shreds here).

LOTS of sauteed veggies happened this term. Here we have asparagus, broccoli, carrots, onions, garlic, garbanzo beans, mushrooms, greens, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds seasoned with loads of olive oil, s&p, and turmeric.

I started getting down on lots of herbal tea...and made some of my own from sage in the garden.

A few days at my parents produced this gem for breakfast: berries, banana, grapes, & macadamia nuts with almond milk.

I also made two pans of a take on this awesome white sauce & chicken lasagna for the dinner party (and the remainder fed me for a week). (I layered differently, doubled the recipe, and mixed the cheese/chicken/spinach into one concoction....but it was a hit!) I also had a rhubarb/blueberry cobbler which is a usual go-to at dinners...which became breakfast for the week :) AND I had chicken breasts for everyone, which the left overs of that got shredded and much got frozen. Those left overs are being used in soups, fajitas, sautes, chicken salad sandwiches, etc. I LOVE left overs!

There also was a 2-3 week period in here where my body no longer wanted meat...and I seriously contemplated going back to being a vegetarian. I'm listening to what it says and right now I'm just eating meat in moderation....

Reading: I've been halfway through a handful of books:

 1) I taught about food ethic/social justice issues out of Food Justice this term. 

2) I'm several chapters into A Year of Plenty about a Christian family (pastors) who decided to get off the rat race and live more mindfully/locally for a year...and all that they learned in the process. (I'm a BIG advocate that Christians SHOULD be leading the charge for environmental & social justice issues, so I LOVE reading material on these notions....). 

3) I'm almost halfway through Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream....and this is about where I got stuck last time I tried to read it. There's things I like about it and other things I don't. I'm going to make it through this time though :)

4) I'm a couple chapters also into Jane Goodall's A Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating. I've read many of her other books (and hope to reread them) and so far am enjoying this one.

5) I also started reading a few of the short stories in the Oprah endorsed Say You're One of Them, which gives stories of children's realities from across the globe. Heartwrenching at times...and I stopped where I was because I read the following two books and needed a break:

6) The heart-wrenching story of Somaly Mam (The Road of Lost Innocence), who lived through an abusive childhood and forced existence in the sex trade in Cambodia...and was eventually able to create a non-profit on advocacy and legal work against the international sex trade. These types of stories really muddy my mind & heart for weeks and tend to give me a bleak outlook on how humankind treats each other......BUT I also feel like it's so important to know more, advocate more, & spread the word/advocacy..without it we just do nothing and only further perpetrate injustice.....

7) I also read Children of the Jacaranda Tree, which was an unfortunately similar story to the Dirty War of Argentina...and also had me researching more of the history of Tehran/Iran in the 70s. This story is "safer" than the one above and also captures some of the beauty and connection that exists even in the most desolate of times--worthwhile read!

(Also while all the links are to Amazon, I actually found about half of these books at my local thrift store and the other half came from our regional new/used book store. I still use Amazon when I absolutely cannot find what I want local, but due to not wanting to encourage wasted resources for packaging/shipping...I highly endorse finding books where you are if possible :))

I've also been reading a TON of "pins"/articles on pinterest about homesteading pigs, goats, cows, expanding gardens, considerations for buying property, and reading some medicinal herb blogs/books to increase my knowledge of how to plant/harvest more.

On average, I'm also skimming headlines of about 100 articles a day & reading about 10-30 articles a day on sustainable/simple living, global health issues/programs, food ethics/concerns/policies/interventions/programs, environmental considerations/concerns/policies, and local health items. I've pretty much converted my FB feed as an easy way to follow the organizations, agencies, etc that are working in the fields I'm passionate about and as a way to stay up-to-date on other news/research findings. To say that I'm immersed in the topics of global & environmental health (with a focus on nutrition & food) might be a tad bit of an understatement these days.....and if you're following me on FB, just know that I only share a VERY limited amount of what I'm actually reading (so I apologize if even that bit seems a little overkill). :) I've been contemplating trying to create a new/separate blog for storage of the various items I'm referring to but I know that right now I just don't have time/energy/ease of doing so. (I barely blog as it is...and my tech skills are nil these days :))

Documentaries/Watching: If you know me, then you know that I'm not big on TV. It's rare that I even sit down for a real movie these days and I usually have to be absolutely convinced (and really care about someone) to binge watch anything. But I DO love having one day/night every couple of months where I watch through a selection of great documentaries or travel shows or immersing in a few TED/YouTube learning options. (I also will totally admit that I'm super into Fixer Upper when it's available on Netflix too...)

So what have I watched this term? Well..several important items mainly on food, of course. :)

The Cooked series by Michael Pollan on Netflix was really neat & further inspiring to be cooking routinely again.

Food Chains shows the too frequently unheard voice of those farming and producing our food. Talk about human and ethical rights issues.... (Please watch...)

Farmland showed the various stories of a diverse group of young farmers.

And I re-watched and required students to watch Soul Food Junkies.

On the topic of farmworker rights, I also showed several of the Tedx Fruitvale clips to students...and I wish more awareness/advocacy/policy change would focus on these issues.

I also showed part of this documentary on Living in a Food Desert.

And I encouraged students to watch these two inspirational Ted Talks: A Guerilla Gardener in South Central LA and A Teacher Growing Green in the South Bronx

I also attempted to start watching the Call the Midwife series as I've heard lots of good things about it....and I just couldn't get into it.

Miles: We logged 80 miles in February (somehow) and are more or less on target to make the 850 for the year. I plan on making a separate post of some of the treks we've been out on in recent months however, although I'm nervous to keep posting pictures of the amazing Oregon beauty :) We were able to get out for a handful of snowshoeing/hiking treks, some regular hikes/trail jogs on our most frequently traveled trails, and then lots of plain neighborhood jogs over the last several months. I also was able to finally get back out kayaking on Friday and on most running days I have been throwing in sets of burpees, push-ups & abwork also. I'm definitely hoping to be able to get in some longer hikes again in the coming months, but it's looking like snow levels will be staying low longer again this year (much needed!) so backpacking probably won't be too much of an option until I'm back from Tanzania this summer.

One other item that's been on my mind a lot: I'm still in awe so many days that I can just say these things....Tanzania, Argentina, east coast travels, holidays. There are days where I'm completely exhausted (although in denial) but I also feel like I'm truly back to living a life of authenticity. My hippy/survivalist side is in full force and I am intrinsically aware of being human while being one tiny dot in a greater culture, environment, universe. Some days I wake up with texts and emails from various corners of this globe and I'm still so in awe wondering how I wound up here at all or even how quickly....but I'm grateful. When I mention to family/friends that I'm unsure that I should stay in this field long term, the resounding message in response is that this is the life that so many of them imagined that I would be living. And I know when I'm tired I don't sound it...but man, am I oh so in awe and grateful for what life has presented....and all that it pushes me forward toward.....