A Mindful Walk

Recently I have been attempting to take a walk (or ski) each day. A while back I had went to a yoga studio where they had a class to practice Mindfulness. We would eat a berry as slowly as possible admiring the taste and texture, or walk a long the edges of our mat very slowly taking in each step and feeling the different muscles we use and what walking does for mankind each day. Most of these classes began with a few minutes of talking and then the rest was silent. It was great!

So I took it upon myself to get in the habit of mindful walking- (because walking for me doesn't require very much motivation). As I walked down the windy trail I chanted Om Shanti Om with my mala and later moved on to another joyful chant. When I came upon a tree that I could sit on (there is snow still on the ground) I sat and saw snowshoe hare tracks which i didn't know were in this park.

I quieted the mind and began focusing on Niko smiling and laughing, I can tell he is reverting back to his springtime depression-not how it was last year but every once in awhile i can tell it comes quickly and leaves quickly. I don't know how long I sat there, but after i felt it was time to go i stood and took a small side trail and walked as slow as possible feeling each step.
I jotted down these few thoughts that came to mind:

Sometimes its harder to slow down than it is to be quick, but its better to be slow and mindful than it is to rush and forget what your doing in the first place.

The more that you dwell on the annoyances and discomfort the more it will affect you.

Reading these seem like common sense, but for me it may feel and look like common sense but my brain doesn't wrap around these things easily unless i figure it out myself- or if i have some revelation -like on this walk!

I highly recommend getting out there and trying it yourself! Oh ya and when i got home and Niko and I were talking he said he had felt very happy that morning(same time as i went on this walk!)
Below are a few pictures from skiing...The Buddha silhouette was comforting to see, because I didn't expect it!

A Valentine's Snowshoe Trip

So yesterday me and Niko spent our day off together out in the woods.We had planned a camping trip for Valentines Day, but of course the weather turned last minute and with the blizzard we decided against it. We decided to take a little day trip on Sunday instead.

The next morning I woke up and made breakfast (something i try to do each Sunday- I also make Sherpa an egg each Sunday)Then we lazily got around and left by 12. We left Sherpa at home because we had to drive Nik's truck since the roads were pretty snowy (his truck is only a two seater and sherpa refuses to ride in the back) She knew we were headed somewhere when she saw us putting on layers of clothing, she wasnt very happy with us.

 When we got to Eklutna, we saw a few other groups out x-c skiing. It was nice and quiet though, the sky was mostly cloudless when we first got there but a few moved in throughout the hike.
These were the snacks we brought...

After our leisurely hike, we came back to town and stopped by Summit Spice and Tea and picked up some Lady Grey( one of my all time favs) and some Green Bancha which i never tried. Then we went home had some tea and watched BBC Human Planet which was really interesting!

Usually we get a little Something for each other on V-day I bought Niko two shirts, a coy fish tea cup, and a book, and he got me a pair of keen slippers:

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the trip...

Overall our day was fantastic! What did you do for valentines day?

Driving Home in a Rush

So typically every day after work, i almost sprint to my car and hurry my way back home. Whenever i come to one of the 7 lights i cross my fingers that it wont turn red (one in particular i dislike because it takes forever to turn green...) But yesterday was different, after a slight scare from ice and rain on the roads, i vowed to slow down. So yesterday i saw an over sized snow truck about to pull onto the main road that takes me away from my job, i took my time to warm up my car and scrape the ice off the windows. You see, where i work there is one directional lane in and one out....so there is no passing, and the speed limit is 25mph, and if there's a snow truck in front of me that means he is plowing on going probably 20 mph. This one lane road continues for about 5 or six miles so it takes about 15 minutes just to pass the truck, which it typically only takes me 15 minutes to get all the way home, but yesterday was different. I told myself that i got home whenever i got home, a few minutes won't make any difference! I chanted my way home and low and behold i hit only green lights.... on top of that after the snow truck disappeared from my sight, i didn't see him on the road at all....he must have pulled over at some point. I got home in 15 minutes, just like my regular travel time. The only difference was the few minutes to prepare my vehicle which i had to do regardless.... It made me realize this whole rushing about thing doesn't really work...You all know what I am talking about, I'm sure everyone has experienced the speed racer. That speed racer speeds dangerously past you in all types of weather and then you are right behind or next to them sitting at a red light. He didn't get very far ahead by rushing, and in the meantime he is putting his life and others life in danger...This is something to avoid. When you are not worried about getting somewhere faster, you enjoy getting there. This was an eyeopener!

My Little Sanctuary...

For some reason I love to see where people live...It gives me a better idea about who they are, and what they like. I am sure there are more of me out there. So I decided to put up some of my photos from my apartment. I think it's cozy enough...i have one other room thats not on here...its more of a storage room for camping gear/ Niko's 'workshop' like he likes to call it...he mostly likes fixing things on his little desk and trying out all of his tools. I love our aparment when the sun rises it rises in our living room and sets in our bedroom. What do you think?

Home Sweet Home

So me and Niko, are back from Missouri! It was really nice to both have a break from work and to enjoy family time, but i am glad to be back home. Last night we took a nice long walk after dinner (we started walking after dinner just recently and it has become my favorite part of the day) and enjoyed the crisp cool air.. I am so happy to live where i do, although our apartment is in the ghetto, inside is a comfy clean place and outside we are close to all of our favorite places and restaurants.....
we also went on a 2 mile run yesterday which was refreshing but also hard on our soft bodies...it has been awhile since we worked out, hopefully that tradition will stick so we will be back for hiking season once summer rolls around! i added two pics from our trip below!

What a Weekend...

So this week has been quite hectic...Me and Niko are taking a trip at the end of the week to see his wonderful family in Missouri. We are very excited! But with what comes with all travel we have to have arrangements made for our dog and our apartment. We have a great friend who offered his services to watch Sherpa, and hopefully he won't go crazy without internet/cable, since we dont have those. Anyways, my parents offered their car to me so i sold me old Pontiac. I put it up on craigslist and at midnight someone called to schedule to look at it. We had to clean it out the same night and make sure it was ready, and i washed it and the next day the man bought it.  After that we purchased my parents red Toyota Yaris, which i already fell in love with, (it has large windows and its small- but big enough for me Niko and Sherpa), and then headed to the DMV which was closed for Martin Luther King Day...Today we have to do some last minute shopping, and also get groceries for our friend to have soemthing to eat while we are gone, and then touch up the apartment. I am grateful that everything has come together quickly but will be very happy when our trip comes around and we can finally just relax after these crazy weeks! Sometimes its nice to just stop everything, catch a breath, and ponder about what is happening that moment! On a side note check out your horoscope with Susan Miller...mine was dead on....


this is a good song to listen to while relaxing...

Alan Watts...My hero!

Growing up in a Baptist church, I was taught many things...mostly to do with spiritualism and what was required of me at all times...Not telling lies, treating others with respect, avoid stealing, obeying elders...All good ideas to live by, i will agree with that, but it is impossible to uphold all these things at all times, and being treated as if you could live up to these standards while you watch your elders not doing the same made it that more difficult. I saw a lot of backstabbing, hypocrisy, and lying within the fellow Christians, and the worst ones seemed to have the most power!

I never understood it, not then, not now...

So a few years ago I started to research quite a bit on other religions, trying to find something that made sense to me, and finally i came across Buddhism. It was like a veil was lifted off of me and i finally felt like something in the world makes sense. I UNDERSTAND i wanted to scream! but at the beginning of my research i felt guilty for just looking at another religions direction. That's when i realized i was pretty much brainwashed. I had went to a private Christian school and attended church 3 times a week until i turned 18. Then i didn't go to church at all except maybe about three times within the last 6 years. It has taken me two years to shake off the guilt and to move on, and i am still doing it. Its hard to just say OK I am not going to hell because i believe this, especially after being told you would certainly burn in hell  if you didn't believe in Christ your entire life. Then a coworker showed me Alan Watts. We began listening to his dialog just about everyday for awhile, and i started listening to him at home. I feel better at the sound of his voice...I feel at ease, i don't feel the pressure of society telling me i need to be doing something else at this exact second, or the pressure of religion telling me i should be doing something else as well.... His words changed my outlook on things and continues to do so on a regular basis!