That which we manifest is before us!

I finished this book in just a couple days- It was really great, even though i cried 3 times while reading it. If you have pets you will probably also cry. They have this saying throughout the book:

"That which we manifest is before us,"

and

"The car goes where the eyes go."

The last few months for me have been spent in deep thought about life in particular and how things work. I watched this movie called "Water, A malleable natural computer," i will post the link below, but the gist of it was that sound affects water, What you say changes the molecules that make up the water. It made me think about how sound affects humans, after all we are made up of 70% water, are food is made up of water (they believe that's why people pray before they eat). 
What this book's saying have in common is that when people tell you how sick you look/are there is no way of escaping it, you start to believe what they say and then that is what you become.  Just the other day two people at my work were sick. My boss came in and told them how they look sick. The next day they both called in sick. The day after that I saw them, and told them they looked very well, and he didn't seem sick at all. He replied how much better he was feeling. He was focused on the positive and not the negative. If i had said you look awful, he would have coughed throughout the day and probably went home sick again (it has happened in the past.)

Regardless the moral of this post is to treat others nicely, say positive things to your children and spouses. It will change how they feel physically and mentally! Even if you do not believe in my words, its never bad to treat someone kindly.



Also further reading/ watching:
                                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Cou%C3%A9

Snowshoeing on Christmas

Our trip went fantastic, it was a warm 20 degrees as we snowshoed to the Byer Lake Cabin. We met a man that was staying in one of the other huts and he brought us some extra split wood for our stove. We enjoyed cooking some ramen and beans and rice for dinner, drinking lady grey and english breakfast tea with german rock sugar, it was a nice break. We played cards and read outloud, and overall enjoyed a quiet Christmas. We discovered a shrew staying in the same cabin ( out of all things i am afraid of tiny rodents) thankfully i was half asleep when Niko told me about the shrew, but then around 3 in the morning i felt a warm thing rub against my back, right against my shoulder blades. I screamed....I screamed so loud, thankfully no one was around to hear me. I jumped up and Niko did too grabbing his gun, asking me what was wrong. I realized it was his hand that touched my back. So we laughed about it and went back to sleep. (I know i have some issues lol) Here are some pics from our adventure....

Dog Booties

I also got some Dog Booties, last trip i took the weather outside went down to -20, so i didnt want my dog's paws to get cold this trip...Does anyone have experience witht these? She did okay on a small walk last night, but they fell off a few times even when they were tightly fastened. Here she is, (her eyes are normally blue without the flast).

Thoughts on the Holidays....

My last days off (friday and saturday) I went skiing with a good friend of mine, and then I went shopping for last minute things for our Christmas Snowshoe Trip. We went to a very popular store its called REI (recreational equipment inc.) All i wanted to get was a new primer wick  (and some snow baskets for my trekking poles)for my Whisperlite Stove- here's a pic of it

If you dont know what the priming wick is its the rope looking piece on the bottom of the stove. REI didnt have any available so the good woman who was helping me (Terry-you are awesome) took one off their display stove and said i could have it.

When we usually go into REI we are asked if we need assistance immediately every time. But this time was different...it was a mad house...people crowded the walkways, cut people off in the parking lot taking every available space there was. The checkout line wrapped around the store. This was the 22nd of December. We had a power outage on this same road next to the store and all the traffic lights were out. It was miserable to say the least. It got me thinking about why people aren't at home enjoying their family, relaxing. We put so much emphasis on presents (myself included) that we forget about each other. I should have been at home drinking some mulled cider and maybe reading a good book, or go on a walk with my dog. Every year we relate this holiday to stress and presents because we are going crazy at some store. Presents are nice but not a neccessity, and i think next year i will try my best and remember this. 

Tomorrow I will be heading out of town and snowshoeing with my awesome boyfriend to a cabin, and spending Christmas eating spicy freeze dried red beans and rice, nuts, and i'll be swaddled in my sleeping bag with my Nook, next to my family- Niko and Sherpa.

 What will you be doing for Christmas?

Trail Of Crumbs

So today i want to talk about the book i am currently reading:

I love biographies, and this one holds my interest. I am almost finished with it and its only been a couple days. I try to spread out my reading time so i don't spend so much money on books.

It is about finding yourself, or being comfortable with who you are. If you ever met me in person, I look like i am outgoing and extroverted, but in reality i love my time alone. My favorite time is spent in solitude in the woods with my dog, or even with my boyfriend. Niko is great to have around because we can have that comfortable silence, and not wonder whether we are mad at each other or not...it has been 6 years after all. It is a well practiced feeling.
 He on the other hand loves to have company, he says the overused phrase "the more, the merrier." I guess i am more of a one on one person. If i have company-I like to give all my attention to one conversation instead of trying to keep up with a large group at once.

This book reminds you that it is okay to be like that, regardless of the pressures of everyday life. If you are like me you will sit and read this and think to yourself "why are you putting up with that.." and then realize you do the same thing.

It is very interesting, but because i havent finished the whole book i will not rate it yet.

Start Wearing Purple....

Me wearing purple....a rare occasion!

What do you think Yay or Nay?

                                        

This one is for the Smokers!

OK, soooooo, being as outdoorsy as I am, i used to smoke. It all started when I was 18. I was driving back home from a nearby residential town with my best friend. She smoked every once in awhile, she was 19 so she could buy them (19 is the legal age up here). She handed me one while we cruised on the highway and lit it in between my lips as i focused on the road. I inhaled the cool menthol smoke and felt a euphoric high come over me. I almost ran off the road, it had affected me so much. I immediately loved it. At the time i was working with a wild land firefighting/special projects group, just about everyone chewed tobacco. My boyfriend was working a wildland firefighting job as well in, a city about four hours away. We both worked on location, and rarely got two consistent R&R (resting days) days. We would drive two hours each and meet in the middle of the highway and camp on the side of the road, and then have to leave early the next day to go back to work. It was rough, and i missed him often, i used the occasional cig to calm me down. At this point i rarely smoked, i still relied on my best friend to purchase them for me and it was inconsistent.

Fast forward a three years later, I first attempted to quit. Niko (the boyfriend) had been pressuring me constantly to quit. So i finally gave it a try.I tried with the patch, it was awful. When i first placed it on i felt sweaty and anxious. Then it would wear off in a couple hours and i would be left craving a cig. more than i had before i put it on. The patch last about 2.5 weeks. Then it was back to smoking.

After a few more months i decided to try again, this time with my other best friend, Allan. She had been smoking since she was around 13. So we decided to try cold turkey. That lasted two days.

The next attempt was a year later, i used the gum. Nicorette, was the best one thus far, i made it three weeks (while i was still craving the entire time) and then i had a bad day and it was all over. I gave in to temptation.

Now here we are my final attempt. THE FINAL PROBLEM (as Sherlock might say...)  I am still with Niko... he had been pressuring me for years, and finally stopped. I have always told him i would quit for good once i was ready. Once the stars aligned, i joked.SIDE STORY*** Two years ago i had accompanied him to his brothers wedding. As i walked outside to smoke, or leave the group to smoke, i knew what they were thinking. His cousin in particular voiced her opinion about me while i was not present. This gossip i felt was unnecessary, why should someone be judged by their actions that did not affect them. I did not judge them for drinking soda or eating microwaved cheese, or any unhealthy choice they had each made. Why was my unhealthy choice on the table? His brothers though were perfect gentleman, and i beleive they would have stood up for me. SO DO NOT JUDGE SOMEONE FOR SMOKING...Anyways...i am getting off track here.****

So after the depression faze which i spoke about earlier on this blog, Niko broked his ankle and his whole attitude changed. He became the perfect boyfriend that he is today. I noticed there wasnt anything to smoke for (my reason for smoking was stress) and i realized smoking was the only stressful thing in my life. I was stressed to sneak out during breaks, or wanting to smoke during a movie, or smoking while i drank a beer. So i researched everything. I read something about smoking aids every day for just about two months. I could not beleive it took me that long to find this book:

This book was my last method....I didnt think it could work. I read reviews for it on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, on its online website. I saw a huge positive feedback. So i spent the few dollars it cost for my Nook, and read it in four days. I spaced it out slightly so i didnt just drone read.

The day i finished the book, i smoked my last cigarette. The initial two days i felt sweaty and i moved constantly around rolling over and over again trying to sleep, but it felt good i knew i was detoxing.

Today it has been 4 months, and i have not craved a cigarette since then. This is your best investment if you are a smoker. Its cheap, and if it doesnt work for you then it cost the same as a pack of cigs. Invest in it.

For all of you non-smokers do not judge smokers, its not your job to judge, you will make them feel worse that way and they will help themselves to another dose of "anti-stress smoke". If your loved one is a smoker encourage them to read this...do not pressure them too. Like i mentioned, Niko finally quit pressuring me and that is when i finally quit for good!

Inspiration

Wedding Music

I am going to throw some negativity out there today...not the best way to start a blog...but i have been listening to michael jackson, the beatles, shania twain and miscellaneous famous songs at this wedding that is out here today, i have worked during lots of weddings, and they all play the same songs.

 It is all feel good songs, which is great but there has to be something better than this...I mean this music deters me from ever having a typical wedding-not that i am getting married or even close to that....

Most weddings without alcohol lead to an empty dance floor, except for the brave few that forge themselves among the wolves...(i think even these brave few are taking shots in their car).....

whatever the case is get good music and champagne and beer and wine..... (notice i said AND and not OR)
If i were to get married i would skip this whole thing about pleasing everyone else, i have seen many brides worried about their guests, they want to make sure they are having fun-this whole thing is ridiculous- its the bride and grooms night and honestly i would not put a huge party together for everyone else to have fun and me be the worried one. 

Anyways i am done ranting, all this stemming from music....
If you could have your dream wedding what would it be? and would you be worried about your guests time more than your own?

If it were up to me I would elope to Nepal....and maybe go here...

Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow....

As per my prior post about snow...or the lack thereof, now everything has changed. Yesterday as we listened to the Holiday radio station as we headed to a tea store, the clouds rolled in and sure enough it began snowing...and it didnt stop until this morning. The roads were hectic, we had more traffic then in rushhour and lower 48ers (we call ppl who are not from AK) and alaskans alike were sliding about on the roads. A good rule of thumb is to not drive with the first heavy snow, it weeds out the bad drivers from the roads. Unfortunately we were caught in the midst of it. After getting some different types of looseleaf tea like yerba mate, and a black tea with currants and cranberries, we drove across the street to blockbuster and rented a Community's 3 season, which by the way is very funny so far!

We went home took out our sleeping bags and curled up with some tea and enjoyed the rest of the snowy night indoors. If you are a tea fan like we are check out this local store-
http://www.summitspiceandtea.com/

What is your favorite tea? Any recommendations?


This was the beginning of the storm.

-7 F Degrees and Dropping

I am not one to complain about being cold. There is an old Nordic saying "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes."

Normally i would agree, but this year is not a typical Alaskan Winter, we have only had 6 inches of snow so far. Snow means warmth during the winter, the clouds blanket the city and keep the temperature anywhere from 15 to 30 degrees.

Now i will say this the roads are perfect, with just a little ice, getting around is easy so far.

Here we go again!

 

My life is dramatically changing. Everything seems to be coming together for good.
This last spring, my boyfriend of six years, Niko, went through a serious depression, it was so awful that I thought for sure it would be the end of things.
It wasn't.
Fast forward to the beginning of summer, our first camping trip that we didnt need to wear a heavy coat (i live in Alaska) and Niko broke his ankle that trip. After that everything changed, he began to realize how much I do for him and it brought him out of his depression.

Now I have never been happier with my daily life. We practice yoga every night together, and I feel like we have never been closer.

The problem is this: Everything is going so well that I am constantly worrying about the depression returning. Here in AK we get very little daylight throughout the winter, which i beleive was the cause of the depression in the first place!

We have taken precautions... This happy light was on sale at costco for 30.00 so we will see how it works!

Anyone else go through depression during the winter? Or have any tips?