Jan 30, 2009

Sharesies

I did this out on Facebook and thought it would make a good blog post.
The orginal rules are:

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

Here are my 25 things - mostly deliberate, but some very random...

1. I used to bite my nails ALOT. I don't think they've ever recovered.

2. I have crowd deafness.

3. My secret wish is to sing professionally. Oops - now it's not a secret.

4. I don't think I know myself very well. This makes me feel hopeful and sad all at once.

5. According to recent tests, I"m allergic to wheat, corn, dairy, eggs, vinegar, and chocolate. I've become quite the meat and potatoes girl since (hold the potatoes please).

6. I grew up less than 2 miles away from my husband but never knew him in childhood. We left the island the same year and moved thousands of miles apart, then met back in that same place 13 years later. The rest is an ongoing history.

7. I hate green peas.

8. I use the term Best Friend to describe 4 people in my life. I have no issue with the fact that it doesn't fit the literal meaning of the term; it fits each of them perfectly.

9. Often my brain works like a CD Player on repeat, with images, conversations, and thoughts that run continuously over and over. It's the reason I can't watch horror movies.

10. Not once in my career have I felt completely settled in my professional work. This drives me and frightens me.

11. Red is my power color.

12. My daughters are the only thing that I'm truly 100% convinced I've done right and to the best of my ability so far.

13. I envy people that can completely relax.

14. I would do my college years all over again, and change very little.

15. This year I have a goal to eliminate all foods from my diet that I know for a fact don't agree with me.

16. Pilates has changed my self-image.

17. My two worst traits are my over-eagerness to please and my fear of confrontation.

18. My two best traits are my ever-ready smile and my patience with others.

19. I have way more ego than most people think, and certainly more than I usually admit to (ha! there goes that little secret too!)

20. I could drink hot (caffeine free) tea all day every day, happily forsaking any other beverage.

21. My sister is the funniest, most talented person I know. She's also the most fragile, which makes those other 2 things even more admirable.

22. There are a lot of dichotomies in my life. Here's another one...the number of online sites and "communities" I'm part of often makes me feel very connected and in touch. That is until I stop and really think about it. Am I really?

23. I'm pretty impressed with the fact that I made it to #23. For a self-proclaimed open person, I'm actually very secretive.

24. I'm a big softie and cry VERY easily - happy or sad tears - they flow freely either way. I even tear up sometimes when I'm talking about something that I am passionate about, even if it's something benign.

25. Dancing and laughing are two of my favorite things; I find joy in opportunities to do both. Sometimes...when things really line up well, my dancing illicits laughter from others, and that is a very sweet thing.

Your turn!

Jan 24, 2009

Maui Moments 2 - Seaside Stroll

While visiting the island, we had a good percentage of our itinerary planned out for us, which turned out to be a very welcome "structure" to balance the random relaxation. The Zip Line outing, for example is one that I'm not sure I would have drummed up on my own, so for that and several other opportunities, we're really grateful.

However, in his very typical (and wonderful) style, my hubby made a way for us to find our own memorable experience. He took my hand one morning and decided that we should walk until we found something worth seeing.


Boy did we ever...


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DSCF1748 Ocean breeze does this

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This is one week away that we won't soon forget. There is such energy and renewal in the natural wonders of our planet. I've been reminded now to take them in more and more and to appreciate even the slowest moments.

Jan 22, 2009

Maui Moments

Drew and I are away on a very special first trip to Maui. This is a combination of work reward trip, second honeymoon, mind and body reset, and so much more. I'm so grateful for the ability to take pictures and film parts of it to help keep these memories fresh. Over the next couple of posts, I'll share some of those photo memories with you


Yesterday we tried Zip Lining...


Maui Zip Line Outing - Our Chariot up the mountain
Only a vehicle like this could make it over the roads up here...

SkyLine EcoAdventures - Horses at HQ
Wild Horses watch our ascent

Eco Adventures Zip Line Outing 038

Zip Line Outing in Maui
Tell me again how completely safe this is?


Eco Adventures Zip Line Outing 024
Nothing to it but to do it! (You can see the video of my turn here)

Zip Line Outing - Harnessed and Ready
If I'm still smiling, you know it couldn't have been that scary :-)

And....I've got the best travel partner EVER



Jan 2, 2009

More Progress

Happy New Year!
I hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks celebrating, eating, loving, laughing and getting some much needed merriment!

There are great steps being made over here chez BrownBerry; the knitting clan is growing its skills! Adachi told me that she'd like to learn something new in her latest project, and I'm all in favor of that. Taking on a new technique with each project is a great way to expand the toolkit, so I thought it was time that she learn to purl. She was so enthusiastic about learning this new stitch, it was cute to watch. I'll let her tell you herself...





With that great start and some elbow grease - what started as this...



Became this...


Adachi Learns to Purl 007

It just never gets old for me! I encourage her as much as I can and will try to help her avoid my own pitfalls (overstashing, too many WIPs, one-ball wonders, and so on). We're having a great time.