one year down. a lifetime to go.

One year ago (tomorrow) I made the best, most important decision of my life. I married the kindest, funniest and most faithful & loving man I've ever known. And sitting here today on the lawn of our Whidbey Island cabin watching him sleep- feet crossed, book on his chest, curly hair matted to his head from the heat- I have never felt so at peace or so sure that I'm supposed to do this thing we call "life" with Danny. It's one of those moments you want to bottle up so you can drink it again someday when life feels a little less sure... a little unsteady. But I allow this perfect moment to pass and instead hold tight to the faith that Danny has instilled in me that our lives together will be filled with moments like these. Along with tough ones will be easy ones... the sad moments will be balanced with funny ones... that in the stresses and struggles and uncertainties that go along with being human, we will find ourselves back in moments like these where life makes more sense, makes us smile, and can only be described as beautiful.

Happy 1st Anniversary, D. I agree, one year passes and it feels like we've made married for years... and I like that. I want to drag this forever thing out with you as long as I can. xoxo

My Wedding Vows

August 15, 2009

Danny Grady, you are an easy man to love. From the very beginning, you wooed me at the karaoke bar with your soulful rendition of ACDC’s Back in Black. You rescued me on the side of the road in the middle of the night when I blew out a tire (sorry Dad). You make me soup when I’m sick, rub my feet when I’m tired, and you do the happy dance when I’m down. And to be honest, you are cute as heck.

I knew early on that you were someone special that I wanted to have in my life, but I had no idea the plan God had for us. Standing here with you now, I am overwhelmed by all of the things I love about you. I love your ability to make me laugh and smile in the face of any circumstance. I love your passion for the environment and your desire to teach others. I love how you can laugh at yourself, and have enabled me to lighten up. I love your energy and adventurous spirit. I love your friends—they are a reflection of you. I love your devotion to your family, and I know I am a better daughter and sister because of your example. Mostly, I love how you love me. How you don’t need to know what I’m thinking, because you know to ask me, which is even better.

For these reasons and so many more, I know how lucky I am to be standing here today with you… my best friend, promising to spend the rest of our lives together.

I promise to always laugh with you… and sometimes at you. You have taught me that laughter really is healing.

I promise to support you in your dreams, and share them with you. You’ve supported me through graduate school and so much more (which we both know was not always easy) and you always make me feel like I am capable of anything. I hope I can do the same for you.

I promise that our family will be my first priority in life, but I also recognize the importance of staying connected with your friends—and we will make it a priority for you have your dude time. As long as I can tag along sometimes…

I promise to be a devoted mother to our children, to cheer the loudest at our kids’ lacrosse games and to try to not wear sweatpants everyday.

I promise to grow as an individual so we can be stronger as a couple… and I promise to try to be more brave and adventurous.

I promise to be honest, to be faithful, to listen, to cheer you on, admit when I’m wrong, and be forgiving when you are. :)

I promise to have faith in us, to trust you, and to always be your number one fan. I love you.

pickathon.

on saturday morning we made a last second trip down to pdx to partake in the folky festival portlanders like to call pickathon... and boy are we glad we did. all summer I've been itching to kick back on the grass and enjoy some good summer tunes, and this festival did not disappoint. between the "gourmet" corndogs, knee slappin' in the woods and the tasty $4 ales in funky reuseable tin cups, we were in indie heaven. portland's "hippie-ster" scene was in full effect east of the city: fedoras, local brew, bare feet, halter jean jumpsuits and hoola hoop dancing (bess and I were particularly taken with these last two). we parked ourselves along the wall of the beer garden and tapped our toes to cuties chatham county line, soulful frazey ford, danny's fav the fruit bats, and the decembrists' other band black prairie, to name a few. but what took the cake for me was seeing langhorne slim rock the forest on the tucked away "woods stage." talk about a magical friggin' place. from the second we hit the trail and made our way through little "villages" of tents adorned with tapestries and christmas lights, bess had a permanent smile pasted on her face. and when we hit the stage, all three of our mouths dropped open-- the forest was literally alive with music and dancing and good spirits. we must have said a dozen times, "this is effing awesome."

take a gander at our photos and let us know 1) if you'd like to join us next year and 2) if you have a westfalia you'd like to loan us. :)

sunshine and smiles.

violetta food stand= corndog heaven.

happy as clams.

ginormous burrito- just meal #1 of the day.

of all the "unique" hats we saw that day, this was our favorite.

bess, guess what you're getting for your birthday?

enjoying some tunes with the sweetest person ever- jenny fergs!

frazey ford does not suck.

bess & i taking in frazey ford.

bess' fabulous festival sandals.

next year we'll be pitching our tent at camp "best weekend ever." for obvious reasons.

cool.

what's cooler than cool? the woods stage.

langhorne slim on the woods stage. this picture doesn't do it a bit of justice.

so many people rockin' in the forest!

DG just bein' the man.

danny's pictures are more artsy than mine...

camp westfailia. danny was in heaven.

danny enjoying the fruit bats.

frazey ford's evening performance on the barn stage. good stuff.

nightfall.

sidenote: for all of you ray lamontagne lovers, his new album will be released on itunes august 17th. preordered? indeed.

No-Sew Banner

Paper-n-stitch is one of my favorite crafty blogs. I like that she posts so many project ideas that you can complete in a day or a weekend- which is pretty much the max of my crafting attention span. If I can't complete something in a weekend, it probably won't get done...

Last (last) weekend I threw a going-away party for my bestie Josie in our "backyard" & wanted to make a fabric banner to add to the decor. Two problems: 1) I'm still in the early stages of learning how to sew & don't have my own sewing machine and 2) I was running out of time! So I was so happy to find to this "No-sew fabric banner" project on Paper-n-stitch.

Here's all you'll need:

• Fabric scraps/squares
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Heat & Bond tape
• Yarn, twine or strong thread
• Iron & ironing board

A few tips-- if you have fabric scraps lying around, I'd go for those. I ended up buying fat quarters of cute matchy fabric at FabricCrush which worked out great, but it did get a little spendy. Also, if you're going to be cutting fabric beyond this project, I recommend investing in some good scissors. It was hilarious and a little painful to watch my helpers (Sher, Nick & Danny) attempt to cut fabric with dull scissors. Thanks guys!

Here I am, still in my Yoga for Hope getup, ironing my heart out before the party!

and voila! it was a sweet addition to our outdoor party.

Things I am loving right now.

Maybe you'll love them too.

Able & Game Cards on Etsy.

I have been needing more things in my life that make me laugh out loud. These quirky cards from husband & wife duo Able & Game do just that. Especially the "Romance" cards.

This one is a personal favorite... maybe because it reminds of D and I...? just a little...

Moroccan Hair Oil

In May I decided I needed a change- so naturally I got a perm. :( I'll wait for you to stop laughing before I continue... I apparently didn't learn my lesson the first time (yes Sarah, you tried to warn me... and you were right), but every few years I foolishly believe that science can transform my limp, fine hair into Julia Roberts' luscious full-bodied, wavy mane. FAIL. This time my hair turned out mostly 1) orange and 2) frizzy. Meh. And while D tried to be supportive, every few days he'd coyly drop a casual, "yeah honey, I think I like your hair better straight..." Yep, duly noted.

In any case, my hair was a hot mess-- until I met Kim at Tousle Salon (hallelujah!) in Wallingford and she introduced me to Moroccan Hair Oil. Now, I may sound a bit like a commercial right now, but holy crap this stuff is amazing! Just a drop of this bottled up miracle (snake oil, Josie?) and my fine hair feels unbelievably silky (and surprisingly not greasy). Plus, and this is key, it smells like you are on a beach in Morocco. So much so that the other day one of my students was sitting awkwardly close to me until I finally asked her what the turkey was going on and she admitted that she "loved the smell of my hair so much she wanted to eat it." Yikes! Don't kids say the darndest things?

The Adventures of Jack Cousteau blog

I read a lot of "girly" blogs. I mean, I am a girl afterall. I get into the fashion & design & crafts & all that artsy fartsy stuff. But last week I ran across this "dude blog," via Oh Joy!, and laughed my pants off... you know, the kind of chuckle that trails on a little and then sneaks up on you again five minutes later...

"Jack Cousteau" (not to be confused with French naval explorer Jacque) highlights the Old Spice commercials (amazing!) and poop, which girls (for the most part) don't write about. I'm not gonna write about it, but I have no problem laughing at his poo stories. I wonder if his wife is embarrassed by this or laughing her pants off... probably the latter.

Monarch Butterfly Camp Chair

The hubby was sweet enough to get me a congrats gift for completing my 108 sun salutations on Saturday. The best thing about "Danny gifts" is that they are always something with a super cool design that I will love- but they are also so him- which means he gets crazy excited about giving them to me. This gift was no exception- now I have my very own Monarch Camp Chair from Alite Designs. What makes this chair so cool is that it balances on 2-legs and is incredibly comfortable. Thanks to the hubs I now have a super functional, comfortable little hipster chair for our next camping trip!

Also not to be missed from Alite Designs is the Sexy Hotness Sleeping bag. Since camping is a major turn on (obviously), the sexy hotness sleeping bags are designed to be roomy & zip together so as to allow you to "canoodle" with others as desired. Here's a great line in their description: "Zippers on both sides allow you to connect as many sleeping bags together as your party requires." Sold!!

added bonus: you don't even have to get out of your sleeping bag to do your "business" in the middle of the night!!

Quotes.

Yep, I'm going through another inspirational quote phase. I blame it on this being Josie's last week in Seattle which has left me feeling all mushy & sad inside and craving some snippet of wisdom to help this change settle a little better with me. Now I'm hooked and finding myself googling inspirational quotes for hours until I have them coming out my ears! I'm even starting to converse in inspirational quotes... just wait, tomorrow morning Danny will ask, "Honey, why didn't you soak your dish last night?" and I will thoughtfully reply, "You see things and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?'" (props to George Bernard Shaw).

Here is a new favorite from Marilyn Monroe (which makes me think of my friend Valerie...)

Who knew Marilyn was so wise...?

Share some things that YOU are loving right now... I'm always looking for things to love.

108 Sunny Salutations for Mom

Well, we could not have asked for a more beautiful day to salute the sun! On Saturday almost 300 yogis (including myself) gathered at Memorial Stadium under the sun for Yoga for Hope. We completed 108 sun(ny) salutations to raise money and awareness for City of Hope.

If you don't know about City of Hope, you should. It is a cancer treatment center that goes above and beyond to treat the whole patient, recognizing the importance of complementary and integrative therapies like yoga. The researchers, doctors, and nurses at City of Hope understand the mind-body-spirit connection and this enables them to better care for their patients, and their patients' families. I signed up because, like many of you, cancer has touched my family. Most of you know that five years ago my Mom (Lucy) battled and beat breast cancer. Watching her go through the pain and fear associated with this disease was one of the hardest and scariest things I've ever had to do. My Mom's fight taught me that cancer patients need so much more than just good medical care- because cancer doesn't just break you physically, it can break your spirit too. Healing involves restoring hope and tending to the patient's and family's spiritual health as well. This is what City of Hope strives to do- so, thanks to YOU, I was excited to raise $565.00 for this organization! You will never know how much it touched me and my family to have so many of you support my participation in this event.

Here is a picture of my mama and I post-recovery.

I think she looks gorgeous & I love that little pixie cut!

Here we are waiting to begin under a gorgeous blue sky.

I was so grateful to connect with my favorite yoga instructor Jenniferlynn before we got started!

If you haven't been to one of JL's classes at Haute Yoga or Yogalife, put that on your bucket or summer to do list! I always walk away from JL's classes feeling renewed, energized, and full of gratitude.

It was incredibly inspiring to practice with so many

devoted, caring people and to be surrounded with such awesome energy!

let's play a little Where's Waldo and see if you can find me in this picture...

So why 108 sun salutations? What's the significance? Well, instructor Jennifer Isaacson described that the numbers 1, 0, and 8 are meaningful in themselves- the 1 stands for the individual practice, the 0 for the union of all of us practicing together, and the 8 signifies infinity, that there are infinite possibilities of what we can achieve in our practice together. She also informed us that 108 is a meaningful number in many spiritual practices... 108 is the number of beads on a Catholic rosary and a Tibetan mala... the number of names for Buddha and the number of names for Shiva in the Hindu philosophy... it is also said that there are 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra in yoga... interestingly enough, 108 is also the number of stitches on a baseball! Huh.

I love the strength & energy in this woman's arms & hands!

So it was an inspring (and exhausting!) day. I felt that every salutation I performed was a physical prayer of gratitude for my mom's healing. Every morning I still thank God that my mom was healed and that both my parents continue to be in good health. Now I also thank God for the people at City of Hope, that they are healing other mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers who are battling disease. I'm so glad I could have a small part in that.

If you are looking for an organization to support, either financially or through volunteer work, I encourage you to consider City of Hope and visit their website to learn more about the great work they do!

what are you doing this summer?

You've probably noticed by now that I'm kind of a compulsive list-maker (the happy lists...). So naturally in May I began to compile a list of things I'd like to do, see, learn, accomplish this summer. At first I was hesitant to make this list public, because then I'd actually have to do it all. But it turns out accountability is a good thing for me (i.e. 1/2 marathon)- aaaaand maybe some of you will see something on here that strikes your fancy too and we can make it a team effort!

I'm happy to report that I'm already off to a solid start...

run a 1/2 marathon- check!

learn to sew (& sew a pillow cover... and a tablecloth... and curtains...)

complete 108 sun salutations- Saturday!

walk across the aurora bridge with josie (my palms are sweaty just writing about this)

go camping in the rain forest

get an etsy treasury on the front page- it's my lucky day! check!

write one (snail mail) letter per week

learn to fly fish- check!

blog at least once/week

hike mt. si... how have I not already done this?

create a budget (this one might be danny's for me... but it has to happen)

gain clinical experience counseling kids with pediatric obesity- check! unreal.

refinish junky old side table

make the bed every morning

call my mom at least once a week

pull a Romy & Michelle at my 10 year high school reunion...

practice gratitude

learn to make sushi at home

crack open that ridiculously expensive bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape we picked up (while tipsy) in France

read 5 professional development books

plan a girl's trip with my college amies (here we come Arizona!!)

reupholster a desk chair- in process!

eat dinner at the dinner table (as opposed to the couch :) )

host a summer book club for kids- check!

get my camera serviced and reclaim my love of photography

do something extra nice for the hubby once a week

finish wedding album

go mountain biking with the hubby

read more nonfiction: ominvore's dilemma... the sharper the knife the less you cry... suggestions?...

make my own (cheaper) version of this Fermob bistro set- check!

make the outdoor movie extravanganza happen!

get a new library card so I can actually check out books (i know... i know...)

watch all of Marion Cotillard's movies- half way there!

what are you up to this summer? share!

DIY? Yes I can!

This past May we made a special trip up to Swanson's nursery in Ballard to pick out plants for our terrariums and it was there that I first fell in love with Fermob's outdoor furniture. (wonky name, right?) I was instantly smitten with the delicate French design and the bold mix-n-match colors. However, I did not fall in love with the hefty price tag ($99 for just one chair!).

So, at the suggestion of my good pal Bess, I decided to turn my furniture lust into a DIY project. Last week I set out on a craigslist search for metal outdoor furniture and as luck would have it, found just what I was looking for in my first click: a sweet, gently used bistro set for just $50 bucks up in Marysville! The seller just happened to work down in Seattle and agreed to meet me off I-5 to make the exchange-- score!

Take a look at a Fermob bistro set:

Fun, summery colors.

Now take a gander at my little bistro set...

Before:

Luckily there wasn't much to be done to prep this set for painting. These chairs were in great condition with no rust! I so appreciate when people take good care of things so they can have a happy second life with someone else. :)

After:

I went with a similar color palette, but decided to go with more muted tones. There really wasn't a whole lot of color selection in the spray paint section at Home Deport (which surprised me given how overwhelmingly gargantuan & orange the store is), but I think this color combo turned out perfect.

loving this little succulent too.

It's amazing how a fresh coat of (spray) paint can breathe new life into blahzay old furniture. The best part? This was by far the easiest DIY project I've done yet! I am so excited that we now have a sweet (affordable) spot to enjoy a morning cup of joe and those late summer suppers.

Success!