happy birthday, cowboy

happy birthday love. you fill me with sunshine and make me dream big dreams. xo.

moving day, moving day

mid-anxiety attack, this girl came over and saved my life. thank goodness for friends who can stay calm for you and get things done, when you just can't seem to anymore. big thanks to lacey for her get-it-done attitude, and darren and josh for their muscles. love these guys.

we are almost all out of here. it hasn't quite set in yet. sure going to miss it here....

thursday-ness

there are a lot of things i'm going to miss about marina del rey. one of them is the many new neighbors that come in and out of the dock - so shiny and pretty. the husband and i like to sneak around them and picture what life will be like once we can live on our own yacht, traveling from dock to dock, ocean to ocean, and have strangers 'oogle' at our goods. this is the most recent boat that graced us with its presence...

the pictures don't do it justice. it was huge.

also still trying to rid our household of our food, so we are limited to what we have to throw out when we leave. tried experimenting with a favorite cereal, grape nuts. threw in some agave nectar, what was left of the sugar (maybe 3/4 cup??), some heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter - heated it all together and then added the cereal. not delicious, but not too bad. 

good morning, tuesday

...or it would be, but these puppies make entirely too much noise lately to get a decent night's sleep. i sure will miss them when we leave though :(

lately, i've been trying to find my "sweet spot"...just the perfect amount of sleep (not too much, not too little) to where i wake up refreshed, energized and ready for the day. right now, its either 6 hours or 9. i either love sleeping or hate sleeping. anything in between is not working.

how much sleep do you need?

boxes, perishables and rubbage

it's safe to say the one thing that i hate most in the world is moving. if i could pay thousands of dollars to let someone move everything for me, i would. unfortunately, the husband doesn't agree. 

the countdown is on: ten days until we pack up and head on the road. final destination, san francisco. i'm pretty excited to get there, but not excited to leave. having lots of mixed emotions. i have loved living in the marina. 

in between scouring through piles of clothes and trying to eat all the food in our cupboards, we are making some headway...we've packed up our book collection, which wasn't as easy as you'd think - easily the most of anything that we both have together. the good part...i think i'm mostly looking forward to throwing a lot of stuff out. it's amazing what two people can accumulate in five months of living together...

these are the days that i really miss my mom. she is so organized and calm during my anxiety attacks. i'm pretty sure she completely took over during my move from utah to scottsdale. man, i miss her. i of course, am procrastinating. baked these for a bake sale today, and couldn't help but sneak a bite. they are delicious. you should try them.

{us, in ten days}

xo. peace and love.

in case my husband ever reads this blog...

... then he should know i still remember being elated for saturday nights when i could watch dr. mike and all her do-gooding around the colorado plains. her pioneering feminism and daily humanitarianism still makes me want to go to medical school, move to a small town, wear my hair in braids, and perform medical services as a trade-off for my winter food storage. 

the complete series just went on sale (not that i was looking. but maybe i was). for interested parties, you can order it here.

*also, in case said interested parties are curious - this tv series is about cowboys and indians. just sayin...

monday night happenings

sometimes i'm the worst wife. i have been known to completely ignore my housewivery duties and leave my husband to fend for himself. he does alright though. 

tonight for dinner, cort cooked himself up a bison  burger**. two slices of ezekiel bread, fashioned into "buns," tomatoes, lettuce, a sprinkle of cheese and a little salt and pepper. i thought it was adorable. leave it to cortney to turn a kitchen of bird food into a gourmet meal. i was impressed. 

**a word on bison: it is one of the foods of the non-vegetarian nature that i don't mind buying. even eating it on occasion. i justify it due to bison being considered one of the only "self-sacrificing" animals on the planet. in the past, native americans claim that bison would cross their paths, separate from their herds, and lay down in front of the tribe, sacrificing itself in the toughest of times. it is only bought/sold through organic farming, ensuring the health of the bison, and the feed for the herd is only grown without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilizer. it is the leanest of all the meats (including chicken), as well highly nutritious. check out your local whole foods (we can buy some at our farmers market!), you won't be disappointed.

the husband and i finished the night off with the finale of america's got talent. and to be honest, america doesn't have that much talent. however, i did enjoy a musical treat by the texas tenors (check out their performance here). cort was unamused though. actually, offended would be the right word. he thought they were posers, as they clearly were not real cowboys. when i commented on the fact that he himself was  not a real cowboy either, but actually a financial analyst, the poutiest/saddest look i've ever seen on an adult man cropped up on his face....

his response?

"i'm a real cowboy, who analyzes finances on the side...."

he then left the room and emerged looking a little something like this.... 

that's a cowboy hat, a carhart jacket, basketball shorts, ankle socks and a popsicle.

we're newlyweds, but we still like to keep things fresh. 

i had a big blog post planned for this afternoon, but i can't muster it up. i've had a black cloud over my head the last couple of days, and i can't seem to get out of it. i'm reaching for air. in a slump, if you will. hopefully i will come back from the weekend with a new zest for life and much better attitude.

hope all is well with you and yours. happy weekend. peace and love. xo.

nine eleven

"now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. it's a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. but not only of loss and mourning. it's also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend - even a friend whose name it never knew." ~ president george w. bush

much love and respect. shanti, shanti, shanti. xo.

treehugging tips: traffic, schmaffic

{image found here}

simple and green tip 09: traffic, schmaffic

next time you find yourself held up in a traffic jam, stopped in a drive-thru line, or stuck around the on-going construction, put your car in park. the rule of thumb is that if your car is idling for more than 30 seconds, it's worth your while to turn off your engine. you'll save on gas and cash - plus knowing that you are being as green as possible - it may make that idle time just a bit more bearable. but probably not. 

**i'm looking forward to stashing our cars away for over 5 months while living in san francisco. our own two feet and a little public transportation, that's all we'll need....

lights, camera, action

{photo of me by me, labor day road trip}

i struggle with energy in the morning. and some days it takes a lot to get me going. i'm trying to break that habit, so today i woke up, strapped on the running shoes, grabbed my ipod and decided to take in the scenery of marina del rey, moving as far as my legs would get me.

luckily, marina del rey isn't very big and from our apartment in the marina all the way to fisherman's village, is just under 4 miles. i ran there (kind of), but decided to walk back because there is no chance i can run over 4 miles at this point in my physicality. so, drained, sweaty and pretty dehydrated (i'm a genius and didn't take water), I began my way back to our apartment, following the waterfront walk, past the ritz carlton (where britney spears hangs out at the pool, weekly), past the sailboats and yachts, and past the beach. 

let me preface the rest of the story by saying this - it doesn't take a lot for me to zone out when i'm working out. i fall over my feet, run into fire hydrants, and step in unidentified objects. all. the. time. as i was crossing the beach, out of the corner of my eye, i noticed quite a few trailers in the parking lot of the beach - but this is nothing new, since people camp in marina del rey/venice all the time - and i bent down underneath a rope blocking my path. i looked around at the massive trailers around me, noticing that one clearly said, new line productions wardrobe on the side. "as i continued walking, now just a little confused, a large man in a police uniform, jumped in front of me, grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the lot. apparently, i had walked right onto a movie set. in front of a camera. while they were getting ready to shoot. i guess he started yelling at me the minute i crossed under the do not cross "in production" rope, but my music must have been too loud. oops. 

the security guard was nice enough to let me off with a warning and also let me stay and watch for a little bit. but if you go to the movie valentine's day this coming spring, and you see a very dazed and confused, sweaty brunette, wander in front of the camera....that would be me. 

happy weekend, happy labor day

{image found here}

the husband and i are taking off for the weekend. getting out of the city, out of the smog, and heading to st. george to meet up with the price and skipper lovebirds. me plus five die hard byu fans...yikes. apparently, a big game this weekend. should be interesting. i'm coming armed with lots of red clothing and a good book. lovely lynlee is pregnant with her first, so i plan on hovering around her belly all weekend, talking to the little wee and trying to become her favorite, unofficial, non-blood related aunt. probably going to make her these cookies to give me a head start. pregnant mama's deserve treats. and since i'm going to be so close to salt lake, i can imagine all my utah friends will want to be heading south to see me for the weekend...right, right? just think about it. 

also thinking about making some sweet chex mix for a road trip treat...remember how yummy that stuff is? any one have a good recipe?

happy birthday to mama campbell tomorrow, the best mother in the world. i can rarely do anything without her, and don't even want to try. i love you so so much mom. 

happy labor day folks. much peace and love.

xo.

barking dogs

{image found here}

whew. "my dogs are barking today..." 

i couldn't help but think of this quote from john candy in one of the greatest movies of all time, as i finished my dog walking for the day. my legs are tired, yet energized. although i was sweltering in the california heat, the vitamin d did my body good. i can feel all kinds of fresh oxygen moving in and out of my lungs.  

it makes me wonder....why do i beat myself up with other kinds of activity (interval training, spinning), when i don't feel half as "worked out" as when i go for a nice, long (ok, really long to feel the burn) walk? working my hardest for less than an hour a day, just to sit around for the rest of it...? doesn't make sense.

according to marco borges, personal trainer to the stars, (and don't we always believe everything that has to do with celebrities?) walking a mile burns just as many calories as jogging for a mile (hmm, questionable, but i like his theory). plus, it saves your body from injuries that other, more intense burst of exercise can give you. even if that isn't true, i do believe that walking for hours today gave my body exactly what it needed. i have been somewhat bored with my exercise routine lately, and today was perfect. stretching my legs in the fresh air (while working my biceps holding a pack of dogs).

stuck in a rut? go for a walk. does anybody else count walking as their workout? 

two posts in one day....i like it. 

september, september

{image found here}

hurrah, hurrah. i love september. it is the start of a new season. the beginning of cool nights, changing of the leaves, lots of family birthdays, and one month away from the holiday season (halloween counts)....

still, august is trying really hard to hang on to us as we tossed and turned in puddles of our own sweat the last couple of nights. i haven't been this hot since i lived in sticky scottsdale. yikes. the things we sacrifice to live so close to the ocean. longer commutes into the city, coughing up our life savings for rent, and no air conditioning. we are really trying to hold out and not spend the money on a fan, our last month in los angeles. guess we won't need it san francisco. we hear it's frigid...

caught a glimpse last night of the tv show, glee. delightful. musical. funny. sometimes i wish fall tv wasn't so entertaining. there are so many other things i should be doing with my time. i've toyed with the idea of ridding our household of a television altogether, just so i wouldn't be tempted. has any one done this? should we give it a shot?

today i will be spending the day walking 11 dogs. you heard me right. eleven. trying to cure my puppy-hunger, by throwing myself into a potentially disastrous situation. no doubt i will walk away with some stories, and most likely, some kind of injury. 

big shout out to the bradley clan. the suburban cowboy, best friend/sister, and the two cutest kids in the world. i miss you so much my heart aches. 

treehugging tips: recycled reading

simple and green tip 08: recycled reading

back to school, back to school

this usually means a large bill at the bookstore, and for a busy campus, a whole lot of precious trees being used to fill the pages of your textbooks. according the the national resources defense council, the pulp and paper industry is contributing to more global and local environmental problems than any other industry in the world, and textbooks take up a huge chunk of those emissions. 

this year, before dropping your paycheck on new books, consider buying some previously-owned, just as good, books for your classes. most schools offer used books at a discounted rate, and if not, hit up a friend that has taken the class before, or look for ads around campus for people selling their loads. better yet, sell or give away your used books for some good karma. 

try this or this website for some online sources. 

for those already graduated, get your next book clubs read at a used book store or amazon. i love getting a book just a little worn with some comments written in the pages...