Fitness Camp

I did it!

I took the leap and signed up!

Got my butt out of bed at 5:30am
on Memorial day...

And I keep going back for more!

I was so afraid to try, but now that I've done it I feel good. Everyday I come home sore and tired, but energized by my morning workout. I'm pretty much the oldest and least fit in the class, but I don't care. I'm there trying every day. I am happy with my progress. Some days I've even come home and taken the dog out for a walk. Some of our off days I have still gotten up early to walk/run or yoga.

Tootin' my own horn now...

Yeah me!!

family weekend

We very spontaneously planned a trip to Lincoln City. Sunday morning I had a birth, which meant I was off call. Pondered if it would be possible to get away for Memorial Day weekend. Tuesday booked a room. Friday, escaped to the coast.

We found a "family suite" at the Coho, but only booked it for 2 adults and 1 child, not knowing who would actually come. Imagine our delight when EVERY ONE showed up. Only one child lives out of state and she did not make it. When we checked into the hotel we were a little afraid to tell them that we had another SIX adults coming, so we told them we had four more and asked if we needed to pay any additional fees. The guy let us slide, but warned us to keep it quiet since we were on the third floor. OY!

There must not have been anyone next to us or under us on that Friday night, because that room was rocking and there were no complaints. The kids said me and Mario were being uptight....but we were over the legal limit of bodies and things were not getting any better at 2am!

We had to take a trip to Mo's. Here is Tyler trying to decide what to eat

Calli came up on Saturday to spend the day with us. Savannah and all the boys (except Tyler) left Saturday evening. We talked Calli and Tyler into staying with us Saturday night. Things were much quieter that night!! Emilia and I enjoyed a good work out in the gym both nights and had fun swimming with Savannah on Friday night (while all the boys were at the casino...of course) and with Mario, Tyler and Calli on Saturday night.

The weather was pretty good.

After a pretty soggy week in Portland we were satisfied with some clouds and no rain.

Everywhere we go we take a self portrait of ourselves. They must all look the same. One of these days I'm going to make a photo book just of these shots.

It was a pretty expensive trip for two days, but it was well worth the family time.

Meditation Post #1

While I was reading the book "How God Changes Your Brain" I was anxious to skip ahead to the suggested meditations. But I chose instead to read the book entirely before getting to the meditations.

But I did begin my own meditation program. The thing about it is, I don't think there is a definitive right or wrong way to do meditation. I have had small introductions to meditation during my years of yoga study. What I remember is that you try to empty your mind of all clutter and thought processes. If thoughts creep into your mind you notice them, don't stress about it, and let it go.

I pieced some things together from my readings and came up with my own meditation. I knew my primary focus was to clear my depression and deal with my anxiety concerning a specific situation and people. I found some great music on itunes (try to find something that is at least 12 minutes long, or easy to repeat). I chose a Tibetan healing sound. I then found a quiet space and while listening to the music I focused on one word or affirmation, repeating it over and over in my mind. According to the authors/scientists it is even more effective to do this out loud as a chant or song. If you don't want to use a a specific word or affirmation you can also use the words sa ta na ma or om (click to find out more about these words). The other thing I did was focus my eyes, while closed, on the third eye chakra. This helps me keep my thoughts more focused on my intention. This is just my personal preference.

There is one important thing to remember when you choose your word or affirmation. It MUST be a positive word or affirmation. Meditating on a negative will do harm to you. I will give you an example. If you want to resolve a conflict with another person do not use an affirmation like: I want to stop arguing. Instead choose something like: I will have love for....., My heart will be open, I am understanding, etc.

Another great way to begin a meditation practice is to find a guided meditation (again, on itunes, or purchase a CD). These meditations will have music and a soothing voice that will guide you through a meditation.

There are three things to consider before beginning to meditate:

1. Intention. What is the goal you want to manifest in your life? Everything we do has an underlying intention, whether we are conscious of it or not. Clarify what your intention is.

2. Relaxation. Begin by consciously relaxing your body. Focus on your breathing. The breath helps you to stay focused on your intention by slowing down your mental busy-ness.

3. Awareness. Begin to focus your awareness on your breathing, your body, the temperature, sounds and your mindfulness.

I hope this helps you begin your own meditation practice. Let go and see what happens. I can not believe the changes that have occurred in my mind and health. I am just beginning this journey and happy to take you along with me.

Coming Soon....

Many people have asked, so I will be posting meditations soon. I am just reviewing them in the book and it will take me awhile to type them out. Check back soon!!

Chial returns from Fiji

Waiting at the airport with signs....

Alba kids

The boys

Alba men in their sulu's

And a video from the airport......

The title is a little misleading, because the book isn't really about God. It is about meditation and spiritual practices. The book is based on the authors scientific studies of how meditation and other spiritual practices can permanently strengthen neural functioning in specific parts of the brain that aid in lowering anxiety and depression, enhancing social awareness and empathy, and improving cognitive functioning

It's a heavy scientific book, but it's content keeps me interested. I got it from the library, but I think I'm going to have to buy my own copy so I can mark it up and take my time finishing it. Plus it was due back to the library yesterday and I was unable to renew it online. I guess there is a waiting list for it.

I can't stop talking about this book! I am so intrigued by the power of our brain and how little we understand about that power. We have the power to change our brain, therefore to change our life!

I have always believed in the power of positive thinking. I had the same reaction when I read The Secret. What we think and what we believe is who we are. Focusing on this has helped me immensely in my struggle to overcome depression. As I have spent the last three weeks meditating on positive attributes I have come to appreciate myself and my world even more.

Last week was a particularly difficult week. I knew some particular things were going to be hard and I was mentally preparing myself. I chose to meditate daily (the book suggests that changes do not occur unless there is a minimum of 12 minutes of meditation daily). During this meditation I focused on LOVE. I am love and I am loved.

During the conflicts I was able to maintain my sense of self, of love and empathy and being present in the moment. I was able to communicate my feelings and to hear others feelings without judgment. It brought me closer to my husband in a way that I have not felt in a long time. It allowed him to be open and honest, too. I am so grateful for the challenge and the way I went through it, because by the end of the week I knew without any doubt that I was stronger because of it.

Strawberries Galore!

750 Strawberries washed, dried and ready to be dipped.

Our strawberry fundraiser was a huge success, resulting in a 50% increase of sales over last year and every girl who participated earned enough money to have camp paid for. We even earned a little over, so the rest of the money will go to the girl who was unable to come help us.


In spite of running out of doilies and containers (we got more!) and almost running out of chocolate, everything went pretty smooth and the girls were experienced this year and had a smooth assembly line going and finished in less than two hours. They would have been done much sooner but we had to wait for the person we sent to the store to get the containers.

Beautiful and Yummy!

The Mother's Day I wanted.

My own mother spends Mother's Day away, to which I say "Good for you, Mom!". I struggle with the holiday, all the expectations crammed into one day. I've been trying over the years to let go of these expectations and just let it be what it is. And since the holiday falls on a Sunday this complicates it even further. Sunday's are a big day around here. Talk about expectations! Whew! We are expected to go to church and keep the sabbath holy.

I threw all those expectations out the window this year and did what I wanted to do. I woke up with a killer headache, so I took the time to nurture myself and let the medication kick in. I sat in the sun with my tea and called my sister. It was wonderful to spend the morning with my sister!

I went to the Milwaukie Farmer's market and bought flowers and vegetables and soup. And my sweetie went with me. It was fun to watch him interact with the man selling nuts as he sampled the hottest flavors they had!

Then we went to breakfast at Hales. Emilia came with us and we made plans to BBQ later with the boys.

I spent the afternoon with my girls at a Mad Hatter's Tea Party that Savannah's church group had planned. It was very sweet and fun and I was proud of Savannah who was proud of herself for all the work she and her friends had put into it. One of the games we played was how well do you know your daughter/mother and we all realized we know each other pretty well! For the hat decorating contest Savannah said me and Emilia were the creative ones, so we worked together to design a crazy hat that Savannah modeled. We were all happy that we won a prize for our hat!



After BBQ'ing burgers (that Parker wanted to make sure really was grass fed beef, since he watched Food, Inc. last week...that's my boy!), we hung out by the fire making S'mores. Even Tyler came home and sat for awhile. Surrounded by my family was the best part of the day. (Sitting in the sun all morning was pretty awesome, too)


I ended the day with a long conversation with a great friend that I don't get to talk to very often. It was fun and she reminded me of some good things, and that helped a lot. I'm tired this morning, but it was well worth the late night.

Most days I make a list of things to do.

And most days I don't cross anything off that list.

It's a good day when I DO cross some things off that list. And a VERY good day when I cross most things off that list.

Today I got busted. I didn't do something I was supposed to do a very long time ago. So it is now on my list and it will get crossed off today.

I am doing things. Lots of things. It's not like I'm sitting in my chair staring out the window (even though I'd like to be doing that). But this is part of my problem. I'm filling my days with things, but not things that matter. Just like my previous post, people, but not people that matter.

I am reading an interesting book right now called "How God Changes Your Brain". Scientific evidence that prayer and meditation can change your brain for good. I know that this is one of the things missing in my life. Not just daily prayer, but meditation, breathing, yoga and contemplation. I know that I need to make time for this.

A few weeks ago I began my yoga practice again. I am doing at least one day a week. I'd like to find a yoga studio and add another day of yoga, if not more. When I am in a class I think I benefit more from the practice. At home the dogs try to lick my face while I'm in downward dog! My next goal is to add meditation. The authors of the book say the minimum is 12 minutes a day to get a positive benefit. I'm hoping my family will join in. But they might think I'm crazy if I make them sit and chant sa ta na ma for twelve minutes!

My New Life

The following video is beautiful and I encourage you to watch it. It is about Stephanie Neilson, also known as Nie Nie the blogger, who I have shared with you before. She was in a serious plane crash and has been recovering for over a year.

My New Life

My favorite part is when Nie Nie says "I am Stephanie Nielson and I am not my body". How true this statement feels to me right now. Our body is a shell that houses our spirit, our personality, our thoughts and feelings...the most important parts of us. Sometimes I focus on the outside and let that define who I am on the inside. As I have been struggling with depression I have felt lonely, tired and frustrated. But as I try to heal and move forward I see that I have let go the best parts of myself. I am trying to redefine who I am and what my purpose is.

I have become overwhelmed by things and people that I now understand are not important to my purpose. I have decided to focus on myself and those people and things that mean the most to me. It does not mean that everything else or everyone else is not important to me, it just means in this moment I need to focus on the MOST important. I need to clear the clutter and get back to the basics. I need to understand that I am loved and that I am love.