I try to be mindful and present - thinking about the here and now.

Sometimes, though, it is fun to think about the what is to come. Especially when the future holds a vacation and a big personal challenge…

We bought a tent and some sleeping bags. Kris and I both grew up camping with our families, and we have been hoping to continue that tradition in our own family. We have been together for ten years been have only camped once. So, now we can camp a lot more, starting with our next vacation. Camping gear is so much easier and lighter than it was twenty years ago. Perhaps it is childhood memory fog, but I seem to remember the tent setup taking a good forty-five minutes. And it weighed a lot too. Well, new tents don’t take as long… the new tent was up in a flash, and it feels “roomy” too! (Yes, it is in the living room…) And the sleeping bags! so nice and comfy and light as a feather! Stuffed with down, instead of polyfill! (can you see my excitement?) So, yeah, we are ready to go… now we just have to wait for the day to arrive. That gives me some time to decide what knits to take along with me…

I mentioned it already, but it is now official. I signed up for the SheROX triathlon in August. I am excited and nervous at the same time. With 13 weeks before the event, I have really picked up the training. I detailed my training plans over on the Journey page in a little segment I am calling “Tri’ing Times”. I will try to update it once a week with results and milestones. I have also found some inspiration and tips from two great sources. Ravelry has some great fitness-oriented groups: Fitness Knitters, Yarn and Sneakers, and Tri Knitters. The groups are perfect for the beginners and the more experienced. BeginnerTriathlete has a large free section where users can enter their training log data and goals, as well as an active forum and Q&A section. The site has already helped me learn the answers to some of my novice questions. I still have a lot to learn (and a lot to practice), but if motivation means anything, I am there! So much so that E and I are planning to practice the swim this coming weekend!

Spurred by this training, and the effects that [I think] it will have on my body, I am joining the 365 Project on Flickr. The basic requirement is that you take a self-portrait every day for one year. Kris says it is narcissism, but I tend to think of it is a motivational tool and a way to really express creativity. This is Day Three, and I haven’t taken today’s photo yet… but I will. If you are interested, you can keep up with my 365 photos here (only two so far). I hope I can keep it up. There are several crafty 365-ers too, even starting their own group, Knitterly365Days.

The shoes at the top of the post were an added bonus: I wanted comfy walking shoes for the summer. After I tried on about 10 pairs, I decided on these cuties - Ahnu Benicia. The left photo was my official “first” photo for the 365 Project.

…the past few weeks have been trying…

Nothing major, just small daily hurdles that are so common in everyone’s life.

However, instead of letting these things accumulate and get me down, I am working hard to keep a positive attitude. Keep a smile on my face. The positive outlook made for a happy week.

And on this Saturday night, I look back and I am grateful for the week’s activities:

• I did yoga everyday - focusing on both asanas and pranayama. It is refreshing and rejuvenating. I am seriously researching yoga teacher training, and this gives me a new excitement and lease on life. I feel that the best way to prepare myself for this is to fully immerse myself in it… so you will probably hear more about this…
• I read three books this week, and I learned something valuable from each of them. Circle of Simplicity, a book written in the early 1990s that spearheaded the “neo”-voluntary simplicity movement; The Long Road Leads to Joy, a beautiful small book about walking, containing poetry, proverbs, and photographs; and a general history of yogic principles and schools in the Hatha Yoga Illustrated. All three were from the library.
• I ate delicious whole foods this week that I prepared with my own hands.
• I exercised everyday; the aforementioned yoga, as well as hiking on Monday, weightlifting on Tuesday, Pilates on Wednesday, row machine on Thursday, and spinning on Friday. Today was a day of rest. Tomorrow is our weekend walk…
• I got a haircut on Wednesday and a bonus head massage from my sweet stylist. Before getting my cut, I had two people tell me that it looked like a certain presidential candidate… guess which one.
• Kris and I went out for brunch today, a change of pace from the home-cooked meals, but also a way to support a new community cafe… it was delicious and lovely. We also had a date tonight to see a movie.
• I knit 8 inches on my sister’s cardigan today. Her birthday is in 16 days. I hope to finish in time!
• I wore my cozy black turtleneck sweater and stayed nice and warm all day - March’s wind definitely came “in as a lion”!

I end this week happy. I will choose to begin the new week with a smile on my face.

On December 30th, the last Sunday of 2007, we went on a walk. It was not an extraordinary walk - aside from being in the glorious surroundings, of course, not to be underestimated - but a simple walk of about two miles in a nearby area with a forest and a nice creek. We had done this stretch of walk dozens of times before, but we marveled at all of the new things that we saw on this particular walk. We decided in no certain terms to make the “weekend walk” a ritual. One we could look forward to throughout the week.

A time to connect with each other, and to connect with nature.

A time to quietly observe the world around us and the changing of the seasons.

A time to just be.

As the calendar ticks by, I find that my desire for the walk changes from week by week: Sometimes, I want a breath of fresh air. I want to get some exercise and burn some calories. I want to improve my mood. I want to wear one of my handknits. I want to meditate and quietly think about things. I want to simply put one foot in front of the other and truly live in the moment. I want to reach a spot that I have never been. Sometimes I have all of these expectations in one single walk.

Kris brings the camera and documents the beautiful natural world. He particularly enjoys capturing the changes of the trees, plants, and bodies of water as the seasons change. Sometimes I take the camera and try to capture the beauty I am seeing.

Each weekend of this month has provided the opportunity for a meaningful walk. We walked through local parks, hiked to a nearby hilltop, and finally, this weekend, we went on a weekend walk a little further from home… well, three actually, one for each day we were there. And the novelty of it was that one walk was deep underground while the other two were a little closer to the clouds!

We spent the long holiday weekend in the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia - about two hours south of our home. We drove down on Friday mid-day and stopped over at a local attraction: Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia.

Our timing was perfect: the snow was fresh and beautiful, and the sun was bright. While the temperatures were cold - below freezing on both days - that did not stop us from getting out and exploring. We found two hiking trails up into the mountains and reserved one for each day, Saturday and Sunday.

These walks may have been my favorite yet. They were a true sensory experience: the smell of pine trees and fresh winds, the aural crunch of the snow and ice under foot, and the monochromatic landscape of white snow blanketing the mountain, and the chilly winds felt against our faces.

The weekend walk ritual has been the highlight of my new year, and we are only three weeks in! I am very excited to discover more places - both near and far - during the weekend walks.

It is amazing how something as simple as a walk can be the best part of the week.

…

Do you have a special ritual that brings you joy?

This week has been all about green for me.  On Sunday, I bought about 15 lbs. of (mostly) green vegetables at the market. 

On Monday, Kris and I started our green garden.

Each day since, this little garden and all of these vegetables have played a big role.  The vegetables have been the base of my detox diet (in its sixth day - tomorrow is the last, unless I plan to continue) and I have mixed up some amazing concoctions.  I have tried vegetables that I have never tasted before.  Expanding my horizons!

As for the garden:  it is going to be a busy summer!  We planted a plethora of healthy greens, herbs, and flowers.  Good eats and pretty pictures to come, no doubt!

Ahh!  The weekend is nearly here!  There was something I was supposed to do tomorrow and Sunday, but for the life of me, I just can’t remember…   hehehe!

If you see me, please do say hello.  I would love to meet and greet

I came home with quite a lovely batch after my recent trip to Habu Textiles in New York City. What I didn’t come home with was a backordered kit that arrived on my doorstep yesterday…

This is the yarn from Kit #41 for the Paper Moire and Silk Pullover

Once I actually knit this beautiful piece, it will undoubtedly be the most textured item in my closet. It is so unique - you can’t find things like this in clothes stores (well, not many stores…) I think it will be a nice piece to make in the late summer - because brown is part of the Project Spectrum color triad for August and September. This will be a great layered piece and will transition easily into fall and winter.

And the YARN!  The yarn is gorgeous!

Click to make bigger - so much better that way!

The kit includes four yarns: two colors of Tsugumi Silk, and two colors of Paper Moire.

Habu is really doing some unique things with fiber.  Setsuko Torii is the head designer, and she also has a new book out (which is also available in English, according to Habu’s site)  Vanessa got a copy of the book and previewed some of the patterns - beautiful and inspiring!

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I received some wonderful emails and supportive comments about my one-week The UltraSimple Diet detox.  I am working through Day Four of the detox program now, and I can recommend it already. I slept so soundly last night and woke up feeling grand!  I am writing more comprehensive notes on PeerTrainer, and also on my Weight Loss page if you want to keep track of the progress.  Mark Hyman, the doctor who developed this diet also set up a PDF companion guide to the book (which holds the meal-by-meal plan).   He just put it up last night - so this is brand new info