tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85525049077838818422024-03-13T05:59:28.349-07:00Soprano in the Real WorldA blog about cooking, yoga, real life, and other such nonsenseKristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.comBlogger325125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-4511676603012402782024-01-01T08:55:00.000-08:002024-01-01T08:57:39.603-08:00And just like that...it's 2024<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well hello friends. Today, it is January 1, 2024. I started this blog when I was 25 and had just started my first full-time job. Now, I'm 40 and have two kids and own a house, so things have changed a bit around here.<br /><br />I used to fill out this end of year survey thing just about every year, and yesterday my colleague posted his on Facebook which inspired me to do the same. I've been meaning to start writing here again for a while because a) I miss writing and b) it helps me remember things and c) why not. We obviously have some catching up to do, but this seems like a good place to start - so without further ado, the 2023 annual recap!<br /><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRRGdXtKPlSpr_sR7zaOGHfZ-2hNAKAXm-iym85Dqk4ch-j2iWmHW1tmW2ppFcYcLjj26ZSFYu_UCJO7HA_2Hpud70lOVV_trhWFqlbkihHtw53L7CBVrUXO2FCz2vqY0KJAWewo8C56G_3Ha0Uq_14aABtprj_5UtKPg_T7XR-tgH1iC3CdLeoDf7apq/s5472/MacKenzieFamily.11.11.23.4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRRGdXtKPlSpr_sR7zaOGHfZ-2hNAKAXm-iym85Dqk4ch-j2iWmHW1tmW2ppFcYcLjj26ZSFYu_UCJO7HA_2Hpud70lOVV_trhWFqlbkihHtw53L7CBVrUXO2FCz2vqY0KJAWewo8C56G_3Ha0Uq_14aABtprj_5UtKPg_T7XR-tgH1iC3CdLeoDf7apq/w640-h426/MacKenzieFamily.11.11.23.4.jpg" title="Photo Credit Megan Norman" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Photo Credit: Megan Norman</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. What did you do in 2023 that you'd never done before?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stayed at an all-inclusive resort! Ben's parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and to celebrate they took all three of their sons and families to Mexico for a week. As one does. Honestly, it was kind of amazing. Alex and Owen spent all day in the pool or in the Kids Club (which let me tell you is a freaking godsend - having somewhere you can drop off your kiddos and read by the pool for a couple of hours? Sold.), and discovered the magic of "rainbow cheerios" aka Fruit Loops. They keep asking if they can go back, so we're considering saving up for a return trip for our 15th anniversary in 2026.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />And we finally, FINALLY got professional family photos done. I've been procrastinating this for 2-3 years and finally made it happen thanks to the incredible <a href="https://megannorman.com/">Megan Norman</a>.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't make resolutions but I do try to set intentions - last year, my goal was to find ways to focus in and go deeper on the things that are truly important to me instead of spreading myself so thin (and as a result, to be a little more selfish in my decision-making and not worry so much about being a burden to others). I would say yes, I did keep it for the most part, and I'm still trying to figure out what my intention is for 2024. </span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Did anyone close to you give birth?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, Ben's younger brother and his wife, so we now have a very adorable baby niece!</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Did anyone close to you die?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I actually can't think of anyone close to me who passed in 2023. So, thankful for that.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. What countries did you visit?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mexico and....L.A.? Which is sort of like visiting another country? </span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm actually not sure! I wanted better balance in my life, and I achieved that. I think I could use...more of that? And I have plans to get there, although I'm now revising them slightly due to circumstances outside of my control but, that's life.</span></p><p class="c1 c5" style="height: 11pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">February 16. It was my 40th birthday, but was also memorable for other reasons, please stay tuned for question 31.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a tough one - honestly, surviving February with even a shred of my sanity intact felt like a huge accomplishment. I also went for my first sunrise lake run in a very, very long time. I used to run Bde Maka Ska at least once a week at sunrise, but the last time I made it over there for a run I think I was pregnant with Alex. Probably summer of 2017. Getting back there felt like meeting an old friend again.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUTC0J8_gTaSjJOV2rqNVRrILDjYog-gzrn74gMt2vNMKdD4FDZwCKq3xZAJAeoolFe6meRMWYewTcXpFpcF4CqkLu0pI5HHeLKnAmzFoabkpDSf-asXJDP37dd2-VEs5YDJ-HMoR48BW0DpaW-0yTPyW9nStO_pcbA9QZjA4SWK5d3pPdVsKWGqm03pr/s4032/2023-11-24_06-44-56_539.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUTC0J8_gTaSjJOV2rqNVRrILDjYog-gzrn74gMt2vNMKdD4FDZwCKq3xZAJAeoolFe6meRMWYewTcXpFpcF4CqkLu0pI5HHeLKnAmzFoabkpDSf-asXJDP37dd2-VEs5YDJ-HMoR48BW0DpaW-0yTPyW9nStO_pcbA9QZjA4SWK5d3pPdVsKWGqm03pr/w640-h480/2023-11-24_06-44-56_539.heic" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9. What was your biggest failure?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can't really think of a "biggest failure" to be honest. </span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Did you suffer illness or injury?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So much illness. Like just....so much. Alex, Owen and I all got hit with a truly awful GI bug in the winter, I think both kids had at least one ear infection (Alex had two back to back in the late winter/early spring) and we all got strep in July. Except for Ben, who somehow managed to escape both strep AND poop-fest 2023. Congrats to you.<br /><br /></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">11. What was the best thing you bought?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Probably the playhouse in our backyard. We splurged on one from Rainbow and I can just tell it will last forever. <br /><br />Also Christmas lights - I bought 3 lit garlands for the living room and some rainbow cafe string lights for the family room and have zero regrets. <br /><br />And while not technically a "thing," I did a weekend yoga retreat in March for the first time since before kiddos and wow was that ever needed. </span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ben, the boys. Watching Alex and Owen continue to grow up into these amazing little people full of imagination, compassion, love of learning, and becoming the best little travelers and is just incredible.<br /><br />Additionally, a huge shoutout to Harper, who saved my life at work in January and February when we were short staffed. Thank you SO MUCH.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stealing this one from BCF - Johnny Depp (technically this was more in 2022 but continued to appall me in 2023)</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">14. Where did most of your money go?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mortgage and property taxes lol.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Planning our 2024 travels, decorating for Christmas annnd...???</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">16. What song will always remind you of 2023?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Probably <a href="https://youtu.be/dIl8imdPrDE?si=RhOUWyEs3C6ArTDb" target="_blank">this one</a> I'm so sorry.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Less anxiety-riddled for sure.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">18. What do you wish you'd done more of?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing, hence this thing. Asking for help when I needed it.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">19. What do you wish you'd done less of?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Worrying about letting people down.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">20. How did you spend Christmas?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At home with Ben, Alex and Owen! Usually we stay overnight at my parents on Christmas Eve, but they're doing some home renovations only two of the four bedrooms are accessible right now. Since we wouldn't be able to stay overnight, Ben and I decided to host Christmas Even dinner so that we could get the boys to bed at a reasonable hour and still stay up and enjoy a drink and some family time with my parents and sister. We sang at the 5:00 church service, then came home and had dinner (most of which had been prepped earlier in the day). Alex has also taken to arranging all of our flameless candles in the dining room during dinnertime and turning off/blocking out all other lights. It's quite a mood. He calls it "dark dinner," so we had dark dinner on Christmas Eve. We woke up in our own home on Christmas morning for the first time ever, the boys were up at 6:15 and ready to open presents, and my folks stopped by around lunchtime. Later in the afternoon we went to Ben's parents for dinner and games. This was a really great holiday, to be honest. </span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">22. Did you fall in love in 2023?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I re-fell in love with running!</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">23. How many one night stands?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been married for 12 years, we do have one nightstand in our bedroom...does that answer your question...?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">24. What was your favourite TV program?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Succession </span></i></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No, hate is such a strong word. I don't know if there's anyone I know personally that I would say I truly hate. Definitely people I have been severely let down by, but not this year.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">26. What was the best book you read?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Beloved</i> by Toni Morrison. It's been on my to-read list for YEARS and I regret not picking it up sooner, it is an absolute masterpiece.<br /><br />Honorable fiction mentions to <i>Convenience Store Woman, When Women Were Dragons, The Light Pirate</i>, and the entire <i>Earthsea</i> series which I re-read and was reminded why I love Ursula LeGuin so much.<br /><br />Honorable nonfiction mentions to <i>It Goes So Fast</i> by Mary Louise Kelley, <i>How The Light Gets In</i> by Pat Schneider, and <i>Underground</i> by Haruki Murakami.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">27. What was your greatest musical discovery?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Thursdays I usually pop into Yellowbird to grab a coffee on my way into the office after I drop Alex and Owen off at school. One morning, they were playing <a href="https://youtu.be/PBz4eLsw704?si=mhGv2wqNq7-71v6x">this song</a> and I immediately ran to the Googlebox to figure out who the artist was. I listened to the rest of the album in the car and while I was cooking dinner and it quickly became one of my favorites of the year. I'm such a sucker for acoustic roots vibes for rainy days and sad people.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">28. What did you want and get?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to find a better balance between work and family, and made some intentional changes in my life/schedule that have made a huge difference. <br /><br />Also, as a shoutout to my incredible husband - he saw me drooling over <a href="https://www.spitfiregirl.com/products/madame-butterfly-ceramic-box?_pos=3&_sid=bf498125e&_ss=r" target="_blank">this ceramic box</a> at a little shop in Los Feliz when we were visiting Julianna, and last week it appeared under the Christmas tree <3</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">29. What did you want and not get?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Snow for Christmas, still figuring out how to control the weather.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">30. What was your favourite film of this year?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had five, and only one of them actually came out this year sorry:<br /><a href="https://youtu.be/Na6gA1RehsU?si=Qdd9GKausvFB5lGo">TÁR</a> - This and Everything Everywhere were my top films of the year. <br /><a href="https://youtu.be/wxN1T1uxQ2g?si=aBgO-m_LDQH_eWAm">Everything Everywhere All at Once</a><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/shW9i6k8cB0?si=CDihSZaQBrkeUnwB">Spiderman Across the Spiderverse</a> - Alex's first movie theater experience!<br /><a href="https://youtu.be/xU47nhruN-Q?si=gnCY9wDE4RPOmfUK">Your Name</a> - a 2016 Japanese film that looks like a lighthearted rom-com but...there is a twist. And that's all I will say, I think you should go into this film knowing as little as possible about what happens in it. Even if you're not an anime person, give it a shot I do not think you'll be disappointed.<br /><a href="https://youtu.be/uRu3zLOJN2c?si=XeXN_pj5SQrKaFoi" target="_blank">Banshees of Inisherin</a> - I was not prepared for where this went lol. Colin Farrell's performance is incredible.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">31. What did you do on your birthday?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I spent my 40th birthday very, very sick on the couch with an awful GI bug, surviving on crackers and yogurt while working from home trying to stay on top of doing two jobs. It was not a great day, in the midst of a week that I can only describe as "hell week" but it was the start of a turning point that really helped me re-evaluate my boundaries and priorities when it comes to work and family.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know? There were a lot of challenges, particularly in the winter and spring but I don't think any of them were necessarily avoidable. </span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always skip this question sorry. I don't have a fashion concept, I just wear things I like.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">34. What kept you sane?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Setting better boundaries for myself. Giving myself permission to pause when needed. In September when Alex started Kindergarten, I decided to shift my schedule to work 7-3 on Monday and Tuesday when I work from home, so that I can pick the boys up at 3 and spend some time with them in the afternoon. Life changing.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fancy...? No one really.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">36. What political issue stirred you the most?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because I have a little boy who loves wearing sparkly dresses, anything to do with supporting GLBTQ rights and the absolutely nonsensical outrage against drag queens. And as always, gun control in this stupid country.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">37. Who did you miss?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All of my friends and family who live out of town.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">38. Who was the best new person you met?</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Back at you BCF, and also a number of parent friends at STM.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c0" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023.</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes it is really and truly impossible to do everything. But boy, what a blessing have a fulfilling with an organization I admire, <u>and</u> a family I love beyond measure with two kiddos who I can't get enough of - even though it means that those two things sometimes come into heart-wrenching conflict. The tradeoffs feel impossible because I love my job, and for that I am very lucky.</span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c3" style="font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:</span></span></p><p class="c1" style="line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span class="c7 c11" style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="c1 c6" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: inherit;">Not a song lyric, but a quote from Rilke:<br />"...have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to live the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way to the answer."<br /><br />And actually - I know this lyric is so cliched but it's the one that came to mind for me, for 2023:<br /><br /></span><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">Ring the bells that still can ring</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">Forget your perfect offering</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">There is a crack, a crack in everything</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" jsname="YS01Ge" style="color: #202124; font-size: 14px;">That's how the light gets in.</span></p>Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-44819342277113541122020-04-28T11:17:00.000-07:002020-04-28T11:17:03.454-07:00Two More Minutes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear Alex,<br />
<br />
Your papa and I have had numerous conversations about how he does not love encores at concerts. He thinks it's pretty silly that we have to go through the motions of the band going offstage, continuing to clap and cheer and yell "ONE MORE SONG," when the audience and the band both know that there will in fact be one more song, or maybe even two.<br />
<br />
Why do both the audience and the band pretend that it's over, that if we don't keep cheering until our throats are hoarse, clapping until our hands are sore, that we there won't be another song?<br />
<br />
I don't know when or if you'll read this, and if you do, I don't know if you'll remember, but you and I have a *very* specific bedtime routine. We, along with your papa and for the last few months, your little brother, say goodnight to the house and to everything in your room.<br />
<br />
Goodnight blocks.<br />
Goodnight bunnies.<br />
Goodnight Hogwarts. (this is the map of Hogwarts and surrounding area that hangs over your dresser).<br />
Goodnight stars.<br />
Goodnight crib.<br />
Goodnight tent and stuffed animal friends.<br />
Goodnight mirror family! (we wave to our reflections)<br />
Goodnight chair.<br />
Goodnight dragons: ice dragon, blue dragon, taco dragon, and black dragon.<br />
Goodnight to the brass elephant<br />
<br />
Then we sing "You Are My Sunshine" and you turn off the overhead light.<br />
Every single night.<br />
<br />
Then, we read two books in the rocking chair. Sometimes they are good bedtime books (I Took the Moon For a Walk, The Goodnight Train, Dream Animals, Goodnight Moon), and sometimes they are not (Trucks Go, Santa Bruce (in April for some reason), The Cat in the Hat) but you always get to pick the two books.<br />
<br />
Then I turn on the Classical MPR Lullaby Stream and we rock together in the chair for five minutes. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we just enjoy the silence. Lately you've been asking to see pictures of Mama and Papa, so I've been digging a few good ones out of the archives - our first date, our wedding, our honeymoon, and nights out with friends who you now know as honorary aunties and uncles.<br />
<br />
And then, every night, I carry you to your crib, and then I lay down on the floor for five minutes, using a teddy bear as a pillow, curled up under your fleece Harry Potter blanket. We sometimes talk some more - about your new ukulele, about the phases of the moon, about trucks you saw that day, about how much we love our family. One of my personal favorites:<br />
<br />
Alex: I love you THIS MUCH.<br />
Me: Aw, thanks buddy. I love you THIS MUCH!!!<br />
Alex: And I love papa THIS MUCH.<br />
Me: I love papa THIS MUCH too!<br />
Alex: And I love baby Owen THIS MUCH!!<br />
Me: I love baby Owen THIS MUCH too!!<br />
Alex: No, *I* love baby Owen.<br />
<br />
Anyway, after three minutes or five minutes or however long I've been lying on the floor, I get up and say "OK, buddy, I have to go."<br />
<br />
"No mama, don't go out the door. Two more minutes."<br />
<br />
"OK," I say. "I can stay for two more minutes."<br />
<br />
We both know there will always be two more minutes. But for some reason, it wouldn't be the same if I just added an extra two minutes. I always have to start to stand up, and you always have to ask the question. And then I lay back down, grateful for what feels like some extra time with you.<br />
<br />
One more song. Two more minutes. They feel like a bonus, even when we know they were already promised. Even though I promised you all of my love, all of my minutes, from the moment you were born. They're already yours - you don't really have to ask. But it fills up my heart when you do.<br />
<br />
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-43090249067922019812018-01-09T13:29:00.001-08:002018-01-09T13:29:20.713-08:00Alexander Edward MacKenzie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I realize it's been more than three years since I posted in this space. Work, yoga, running and other obligations just took over and I lost the motivation (and time) to keep writing here. Recently though, I've been reading back through old posts and realizing how great it is to be able to read back through recaps of our wedding, honeymoon, my graduation from business school, and even just the everyday memories from a few years ago.<br />
<br />
On November 30, 2017 our son Alexander was born. We are both so smitten and head over heels in love with this little pumpkin, and going back over old blog entries made me want to start writing again, so that I can preserve these memories and come back to them over and over. This is really more for me than for anyone else - but if you're here, awesome! Hope you like babies, dogs, cats and yoga ;)<br />
<br />
Ben and I found out we were pregnant on April 5, 2017 when we were on vacation in Florida with my parents & my sister (I'll tell that whole story later - it was a fun 5 days of trying to hide the fact that I wasn't drinking...). My pregnancy was generally pretty easy - minimal morning sickness, I continued to practice yoga the entire time and was running until a few weeks into my 3rd trimester (and continued going for long-ish walks after). No swollen ankles and almost no back/hip/joint pain. I know some of that is a total crapshoot, but I also give credit to yoga.<br />
<br />
WARNING: DESCRIPTIONS OF BODILY FUNCTIONS FOLLOW. NOTHING TOO GROSS BUT IF THE WORDS 'MUCOUS PLUG' OR 'AMNIOTIC FLUID' MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE YOU MAY WANT TO GLOSS OVER SOME OF THIS.<br />
<br />
Going into week 39 I was still feeling pretty good and staying active, just waiting for baby to arrive. I had wrapped up most of my work projects on the Friday after Thanksgiving, so by Monday (the 27th) I was feeling pretty prepared for maternity leave and was able to be there on mostly a consultative basis, and was planning to start working from home on Wednesday the 29th. Starting that Monday, things started to feel different. Baby had dropped at least a week ago, but on Monday the 27th I really started to feel like he was pushing down - almost like I had an anvil strapped to my stomach pulling towards the earth. That night I began having mild contractions that were pretty regular. I started timing them around 11pm and trying to sleep but they were fairly uncomfortable. At about midnight I got up to use the bathroom and discovered that I had *definitely* lost my mucous plug. I won't get into the graphic detail, but for some reason I was thinking it wouldn't be obvious when I lost my plug...it definitely was. I texted my doula with the update (yes at 12:30am...) since she'd said this would be one of the major signs we were getting close. She said it sounded like early labor, but that he could be on his way any time between a day and a week from now.<br />
<br />
I went back into the office on Tuesday for the last of what I considered to be critically important project handoffs, thinking we were still several days away from baby time. I also handed out my holiday gifts for my team, knowing that I wouldn't be around for Christmas. Leaving the office that day just felt weird...I had been planning for weeks to work from home from Wednesday onward, but it just felt strange saying this would be my last day in the office for three months. As I was leaving I thought, maybe I'll come in on Friday just because this feels too final. On my way out the door, my boss asked if I could write up a a few things from home the next day, knowing that being remote and thus would be much less likely than he would to be constantly interrupted (our workplace is super collaborative, which is great but can also sometimes mean that it's hard to focus and get things like writing or large reports done). I said of course, talk to you tomorrow, and headed home.<br />
<br />
The next morning (Wednesday the 29th), I rolled out of bed, made coffee and for some reason decided to start working at 6:30am. This is one of many pieces of evidence that the body is smart and often knows what's going on before we do. I knocked off three deliverables for a project I was working on, and the write-ups for my boss. He and I are both early risers, but when he saw me firing off emails before 7am he wrote me back to ask if I was OK. "Yep! Totally fine, I'm just paranoid that this baby is coming any second and trying to knock a few things off this morning."<br />
<br />
Haha.<br />
<br />
At about 8am I shut down my laptop and Ben and I drove the clinic for my 39 week appointment with my OB. I'd been having mild contractions again, on and off throughout the night. They had sort of calmed down as we got ready to leave, but were still coming occasionally. When we got to my appointment, I told the nurse and my doctor that I'd lost my plug and was having mild contractions - all totally normal for 39 weeks btw. I was about 2 cm dialated at my checkup, and even my OB said baby was *very* low but thought it would be at least another week before anything happened. I was skeptical...I didn't exactly thing he was coming that day, but I definitely didn't think it would be another week. On our way home, Ben and I stopped at Target to buy M&M's (because why not) and talked about where we should go for one last date night.<br />
<br />
When we got home I logged back into my computer and started catching up on email and Ben left for work. Further evidence that the universe was looking out for us that day: on his way out the door, Ben stopped and said "Oh - by the way! Nicole (his principal) insisted that I give you the office number at school. Reception in my classroom is not great, so if anything happens and you can't reach me on my cell you can call the office number." So he gave me the number and I entered it into my phone.<br />
<br />
About 30 minutes later (around 10:30) I decided to start getting lunch ready. I put a pot of rice on the stove, went over to the freezer and bent down to grab something - and as I stood up I felt a gush. Not a huge one, like stereotypical water breaking, but definitely different than anything else that had been going on for the past few days. My first thought was that I was leaking amniotic fluid (aka my waters had broken but not dramatically). I knew this wouldn't be great, because I was Strep B positive and they would want me on antibiotics as soon as my membranes ruptured to avoid infecting baby. My second thought was, did I pee myself? I called my clinic immediately, and when I described what was going on they agreed it might be amniotic fluid and that I should head into the Mother Baby Center to get it checked out. Thinking that it was nothing and that I'd probably be back in a couple of hours, I moved some meetings to later in the day, grabbed my purse and a book and called a Lyft.<br />
<br />
Oh but hey, remember that pot of rice I put on the stove? Yeah, it was still cooking. In my panicked rush to get out of the house I had completely forgotten about it. Freaking out, I called my mom who happened to be volunteering about 3 minutes from hour house and has a key. Crisis of burning our home down averted!<br />
<br />
When I got to the Mother Baby Center they checked me in and a nurse took me to one of the triage rooms where I put on a gown and sat down on the exam table. The nurse took one look at me and said "...Yeah. I'll do the test but I can pretty much tell you right now that's amniotic fluid. You're sitting in a puddle basically."<br />
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"So, I'm not going home today am I?"<br />
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"Nope!"<br />
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I tried calling Ben's cell but, as I mentioned earlier, he sometimes doesn't get service in his classroom and my call didn't go through. So about one hour after he gave me the office line for his school, I ended up calling it. Poor guy had literally just gotten to school and was about to start his first class of the day when the office manager came in to say "hey, your wife's on the phone, you should probably take this"... Sorry babe! :) Because I really thought I was coming home, I hadn't even grabbed the hospital bag or made arrangements for the pets. Ben stopped by home to get the bag and my mom offered to take the dog and feed the cat. Another crisis averted!<br />
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I won't go into too much detail about the labor/delivery process but all told I was in labor for about 16 hours from the time I arrived at the Mother Baby Center until Alexander was born, at about 4:18 AM on November 30th. Aside from the fact that I'd planned on laboring at home for several hours before going in to the hospital (which was shot to hell when my water broke), the delivery went pretty much according to plan! The only thing that really threw me for a loop was back labor, which was pretty awful and almost made me abandon my plan to go drug free. My doula and I thought he might be posterior (when the baby's spine is against your spine) which is often the cause of back labor. We did a ton of Spinning Babies exercises to try to get him to turn, none of which alleviated my back pain at all... so we finally came to the conclusion that this might just be how things were going to go. If you haven't experienced back labor, you really don't want to. Basically by the time I got to late active labor and transition, I felt like my back was going to break in half during every contraction, and following each contraction my low back spasmed with pain to the point where I almost dreaded the end of the contraction more than the contraction itself. Plus the back pain was continuous so there really was no break from the pain between contractions. Honestly I'm not sure how I got through it, except for the constant encouragement from Ben, the nurses, my doula, and the OB on call.<br />
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When we got to the pushing stage, I found that the best position to relieve pressure on my back and let gravity help was on my knees with the back of the bed elevated to almost 90 degrees, draping my upper body over the back of the bed. We were all nervous that the OB wouldn't let me deliver in this position and that she would make me continue pushing on my back. Luckily, she was totally on board and even made a diving catch to grab Alex as he came out! Just looking at him during those first few hours was the most amazing thing I'd ever experienced - realizing that this little being was the same one who had been living and growing inside me for the past 9 months just blew my mind. When we first locked eyes, my heart melted. I never, ever want to forget that moment.<br /><br />
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The next couple of days were a whirlwind of activity, trying to figure out how to breastfeed, visits from friends and family and deliveries of delicious food. Thank you to everyone who came to see us and brought us meals during those first few days - we are so grateful!<br />
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For now, we are just hanging out at home, snuggling Alexander, drinking a lot of tea, watching some great shows on Netflix and gearing up for the holidays. Hope you're all having an amazing holiday season! Back soon with more :)<br />
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<br /><br />(^^ I started this post a few weeks ago - I thought about editing it but decided to leave it as-is and just post it now! Given how long it take me to get this post up, I'm obviously not doing so hot at writing more often o_O)</div>
Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-67607995304668657862014-08-20T19:46:00.002-07:002014-08-20T19:47:24.369-07:00"Yoga is like music...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">...<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life." RIP BKS Iyengar (1918-2014)</span></span></div>
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Your contributions to the practice of yoga are truly beyond measure. Light on Yoga is the one book I open every day without fail, and I will continue to reference your unnatural arm length in pretty much all of my classes. Thank you for your greatness, for your knowledge, for inspiring me and so many others. Thank you thank you for everything.<br />
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Om sri gurubhyo namaha.</div>
Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-37360416721419092212014-07-15T20:23:00.005-07:002014-07-17T19:30:46.499-07:00"I learn by going where I have to go" ~ Theodore Roethke<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"Ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use." - Carlos Castaneda</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Before you read this I just think you should know - everything I wrote here I basically said out loud in front of </span></span><span style="line-height: 16px;">everyone</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> in my teacher training last month and I almost completely lost it in front of like 20 people. I am NOT a public crier. I am not an emotionally demonstrative person about </span></span><span style="line-height: 16px;">stuff</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> like this. Excitement? Yes. Geeking out over something awesome that I love? Yes. Tearing up during a public discussion? Um, no. I was like "</span></span><span style="line-height: 16px;">oh I'll just share my reasons for wanting to teach" and then suddenly I started choking up and was like WHAT IS HAPPENING I CAN'T CONTROL MY BODY THIS IS NOT ME AT ALL. I will never secretly and internally make fun of public criers again because apparently now I am one. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">So that happened.</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"> </span></i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">On the morning of our second-to-last day in LA last month, Noah gave us a short assignment in which we were asked to write about why we felt called to teach. For those of you who know me, you know that I was a teacher for several years - during and right after college I was the music director for a Musical Theater camp in Minneapolis and to this day it was the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I loved it to the point where I felt guilty depositing my paycheck, because I couldn't believe someone would pay me money to have so much fun. Unfortunately, the paycheck I deposited was not large enough to cover all my costs, so I was working part time at a shoe store while also trying to figure out how to make my life more stable.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 16px;">But, for a lot of reasons we don't need to get into here, I started to feel embarrassed whenever my answer to the classic cocktail party/ high school reunion/ running into my parents friends at the grocery store question "So, what are you doing these days?" was "oh you know...I'm still figuring things out." So I decided to get my shit together and enter the muggle world - I left my awesome job and went back to school for my MBA and somehow ended up in corporate healthcare.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 16px;">Now, don't get me wrong I think it was the right decision for me at the time. When I interviewed for internships during the winter of my first MBA year, I realized that I just could not get all that jazzed up about consumer packaged goods (which is what I actually thought I wanted to do) and the only interviews where I felt passionate and genuine were those that centered around making people's lives better. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 16px;">I interned at a large healthcare company that summer, and accepted an offer to work there full-time after graduation. I wouldn't say I knew immediately that it was the wrong choice, but I definitely had this overwhelming shock of "what am I doing here, how did this happen...?"</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">At first things were basically fine, but over time it became increasingly clear that this just was not the right place for me to be. It certainly didn't help that we started going through what felt like endless rounds of layoffs and re-orgs during which some mentors and close friends of mine were let go. I tried everything - positive re-framing, changing my attitude, putting in 110% effort, staying positive - but every week my anxiety level just increased. I started having panic attacks in the morning and there were times I totally broke down on my way out the door, or I would turn to Ben while packing my lunch and say "I can't do this anymore."</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 16px;">I'm not trying to be dramatic...I'm really just tryingt to make a point about how you know when something is not the right fit. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a very positive person and that I tried so, so hard to make this work. I have nothing against anyone that I worked with. I got along very well with my boss and she was incredibly supportive of my professional development. My team and my colleagues were all smart, wonderful people and I learned a TON from my time there. But, I was straight up miserable.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 16px;">Anyway, it was around this time that I started subbing for my friend Laura's class more regularly. I was still kind of on the fence about whether or not I wanted to be a teacher, but I was happy to step in and take over classes while she was out. It didn't take long for me to remember how much I love teaching, and how rewarding it is to receive positive feedback from your students or watch them have an 'a-ha' moment. That was when I decided I need to to do my teacher training sooner rather than later, and signed up for Noah's program in LA. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing some General Sequence action on my porch</td></tr>
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I am having trouble figuring out how to put this into words, but when you've spent literally years in the wrong environment trying to squeeze your round self into a square peg, convincing yourself that you are the problem, it's kind of an otherworldly experience to feel like something just fits. It was like the first hit of air after holding my breath underwater for ages.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning hike in LA with YTT friends</td></tr>
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Again, that sounded super dramatic. But basically, YTT reminded me what it felt like to be on the right path - and simultaneously, I knew that the path I was currently on with my career was the wrong one. It's not that the path itself is inherently bad - for some people it's a great choice and it's the right thing for them, but I knew that it wasn't right for me. Could I have been successful there in the long term? Sure, maybe. Would I have ever been happy? Definitely not.<br />
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Literally the week I returned from teacher training and my little revelation in LA, I was called in to interview for a position I had applied for right before I left town. I'd been looking for a while, but had only applied to a select few positions and had actually turned something down that didn't feel quite right. This position, however, was one that I was so excited about I wouldn't even tell my parents what it was for fear of jinxing it. Not even kidding.<br />
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And now it's my job. I'm back in the arts, which is where I always wanted to be. I'm learning how to teach yoga, which I am also extremely passionate about. I just feel very, very fortunate right now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">random shadow because, why not</td></tr>
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In Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says to Arjuna that "i<span style="color: #3f3f3f; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">t is better to engage in one’s own occupation [dharma], even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation [dharma] and perform it perfectly.” (Bg. 18.47). No matter how good it looks on paper, even if you're successful at it, it is never a good idea to travel down a path that is not your own. Unfortunately, it is so easy to convince ourselves to stay on the wrong path - to feel like if we just try harder, or do something differently or change something about ourselves, that we can make it work. But if it's not right for you, it will never work, and sometimes it takes a hit of oxygen to remind us where we have to go.</span></span><br />
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So I guess all I'm saying is...if you're miserable, if something doesn't feel right to you, don't put that on yourself. Don't be afraid to walk away from something even if it sounds great at cocktail parties. And find a path with a heart.<br />
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-38673023392318543202014-07-01T20:17:00.002-07:002014-07-01T20:17:42.470-07:00Don't think about it, just do it<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last Monday at 12:35am PST I boarded a red-eye from LAX to MSP. At 6am CST I landed in Minneapolis, Ben drove me home and I showered, changed and I went into the office and Ben left for a three-day work retreat. Tuesday I had an after-work event, Wednesday I ended up at the doggie urgent care with Sidney until midnight (long story, he is fine), Thursday I worked at an event until 10pm and Friday I had a friend over. I went to Shannon's class on Saturday, and to the advanced practice on Sunday where we did a ton of arm balances and backbends at least 7 urdhva dhaunurasanas (I stopped counting at 5, but I know we did more after that). On Monday I went to Ali's class where we did...more backbends including five urdhvas at the end, with variations. Normally five urdhva dhaunurasanas is not a problem, but last night I was so wiped out that I finally reached that point where the tiredness pushes through some magical barrier to a land where exhaustion no longer matters. I call this point "don't think about it, just do it."<br />
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"Don't think about it, just do it" is kind of how I've gotten through the last week and a half, so I am REALLY excited for this weekend so I can put my feet up, marathon some netflix and get caught up on my YTT homework.<br />
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ANYWAY.<br />
There is something I've been meaning to say here but haven't gotten the chance - this was probably pretty apparent to anyone who follows me on Instagram or Twitter but I should mention that I left my job about a month ago. I have a LOT more to say on that subject but that's another blog entry for another time. It was tough to leave, but I know deep down it was the right choice.<br />
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Since I did make a mention going into the office and working late hours last week, I obviously have a new job and it is AMAZING. Also more to say on that subject, also another entry for another time.<br />
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As a friend of mine said to me a few weeks ago, 2014 is apparently my year for shaking it up. Yoga teacher training, new job, all of it. I could not be more excited about where I am right now. So there's my update, hope you are having a great week and I know I say this every time but I REALLY REALLY am going to try to write more. I have so many backlogged entries about YTT and yoga philosophy it's not even funny. So hopefully I'll get around to finishing and posting some of them soon ;) But in the meantime - photos, because everyone likes those.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning run at the lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art shopping with new coworkers at Adam Turman's garage sale</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MN pride tank - courtesy of Adam Turman Garage Sale</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old yoga studio is now a coffee shop - it's very weird </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting my sis in Chicago</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Date night with Benjamin at the MN Orchestra</td></tr>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-56072293904044073532014-05-21T12:52:00.005-07:002014-05-21T12:52:45.822-07:00Book of the Week: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"If a painting really works down in your heart and changes the way you see, and think, and feel, you don't think 'oh, I love this picture because it's universal.' 'I love this painting because it speaks to all mankind.' That's not the reason anyone loves a piece of art. It's a secret whisper from an alleyway. <i>Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes, you.</i> An individual heart-shock. Your dream, Welty's dream, Vermeer's dream. You see one painting, I see another, the art book puts it at another remove still, the lady buying the greeting card at the museum gift shop sees something else entire, and that's not even to mention the people separated from us by time -- four hundred years before us, four hundred years after we're gone -- it'll never strike anybody the same way and the great majority of people it'll never strike in any deep way at all but -- a really great painting is fluid enough to work its way into the mind and heart through all kinds of different angles, in ways that are unique and very particular.<i> Yours, yours. I was painted for you."</i></div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-70961390709745329812014-05-19T13:48:00.000-07:002014-05-19T13:48:26.634-07:00Lately...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Well. So. Here is a small sampling of what I've been up to lately.<br />
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Teacher training is SO GREAT. It has honestly exceeded my expectations in every possible aspect, and in many ways it has been a much needed wake up call for me. A few months ago, I came across a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that basically says, "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life thinking that it is stupid." I've spent a lot of time lately trying to climb trees and beating myself up, and within three days at YTT I felt like someone had picked me up and thrown me back into the water.<br />
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The week kicked off with a three-day Philosophy intensive with Dr. Douglas Brooks centered around the Mahabharata, one of the two famous epic poems (the other being the Ramayana) from which a lot of yoga mythology originates. The Mahabharata is kind of a crazy text and not necessarily all that accessible. It has six false starts and is fairly non-linear, and there are about one billion characters many of whom have similar names. The central story is a feud between families with a complicated history of betrayal and intrigue, culminating in a massive battle. So in a way it's sort of like a very old Indian version of Game of Thrones. Actually there are a LOT of similarities between the Mahabharata worldview and the Game of Thrones worldview - I was taking notes the entire time and if I ever get it together I will write a massive post on Mahabharata/GoT parallels. In an ideal world.<br />
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Anyway... moving on from Game of Thrones for the moment, the lesson that stuck with me the most from Douglas' lectures, and one of the key lessons of the Mahabharata is that we are always in crisis. If you're like me, you spend a lot of time telling yourself you'll do something you really want to do "when everything settles down..." or "maybe when my life is more stable." News flash. Things will never settle down. In the Mahabharata, the moment you think things are settling down is the moment it all goes to hell in a handbasket. But in a way, I think that's kind of freeing - we can stop trying to achieve total stability and holding that up as some sort of ideal standard because that standard just doesn't exist. Something is always moving...something is always changing and we have to readjust.<br />
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There are characters in the Mahabharata who try to detach themselves from the craziness of the world - monks, swamis, who retreat in order to achieve stillness and stability rather than engaging in the chaos that is the world we live in. But in the text, these characters are never successful, and usually everything blows up in their face eventually.<br />
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So I think the lessons are:<br />
1) The world is chaotic, therefore life is chaotic. Don't expect it to be anything else, and we need to learn how to engage skillfully with the chaos rather than running away from it. That's what yoga is for - our practice helps us build the tools we need in order to live skillfully in the world.<br />
2) Don't say no to opportunities because you are waiting for things to "settle down." Things will never settle down, so say yes and then just figure it out.<br />
3) The world is a crazy place - but maybe our work is to try to leave it a little better than we found it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MN Contingent at YogaMaze - Philosophy Intensive<br />
Becka, Jen, Me, Billy, Shannon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome lecture times (me with my laptop, taking notes like the giant nerd that I am)</td></tr>
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We also have homework every week - so each week we are given a pose to research, write and record a script for, and we also photograph ourselves in the pose, compare our pose to BKS Iyengar's pose in Light on Yoga (always an exercise in humility), and then identify what needs to be improved and which other poses to practice in order to improve in those areas. Below are some delightful photos Ben took of me in our backyard, in 2 of the 3 stages of Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1)... so now all of our neighbors probably think I am really weird. So that's fun.</div>
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Also, our lovely little yoga studio moved. I say 'our' when it's not really mine - but it's the primary studio I practice at and it's where I did my immersion three years ago, so it's come to feel like a second home. We just moved down the street, but it was still tough saying goodbye to the old space. Thankfully we were able to send it off with a great party, food, and friends.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A goodbye party filled with laughter and play - just as it should be</td></tr>
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Other things we did... attended a fabulous MN Orchestra concert at the new U of M concert hall - only snafu was that the seats they sold us did not actually exist. Just one of the wrinkles to iron out with the new hall, and we made it work with chairs and a makeshift 'row' so it all worked out in the end and the concert was gorgeous. Afterwards we met my friend Alex (who is a violinist in the orchestra), her husband Karl and Alex's family for dinner. </div>
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And here's a selfie of me and my sister because why not.</div>
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So right now, I'm gearing up for the next round of TT in June, going to Chicago next weekend and some other exciting stuff. 2014 is shaping up to be a crazy year, but definitely the good kind of crazy. <br />
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Happy Monday :)<br />
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-9612859424927609162014-04-06T20:51:00.003-07:002014-04-06T20:51:32.772-07:00Spring Break & Eating Your (metaphorical) Vegetables<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So, during the summer of 2012 I did this program with Desiree Rumbaugh and Cate Stillman called the Eat Green Challenge. The Challenge was essentially 30 days on a low-fat (almost non-fat) vegan diet, but the purpose was really to stuff as many fruits and vegetables into your diet as possible. During those 30 days I learned three very important things:</div>
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1) Fruit and leafy greens are REALLY expensive. My grocery bill doubled at least...plus it didn't help that I became pretty addicted to cherries during this time. Those babies are not cheap.</div>
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2) ...I would not make it on a raw vegan low fat diet. I was hungry ALL THE TIME. I ate so many bananas, and still I was hungry. So, so many bananas.</div>
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3) But - and this is probably the most important piece - I learned that we really do not need all the things we think we need. I love fruits and vegetables...they taste great, and they make me feel great. I also love junk food, but sometimes junk food does not make me feel great. What I found was that, when I made a concerted effort to eat a certain number of fruit and veggie servings in a day, I just had less room for the other stuff. It's not that I don't like cheeseburgers or M&M's, but when you prioritize the things you really need, there's just less space left for the things you don't.</div>
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I've decided to take a similar sort of approach to the rest of my life. I'm just going to keep piling on the greenery - things I love, that are good for my soul - and eventually I'll either go completely insane, or I'll run out of room and something will have to go. And whatever goes, that's the thing I know I do not really need.</div>
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Ben and I will probably be living in a box in the woods in two months.</div>
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Not really.</div>
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Moving on...</div>
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In related news I am finally doing my damn yoga teacher training. Long story short (long story forthcoming in a separate post probably) I'm flying to LA on Thursday night for our first training module and I have soooo much work to do to get ready for this thing. So much. Endless pose scripts and shape studies, and somehow I need to get my hands on a copy of the Mahabarata. I don't know. BUT. I am so excited.... like, way more excited than I've been for anything in a long time. It's going to be great.</div>
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Oh hey, also I was in Florida this last week, and while I was there Minneapolis received 12 inches of snow. Here are some photos of not snow.</div>
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...and some from my instagram that I'm too lazy to upload.</div>
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Anyway, I will try to post before I leave on Thursday but given my schedule this week it seems unlikely. I can see this going one of two ways:</div>
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1) I hunker down like a responsible human and get all of my work done (work-wise and yoga-wise) while still maintaining a somewhat reasonable sleep schedule. In this case, you definitely won't hear from me.</div>
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2) I end up doing so much work that it cuts into my already reduced sleep schedule, at which point I'll just say fuck it it and not go to bed ever. In this case, I will be blogging at 2am while making a seven layer cake and/or scrubbing the shower because at this point, why not.</div>
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Talk to you soon provided we all survive Monday.</div>
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Yes.</div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-18944088119723342542014-03-12T16:55:00.000-07:002014-03-12T16:55:47.015-07:00We built a mighty sail to carry forth this ship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-71582830369387819022014-03-11T17:54:00.002-07:002014-03-11T17:54:51.563-07:00The haps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Well, I'm sick as a dog. Big shocker, after attempting to be in 3 choirs, sub for Laura's yoga class, keep my own yoga practice up, and plan MBE's April fundraising parties during one of our busiest times at work. And I definitely haven't been getting enough sleep. I should have known this nonsense would eventually come back to bite me in the ass, buuuut somehow I still managed to get caught off guard. No worries though. I'm working from home and am fully stocked with tea and mac & cheese, so all is right in the world. </div>
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So since I know you are all dying to hear about my super exciting life, here are a few things I've done in the last couple of weeks:</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Took a nice 9-hour drive to...Madison, Wisconsin. For those of you unfamiliar with the geography of the midwestern United States, the trip from Minneapolis to Madison normally takes about four hours. Lucky for us, we decided to hit the road right around the time a semi jackknifed on I-94, shutting down the entire eastbound lane (thankfully, no one was hurt in the accident that I'm aware of). Anyway, all traffic was diverted onto a 2-lane highway through Menominee. It started snowing buckets, and long story short we finally rolled into our B&B at 11:45, having left home at 3pm. GOOD JOB. On the plus side, we had a great time. The main purpose of our adventure was to see my favorite band, Cloud Cult, at the Barrymore. I'm going to miss their St Paul shows in April and hadn't yet gotten a chance to catch their acoustic set so we planned a special road trip to Madison. It was well worth it - probably the best show I have ever been to. I was on the verge of tears (in a good way) from the second they started playing. We made some lovely concert friends, AND we ran into a friend of Ben's from his hometown! Such a crazy random happenstance.</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben and Meredith, reunited!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just really pumped for Cloud Cult</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing, multitalented musicians</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craig Minowa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CC artwork </td></tr>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Last friday I went to a delightful hips & hamstrings class co-taught my by dear friends Shannon and Becka at CPY downtown. After class I went to Target to buy socks. I left Target with nail polish, earrings, a DVD, a new yoga strap, easter candy, and a tank top with a dinosaur on it. And no socks. </li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">typical</td></tr>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>In other news, I just discovered the #booksinyourpants hashtag. Endless entertainment.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">last nights winner, after careful consideration and 2 glasses of wine</td></tr>
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Time to drink some tea and watch New Girl. And do my yoga homework...sooo much yoga homework. So much.</div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-41110845160277929382014-03-02T18:42:00.003-08:002014-03-02T18:42:18.570-08:00Minnesota Opera's "The Dream of Valentino" - magical press and social media night!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to Minnesota Opera's social media/press night for Dominick Argento's "The Dream of Valentino." Argento's hilarious "Casanova's Homecoming" remains one of my favorite operatic comedies, and I've sung many of his choral pieces over the years so as a fan of both Argento and opera (and of Argento's operas), I've been looking forward to this production for a while.<br />
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"Valentino" is the story of a man with a lofty dream, who loses both his way and his sense of self during his meteoric rise to fame. Valentino arrives in New York, an Italian immigrant "fresh off the boat" with big dreams of becoming a famous actor - a true artist. In the opening scene, we see Valentino trying to make ends meet as a "dance hall pimp," essentially a glorified male escort whose job it is to dance with women at the dance hall. Despite the somewhat degrading role, Valentino wants to dance with elegance and class. When one of the dance hall's female patrons tries to dance with him in a way he sees as lewd, he staunchly refuses explaining that he is an artist - "I will not dance like that with you."<br />
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Symbolically, the singer (Victoria Vargas) who plays the woman in the dance hall also sings the part of Natcha Rambova, one of the filmmakers who later lures Valentino away from his artistic vision and ultimately towards his downfall. The dancehall scene presents us with a microcosm of the entertainment industry Valentino is heading towards - one where he will be pulled and persuaded to give up his dream by those who have something else in mind for him.<br />
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Valentino's talent and natural charisma on screen, along with his dark and mysterious good looks, begin to garner attention and soon everyone wants a piece of his success. The actor finds himself pulled further and further away from his dream, starring in trashy films and wondering what has become of his dream - and his identity.<br />
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As usual, the Minnesota Opera blew me away with its visual presentation. The use of film effects, old photos and newspapers, and the slightly muted color scheme set the scene brilliantly, and along with the fantastic costumes helped to recall the era of silent film. But the lessons of "Valentino" are clearly not the lessons of the past - the story of a star built up by the media, only to be torn down as soon as it's convenient for those who effectively 'made' him in the first place, resonates perhaps even more strongly today.<br />
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Even more relevant than the familiar 'downfall of a celebrity' trajectory is the opera's exploration of identity and legacy. Clearly, Valentino presents a dark vision of human nature - nearly everyone in Valentino's world is using him to further their own ends. Even his mentor June Mathis (beautifully sung by my idol Brenda Harris) unintentionally hands him over to the wolves in a misguided attempt to help him stay true to his vision. Valentino underscores the importance of staying true to oneself, and of following your vision despite what everyone else thinks is best.<br />
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But 'Valentino' doesn't really give us an answer. How do we, in fact, maintain our integrity in a subversive and manipulative world? Is giving up our happiness worth the opportunity to attain immortality?<br />
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All the singers were wonderful, but Brenda Harris (June Mathis), Alan Held (the Mogul), were the evening's true standouts. Harris is always wonderful to watch, but Held's smarmy yet disturbingly visionary Mogul made for an excellent villan. Argento's through-composed score flows beautifully, and makes creative use of a variety of musical forms and instrumental accompaniments.<br />
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Ultimately though, I wished there had been more material here. While 'Valentino' raises a number of interesting questions, its under-two-hour running time barely provides enough time to scratch their surface. The characters could have been more fully fleshed out, the issues more deeply delved into. Evidently Argento's original score was much longer and I'm now extremely curious to hear the material that was cut. Overall this was a very well-executed production of an opera which, while very good, doesn't quite live up to its potential.<br />
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I'm seeing 'Valentino' again on Saturday with Ben, and am definitely excited to see it again from a different audience vantage point (and with an actual audience this time!). I did really enjoy the press screening - special shout-out to Tessa RJ for the invitation! I'm hoping to sign up for a few more of these evenings in the future, it's fun to get a behind-the-scenes look at the show prior to opening night.</div>
Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-49958752809721020382014-02-26T20:10:00.001-08:002014-02-26T20:16:10.545-08:00Book of the Week ~ The Inner Sky: poems, notes, dreams by Rainer Maria Rilke<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Solang du Selbstgeworfnes fängst, ist alles<br />
Geschicklichkeit und lässlicher Gewinn -;<br />
erst wenn du plötzlich Fänger wirst des Balles,<br />
den eine ewige Mit-Spielerin<br />
dir zuwarf, deiner Mitte, in genau<br />
gekonntem Schwung, in einem jener Bögen<br />
aus Gottes grossen Brücken-Bau:<br />
erst dann ist Fangen-Können ein Vermögen, -<br />
nicht deines, einer Welt. Und wenn du gar<br />
zurückzuwerfen Kraft und Mut besäßest,<br />
nein, wunderbarer: Mut und Kraft vergäßest<br />
und schon geworfen <i>hättest ...</i>(wie das Jahr<br />
die Voegel wirft, die Wandervogelschwärme,<br />
die eine ältere einer jungen Wärme<br />
hinüberschleudert über Meere - ) erst<br />
in diesem Wagnis spielst du gültig mit.<br />
Erleichterst dir den Wurf nicht mehr; erschwerst<br />
dir ihn nicht mehr. Aus deinen Händen tritt<br />
das Meteor und rast in seine Räume...</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>As long as you catch what you've thrown yourself, it's all</i> </blockquote>
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<i>just clever agility and venial gain;</i> </blockquote>
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<i>but when you suddenly come to catch a ball</i> </blockquote>
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<i>an eternal playmate has thrown</i> </blockquote>
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<i>at you, at your center, has exactly set</i> </blockquote>
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<i>in mastered motion, in an arc</i> </blockquote>
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<i>out of God's great bridge-building - </i> </blockquote>
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<i>then that you catch is real power:</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>not yours, the world's. And when you even</i> </blockquote>
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<i>have the strength to throw it back,</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>no, better yet: have forgotten courage and strength</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>and thrown it back </i>already<i>...(the way the year</i></blockquote>
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<i>throws birds, the flocks of migrating birds</i> </blockquote>
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<i>hurled over the ocean from an old to a new</i> </blockquote>
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<i>warmth - ) then, that gamble, is the first moment</i> </blockquote>
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<i>you too can be said to play. You</i> </blockquote>
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<i>unburden yourself of the throw no longer; you burden</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>yourself with the throw no longer. Out of your hands steps</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>the meteor and it races into its skies...</i></blockquote>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-20187328692361166612014-02-25T19:51:00.000-08:002014-02-25T19:51:20.118-08:00BIRTHDAY!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had such an amazing Birthday weekend last week! My beautiful friend Lindsey was in town from California...arriving just in time for a heavy dumping of snow (sorry Linz!). Luckily she missed the really terrible weather of this past weekend....in case you don't live in MN here's essentially what happened: it snowed a crap ton, and while it was snowing the weather was relatively warm so it was that delightful wet snow that packs down really easily (as in, when cars drive over it...or people walk on it...etc). Then the temps plummeted again, which meant that now all of the roads that had been covered in wet, packed snow (even highways) were now basically a skating rink. No kidding, I have never seen the roads this bad - the highways were literally coated in 1-2 inches of ice for several days...scariest driving I have probably ever experienced.<br />
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Annnnyway.........birthday!<br />
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Here are some photos from my birthday weekend :) Linz, Ben, Chris and I made cupcakes at our place, then met a bunch of friends for dinner and margaritas at La Cucaracha, and then back to our place for scotch, cupcakes and Cards Against Humanity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben found this pirate hat in the kitchen and then requested that I wear it while baking.<br />OK. If you insist.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then we started our own pirate band and kidnapped the Clark</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably the most stylish I have looked while baking, ever</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/1912431_828916048835_1489438022_o.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linz selfies are my favorite selfies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/r270/1798678_828917550825_247213860_n.jpg" style="height: 520px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 347px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was time for a wardrobe change</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/1920097_828918394135_437694765_n.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-dinner game time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1622152_828918284355_1594329245_n.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1920245_828918449025_1979628172_n.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Face time with J :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/1911804_828918543835_588608192_n.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whisky + CAH = yes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1/1959550_828918698525_651890952_n.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1/1800475_828918663595_1402694779_n.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More selfies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1/1904095_828918818285_1172586216_n.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More friends</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/1800446_828918913095_1008568894_n.jpg" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you've known each other for 13 years....</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/v/t1/1779925_828918967985_164278836_n.jpg?oh=95bf8b05532153bb188ff50fe06563c0&oe=538E52AD" style="height: 347px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 520px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/1544528_828919007905_1505061992_n.jpg" style="height: 520px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 347px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the end of the night, the cat sweater comes out</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
OOOoooook. Well, time to get some SLEEP. Things are about to get very interesting over here...it's gonna be a long next few months haha. I'll fill you in shortly, all good things but man. This year is going to be insane.</div>
Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-17354669303875352482014-02-11T20:17:00.001-08:002014-02-11T20:17:59.307-08:00You are here for life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I've been keeping myself fairly busy lately...all good things, but things that take up a lot of my time. Work obviously, and yoga, choir and running, so the usual. Plus I'm joining <a href="ttp://www.singersmca.org/" target="_blank">The Singers</a> Anniversary Chorus for Mozart's Coronation Mass on 2/22, the winter session of Asana Junkies is in full swing, my dear friend Lindsey is coming to town this weekend for my birthday, I'll be spending the following weekend in a workshop with Noah Maze (and that's the weekend of the Singers concert), and the weekend after <i>that, </i>Ben and I are road-tripping to Madison. And I'm subbing for Laura the first two Wednesdays in March. Oh and I'm also legit working part-time(ish) for Minnesota Bach Ensemble now, doing marketing/website/event planning shtuff. So you know... in case I didn't have enough going on already.<br />
<br />
It does feel like a lot, but it's also helping me to compartmentalize my life more. When I get home from work, I have to TURN OFF work...and turn on whatever else I'm doing (MBE, yoga, choir, what have you). I know I have a tendency to take on too much (as my friends are constantly reminding me), but this time I'm approaching it as a conscious choice. I'm tired of living out of fear - avoiding taking on things I really want because I tell myself I can't or I don't have time. Bullshit. I will make time. You only get one life, and if you don't fill it with the things you love then what is the damn point.<br />
End rant.<br />
I guess this is my version of leaning in.<br />
And I honestly think what will happen is, my vision of where my life is going and what I want to fill that space with will become clearer and eventually some things will start to fall off. It's already started, at least mentally.<br />
<br />
Oh hey, also it is really cold here in Minnesota. My dad keeps saying it's "just like the olden days of winter, back when men were men and we walked to school both ways through 80 feet of snow bla bla bla"...ok so obviously those were not his exact words, but you get the general point. That statement is in fact FALSE. This is officially the coldest winter we've had in something like 30 years, so no, every winter did not used to be like this. Turn off your selective memory.<br />
<br />
In a related story, here is the view out the window of my office building...delightful:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KnUdhraHzIw/UvroIXVkpvI/AAAAAAAADJ4/dfMo_YTonJg/s640/blogger-image-1293521053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KnUdhraHzIw/UvroIXVkpvI/AAAAAAAADJ4/dfMo_YTonJg/s640/blogger-image-1293521053.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to MN, where the people are tall and...<br />the snowdrifts are even taller</td></tr>
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Continuing on with random photos of my life...Ben and I went to Macbeth at MN Opera a couple of weeks ago!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iRgrMasZxy4/UvroJWO0EwI/AAAAAAAADJ8/Pbf3Wjgo1zY/s640/blogger-image-975452890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iRgrMasZxy4/UvroJWO0EwI/AAAAAAAADJ8/Pbf3Wjgo1zY/s640/blogger-image-975452890.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">excitement for the scottish...italian...play...opera? thing.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ndbfNd8y1w8/UvroAFm7efI/AAAAAAAADJI/L0RX6iidvIM/s640/blogger-image-219615820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ndbfNd8y1w8/UvroAFm7efI/AAAAAAAADJI/L0RX6iidvIM/s640/blogger-image-219615820.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also, this was in Rice Park. Worth posting, I thought.</td></tr>
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And here is me, working from home. These are the days...when anything goes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JTOHbdAQ0eo/UvroBMLR7vI/AAAAAAAADJQ/3m1jM4DmPEI/s640/blogger-image-1749483593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JTOHbdAQ0eo/UvroBMLR7vI/AAAAAAAADJQ/3m1jM4DmPEI/s640/blogger-image-1749483593.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someday, I will forget how to dress professionally and will wear holey jeans into the office..</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been doing some quality reading lately, as well - John Eliot Gardiner's biography of Bach, and the third installment of The Lunar Chronicles. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite young adult series - basically, it's fairy tales set in the future, in space. Each book adds a new major character, and manages to cleverly re-tell the fairy tale for that character (Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel...and the final volume is Snow White), while still keeping the overarching story rolling and looping the new characters into the existing main cast. Plus, the female protagonists are quite bad-ass: Cinder is a cyborg mechanic who ends up basically leading a revolution, Scarlet is a pilot and Cress is a technology prodigy. Yes, I realize you probably had trouble taking this recommendation seriously after the words "Cinderella is a cyborg mechanic"...or possibly "fairy tales set in the future in space" and yes it sounds totally weird, but I am really loving this series.<br />
<br />
(sidebar - one of my yoga friends joined goodreads recently, and after looking at my shelves is accused me of never reading anything light. Clearly he has not seen my extensive shelf of childrens and YA lit.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-X4mS8s0A7t4/UvroEotRBdI/AAAAAAAADJg/USI8m-ReOkg/s640/blogger-image-103881319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-X4mS8s0A7t4/UvroEotRBdI/AAAAAAAADJg/USI8m-ReOkg/s640/blogger-image-103881319.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bach was one sassy cantor</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2U6FjVmJek0/UvroDDGb5qI/AAAAAAAADJY/sOiwJbdo8O4/s640/blogger-image-1295678923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2U6FjVmJek0/UvroDDGb5qI/AAAAAAAADJY/sOiwJbdo8O4/s640/blogger-image-1295678923.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes...you just need this in your life. YA lit FTW.</td></tr>
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<br />
Also last weekend, I went to Wits for the first time! I sort of describe Wits as...Prairie Home Companion for a younger audience. I've listened to it a bunch on the radio but had never been to a live show before. This installment featured Andy Richter, with musical guest Neko Case. There was a recurring bit with Abe Lincoln's Ghost, Tom Waits and Morrissey doing commercials and it made me legit laugh out loud. Multiple times. Highly recommend.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Law8y6dQWVk/UvroG28gD8I/AAAAAAAADJw/UFO0uPKpkD8/s640/blogger-image-1841773397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Law8y6dQWVk/UvroG28gD8I/AAAAAAAADJw/UFO0uPKpkD8/s640/blogger-image-1841773397.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AND Theoroi got to go backstage! So fun.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XKS6xzGL8ng/UvroKgFGsvI/AAAAAAAADKI/MQyuXXWWz1c/s640/blogger-image--513724970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XKS6xzGL8ng/UvroKgFGsvI/AAAAAAAADKI/MQyuXXWWz1c/s640/blogger-image--513724970.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to take this photo - brick at Wits signed by one of Ben and my favorite bands (Storyhill)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hmmm OK. Well, I have a 7am call tomorrow so I should probably get some sleep. Hope you are having a lovely week!!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bdlfefynb8w/UvroF3q6WVI/AAAAAAAADJo/yYg_tu05Uj4/s640/blogger-image-1116515571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bdlfefynb8w/UvroF3q6WVI/AAAAAAAADJo/yYg_tu05Uj4/s640/blogger-image-1116515571.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we are all connected</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div>
"<i>In daily life, we are often lost in thought. We get lost in regrets about the past and fears about the future. We get lost in our plans, our anger, and our anxiety. At such moments, we cannot really be here for ourselves. We are not really here for life." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh</i></div>
</div>
Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-37640903976241274542014-02-03T19:55:00.000-08:002014-02-03T20:00:26.894-08:00...and a valuable lesson was learned<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rKF0Q1sGBC4/UulHbA1JTpI/AAAAAAAADIo/JxKBk-1b56I/s640/blogger-image-225943833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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Heeyyyy friends! Well, it has obviously been a while since I've written anything here. I'll try to get through this catchup business so we can get to the good stuff like concerts I've been to, musings about teaching yoga and other stuff that's been on my mind lately.</div>
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Before we go any further though can I just say, this winter is straight up ridiculous. It's either -30 or snowing...there is no middle ground here. </div>
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Also I broke my car about a week and a half ago...and by 'I broke it' I actually mean 'dude ran a stop sign right in front of me and I couldn't stop in time'....so my lovely little Honda is now in the body shop, sans front bumper. Thankfully no one was hurt, and my stop sign-running friend was actually a decent human being who stopped to make sure I was OK, exchanged insurance info with me, and hopefully learned a valuable lesson about traffic laws. </div>
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I did drive away, and went straight to my favorite yoga class. Good times. [Sidebar - it's possible that I should not have actually driven away nor should I have driven to the body shop a couple of days later. Dennis (the shop owner) gave me the extreme side eye and was like 'yeah...this is borderline driveable...' ) but you know, everyone is alive and OK so all's well that ends well]</div>
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In a related story, Facebook has identified the following as the defining moments of my life in 2013:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zWBPzgDyiEc/UulHIYTP5lI/AAAAAAAADIY/SMoxPakz_rU/s640/blogger-image--2088772249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zWBPzgDyiEc/UulHIYTP5lI/AAAAAAAADIY/SMoxPakz_rU/s640/blogger-image--2088772249.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That last one is probably the most representative of my life</td></tr>
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Here's a little somethin somethin from my Weather Puppy app. This basset hound is not pleased about the -41 windchill, and neither am I.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rKF0Q1sGBC4/UulHbA1JTpI/AAAAAAAADIo/JxKBk-1b56I/s640/blogger-image-225943833.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope. Do not want</td></tr>
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A couple of weeks ago, I volunteered selling tickets for the Minneosta Bach Ensemble's winter concert which was fun times. MBE was founded last year by my former choir director (he left us to move to Boston...le sad), another former choir colleague and friend is the managing director and I know most of the musicians and soloists so I always enjoy working with them. At one point, we ran out of tickets so I started tearing up small pieces of paper and writing 'ticket' on them. Profesh.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uYxAQiHz5Os/UulG1RuEokI/AAAAAAAADII/6P5yxJ4S_nY/s640/blogger-image--968489397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uYxAQiHz5Os/UulG1RuEokI/AAAAAAAADII/6P5yxJ4S_nY/s640/blogger-image--968489397.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real tickets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PgYPUGw1MIg/UulHe6KqySI/AAAAAAAADIw/xDGpe6vpeU8/s640/blogger-image-173196954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PgYPUGw1MIg/UulHe6KqySI/AAAAAAAADIw/xDGpe6vpeU8/s640/blogger-image-173196954.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also real tickets?</td></tr>
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That same night, I went to Hilary Hahn and Haushka's concert at Aria in Minneapolis. Aria is in the former Theatre de la Jeune Leune space in the warehouse district, and I hadn't been there since it was Jeune Lenue so it was fun to see a classical concert there. Well, classical-ish. New classical. Hauschka plays a prepared piano, which I will link to a video of in case you haven't seen this. You should...it's awesome. He also de-prepared his piano towards the end of the night and just started tossing the random objects all over the stage - fascinating and hilarious at the same time. And to top it off, the show was almost entirely improvised.<br />
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These two have an album together, Silfra, which is gorgeous and atmospheric and I definitely recommend checking it out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-E3FTyVgG2rU/UulHES0WCDI/AAAAAAAADIQ/jVo5opWXtW4/s640/blogger-image--162401950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-E3FTyVgG2rU/UulHES0WCDI/AAAAAAAADIQ/jVo5opWXtW4/s640/blogger-image--162401950.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilary Hahn and Hauschka at Aria</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/43Z4yljYY_c" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<div>
Last Sunday we went to Piccolo for Ben's birthday - Piccolo does very creative preparations and small plates, and it's one of our favorite spots in MSP. We shared roast carrots with fennel and bleu cheese (pictured below), lamb loin with brown butter gnocchi and mushrooms, and an oxtail terrine...and a buttermilk panna cotta for dessert which was heavenly. Favorite dessert of 2014 so far.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6IRVQWd7D6E/UulHONfWUDI/AAAAAAAADIg/zIfAdiMo9GE/s640/blogger-image-2023500147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6IRVQWd7D6E/UulHONfWUDI/AAAAAAAADIg/zIfAdiMo9GE/s640/blogger-image-2023500147.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yumm</td></tr>
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And for good measure, here's what my car looked like after Thursday night's incident. Stop signs are not a joke, friends.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jb_Y6gJ7mOw/UulGwQLWuNI/AAAAAAAADIA/gHExUlcbntI/s640/blogger-image-1089381958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jb_Y6gJ7mOw/UulGwQLWuNI/AAAAAAAADIA/gHExUlcbntI/s640/blogger-image-1089381958.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup.</td></tr>
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</div>
<div>
Well that's all I've got for tonight! Time to </div>
</div>
Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-21992109539956853402014-01-01T11:01:00.001-08:002014-01-01T11:01:47.986-08:00Holidays, con't<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Back to work tomorrow unfortunately, but this has been a truly relaxing and delightful week off. I've been lucky enough to spend the majority of my time either curled up on the couch with a book, in a yoga class, or spending time with my wonderful husband, friends and family. I've watched a few of my favorite films, re-read Harry Potter books 1 - 6 (yay!) baked several batches of cookies, and even managed to squeeze in a few outdoor runs before the temperature inexplicably spiked to 50 before shooting back below zero, causing all of the snow to melt, then freeze into a treacherous sheet of ice over all the roads and sidewalks. Welcome to Minnesota.<br />
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Last night we went to our friend Tyler's girlfriend's place for a night of drinks, gaming and comraderie. The gaming didn't really get very far ~ everyone was too busy chatting so we managed one round of Cards Against Humanity before it was time to toast the new year. Then we devolved into pushup and pull-up contests and I answered the long pondered question of "how many pull-ups can I do while hanging off the edge of the woodwork in my friends' dining room" the answer being 2.5. This was obviously followed by a long and in-depth discussion on Neil Gaiman's novels, which quickly expanded to literature in general. And then goofy photos. Perfect night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8VCTLVQAGW0/UsRfDx4NGxI/AAAAAAAADF4/x3hyqBu7Hw8/s640/blogger-image--1096285529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8VCTLVQAGW0/UsRfDx4NGxI/AAAAAAAADF4/x3hyqBu7Hw8/s640/blogger-image--1096285529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skype sesh with Julianna on Christmas Day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sinking Titanic Cookie - courtesy of Nasty Christmas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedecked dog, also courtesy of Nasty Christmas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping Cat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MvBjTgbCEV8/UsRfFUaoWBI/AAAAAAAADGA/Ny6luJKU5WY/s640/blogger-image-1597389319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MvBjTgbCEV8/UsRfFUaoWBI/AAAAAAAADGA/Ny6luJKU5WY/s640/blogger-image-1597389319.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annual family spritz bake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ySgUi9YZRkQ/UsRfGx9OD4I/AAAAAAAADGI/tC5D2BLPnV8/s640/blogger-image-2111676020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ySgUi9YZRkQ/UsRfGx9OD4I/AAAAAAAADGI/tC5D2BLPnV8/s640/blogger-image-2111676020.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double rainbow in the dining room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sLOQP4FpZEE/UsRfAw73KPI/AAAAAAAADFo/GQxvh4SSpCI/s640/blogger-image--1929792092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sLOQP4FpZEE/UsRfAw73KPI/AAAAAAAADFo/GQxvh4SSpCI/s640/blogger-image--1929792092.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Re-visiting old favorites</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-or1NwIAKDGg/UsRgD6WXJbI/AAAAAAAADGo/xPaCc8DPZSI/s640/blogger-image-1983183241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-or1NwIAKDGg/UsRgD6WXJbI/AAAAAAAADGo/xPaCc8DPZSI/s640/blogger-image-1983183241.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Years friend times</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PA3KVNDg_sk/UsRgFXfmKLI/AAAAAAAADGw/QmuTrXAHUjs/s640/blogger-image--271065313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PA3KVNDg_sk/UsRgFXfmKLI/AAAAAAAADGw/QmuTrXAHUjs/s640/blogger-image--271065313.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyler and Dani our gracious hosts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0IkxEDaMNTI/UsRf9odu_xI/AAAAAAAADGQ/Ie7vwqaO-6k/s640/blogger-image-234052924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0IkxEDaMNTI/UsRf9odu_xI/AAAAAAAADGQ/Ie7vwqaO-6k/s640/blogger-image-234052924.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brief but successful game of CAH</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yc0jEuD8zrY/UsRgCfzJ_EI/AAAAAAAADGg/BsiiDADFA1Y/s640/blogger-image-1041266324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yc0jEuD8zrY/UsRgCfzJ_EI/AAAAAAAADGg/BsiiDADFA1Y/s640/blogger-image-1041266324.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goofiness ensues</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZQb4VuVHXx8/UsRgJegvLPI/AAAAAAAADHA/Quo6J8tM3pU/s640/blogger-image-190151318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZQb4VuVHXx8/UsRgJegvLPI/AAAAAAAADHA/Quo6J8tM3pU/s640/blogger-image-190151318.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and continues</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rtT2GocxXkA/UsRgHl2myeI/AAAAAAAADG4/kK8Y75decao/s640/blogger-image--1261973223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rtT2GocxXkA/UsRgHl2myeI/AAAAAAAADG4/kK8Y75decao/s640/blogger-image--1261973223.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy New Year :)</td></tr>
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Here's to a happy and wonderful 2014 ~ let's make the most of it.</div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-57767064756957247712013-12-30T13:47:00.002-08:002013-12-30T13:48:50.965-08:00Christmas Eve & Christmas Day [in photos]<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday week, and if you celebrate Christmas I hope it was as full of love, laughter and good food as ours was :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making Christmas Eve Dinner<br />
...behold, my cooking face</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner at Chez MacKenzie (our place) with my parents</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holiday decor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8OASS2cFo7s/UsCbKBMJWrI/AAAAAAAADD4/0V0zIpvURVI/s640/blogger-image-330976818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8OASS2cFo7s/UsCbKBMJWrI/AAAAAAAADD4/0V0zIpvURVI/s640/blogger-image-330976818.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to Bach and Roll</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gcPySlZZvPw/UsCbUUo4seI/AAAAAAAADEg/9jXWzsk2YBI/s640/blogger-image-1959252594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gcPySlZZvPw/UsCbUUo4seI/AAAAAAAADEg/9jXWzsk2YBI/s640/blogger-image-1959252594.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 2 services and the Bach, this was the extent of my capabilities</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-o1O1bDQ_ZJ0/UsCbSFC7awI/AAAAAAAADEQ/E8nS-TdAN1w/s640/blogger-image-1710695100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-o1O1bDQ_ZJ0/UsCbSFC7awI/AAAAAAAADEQ/E8nS-TdAN1w/s640/blogger-image-1710695100.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas morning - opening a special MacKenzie scotch from my dad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Rc1p45rFTyg/UsCbM0fkY5I/AAAAAAAADEA/jtelURjszBY/s640/blogger-image--1500182823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Rc1p45rFTyg/UsCbM0fkY5I/AAAAAAAADEA/jtelURjszBY/s640/blogger-image--1500182823.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two greatest books ever written</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i0s8ewgQKAQ/UsCbTaM6RhI/AAAAAAAADEY/oXq8NDA8XAc/s640/blogger-image--1762233288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i0s8ewgQKAQ/UsCbTaM6RhI/AAAAAAAADEY/oXq8NDA8XAc/s640/blogger-image--1762233288.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory photo in front of the tree</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZPrbJFVM_wE/UsCa4tz70PI/AAAAAAAADDY/GSMCzuv_YAY/s640/blogger-image--206346570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZPrbJFVM_wE/UsCa4tz70PI/AAAAAAAADDY/GSMCzuv_YAY/s640/blogger-image--206346570.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gift from Ben ~ a lovely mug from <a href="http://www.mammastemama.com/" target="_blank">Mammaste</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More gifts from my awesome husband</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and yoga books from my parents, yay!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I gave Ben this dashing coat...now he just looks ridiculously scottish all the time</td></tr>
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Merry Christmas, peace and love to you and yours <3 div=""><!--3--><!--3--></3></div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-24213418483175392642013-12-19T19:23:00.001-08:002013-12-19T19:23:40.652-08:00Christmas is coming...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
HOORAY!!! Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday and has been since...forever ~ the snow, the lights, trees, baking, music, family, everything I love wrapped up in a bow with time off from work as an added bonus. One of my fondest childhood memories is decorating the tree with my dad. We would put on the lights (well, he would...I was too short), hang all the ornaments (this I actually did help with) and when we were done, we would sit in the living room with some hot tea or hot cocoa, and just look at the tree, taking up half the room, shining and colorful. It might sound boring, but when I was little it felt magical.<br />
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I work the rest of this week, as well as next Monday and Tuesday but then I am off for a WHOLE WEEK. My agenda during this time includes:<br />
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<li>Choir. Lots of choir. We have an evening service on Saturday, a three hour rehearsal with orchestra on Monday, and two services + a special performance (Bach!) on Christmas Eve. I am also singing in 2 small ensembles this year (a sextet and a trio) so I've been putting in some time on the side, it's been a while since I had to sing over an orchestra. Like...many years. Haha.</li>
<li>Caroling! Ben and I are going caroling on Sunday with some friends from choir. I haven't been caroling in years so I am pretty pumped about this...although, it is supposed to be cold this weekend. I'm sure we will survive.</li>
<li>Baking. You bet your sweet buns I will be making at least 85 batches of cookies over the next week, time to stock up on butter I guess.</li>
<li>White Elephant party. One of my favorite traditions is the "Nasty Christmas" party my friends and I throw every year. </li>
<li>Watching/reading Harry Potter!! Ben and I started a tradition last year of watching all 8 HP movies between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We just watched Order of the Phoenix on Tuesday, so Half Blood Prince is queued up for this weekend. We also bought the new paperback set and I'm hoping I can plow through a re-read over break. We shall see. </li>
<li>Yoga (as always)</li>
<li>Running (as always)</li>
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<li>Collaging. It's been a while since I made a yoga collage (2 years ago I did Shiva, and the year before that I did Kali). I have a great idea for my next one, I just need to pull all of the materials together. Can't wait :)</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you were feeling sad that you can't make it to my stunning choir performances,<br />here is a sexy photo of me in my robe, with my dad. You're welcome.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delightful cookies from last year's Nasty Christmas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of an appropriate Nasty Christmas gift</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="426" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/602742_722551569105_483195378_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year's haul - rubber duck headphones</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011's creative efforts</td></tr>
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And now, the moment you've all been waiting for (or not)...Christmas Survey! I found this on <a href="http://hungryrunnergirl.com/" target="_blank">Janae's blog</a> and thought I would re-post even though it's old.</div>
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1. Favorite Christmas Album/CD/Song?</div>
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<a href="http://music.sufjan.com/album/songs-for-christmas" target="_blank">Sufjan Stevens ~ Songs for Christmas</a></div>
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Favorite tracks: 2, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 31, 38, 41. Mostly stripped down, minimalist but new takes on classics. My fave.</div>
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2. Run on Christmas morning or take the day off?</div>
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I will probably either run or practice yoga on Christmas...yoga seems more appropriate maybe.</div>
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3. What do you usually eat on Christmas morning?</div>
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Pancakes! For years, I have been in charge of coffee and pancakes on Christmas morning...I think it just happened one year and the tradition stuck.</div>
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4. Favorite holiday or Christmas tradition?</div>
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Harry Potter marathon. Baking with my dad. At one point, my whole family (dad's side) used to congregate at our place for Christmas and we would all sing carols around the piano on Christmas Eve. It got pretty out of control, especially the 12 days of Christmas which basically became a challenge to see how far over the top we could take "five golden rings"...I think I have a video of this somewhere. </div>
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5. Real tree, fake tree or no tree?</div>
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I prefer a real tree, but we have a fake one. My cat likes to eat any plant within her reach (which is everywhere) so, real tree is out unfortunately :(</div>
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6. Christmas pajamas… yay or nay?</div>
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Oh, for sure yay. Absolutely.</div>
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7. Where do you spend the holidays? Your own house, your parents’ house, extended family, in-laws, friends?</div>
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Christmas Eve is full of choir nonsense, so we usually spend it with my parents and we spend Christmas morning with them as well. Christmas day we meet up with Ben's family.</div>
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8. Food that you always have during the holiday season? Favorite Christmas food/treat?</div>
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Spritz cookies! And unlimited hot cocoa.</div>
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9. Open presents all at once or take turns? Stockings… yes or no?</div>
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Take turns. Stockings = YES but my parents are scrooges, so I may have to take stocking stuffer duty this year. Surprise, bitches YOU ALL GET COAL.</div>
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Kidding...kidding. They will all get delightful treats in their stockings. And maybe also coal.</div>
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10. Favorite Christmas(ish) movie?</div>
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Miracle on 34th Street (the original)</div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-48037995074475246832013-12-01T16:31:00.001-08:002013-12-01T16:31:28.361-08:00Book of the Week: A Wild Sheep Chase<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">"B</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">ody cells replace themselves every month. Even at this very moment. Most everything you think you know about me is nothing more than memories.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">"</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I am a huge Murakami fan. I absolutely recognize that he's not everyone's cup of tea but...if he is your cup of tea call me; we'll talk. This is Murakami's first widely published novel and the fifth one I've read (after Kafka on the Shore, Windup Bird, 1Q84, and the nonfiction What I TalkAbout When I Talk About Running) and I've fallen completely in love with his particular, quirky brand of magical realism. Reading a Murakami novel is like floating around inside someone else's strange and slightly creepy dream. AWSC is part detective novel, part sci-fi, part quest/self-discovery and (and this part I was kind of unprepared for) part horror. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">There's always a sense of the eerie and foreboding in Murakami's novels, but this is the first time he has genuinely FREAKED ME THE F*&% OUT. Ben can vouch for that at one point I yelled AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! and threw my book onto the coffee table like it was a hot potato, because I was so creeped out. Anyway, if you are looking at venturing into the wonderful and weird world of Murakami I would highly recommend A Wild Sheep Chase...although I'd maybe say start out with Kafka on the Shore or Wind up Bird Chronicle (KotS is probably not his best, but it's a good introduction to his style. WBC is maybe his most critically acclaimed novel, but it is a bit more of a committment).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Yay reading!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Happy Thanksgiving!</span></span></div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-89847061001886169772013-11-26T15:30:00.001-08:002013-11-26T15:30:34.394-08:00I have no idea what I'm doing and neither does anyone else<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There's a reason I don't write very much on here about my job. Well, two reasons. First, a lot of what I work on is confidential, and second, it's just not that interesting to most people. It is interesting to me though, on multiple levels; the first level being "hey this project is interesting," and the second being "hey, how did I get in this position where I am driving technology when my background is in music and marketing and I have literally no IT experience?"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">GOOD QUESTION. </span></div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There's a scene in the movie The Avengers when they're off to battle space robots in New York City and Black Widow says to Hawkeye, "this is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for." I basically understand that feeling, minus the impending apocalypse and high probability of death. </span><div>
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Most of my meetings with IT feel something like this:</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">IT: “OK so, if we connect the snagglefrozz jenkins witch to the dukenheim, we’ll have a daily woggle. Sound good?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Me: Um. Probably?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">IT: But unless we upgrade the jam shizzle, it will not be luminous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Me: K.<span> </span>So that’s….bad?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">…..</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Me: good?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Me: I don’t know</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">IT: It would also cost 5 trillion dollars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Me: OK then no. No jam shizzle upgrade.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Or sometimes this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Me: Hey so, did you get a chance to submit the thing I need<span> </span>in order to finish my work, so that I don’t lose funding for all of my Q2 projects?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: No. I need more details.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Me: I thought you said I had answered all of your questions, but go for it, what else can I do for you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: I need to know what types of things you need in the web service.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Me: OK… you mean like, categories?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: No, types.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Me:…like, is it a liquid, a gas, or a solid?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: No. Like, is it a tiger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Me: Ah ok. So, is it a tiger or is it a lion?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: No. Like is it a tiger, or is it a tomato plant.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Me: Oh OK. So, animal, vegetable or mineral?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: No. What types.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Me: Bengal tiger? White tiger?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: No. The types.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Me: Are we playing 20 questions right now?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: No.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Me: …..</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: ….</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Me: Seriously, just tell me what you need and I will get it for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Guy: I need to know the types.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also receive a lot of maddeningly unhelpful email responses:</span><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dear Billy Jo,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I heard that you are the resident expert on Jabberwokys. Our IT team is installing a new Jabberwoky trap and they need to know the expected volume of rogue Jabberwokys. I know the number will increase as we onboard more clients, but can you please send me a ballpark estimate of what you’re seeing right now, so I can pass it along to our trap architect?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Thanks!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Kristina</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Kristina,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I’m don't know the exact number but I’m pretty sure it is less than eight billion. I guess it depends on the number of Jabberwokys that want to be trapped.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Billy Jo</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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I'm not really sure how to wrap this up other than to say, now you know what my job is like and hey we have a 4 day weekend coming up! Time to catch up on sleep, lots of yoga and delicious food with my family. Happy Tuesday!</div>
</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-56185418802955539972013-11-23T14:58:00.001-08:002013-11-23T14:58:39.281-08:00This one is mostly about music.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This post is light on photos, long on tangential randomness. Hooray.<br />
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<b>1) Opera</b></div>
<div>
Ben and I went with my parents to see Arabella at MNOp last Saturday. The music was lovely (I have a soft spot for Strauss having sung a bunch of his art songs in college) and the singing was amazing. The opera itself was basically 1.5 acts of exposition, followed by 1 act of stuff happening. I have constructed a plot summary to save you some time; you can thank me later.</div>
<div>
ARABELLA<br />
ACT 1<br />
- Girl sees boy, girl falls in love with boy<br />
- Girl's sister is pretending to be a boy because...being a girl is expensive apparently?<br />
- Boy sees photo of girl, falls in love with girl<br />
- Father approves of boy because he is loaded<br />
- Father arranges for girl and boy to meet at party later that evening<br />
ACT 2<br />
- They are at the party, yay!<br />
- Girl and boy finally meet, fall madly in love, become engaged. Girl promises to meet boy at door with glasses of fresh water every day because he will own her now. Yay?<br />
- Due to a giant misunderstanding based on things he overhears and never bothers to verify, boy becomes convinced girl is cheating on him, gets completely blasted and starts macking on other girls at the party.<br />
ACT 3<br />
- Boy confronts girl. Girl insists she is not cheating on boy, but boy is unconvinced. Hilarious hijinx ensue.<br />
- Misunderstanding is eventually cleared up. Boy is embarassed, as he should be. Girl forgives him for some reason. Love songs and sexual innuendos about glasses of water ensue.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i3bZh7sQBdc/UouXHSdXL0I/AAAAAAAADA0/8mUuDvlSoxc/s640/blogger-image--248441691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i3bZh7sQBdc/UouXHSdXL0I/AAAAAAAADA0/8mUuDvlSoxc/s640/blogger-image--248441691.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least we clean up well!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<b>2) Movies</b><br />
We went to see Thor: The Dark World last Sunday and I super loved it a lot. Just straight up entertainment which was exactly what I needed after seeing the *very* well done but also incredibly difficult to watch 12 Years a Slave last weekend. Also I think Loki is now my favorite character in the Marvel universe - morally ambiguous loose cannon with a some sass thrown in for good measure? Sign me up.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>3) I like running to sad music?</b><br />
Some people run best to fast club music because it pumps them up. I, on the other hand, seem to need a sweeping string section and some emotional torment to get me going which is probably why I listened to this song at least eight times on my Tuesday six miler. I can't explain it...it's kind of emo and sounds like something I would have loved in college, but I seriously cannot stop listening to it.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VVgixOjGhVU" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>4) I like running</b><br />
Speaking of running - even though I seriously question my sanity when my alarm goes off at 5am, by the time I am outside watching the sun come up I'm just excited and grateful, and remember why I do this to myself three times a week. It is 100% worth it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dJo0V9bRGXA/UouXGUMafpI/AAAAAAAADAs/JOlLAZFVM0A/s640/blogger-image--1221547949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dJo0V9bRGXA/UouXGUMafpI/AAAAAAAADAs/JOlLAZFVM0A/s640/blogger-image--1221547949.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is why I get up at 5am. Right here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thanksgiving is almost here!! Time to start decorating for Christmas, I just bought about 60 feet of pre-lit garland from Target and two boxes of Candy Cane tea. In choir, we've started rehearsing for our Christmas concert which features the Bach Magnificat in D this year. If this doesn't make you feel full of joy and the Christmas spirit, then you are wrong:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Wgdb9CHJHyk" width="420"></iframe></div>
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The end! Hope you are having a great weekend.</div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-77493811107444826292013-11-13T20:06:00.000-08:002013-11-13T20:07:30.009-08:00Randoms, and the joys of stress baking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Please observe the super healthy breakfast I made for myself and Ben on Saturday...and yes, we demolished half of the pan by ourselves in under an hour. It's cool, you don't have to tell me how awesome and impressive we are. We know.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cZhDK0uSCO8/UoO5IOkYe0I/AAAAAAAAC1E/KWtdy3N52KA/s640/blogger-image-1352020481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cZhDK0uSCO8/UoO5IOkYe0I/AAAAAAAAC1E/KWtdy3N52KA/s640/blogger-image-1352020481.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">APPLE CRISP! Favorite of fall baking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Sunday, my mom came over after church/choir and helped us rake leaves in the backyard. There were a LOT of leaves...like, a whole lot. The maple tree on our neighbor's property (the same tree that is i<a href="http://sopranointherealworld.blogspot.com/2012/07/things-that-are-awesome-peanut-butter.html" target="_blank">nfested with carptenter ants that like to invade our attic</a>) drops most of its leaves into our backyard every fall, and we rake and dispose of them. Delightful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sp3MM5bO6nI/UoO5GrdozlI/AAAAAAAAC00/L4qn6eReMn8/s640/blogger-image--1292894587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sp3MM5bO6nI/UoO5GrdozlI/AAAAAAAAC00/L4qn6eReMn8/s640/blogger-image--1292894587.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben and my mom, hard at work. Don't worry, I was helping too :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XJnXNaEyIt4/UoO5EwafRPI/AAAAAAAAC0g/T6A9FF2kK5U/s640/blogger-image--990667670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XJnXNaEyIt4/UoO5EwafRPI/AAAAAAAAC0g/T6A9FF2kK5U/s640/blogger-image--990667670.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fruits of our labor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This has been a rough week at work. I don't really want to get into it (also, can't really get into it, nondisclosure and legality blah blah blah) but Monday and Tuesday were especially stressful. Luckily, Monday is was saved by some quiet reading time and an amazing yoga class. Most Mondays I head to my <a href="http://bullruncoffee.com/" target="_blank">favorite coffee shop</a> and relax with a book and a beverage (this time, mint tea) and then head to my <a href="http://www.theomcollective.com/" target="_blank">favorite yoga class</a> at 7. Currently I'm reading <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6452798-command-and-control" target="_blank">this book</a> which is fascinating and also terrifying...I'm only about 1/4 of the way through but so far I highly recommend it.<br />
<br />
Class was PERFECT and exactly what I needed. I do love to push and challenge myself in my yoga practice, "do the thing that scares you" and whatnot. But there is a time and a place for that, and there is a time and a place for...not that. There are poses that actually do make me feel fear, and I will pretty much only ever do them if forced (visvamitrasana, he full form of vasistasana with the leg up, and upavistha konasana), and also poses that are not scary but are definitely confrontational (urdhva dhanurasana, dhanurasana, pinca mayurasana...so basically backbends) and these are great and beneficial poses. But some days I'm like crap, this entire day has been confrontational; can I just do some hip openers and stretch my hammies and do my favorite arm balances? And on Monday the answer was YES. For the record, <a href="http://blogs.yogajournal.com/challengepose/2011/06/challenge-poses-eka-pada-koundinyasana-i.html" target="_blank">this</a> is my favorite pose.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_kTzdvBUCdw/UoO5He-eqFI/AAAAAAAAC08/coOIdFMR-IU/s640/blogger-image--911124592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_kTzdvBUCdw/UoO5He-eqFI/AAAAAAAAC08/coOIdFMR-IU/s640/blogger-image--911124592.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea + Book + Yoga = happy times</td></tr>
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<br />
At some point during the day on Tuesday I consumed five mini Milky Ways in a fit of blind rage and sent Ben some very violent and probably concerning text messages about punching people in the throat. Luckily, I did not punch anyone and instead channelled all of my stress into a batch of ghost cookies which I then decorated with pink sparkles because why not. And I ate them while watching Sleepy Hollow and New Girl, so I immediately felt one billion times better about life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bn8CcjBpdts/UoO5FsjoaiI/AAAAAAAAC0s/D_hCuIOGXOE/s640/blogger-image--863516031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bn8CcjBpdts/UoO5FsjoaiI/AAAAAAAAC0s/D_hCuIOGXOE/s640/blogger-image--863516031.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The products of my rage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Today I worked from home (again! yay!) because I had a coffee meeting in the morning near my house. Since you've all now seen what I look like on a workday when I can't be bothered to put on real people clothes, I figure you're all dying to know what I look like on a normal day at the office. Ta da:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NiHNbeOgRG4/UoO5DbhC6SI/AAAAAAAAC0U/Ru0hv-Iyi18/s640/blogger-image--1017216323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NiHNbeOgRG4/UoO5DbhC6SI/AAAAAAAAC0U/Ru0hv-Iyi18/s640/blogger-image--1017216323.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blazer and Tshirt from H&M<br />
Pants from J Crew<br />
Shoes from Target<br />
And no I'm not wearing socks, my ankles are actually that white<br />
.....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you're wondering what the heck is that thing in the bottom right hand corner of the above photo, the answer is obviously, a bust of William Shakespeare wearing my blue wig from Halloween. Duh.<br />
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Working from home is about 80% less stressful than being in the office sometimes. I get just as much done if not more, but it just feels easier to keep everything in perspective and remember what is really important in life. I think that right now, I need the occasional WFH day for my sanity, and because I have trouble keeping frustration and disbelief from showing in my facial expressions WFH days also keep my eyeballs from freezing permanently into this position:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NbNunaa7bPs/UoO5EKsAVtI/AAAAAAAAC0c/_1lt5rPrEeo/s640/blogger-image--2070910341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NbNunaa7bPs/UoO5EKsAVtI/AAAAAAAAC0c/_1lt5rPrEeo/s640/blogger-image--2070910341.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the face I make after 1 hour calls with IT</td></tr>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-29006883872724918652013-11-09T18:11:00.000-08:002013-11-09T18:11:38.509-08:00May the best you've ever seen, be the worst you'll ever see<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Fall has definitely arrived in St Paul - actually I think winter is well on its way to arriving. The trees haven't quite figured out what's going on yet, so some of them have already dropped their leaves and some are still green. It's very odd.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ftlp_Wr39d8/Un7ZNOMnMpI/AAAAAAAACz4/IJMC66tSWzQ/s640/blogger-image-1043670180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ftlp_Wr39d8/Un7ZNOMnMpI/AAAAAAAACz4/IJMC66tSWzQ/s640/blogger-image-1043670180.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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Anyway, it has been a fun and super full week over here! We finally started rehearsals for our Christmas concert/service; this year we're singing the Bach Magnificat in D. I first sang this piece a few years ago, also for Christmas I think and it remains one of my favorites largely because it has a rockin Soprano II part. I am selfish :)<br />
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Thursday I did my usual early AM run followed by coffee - I usually go to Rustica because it is sort of on the way to the office and they have AMAZING coffee. They also have yogurt/fruit/granola cups with greek yogurt and their homemade granola...they are super good and I basically dream about them. Since it is usually pre 7am when I swing by, they may or may not have the yogurts out yet, so whenever they do have them I get irrationally excited.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ihivF7JFH08/Un7ZLRaxG7I/AAAAAAAACzo/sAwRbl82Sd4/s640/blogger-image--435285755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ihivF7JFH08/Un7ZLRaxG7I/AAAAAAAACzo/sAwRbl82Sd4/s640/blogger-image--435285755.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little bit of heaven in a cup</td></tr>
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That night we went to a Laphroig event at the St Paul Hotel!! I have been looking forward to this for SO LONG. In case you were not aware Ben and I are both huge fans of single malt scotch whisky. Ben actually <a href="http://sopranointherealworld.blogspot.com/2011/08/wedding-recap-part-iv-fight-for-your.html" target="_blank">gave me a bottle of scotch as a wedding gift</a>. What can I say, the man knows me well. Laphroig is actually the scotch that started it all for me. I first tasted it my senior year of college - my friend offered me a sip of his, so I took one and proclaimed "huh. This tastes like a cigar". And then I immediately demanded to know where I could get more. Thus began a beautiful friendship. I would not say it's my favorite anymore but it was definitely my 'gateway scotch'... I do not mess around.</div>
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So anyway when Ben got a notice in the mail from St Paul Grill that there was a Laphroig EVENT taking place with a legit Laprhoig rep from Scotland, he asked if I wanted to go and I responded YES ARE YOU KIDDING. And he was like dude settle down. Sometimes I think I scare him with my exuberance.</div>
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(p.s. I really hope this doesn't make me sound like an alcoholic. I actually do not drink much at all, and when I drink whisky it is only in very small amounts...hence why Thursday night was...ineresting.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-luoWA3aaT6U/Un7ZMGnLu-I/AAAAAAAACzw/wOgsUGjrODE/s640/blogger-image--961174875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-luoWA3aaT6U/Un7ZMGnLu-I/AAAAAAAACzw/wOgsUGjrODE/s640/blogger-image--961174875.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bounty of gift bags!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hKNBy34IhiQ/Un7ZI-haayI/AAAAAAAACzQ/3mfME5AaNpI/s640/blogger-image-2140972147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hKNBy34IhiQ/Un7ZI-haayI/AAAAAAAACzQ/3mfME5AaNpI/s640/blogger-image-2140972147.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was Ben's 'plus one' ...for some reason I found this deeply amusing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-pKFTs5OPwNQ/Un7ZN9Em5aI/AAAAAAAAC0A/eTxvZPl_pBg/s640/blogger-image-1914921158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-pKFTs5OPwNQ/Un7ZN9Em5aI/AAAAAAAAC0A/eTxvZPl_pBg/s640/blogger-image-1914921158.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting the evening off right with a cocktail!<br />
This would have probably been fine, had it not been followed by six pours of whisky</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ItAl93w_fJ0/Un7ZFisBcQI/AAAAAAAACyw/y22_PV-xd8g/s640/blogger-image--1886140215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ItAl93w_fJ0/Un7ZFisBcQI/AAAAAAAACyw/y22_PV-xd8g/s640/blogger-image--1886140215.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bagpipers to usher us in to dinner and to...set the mood I guess?</td></tr>
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After we had all finished our cocktails and appetizers, we were herded by bagpipers (I am not kidding) into the dining room, where we were given more food (bread, cheese and some preserved meats/sausages/etc) and five varieties of Laphroig to taste while we listened to the presentation Simon, the Laphroig rep, tell us about the history of the distillery and the island of Islay.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eAz7oLjb05g/Un7ZHR9oD0I/AAAAAAAACzA/V772n-72J7k/s640/blogger-image--329181471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eAz7oLjb05g/Un7ZHR9oD0I/AAAAAAAACzA/V772n-72J7k/s640/blogger-image--329181471.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: 10 year, Quarter Cask, 18 year, Cask Strength, and Triple Wood</td></tr>
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After a cocktail and five scotches, I was feelin pretty good when SURPRISE they brought out a sixth scotch for us to taste. The Cairdeas was aged in bourbon and finished in a port cask for 15 months. Port aged or finished are my <b>favorite</b> - it imparts a deep flavor and sweetness to the whisky that I really like.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1R9rCI6XbEw/Un7ZGuScF8I/AAAAAAAACy4/jBlhOaXo5Io/s640/blogger-image--945420877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1R9rCI6XbEw/Un7ZGuScF8I/AAAAAAAACy4/jBlhOaXo5Io/s640/blogger-image--945420877.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this photo</td></tr>
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As it turns out, the appetizers and bread/cheese plate were not nearly enough food to soak up six scotches...plus fancy places make me somewhat uncomfortable so I demanded that we swing by Falafel King to even things out. Nothing rounds out a classy evening of appetizers and charcuterie quite like some fried chickpea deliciousness eaten on the couch while giggling uncontrollably.<br />
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The next morning I...did not feel awesome. Lucky for me, literally my entire team was on PTO (my entire team now being me, my manager and one other person and an open rec. Long story.) so I worked from home in my PJs for a couple of hours while drinking tons of water. At 9:30 or so, I decided I should probably wash my face and put on real clothes, and roll into the office for some afternoon meetings. P.S. how much do I love casual Friday...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jpWW9q8naiY/Un7ZJpqcdVI/AAAAAAAACzY/oKHyaJA56WU/s640/blogger-image--1192163641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jpWW9q8naiY/Un7ZJpqcdVI/AAAAAAAACzY/oKHyaJA56WU/s640/blogger-image--1192163641.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry corporate America, this is all you're getting from me today.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qNAX49SlVZk/Un7ZIGvH-JI/AAAAAAAACzI/gJg4uoVsnPo/s640/blogger-image-436606995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qNAX49SlVZk/Un7ZIGvH-JI/AAAAAAAACzI/gJg4uoVsnPo/s640/blogger-image-436606995.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry, I put shoes on eventually</td></tr>
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As I was heading out the door, I went to grab my favorite scarf only to find that it was already in use. This is what I get for leaving my hats and scarves on pretty much any flat surface in our house.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wmo5HqrkdkI/Un2TE5ckWfI/AAAAAAAACwM/phUlVbVrEzU/s640/blogger-image-1987604565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wmo5HqrkdkI/Un2TE5ckWfI/AAAAAAAACwM/phUlVbVrEzU/s640/blogger-image-1987604565.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, guess I am wearing a different scarf today.</td></tr>
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After all meetings for the day had wrapped up I headed BACK home to finish a few things...it's kind of amazing how much you can get done when everyone you work with is out of the office. I heated up some leftover butternut squash soup for a late lunch (made from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/10/the-leaf-peeps/" target="_blank">this recipe</a>) and watched Pitch Perfect while I worked on a presentation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2AdgpWiGCCU/Un2TWxhUQMI/AAAAAAAACwU/DJDqjB0lcsI/s640/blogger-image-1003514530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2AdgpWiGCCU/Un2TWxhUQMI/AAAAAAAACwU/DJDqjB0lcsI/s640/blogger-image-1003514530.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Better than the office, fo sho</td></tr>
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I still managed to make a hot yoga class in the evening, came home and quickly showered before heading to Overflow Cafe for a gig my friend Keith was playing with the band <a href="http://flowerstalks.bandcamp.com/album/calamity-dance" target="_blank">Flowerstalks</a>. I had never been to Overflow before but I really like it! The space was big but still cozy, with a fireplace and tons of comfy couches, and a half second floor. They had great food and the coffee drinks looked delicious (I did not have one because if I drink coffee in the afternoon/evening I cannot sleep...).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dyMrZHx0l9M/Un7ZKquIhlI/AAAAAAAACzg/En88zFthMtY/s640/blogger-image--1735479659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dyMrZHx0l9M/Un7ZKquIhlI/AAAAAAAACzg/En88zFthMtY/s640/blogger-image--1735479659.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thai chicken wrap from Overflow</td></tr>
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They also had board games so Ben and I played a round of Scrabble. I probably beat him ;) </div>
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Anyway, moral of the story is don't drink on a Thursday. I will leave you with this lovely Scottish toast:</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">May the best you’ve ever seen</span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Be the worst you’ll ever see;</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">May a moose ne’er leave yer girnal</span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Wi’ a teardrop in his e’e.</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">May ye aye keep hale and hearty</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Till ye’re auld enough tae dee,</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">May ye aye be just as happy</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">As I wish ye aye tae be.</span></span></em></strong></span></div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8552504907783881842.post-51874339153736009972013-10-31T19:57:00.000-07:002013-10-31T19:59:13.666-07:00Things! Also Halloween!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy Halloween!!! I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted...so just to get up to speed, here is a random list of what we've been up to for the last few weeks:<br />
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1. TWIN CITIES 10 MILE<br />
If you'd have told me two years ago that I would one day run 10 miles in a race, I would have laughed in your face. Actually a year and a half ago, I probably would have still laughed in your face. Until recently I was convinced that I hated running...then some coworkers talked me into running the Warrior Dash and the rest is history. Anyway, here's a photo of Ben and I before the race (hopefully I will not get sued for snagging this proof...it does have PROOF written all over it....)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Adz-mNOHkf4/UnMNR6EMjTI/AAAAAAAACQQ/J0VRVu0VZUU/s1600/proof.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Adz-mNOHkf4/UnMNR6EMjTI/AAAAAAAACQQ/J0VRVu0VZUU/s400/proof.tiff" width="302" /></a></div>
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Aaaand one from after the race (courtesy of Ben's dad) looking SUPER AWESOME and not at all tired or sweaty.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WF0rgNPxxlE/UnMNyq280TI/AAAAAAAACQY/lfZXygE2RjU/s1600/afterrace.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WF0rgNPxxlE/UnMNyq280TI/AAAAAAAACQY/lfZXygE2RjU/s400/afterrace.tiff" width="318" /></a></div>
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Unsurprisingly, Ben smoked me by about 10 minutes...I finished in 1:26, he finished in 1:16. Speed demon, that man. Anyway I spent most of the rest of the day eating, including a delightful feast of poutine, burger, and more fries at The Happy Gnome. "But wait," you say. "Isn't poutine also fries? Why did you order fries again after you already had them?" You know what...stop. Just be quiet.</div>
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I've also become a fan of the early morning run. Occasionally I'll drag myself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 5am and drive to Lake Calhoun or some other picturesque location to get in a few miles before work. The best parts of this are 1) the sunrise and 2) getting coffee afterward...plus occasionally some granola and yogurt from Rustica. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally worth it</td></tr>
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3. DYED MY HAIR<br />
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I've been blond for 12 years, but have been thinking about going darker for at least 4-5. The only problem is, I chicken out as soon as I get to the hairdresser but this time I DID NOT CHICKEN OUT. My stylist was nervous about making too drastic of a change right away though, so she took out most of the blond but otherwise pretty much left it alone. I love it. Next time I'm going all the way.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plus, nobody can make blond jokes at me anymore.</td></tr>
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4. YOGA AND LOTS OF IT</div>
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<a href="http://www.desireerumbaugh.com/" target="_blank">Desiree Rumbaugh</a> was in town last weekend for a three-day workshop and it was amazeballs. One of the things I love about Desiree is that each of the three times I've studied with her, she focuses on one key principle that you can apply across your practice. The last two years it's been an evolving approach of integration before expansion (last year 'RIBS BACK' this year 'INFLATE THE SERRATUS') and it's been so helpful for me. I tend to get lower back stuff in certain backbends, and in standing crescent oddly enough...but not last weekend so now I have some additional tools to integrate into my practice. Super amazing. One of these days i'm going to go on a yoga nerd tangent on this blog...watch out. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1383083_798723904135_162749335_n.jpg" style="height: 612px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 612px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovely</td></tr>
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4. FALL THINGS</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1385695_797419478215_1475504472_n.jpg" style="height: 612px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 612px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some leaves</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some more leaves</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1385318_795509780265_360973477_n.jpg" style="height: 612px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 612px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carving pumpkins in Chicago with Kristin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PUMPKINS</td></tr>
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5. HALLOWEEN<br />
Ben had his costume planned the day we saw The World's End in the theatre. Or rather, I planned it for him as soon as I saw Simon Pegg's character. "Hey," I said. "You have a coat like that! And you have a scruffy beard like that! And you could slick your hair back and wear aviators!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1395152_798825969595_806351139_n.jpg" style="height: 612px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 612px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary King rides again</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1385785_798819352855_119446487_n.jpg" style="height: 612px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 612px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben as Gary, and our friend Chris as ...a G-man? I think?? Basically he went as himself but with a fedora.</td></tr>
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I had no idea what I was going as until literally 10 minutes before walking out the door. All I had to go on was a blue wig spontaneously purchased at Target about 1 hour before the party, and...yeah that was pretty much it. So I decided to make our evening an homage to Edgar Wright and went as Ramona Flowers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1390621_798810151295_308435726_n.jpg" style="height: 612px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 612px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my real hair.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1381385_798827137255_1448124323_n.jpg" style="height: 612px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 612px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben and I at the party</td></tr>
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I also did some karaoke to the Backstreet Boys, which Ben took a video of but I think I will spare you...<br />
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5. HAVE YOU BY ANY CHANCE SEEN...A LITTLE LEMON...?<br />
If you are a decent human being, you have hopefully listened to Cabin Pressure by John Finnemore. If not, you are probably unfamiliar with the game Traveling Lemon. Basically, one player hides a lemon somewhere and the other person has to find it. When the second player locates the lemon, they re-hide it and the first player has to find it and then re-hide it. Ad infinitum.<br />
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One day, without warning I put a lemon in the shower, and sent Ben an email informing him that the lemon was in play. He thought I was joking...I wasn't. He found it pretty quickly, and re-hid it in a new location. One of the rules of Traveling Lemon is that the lemon has to be in plain sight (not in a drawer or cupboard or anything), and after a couple of days I grew suspicious that he was cheating because I had looked EVERYWHERE and had yet to find the lemon.<br />
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Well.<br />
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On Monday afternoon, my mom came over for tea. The first thing she said when she walked into the dining room was "Um...did you know there's a lemon on your chandelier?"<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/935504_799440408255_110875864_n.jpg" style="height: 612px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 612px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well played, Benjamin. Well played.</td></tr>
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I think that's all I have for now. Hope you're having a wonderful week and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!</div>
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Kristinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16269765366746798996noreply@blogger.com2