The power of kindness!

In the last 3 days, I've had the misfortune of seeing adults treating each other with anger and hostility.  Right now it's summer, where you would think people would be happy on a sunny day.  On Saturday, I was out for a run and I saw a car full of men yelling obscenities at a motorcyclist who was riding in the lane next to them.  I heard the motorcyclist speeding up to try to get away.  Now I don't know what may have happened prior to seeing them yelling, but I do know the motorcyclist was keen on riding away as fast as possible.  Then while I was on a beach "boardwalk" running, I saw an annoyed cyclist touch the shoulder of a man riding his skateboard.  The cyclist also said obscenities at the skateboarder who was so surprised at being yelled at and touched on the shoulder that he flew off his board.  These were all grown adults.

Yesterday, while walking toward the pier I had an older gentleman say something rude to me, and then today while I was at Costco I had a couple turn out of the aisle, look at me with my cart, and they said, "Excuse you."  I was not even in their way and I couldn't help but think how rude they were.  It's funny because I normally have such pleasant interactions with people since I worked retail customer service for more than a decade and I'm in a line of work where I help others.  I noticed though that these unpleasant interactions affected my mood and my day.  Seeing and hearing what I did made me upset and outweighed the pleasant interactions I had with people over the last 3 days.  It's strange how the negative often sticks with us more than the positive in life.  They say that 1 bad review outweighs 10 good reviews, and I think in life unfortunately many times 1 negative comment can outweigh 10 pleasant comments.

I realize that we all have the power to make such an impact on each others' lives whether we know each other or not.  A smile, being in the moment, having pleasant conversation, and having the intention of spreading kindness versus ill will can make a difference.  After my Costco shopping experience I actually prayed for the world and how angry it seems to be getting, and I prayed that I would take God in as my grace and kindness to others.  I know that by people being ugly and rude to me, that I have the choice to be ugly back or not.  While I don't want to sit back and take rude comments from people, I also don't want to incite more anger or rudeness back.  I just pray that each day I am able to make the choice to choose the power of kindness, to make someone else's day even if it's in the smallest way, and to make a difference.  We all have the choice to impact each other in a positive or a negative way, so why not choose kindness?

Lorna Jane - Spectacular workout wear!

Amber Sports Bra

I enjoy shopping.  What woman doesn't?  Okay, I know a few but most women enjoy shopping.  There has been this store that I've always gone past and never have gone in.  The clothes always seemed overly bright to me, and from the outside the colors made the clothes look cheap to me.  You know how they always say to never judge a book by it's cover?  Well, I judged and I was wrong.

Biometric Sports Bra

A few weeks ago I found myself walking past Lorna Jane, an Australian athletic clothing store to peer in and continued on my walk to get my hair cut.  The store intrigued me enough to stop in after getting my hair cut.  I walked around, looked at the clothes and to be honest I'm used to REI, Athleta, and Nike retail shops where it seems that everything is made out of a special fabric, bright colors, and prints.  Thank goodness the sales person, stopped me and asked me if I was looking for anything in particular.  Prior to her asking I was 50/50 on staying or walking out the door.  She chose some pieces for me, and I figured I'd give it a go.  I also grabbed a few running shorts from the sales rack, and went to the dressing room to try everything on.  The pieces that I chose didn't fit as well as what the sales person chose for me which is a rare occurrence in my shopping experience.  I typically know my body well and what looks good on my body.  She made mention that she had chosen clothes for my specific body type and I was impressed.

Apollo Excel S-Less Hoodie

The clothes she chose for me were spectacular.  All I could say was, "Wow, this brand really knows a woman's body."  I mean, talk about feeling like you look like a million bucks.  The clothes were well fitted, modern, and a little edgy which is where athletic clothes are heading.  It's all about how you can take your work out clothes to everyday wear.  When she brought me some booty shorts I cringed a little and said, "Typically those shorts don't look good on me.  I look better in running capris or leggings."  I tried them on, and again these shorts were something else.  I swear they could make any woman's tush look better than it does.  She said it was designed with rouching in the back to give more curve to the "cheeks".  I ended up getting some pieces (links included at the bottom) and although the clothes are expensive, they make you look and feel fabulous.  What's not to like about working out and feeling you look great in your athletic gear?  Lesson learned: Never judge until you try.

Champion Excel Short

Amber-Sports-Bra
Biometric-Sports-Bra
Apollo-S-Less-Excel-Hoodie
Champion-Excel-Short

October Challenge

So here we are almost at the end of October, and I needed to complete my October challenge of pushing myself to do something I wouldn't ordinarily do.  I know this isn't completely original but I chose to go to a coffee shop all by myself.  Yes, I go to coffee shops all the time but it's always to meet up with friends, have a first date, or to work on something.  This time it was to go by myself with no agenda except to push myself a little bit outside of my comfort zone.

I don't like going out to eat by myself, so I brought a book to read as my security blanket.  I chose Buster's Cafe simply because I've heard people talk about this cafe in South Pasadena, and it also received four stars on Yelp.  I went to the little cafe which is right by the railroad tracks, and is off of Mission Street which is filled with cute boutique shops and restaurants.  Upon entering the cafe, I thought how this was the kind of cafe I would go to when I travel.  It was cute, homey, and there were people sitting outside as well as inside the cafe.  I ordered a latte and an apple croissant, and went to go sit outside.  I strategically chose a little table in the shade where the chair faced the street.

So I have to admit that there are times when it's just nice to sit and stare out into space watching the trains go by, cars go by, and people walk and jog past me which also reminded me of sitting at cafes in Paris where the chairs are facing the street so you can people watch.  Oh and I should mention that people watching is really something I like to do.  I love to watch people, look at what they wear, listen to snippets of their conversations, see them interact, and feel like a part of it all.  As I was sitting I was reminded that sometimes we just need quiet moments like these to sit and watch the world go by.  Not once did I crack my book open since I was too fascinated by all that was going on around me.

To my left I heard an elderly couple talk and still enjoy each other's company.  I heard him say to her, "If you want to take the car then I always can take the bus."  I was reminded that there are still gentleman out there, and then in front of me I saw an athletic gentleman walking with a prosthetic leg when a lady on a bicycle jumped up to greet him.  Apparently he has a blog where she said she followed him and was inspired by his century rides and his participating in triathlons.  Hearing all of this made me smile, and the friend of the man with the prosthetic leg saw me smile and nodded at me with a smile.  These little interactions truly made my Saturday morning, and I realized that it's not so bad to do things alone because sometimes we are so busy with our lives that we forget to stop and truly smell the roses.  Or shall I say stop and enjoy what is going   on around us.

Ever want to make your own t shirt?

My friend told me about the retail clothing store Uniqlo coming to South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA.  The store is a Japanese clothing retailer that makes clothing for women, men, and children.  They have this awesome program on iPads where you can make your own t-shirt (UTme!).  You can draw, download a picture, add wording in, and then use different features such as splash, glitch, and mosaic.  It's super cool, so I went yesterday to check it out.  There wasn't a line, and I had the most helpful sales associate help me with the programming.  Her name is Lenne and she's a fashion merchandising student at California State University, Long Beach.  I think we spent almost 35 minutes playing with my blog header.  We worked on fading my blog header into the background using another color palette, cropped the borders, and used the "splash" function while trying to keep the integrity of the "Fashlete" heading. I couldn't have made my shirt without her awesome help!

It wasn't the easiest task, and after playing with my header for awhile I decided to keep it clean and add just a little splash.  We saved my header, I picked out a white t-shirt size, and it was sent to print. I was then given a slip of paper so I could come back to claim my t-shirt.  It only took about 10 -15 minutes, and voila my t-shirt was done.  It turned out a bit darker than I wanted and we couldn't get rid of the gray line at the top due to the actual cut and paste of my header. I still love it though, and now I can sport my blog header on my own t-shirt!  The total cost for me was $24.73 and that includes tax.  It's a super fun process, and is a great way to sport your own unique design.  It also would be a great gift                                                    to give to someone or it would be fun to do with a group of friends.  

Challenges

So I'll admit that change has been harder than I thought.  There have been a few things that have challenged me since moving.  I have had to question a friendship and ask myself if that person brings more positivity into my life or negativity.  I have also had a friend's mom try to push me into dating someone I am not interested in.  In the end I'm learning more about myself, setting boundaries, being more confrontational when times call for it, and I think part of this move is making me reflect more about who I am, how I deal with things, and where I need to improve.  

On a positive note, when I was in Alaska about a month ago I posed a challenge to myself and my friend.  Since moving to Pasadena I thought it would be a fun challenge to do at least one new thing/month alone that pushes me out of my comfort zone, causes me to interact with strangers, meet new people, and try new things.  Almost three years ago I heard about the Pasadena Roving Archers http://www.rovingarchers.com and always wanted to go and try archery in the park.  So since I've moved to Pasadena, I woke up at 6am this morning threw on my athletic clothes and drove myself to the park.  A line already had formed at 7am, and I got to talk to a few of the people in line.  They split us up into groups of 8, took us out to a range and taught us the basics of archery.  We got to practice quite a bit and after about an hour they took us back to the larger range where we had a balloon bullseye competition with the rest of the groups.  I should add that unfortunately this non-profit group is being threatened by a group that is opposed to the Pasadena Roving Archers that gives lessons to the public!  That is the one sad thing since this non profit group has been around since 1935.  I signed a petition to save archery in Pasadena and wrote to the Pasadena City Council.  What I can say is that the archery experience was a lot of fun, and reminded me that doing something different and meeting new people can be fun.  I hope to meet this challenge each month with enthusiasm and openness.  

Archery Range with the Pasadena Roving Archers

Being new to a city can bring on challenges in many forms from challenges with friends, challenges with setting boundaries, challenges with having to confront issues, challenges of working on yourself, and fun challenges like pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.  

Change can be good.

It has been almost two months since I have moved, and six weeks that I have lived in Pasadena since I was in Alaska for two weeks.  Since I have moved I have realized that sometimes it's not until you make a change that you realize you needed a change.  That's what happened to me.  My new job has been great, everyone has been so warm and inviting, and I didn't realize I missed people greeting me in the morning and saying good bye until I landed at my new job.  It's something so small, but having a hello in the morning and a good bye in the evening makes my day seem right.

The move hasn't been all smooth but has been filled with ups and downs with having ants, roaches, and a rat in my apartment.  Yet, along the way I have met some wonderful and helpful people to get me through it all.  The roaches and rat have been eradicated, and I ended up having the best conversation with the pest exterminator.  I had had a hard week and we ended up chatting with us both finding out that we're Christians.  We both ended up encouraging each other, and I just felt so taken care of.  I also got locked out of my apartment and had a stranger help me to break back into my apartment.  Through it all I keep meeting the kindest and warmest people who have helped me feel like this is where I am supposed to be.

I miss being by my Pacific Ocean so much, and I tried the Rose Bowl Track that gets 4.5 stars on Yelp.  Sorry Rose Bowl Track you did nothing for me except to give me 3+ miles of exercise.  All that experience means to me is I tried something new, I didn't like it so I'll find something that works for me.

There are times where I feel rather alone and I know I need to push myself to get out there, meet new people, make new friends, etc.  I have looked at meet up groups, events, and other things.  I just happened to be warming up my lunch today when a co-worker that I just met asked me how I was doing in Pasadena.  We started to talk and she gave me the best advice, "Don't rush it, it'll come.  Things will fall into place where you'll feel like this is your home.  You don't want to feel like you need to get out there and treat it like it's your job, otherwise it takes the fun out of it all."  I reflected upon her words and told her those were just the words I needed to hear.  She is right, I will explore my new "hood" in my own time, in my own way, and at my own pace.  Change can be good, but it doesn't have to be rushed.

Fear of Change

They say change is a good thing, but each person goes through their own process when it comes to change.  Some people embrace it whole heartedly while others resist and take a long time to finally accept it.  At the moment I am being faced with a huge change in my life.  In three weeks I will be moving to a new city, start a new job, and live all on my own.

I have pretty much lived all of my life in Huntington Beach.  It wasn't until 2007 that I started to exercise regularly and the beach and I became fast friends.  I run, bike, and paddleboard at the beach and I can't imagine it any other way.  It's where I process my day, stare at the beauty that is the ocean, and I have good talks and prayers with God there.  It is my home and my sanctuary.  As I contemplate my move I realize why it is so hard for me to embrace.  I am leaving my human family, my spiritual family, my full-time job family, and my part-time job family.  I am leaving 4 families all at the same time.  People say to me that I'm only going to be an hour away, but I know that I won't keep in touch with everyone and that makes me very sad.

At the same time though I know that change in life is sometimes necessary for more human and spiritual growth.  I know it will push me out of my comfort zone and my daily routines.  One part of me is very scared and sad, and the other part is sort of excited.  It reminds me of jumping into a swimming pool when I was very young.  At first I would be scared, but once I was in the pool I was having the time of my life.  So once I get to my new apartment I'm going to start a bucket list of all of the places and things I want to explore.  I want this to be an adventure, and I know it's all about the attitude I bring to it.  Once I am there I want to embrace it, but I know it will still be a process.

So in the words of Gail Sheehy, "If we don't change, we don't grow.  If we don't grow, we aren't really living."

The jean pool.

I know I have not talked about fashion for awhile, but I am going to hit on something essential for all men - jeans!  You think you have the perfect comfortable jeans, until you find out that they just may not fit you in the right areas.  These days in my opinion, men typically wear jeans that are too tight (think skinny jeans for men) or jeans that are too baggy where body parts get lost in the fabric.  Recently one of my friends was talking about jean shopping and how he did not know if they were a good fit or not.  In some department stores or retail stores the sales person may say you look great either to 1) make the sale or 2) because the jeans you try on might be the best looking ones on you that they happen to sell.  So, I volunteered to help him find a great pair of jeans and I learned a lot in the process.  

Before: How jeans should 
not fit on your butt!  It's lost!

I'll try to break it down as best as I can and this is only from my point of view: 

1.  You want the jeans to fit nicely and accentuate your tush/butt/bum/behind.  My thought for men is that the jeans hug at least 65 - 75% of the curve of your behind and then fall nicely down from that point on. 

2.  Go to a department store to try on many brands so you can see what brand fits you best. 

3.  Whiskering and fading on jeans can be distracting, so you want to beware of where the fading and whiskering is placed on a jean. 

4.  You want to see how the jeans fit around the thigh, and you want the jean to fall straight versus having extra fabric puffing out on the outer sides of your thighs.  

5.  If you think you have found the perfect jean, cut, wash, brand, and you think you can just grab that same brand, cut, wash, and be fine then think again!  We found that each pair of jeans is different in width and length so you need to try each pair on.  There is huge variation from jean to jean!  

6.  You want to make sure that the pocket placement on the behind is in a good place to accentuate it.  

After: How jeans should fit!
The butt has been found!

7.  With skinnier jeans men are wearing their jeans shorter (ankle length), but I would suggest that if you aren't into the hipster look then the length of your jeans should hit right above the heel of your shoe.  

8.  If you are shopping alone and need a friendly piece of advice, I suggest FaceTime so your friend can see the jeans from a 360 degree point of view.  Just from experience from my friend sending me pictures, well it can be hard taking a picture of your own butt. The butt pics are contorted because you are turning your body in order to take the picture.  It is good to have a friend who has a good eye for fashion and can be honest (I would consider myself just that, and modest too).  These are the pair we finally settled on: Joe's Jeans - Classic straight leg and Dakota wash

9.  If you can wear jeans to work then I suggest a nice even dark wash for men, and a lighter wash for your more casual days.  
10.  It is quite a jean pool out there but with time, patience, and a good eye you can find the perfect pair of jeans for your body!  

A simple thanks!

We live in a world that is fast paced, on the move, and it would seem that we are trying to get from one place to another as fast as we can. Along the way there are times we may need something, or someone does something kind for us to help us along our way.

I enjoy helping others and it is something that typically makes me happy. I ask for nothing in return, but what I do expect are two words and those are, "Thank you!" In the past month I have helped a few people out, taken time out of my day to get them the information and advice they needed, and not one thank you. I don't know if it is the way of the younger generation, entitlement, or if they grew up where parents jumped to give them all that they needed. I do believe that many people expect people to help, but when they have received it they are not truly grateful or appreciative. Again, the help is just expected.

I work at a retailer as a part-time job and many of our customers complain that they have not received a thank you letter for the gift that sent for a wedding gift. When it's sent they want to make sure it was delivered on time because they have not received that all important thank you. That is where I sometimes have to explain that yes the package got there, and typically a bride or groom is given 6 months to send a thank you card out. Sometimes it is past 6 months and all I can do is say, "I hope you will be receiving a card very soon!"

A thank you can go a long way. It can make the person who helped you feel appreciated, and it can make them more apt to help you in the future. In our day and age of technology, if we have time to go to the restroom then we have time to text a thank you. If we have time to watch a show on television then we have time to e-mail a thank you. What's even more special especially in our fast paced world is a hand written thank you note. I have always called it a "simple thanks" because that's what it is: simple. Those two words can go a long way, so why not take the time to let people know you appreciate what they have done for you? They deserve a simple "thank you."

We are all made uniquely beautiful.

Our country focuses and has talks about self esteem, and yet has a high percentage of people who get plastic surgery or enhancements.  I find this ironic.  Around the globe, certain traits are deemed beautiful and people (both men and women) strive to have those traits from skin color, eye shape, noses, chins, cheekbones, and body frame.  In America, television, the media, and the sex industry tells our youth and adults what is beautiful.  So our youth and adults strive to have the body that we see on the screen.  What they fail to realize is that with magazines bodies and faces are altered by computer programs.  That flawless look is obtained by the skill of an artist with a deft hand.  On television an actor or actress may have great bone structure but still will go through an hour or more of make up time in order to look the way we see them.  Is this natural?  No of course not, and it is one of the reasons I can walk around the mall and see women wearing what I call "stage make up".  Everything is so caked on and flawless, and their eye lashes are about a half inch long which to me is distracting.  Whatever happened to make up just enhancing the natural beauty that is there?  Why is it deemed beautiful that women look like they are going on stage?  I know this is just my view, and I do know that there are still people out there that still like the "natural" look versus the "stage" look. 

 

Will we ever get away from superficiality and what we see on the outside?  No, not really but it's about time we accept the inherent beauty in each person.  I believe that differences are what makes a person beautiful and unique.  Why do we all have to look a certain way to be deemed beautiful?  I had a friend ask me if I would ever consider getting surgically enhanced.  My answer is no.  I like my body the way it is, and I also accept that this is how my Creator made me.  The media seems to be dictating what is "normal" and their "normal" is body altering.  Why are we buying into it?  Bleaching, waxing, enhancements, injections, breaking bones, surgery, etc.  God made us with purpose and the way He wanted us to look.  Why are we questioning/altering His marvelous work?  It reminds me of the verse in Romans 9:20, "But rather "O man, who are you who answer back to God? Shall the thing molded say to him who molded it, Why did you make me thus?"

I do not want to conform to what the media deems as beautiful, and while dating I want a man to accept me for who I am and what I look like.  I hate to think that women and men's perception of "beauty" is attributed to what the media is portraying.  That we expect people to "look" a certain way because that's what we see in magazines and on our televisions.  There are things that we can control like our level of fitness and trimness, and other things that we cannot control like our bone structure, and physical features.  I think if a person wants to get surgery then they should ask themselves why they are doing it.  If they truly think it would be life altering or make them truly feel better about themselves then fine, but if it is to conform to what the world deems as beautiful then that is another thing.  I think we will all still go through moments of insecurity about our physical appearance, but I do hope that we can take pride in the beauty that we were all born with and see that in others as well.  

2014 - focusing on gratefulness and thankfulness!

After talking to a few friends prior to the start of the new year I realized even more that we have a choice in life in regards to our outlook and happiness.  I have seen friends wish for things that don't happen and what results is bitterness, anger, sadness, and sometimes a "woe is me" attitude.  I think we all experience these emotions in life when things don't happen the way we want them to.  I've had moments where I'm down and I always tell myself that I'm allowed to feel that way for a few days, but after that I need to get with it.  No, it's not always easy and I'm blessed to have friends and family to help cheer me up and to pray for me.  I can say that having their support and prayers has meant the world to me over the years.  

I have read some of my friend's Facebook posts that center on the negative, and I've always thought, "Instead of focusing on the negative, why don't you name one thing you are grateful/thankful for?"  I thought it was a great idea myself so I started a thankful journal where I would write one thing that I was thankful for each day.  I can attest to the fact that it does make a difference to find something that makes you grateful each day.  So while driving to my friend's place on New Year's Eve I thought about my year and everything that I was thankful for.  I thought about my life, the amazing trips I've gone on, all that I experienced in 2013, my friends and family, God in my life, the food I've had the opportunity to eat, and all the simple and small things that make my life wonderful.  

What I realize is that each day is a choice.  A choice to center on what is positive in my life or a choice to center on what I don't have and want.  It is up to me to choose what to focus on.  This doesn't mean I won't have down times or sad times, but it does mean that I can still focus on the little things or big things that I should and can be grateful for.  So I ended 2013 feeling happy and thankful, and I started 2014 feeling the same way.  My hope is that I continue to count my blessings and make the choice to focus on the positive each day.  

Be true to yourself!

I was talking with a friend the other day and she mentioned being a different person to hopefully be more “liked” by a person or a group.  She was telling me how exhausting it was and asked if I had ever felt like this.  I think as humans we all have the need to feel included, liked, a part of a group, etc.  The question is how far we will go to feel that way?  I think in a group setting there are always compromises we’ll make like, “Sure I’ll have Mexican food versus the Italian food I was craving.”, but will we compromise what we truly like and who we truly are to fit in? 

I am reminded of the Runaway Bride movie where the character does not know how she likes her eggs cooked because she likes whatever kind of egg the man she is dating likes.  In dating I have had men assume I like a certain kind of music, or how I want them to be to please me, and then they come off as disingenuous.  I have had to tell some of them, “Please just be yourself.”  How am I supposed to see if we are truly compatible if I don't really know who they really are?  

I still remember years ago working as a human resource manager where we were having a fun off-site event planned.  One of the employees came to my office and said, “We’re going to have so much fun and we’re going to get you drunk.”  I will have a drink or two, but I have personally made the decision in my life to never get drunk.  It is a choice.  I don’t want to lose judgment, I don’t need liquid courage, I don’t need to feel hung over, nor do I want to pass out.  Most of all, I don’t need to drink to have a good time.  This is a personal decision and I told my co-worker that I had made the decision never to get drunk in my lifetime.  I remember him walking away and looking disappointed.  At that moment I thought to myself, “If he is a true friend then he will accept me for who I am, and if he does not then he is not a true friend. “  He and his group of friends were still my friends after I said that. 

Let’s face it, we all want to be accepted for who we are, and so why not be to others?  Not being authentic is exhausting, and by being true to ourselves we come off as authentic and genuine which then comes off as confidence.  Everyone likes a confident person, and in the end we want to surround ourselves by people who like us for who we are and not for who we pretend to be.  So go forth and be true to yourself!  Authenticity is one key to happiness!  

Tie up those laces and start walkin'!

I know it's been ages since I've written.  A lot of things have happened since I last wrote, like a trip to Iceland in the summer of 2012 which was amazing, and this summer I went to Europe.  Europe is the country of walking and when you travel to Europe you know you're going to be spending a lot of time hitting the pavement.  Before I left in June I thought I'd get a cool pair of Converse tennis shoes.  They seemed comfortable, they were a hip purple blue, and everyone wears them right?  The answer is yes, and I saw a ton of them while in Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Well I wore them for one day while I was on a trip in Idaho and I could not see myself walking for miles in them.  Yeah, they're a cool shoe and all, they are comfy to a certain extent, but they are on the heavier side and with little arch support.  

So while I was in Idaho I happened to be at Silver Creek Outfitters and voila there was "the shoe".  I picked it up, it had arch support, it was the lightest tennis shoe I've picked up thus far, and it had color.  I haven't worn all white athletic tennis shoes probably since high school and that is one travel tip I've always gotten when planning to travel to another country.  Never wear white athletic tennis shoes!  It screams, "I'm an American!" and sad to say us Americans aren't loved in all nations.  So I try this Merrell Mix Master Move Glide (quite the mouthful eh?) in orange and gray, and it's fantastic.  There's enough room in the toe box so that when your feet get swollen from walking there's plenty of room without pinching.  It seems light as air, and I was sold.  Ironically my good friend and best travel buddy ever bought the same shoe (without knowing I bought it) the very same weekend.  She got them in bright blue.  Good friends see eye to eye on a lot of things, even good tennis shoes! 

So did they pass the European walking test?  Yep, they became a fast favorite!  They were comfortable, hip, light, and I didn't have to "break them in".  I have gotten to the age that when a salesman tells me that the shoe will take awhile to break in but leather always softens up quickly, I just sort of look at them thinking..."You just want the sale buddy and I'm not stupid enough (anymore) to fall for that line."  Enough pinched toes, the starting of bunions, blisters, and cutting into my feet have taught me how to say, "No, I think I'll keep looking."

Not only did these shoes pass the European walking test but I decided to take a 25 mile walk in them one day this month.  I work for a retailer part-time and joined what is called the Global Corporate Challenge which has participants worldwide.  Global Corporate Challenge is a 4 month challenge where we wear a pedometer that counts our steps each day.  We log in our steps, and are in teams of 7 people.  The hope is that we would walk at least 10,000 steps per day which is equivalent to 5 miles.  We have mini challenges, we get trophies for hitting weight goals, step goals for the month, and we compete against teams around the world.  A few weeks ago the mini challenge was to walk 100,000 steps in a week which is 50 miles.  So me being me, I decided to walk what I thought was 20 miles. I figured it would be an experience since I had walked 12.5 miles in a day in Italy, so why not 20 miles in California?  It turned out that it took me 12.5 miles to get to my goal destination and 12.5 to get back. Can I just say that my leg muscles cramped up like crazy, I was in pain, but as a former athlete in high school I kept telling myself, "Mind over matter, just push it. Push past the pain."  I hate giving up so I trucked it all the way home.  I was even crazy enough to think that I could put in 1.2 more miles to make it marathon length, but my legs were giving out.  So what is the point of that whole paragraph? That I wore my Merrell shoes during that crazy walk, and they were still comfortable to the very end.  So to anyone who plans on doing any type of long distance walking, you definitely need to check these shoes out.  Oh and you may ask how they are if you run in them?  All I can say is that when I sprinted 1/2 miles in the Frankfurt airport to catch my flight to Rome that they performed great!  Sidenote:  I did catch my flight!  

A pic of our awesome Merrell shoes taken
at
LAX airport prior to taking off!  

2012: May it bring all good things!

Welcome 2012, and after a short hiatus I’m getting to the point of why this blog was even created.  Now I’ve often wondered why they’ve made pants that zip off around the calf so you cool off, but why oh why haven’t they made jackets that have zip off sleeves?  When I work out I often layer because it’s cold starting out, but about 15 minutes into my workout I have to take off my jacket.  Sure it’s okay to run or cycle with a jacket around your waist, but really who wants the extra flapping in the wind?  I sure don’t. 

So I found a tour jacket on the Athleta.com site and bought it.  It's now on sale!  It fits well, and the sleeves stay on by zippers and magnets.  I'm amazed at the design and how easily it is to zip the sleeves on and off.  It's such a great idea and I’m glad clothing like this exists for those of us who need exercise clothes that are multifunctional.  So I’m sharing the goodness with you all. 

Photos taken from Atheleta.com - Convertible Touring Jacket

Props to the graphic artist!

So I wanted to give the graphic designer some props for the winning logo I chose.  I would say that the other graphic designers definitely took my creative brief and ran with it, but I didn't get what I had envisioned.  I kept telling my friends and family when it comes along it'd just hit me.  At one point, I truly thought the contest was going to end once again without a winning design.  So without further ado, let me tell you a little bit about my winning designer.

Desynz, as she is known on 99 designs, or otherwise BJ, began designing at 8 years of age. Her first memorable design was a formal for her Barbie doll and her designing continued from there. Her first job in designing was as an Assistant Manager of a small local newspaper where she had to create the layouts of ads.  From that point on she was hooked and a career of 25+ years in the graphics industry followed. She says, "My sense of design just comes naturally and all the software I use I learned by doing. Although, I have learned some rather awesome Illustrator techniques from the tutorials on the internet."

 BJ's design aesthetic is one that prefers curves to angles and abstract or impressionist to literal.  She loves color and gravitates toward jewel tones, purple being her favorite color.  However, that said, she is able to put aside her own preferences and works with a client to achieve what the client envisions.  I can attest to this because I asked for BJ's opinion in regards to her favorite design for me, but I still went with what I wanted.  I’m stubborn that way!  I loved her input and that she was very honest in how she felt design wise.  She is accommodating and listens to her client.

Graphic design is not her only talent, she's made jewelry, and clothing on which she has hand-painted original designs. Right now her alternate creative outlet is jewelry made from reclaimed jewelry parts and lots of chains. She has a couple of shops on Etsy, but has not been very attentive to them lately due to designing for 99 designs. To see them, you can go the following websites: www.essentialluxuries.etsy.com and www.girlshoppe.etsy.com  She tells me she is also currently setting up a web site for her and her daughter's art called Arts Desyre.

I asked BJ where she draws her inspiration from and she says that when she reads a creative brief she waits to see what comes or doesn't come.  With my brief she immediately saw the idea, and thank goodness she did!

BJ joined 99designs because she loves to design and needs a creative outlet.  She has been a professional designer for over 25 years and plans to continue designing.  BJ said, creating/designing is her life energy.  So far her experience on 99designs has been positive and she is hopeful it will help her to create contacts for future work. I'm providing a link to her portfolio on 99 designs http://99designs.com/users/503572 and you may contact her directly at bj@artsdesyre.com.

Case in point!

Last week I was able to participate in a stand up paddleboarding focus group.  It was by far one of the coolest experiences I have had.  There were 6 of us there (3 women and 3 men) plus the moderator.  What I gathered was that they wanted insight regarding stand up paddleboarding clothing, who we are as SUPers, what fabrics work while exercising, colors, logos, etc.  It was so awesome and embodied who I am as an athlete and also as a clothes lover.  I soaked it all in and gave them a ton of my own feedback regarding color schemes and fabrics that really wick moisture.

Here's the thing though, I again got put into a box.  When people see me at first glance I think they think I'm a certain kind of person.  They see someone who dresses well, who is poised, and then I think they just think I sit on my behind all day.  When the moderator asked what the stand up paddleboarder looks like, I looked around the room and said, "Diverse."  One of the ladies looked at me and said, "No offense but when I saw you I would have never thought you were a paddleboarder."  I mocked offense and one of the guys said (in my defense), "I would have seen you as a paddleboarder."  I told him thank you, but there it is again with people looking at the outside and making snap judgments.  I told one of my friends about the incident and she said, "It's a good thing though because you're always surprising people."  I guess that can be a good thing, but I wish that people started to realize that there is so much more to a person than the way they appear.  So I'm going to say that before you make a snap judgment know that humans tend to be deep and it goes way beyond what you see on the outside!

How does one get a cool blog header?

When you aren't an artist, you have artistic tastes, a certain vision for a blog header, then how do you get what you want?  Well I'll tell you how.  I heard about 99designs through one of my good friends who read about the company in The New York Times.  After going on the site, posing a question or two via e-mail to them, I decided to go for it and post a creative brief.  Basically the concept of 99designs is that you post a creative brief of what you want, what look you’re going for, and then designers from all over the world have 7 days in which to submit their designs.  You then can provide feedback for what you do and do not like, what can be changed, and they can submit new designs.  The costs vary depending on what you need and want. 

I submitted on the banner ads section per the recommendation of one of the associates at 99designs.  Within a few hours I had my first design, and after a few days nothing came in.  I online chatted with a 99designs associate who moved my contest to “other designs” and started my 7 day clock all over.  Well those 7 days came and went, and then nothing.  I had only received that one design, and I had communicated with the designer that he was on the money regarding the overall look and I wanted a few things tweaked.  Well no tweaks ever happened, and at the end of the contest I had nobody to award the prize to.  Discouraged?  Oh yeah, and that’s when I decided to see if maybe my friend who is a copywriter at an ad agency knew of anyone who could draw a design for me.  I used to work at an ad agency and have graphic artist friends, but I really wanted someone to take my vision and push it even further, so that’s why I decided on 99designs. 

After a few days had passed after the contest ending, I noticed that two designers asked me to reopen the contest so they could participate.  So I decided that since it wouldn’t cost me any extra to reopen the contest, I would.  Well, once I opened it more designs came in.  I got the chance to work with some great designers who were willing to make the changes I needed.  After awhile you can get tied to the designers because you e-mail them back and forth, and they work so hard to get it right for you.  It made me feel so bad about not choosing one of the designers who worked so hard on her design and really took into consideration what I wanted.  When there was only about a day left and I thought that I again wouldn’t award a winner, a design came in that caught my eye.  It’s like that “aha” moment.  Well after communicating with the designer and tweaking a few things, we were well on our way.  I extended the contest by 3 more days, got even more designs in by other designers and knew which one I was going to go for.  You can now see the finished product as my blog header.

Road rash care part II

Tuesday:  Last night I got to wash my own hair which I think gets it a lot cleaner than anyone else trying besides a salon.  My sister got the lucky job of washing it in the first few days.  I got to seran wrap my arm and tape it up so water wouldn’t run down my arm in the shower.  I also put Tegaderm on my shoulder wound so I wouldn't have to worry about it and could just leave that on until new skin grows.

I’m doing okay except my forearm wound is still in pain.  My shoulder wound isn’t really seeping and it’s just really itchy under the Tegaderm.  I managed going up and down stairs at work today, and the knees are just sore. 

Wednesday:  Well my forearm is still oozing, and sticking to my non stick bandage.  My shoulder is healing well and is quite itchy.  My knees still hurt and I can't sit cross legged because the weight of my one leg is too much for the other leg to support for a longer period of time.  Other than that things seem to be healing well and I haven't really exercised for almost a week.  It's a strange feeling, but I'm letting my body focus on healing itself. 

Thursday:  It’s been a week and my shoulder wound is almost all healed.  Woo hoo!  Most of the wound was superficial so the scab actually rubbed off on the gauze when I was applying Aquaphor to moisturize my wound.  My forearm wound is still oozy and because my Tegaderm patch wasn’t fully sealed it started to ooze out of the Tegaderm.  Not a great thing to deal with at work and I wore my elastic stretch net so no one else saw my wounds under the Tegaderm.  I have been walking around with my elastic stretch net (the doctor says it’ll start a new fashion trend – not!) and I’ve seen that people want to ask me what’s wrong but they don’t.  Well my co-workers have asked and wonder how I managed to crash out on my bike all by myself.  I know, it makes me scratch my head too. 

Today I also went out for my first physical activity which was to walk 2.5 miles at the beach.  It was so great to be out, but after wearing high heeled wedges all day at work my bum knees were in pain.  Yeah, high heeled wedges were not a good idea today and probably won’t be for awhile. 

I’m still going to put Tegaderm on both wounds and let my new skin come to the surface.  Hopefully my infected forearm will heal soon.  At the moment I’m taking antibiotics and putting on a topical antibiotic on the wounds.  Here’s to healing!  

Sidenotes:  I thought my bicycle wasn't injured in the fall, but I finally took a good look at it today and the handlebar tape is gouged along with some major scratches on the gear shifters.  Sadness, and I'll probably need to take it to the bike shop to get a full look over.  I also got a get well/lecture card from my little sister who included an article from The Economist that says "Dying while cycling is three to five times more likely in America than in Denmark, Germany or Netherlands."  Basically the article states why it's not safe in America and how we don't protect cyclists by having "traffic calming" which means that cars slow down to 19mph.  Perhaps this is something we need to incorporate here in America, especially here in California.  I can see that going well with us Californians who can't seem to get to the next destination fast enough.  It's a good thought, and I'd love to see changes that protect cyclists: traffic calming, concrete barriers between cars and bicycles, etc.  That would be awesome!  

Some pics of the healing process:  1.  Elastic stretch net keeps paper tape and non-stick gauze in place.  New fashion trend?  2.  How the healing has gone after a week.  3.  Hmm...my shoulder scabs came off!  Yes, cuz I have a wedding to go to this weekend.  

                                                  

Road rash care

Friday: With road rash I discovered I had oozing wounds that stung all day.  I cleaned them up after work and let them air dry.  Try holding your arm up and not have it touch anything, yeah not fun.  Then I actually was able to find some Tegaderm and put it on for the night.

Saturday:  Just like everyone said on the internet, the Tegaderm keeps everything in and I had pockets of oozing in the Tegaderm.  Gross, so I peeled the Tegaderm up and drained the fluids out of it.  A bit gross, but the good thing is I’m not grossed out easily.  I went to REI during their Labor Day Weekend sale, got some bike shorts for when I can ride again, and talked to a cycling associate about road rash.  He just lets it air out.  I am beginning to realize there are many different opinions of how to treat road rash, and I'm also beginning to realize that road rash to most guys is like a badge of courage and it just happens to the best of em’.  They don’t worry too much about scarring because on them it’s cool and it means they’re adventurous.  Now on us gals it’s like a blemish that you just don’t want.  You never see women standing around showing each other their scars with ooohing and ahhhing.  If you have then it’s rare.

I decided to take myself to the Urgent care center just in case, and they took a culture of the pus coming out of my forearm wound.  I think the doctor was checking to make sure I didn’t have flesh eating bacteria.  My shoulder wound seems to be healing well.  Well the doctor cleaned my forearm wound and two hours later it’s still stinging and hurts like crazy.  He also checked to make sure I didn’t fracture my knees or my elbow, and called me lucky.  He did lecture me a bit, and then stopped since he admitted he rides a motorcycle.  The doctor calls it two wheeled craziness.  At the end he wanted me to stop by the next day so he could check on my wounds.  

Sunday:  That stinging after the doctor’s office?  Yeah that lovely burning sensation lasted for 6 hours and then after that every once in awhile I’d get a shooting pain.  I woke up on Sunday morning with my gauze stuck to my shoulder because of oozing.  So I wetted it and had to peel it off.  The doctor had put on the kind of gauze that can stick and boy did it.  It was like ripping my skin off which in actuality was what I was doing.  I changed my forearm dressing and that looked pretty gross too.  So this morning I had to forego my church meeting and let my wounds dry.  I ended up holding my arm up while watching Picker Sisters inspired by what they do and their awesome outfits.  They’re able to combine feminine, a little rough and tumble, and some cowgirl thrown in. 

I debated on whether or not to go back to the urgent care simply because I can change the dressings myself.  $40 co-pay to have someone take a peek and put some bandages on.  Hmmm?  Well…I thought, I guess it doesn’t hurt and I drove myself for the very expensive peek at my wounds and got them “dressed”.  So far the doctor says everything is looking good and they’ll tell me how the culture reads.  After reading about road rash and flesh eating bacteria, I would really like to keep my arm so that was another reason why I went to the urgent care. 

The good news is that today was the first day I could bend my knee and put weight on it going up and down the stairs.  Try going up and down stairs without bending your knee.  Uh huh…not so easy. 

Monday:  Well my Labor Day weekend plans have been altered severely by this crash, but there’s not much I can do about it.  I was supposed to go indoor rock climbing and hiking, and that’ll have to wait until my body decides it’s better.  I also realized that if you read articles on the web regarding how to care for yourself and it conflicts with pharmacist’s advice or doctor’s advice, they get very irritated and defensive.  Thus far I’ve had a few of them say, “Well you do what the internet says or you can listen to me, a pharmacist.”  Or from a doctor, “It’s your wound, you take care of it however you want.”  Sheesh, and I’ve been very nice about it but I’m not going to listen to a pharmacist who doesn’t treat patients and hasn’t slid on the road herself.  I also don’t think most people realize that road rash is a nicer way of saying road gash.  Basically it’s like traveling 15-20mph, sliding along the pavement, and having the road take off a few layers of skin.  

The main bone of contention between the internet and medical practitioners is keeping it moist or drying it out.  Well the internet says to keep it moist to keep it from scabbing because it’s going to scar, crack when you move it, and bleed which can cause more infection.  Medical doctors don’t want it too moist because then it gets infected.  So what I’ve decided to do is keep it moist but also to air it out some without it scabbing.  It’s a hard balance to keep. 

Last night and this morning my sleep was interrupted by my arm hurting and trying to position it where it wouldn’t rub against anything else.  It was rather on and off sleep but I think the oozing is getting less.  Yes!  

Here's a picture of my road rash care products.  I use the gloves to keep everything as clean as possible.