Weekend Madness

Hello July!  Most would say that July is a sizzling time of year.  Spring ends, summer begins.. the season go round.  But.. for those of us that live in Seattle, our seasons are pretty grey all year.  This year is really no different.  We are experiencing a very rainy summer so far, but I'm good with it.  The heat make me feel sluggish.  I would take an overcast 65 degree day over an 80 degree one any time.  I suppose Seattle is the perfect place for me! :)

The moon this month is called the Thunder or Buck moon.  It's a time where nature gives bucks the beginnings of their horns.  It's called Thunder moon due to the increase in thunder storms in some places around this world of ours.  In Nassau for instance, the forecast calls for thunder almost all week long!  If I was going to endure heat, Nassau would be the place to do it.   White sandy beaches, clear waters, and warm rain.  My vacation there was one of the greatest times in my life.  Bring on the thunder storms and the Thunder moon!  It happens on July 3rd this month.. just before the holiday.  Mother nature is amazing!

The Thunder moon is a time where energy is best used to find and define meaning in your life.  It's a great time for dreamwork and all forms of divination are favored.  So, break out your dream powder if you got it and go to work!  What do you dream about?  Sandy beaches and Bahama thunder storms?  Watching your spawn grow and define themselves?  Perhaps defining meaning or value in your every day?  Whatever it is.. focus and achieve it!  You can do it!  Challenge makes us reach for more than what we are.  Questioning the norm is how we discover new things and how we evolve as a species.

Speaking of evolving.. I visited the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation last weekend.  I have to give a shout out to this organization and their plan to better the world.  It's amazing what we can do when we put our minds to something.  One world, one people- I love their message.  If you are ever in the Seattle area, this display is a must see!  It's located right across from the Seattle Center and is free for all!    

From last weekend, to the weekend leading into July was a great one for me!  The Seattle Big Wheel opened this weekend and me and SBF went for a ride.  I always really enjoy our outings in Seattle.  We walk along the pier, see what's new in Pike Place, and enjoy our time together with a smile.  The Big Wheel was a welcomed addition to our favorite past time.  I'm not sure there would be another occasion for riding the wheel but I'm glad we got be some of the first to check it out.

We also had the opportunity to support Seattle Firefighters while participating in an underwear run.  That's right.. underwear run!  Fireman, runners..underwear.  What could be better?  It was a great time for a good cause and a justified reason to run in skivvies in Seattle.  Although I didn't actually run, I held my usual role of support, pack mule and chauffeur for the event.  We ended up getting to the run about three hours early.  I'm not sure what happened there, but it gave SBF time to get his drink on and work up the nerve to remove his clothing hehe.  We even found $6 early bird parking whoop whoop!  So not entirely a bad thing to get to Seattle three hours ahead of schedule.

I'm hoping that the beginning of this month sets the tone for the days to come.  For 4th of July, my neighborhood goes firework crazy.  As a matter of fact, while I write this, there are fireworks going off outside my window.  I'm thinking I will take my kids up to the ice caves during the day Wednesday and make it back home in time for the local show.  I will also be spending some time making a cake for my Austin's birthday which is this month.  My baby is going to be 8!  We will be celebrating by throwing some bowling balls at helpless unsuspecting pins hehe.  This is due to happen next weekend which promises to be a busy one!  After my baby's birthday party, me and SBF are taking off to check out the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center followed by dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Toulouse Petite in Queen Anne.  I love date night! :)

Following date night weekend, we have another holiday coming up...Bastille day!  Bastille day is the celebration of the French storming Bastille prison and the uprising against Louis the 16th.  It was the beginning of the French revolution.  Last year the minions and I met up with my mom to walk along Pike Place (one of my fav things to do..see above lol) in celebration. We spent the day wandering and enjoying each other's company from the festivities at Seattle Center to the water front.  I'm not sure what the plan is for this year but any opportunity to celebrate is a good one!

The last weekend of the month is my next 5k race.  I will be walking in the Seafair 5k.  I have a soft spot in my heart for Seafair and am happy to be participating in it this year.  I grew up in a town that loved boat drags.  Hearing the sound of the boats skip across the water reminds me of home.  I have volunteered at Seafair in the past but walking along the parade route sounds great to me!  The walk will be in the evening, starting at six with a nice downtown route.  It looks like I will be doing this race alone (alone in a group of many), but I'm fine with it.  It's going to be a nice evening walk in downtown for a good cause.  Groovy.

July is going to be a month of exciting weekends!  The way summer is intended to be.  Now it's just a matter of making it through the pesky work week to get to each one.  Piece of cake :)

What are you doing this weekend?? 

Honey Moon

All of the sudden, before you know it...it's June.  The year is half way through!  How has it been for you?  Are you where you wanted to be at this point in the year?  I am pretty happy with my place so far.  It's definitely a "half full" kind of year rather than a "half empty".

The full moon in June is called the honey or lovers moon and occurs tonight.  It's a good time to take care of things that are important or to enhance things that you already have rather than to try to acquire new.  Interesting note:  The moon is called the lovers moon this month due to folklore.  Ancient people believed that the gods and goddesses formed their sexual unions during Beltaine, which happens in early May.  As to not compete with the divine, people waited until June to perform their own sexual unions, i.e., marriages.      

In honor of the spirit of the honey moon, I will stick to that which is important to me and make enhancements wherever I can.  My fitness goal is important to me!  This month I am really getting into the thick of the schedule that will kick my butt..and I'm happy for it.  Stretching is important in exercise...so, I attended a yoga class today for the first time as part of my new routine (last week yoga was cancelled due to the holiday).  It was interesting to say the least!  I'm not as flexible as I thought I was but I'm excited to learn more as I go.  There's two yoga classes at my gym.  I did the regular yoga today but I'm thinking next week I may go for the cardio one, provided my shoulder feels better.  It's a bit sore at the moment.

The lovers moon..reminds us to be grateful for the lover we have in our lives and for how they enhance our every day.  Today was a rough day for me..it happens.  But I am thankful that I have a man who loves me and whom I love right back.  Our 22nd monthly anniversary happens on Wednesday. It seems like a lifetime of memories in the most unforgettable relationship of my life.  We truly enhance each other. I'm going to remember that this month.        

Deep thoughts about dates: True Blood season 5 starts on the 10th on HBO woohoo!! The last day of school for the minions is the 14th which means outside smells of summer comes inside. One of my bestest friends is moving to Oklahoma on the 22nd and it makes me very sad.  The Seattle Rock n Roll marathon is on the 23rd giving SBF free bling for running both NW races (Portland and Seattle).  My sister's birthday is the 25th and gift buying for her is impossible!  

Goodbye April

The moon in April is the Grass Moon, aka Wind Moon.  The wind moon is a good time to travel or seek out new endeavors like lifestyle or personality changes. It's a time between winter and summer, when you can still set a goal to accomplish something in 2012 and get there without loss of momentum throughout the year.

April is a month for celebration!  My birthday, my man's birthday and Earth day all happen in April...all in a row the 21st through 23rd.  This year, we decided to travel, and take a beach side mini vaca down Hwy 101 into Oregon.  We had an amazing time and got to see a part of the coastline that we hadn't seen before.  It's was an all out sappy weekend :) we were able to stick to our diet along the way, having brought all our food with us!  We only splurging on a few cheese samples at the Tillamook cheese factory during our brief visit (we went through the sample line twice haha).

The best part is that we slept in the X-terra on our road trip and spent little money while having a fantastic time together!  Most of the cost was in gas since prices are flipping outrageous!  We had breakfast in Astoria with a bunch of noisy seals right on the pier, we went to an aquarium in Seaside on a sandy beach, and we saw the Tillamook Air Museum! We had the opportunity to see some of our favorite things along our journey making the trip real memorable.  I would say that travel took place this month, exponentially!

With 8 months to go in 2012, I'm on track to meet my weight loss goal!  I'm 43.8% there already at the end of April!  That's a lifestyle change percentage I'm happy to see!  I feel great! :)  I'm enjoying my time in the kitchen and learning how to make "healthy" taste good!  There are so many new all natural and organic products available at Fred Meyer that I'm having no trouble finding the right choices for my family.   In this month, I have made a lifestyle change as to what we consume in this house for sure!  I implemented the changes to the groceries I buy at the end of last month, but by the time April began, I can honestly say there were no toxins in my kitchen!

This month I have made a conscious decision to exercise some personality changes as well as physical ones.  I'm making an effort to exercise my patience, understanding, and compassion for others.  Patience in both my jobs- as a mother and employee, understanding in the limitations of others who are stuck in repetition and can see no end, and compassion enough to take time and listen when someone needs to just get it out.  Of course not all goals can be met over night.  Luckily, I have the rest of the year to master this one. Ha!

All in all, I am sorry to see April go...but all good things must come to an end... as they say.  I feel like I have really gotten the most out of the moon energy this month, utilizing it in many ways.  We did some epic traveling and I've made some lifestyle and personality changes that will help me become a better me.

Hello May!  May has some cool things in store too!  I plan to complete my distance goal this month and complete a 10K walk.  I am doing this without any kind of associated race, just walking on my own.  I have a 5K race planned in Mukilteo along the way called The Inspiring Hope run.  Of course, I am walking it, but I'm doing so with a dear friend of mine who is moving.  It will be great to get the opportunity to take a walk with her before she goes to Oklahoma.  SBF is running in the Rock n Roll Portland race this month which means anther road trip!  This one will be much more comfortable however with a jacuzzi and indoor pull to indulge in!  With all these things planned, how could the month not be fantastic?  But that's the old "glass is half full" personality talking.. all optimistic and stuff lol I think I  will keep that trait around while I coax in the new additions :)