Colour Me Happy

Autumn Musings

I don't know that I have ever actually experienced fall season before, but I think it is happening in Flagstaff.

The leaves have been changing, but slowly.  In Salt Lake, on Tuesday, we would notice "the leaves are gorgeous...we should take a drive up the canyon over the weekend to enjoy the colors."  By Saturday all of the leaves had fallen off.  You know, a place where it's still shorts & tank season; you leave for a week in October to climb at the Creek only to return to snow.

Here, the weather is beautiful during the day -- often warm enough for a tank top but more comfortable in a light jacket if it's breezy -- 

evenings & mornings are crisp.  I'm revelling in it.  This is one of my favorite times: wrapping myself in a sweater & slipping on my fuzzy boots to take Eisley out first thing in the morning.  This is unusual, because I hate being cold.  In small doses, it's refreshing.  I think that is why I am handling it.

There is something about this time of year that is stirring up a general tone of emotions.  I'm not quite sure how to describe the reminiscent quality of it.  A similar thing happens when I hear a song from my childhood, & I suddenly feel the same things that were going on that summer.  This crisp autumn weather reminds me of the first time in my life I was happy with myself & content to be alone.

Maybe it's because I've felt sort of lonely recently, but I've also been experiencing a sense of self confidence & growth as I'm pursuing what I love & pushing myself in various aspects of my life.

Whatever the reason, I'm embracing the chilly season (which has never been easy for me), & striving to embrace whatever my life is right now.  As nature, cools & slows down, it's a good time to mirror her.  Reflect.  Learn to enjoy the quiet that exists within us.  Be ok spending time alone.  Most importantly, allow yourself to love who you are.

Eisley at Tlaquepaque (in B&W)

I have an affinity for black & white photography.  It’s about more than desaturating just any photo to lack color.  It needs contrast with strong lines or curves or emotion...often in the eyes, maybe in the mood of a simple setting, or perhaps only in the interpretation of a moment.  It doesn't necessarily need all of these; as I've mentioned before less is often more.

I want to develop this skill, but it is a difficult one to work on.  I never see it when I’m photographing.  It’s more of an afterthought as I am perusing the images (just taken) on my camera.  “Hey, that might work in black & white.”  I’ve only had two I’ve been somewhat pleased with: the first I stumbled upon in San Francisco as I bent to tie my shoe; here is the second.

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My Birthday Weekend - Sedona Surprises

Sedona is one of my favorite places.  The town is nestled within towering bands of deep red sandstone cliffs all sides.  Now that I describe it, I wish I had a photo that captured this quality I love so much.  Maybe that will be one of my next projects.  The town is desert picturesque; & every once in awhile, you stumble across an almost tropical beauty.  Again, why don't I have a picture of this?

It was perfectly fitting Dave treated me to a day of Sedona surprises for my birthday.  Morning climbing seems a given, especially since I recently mentioned I have been wanting to boulder outside.  We didn't have a chance to work on my projects -- we had an "appointment" to keep -- so we casually explored a new area instead.  The "appointment", as you might have guess from our video, was a 90-minute sports massage with a therapist who has been in the biz for 30 years!  I am embarrassed to admit this was my first massage in Arizona.  It was lovely & a reminder I need to invest in regular bodywork; my body is much happier & healthier with regular "tune ups".  We couldn't help but talk shop during my session -- it's been so long!

After the massage & a beautiful lunch at the organic cafe, ChocolaTree, I was so out of it, we thought about skipping the rest of Dave's plans & heading home to relax.  Dive bombers must have rejuvenated me though, & I'm glad they did.  Otherwise, I would have missed out on another Sedona first.

Strolling through Tlaquepaque.

I adore outdoor shopping, especially in an arts & crafts village.  Tlaquepaque is quaint, rustic, fresh, & alive.  Dave's plan was to wander with our cameras -- a sweet idea to spark inspiration -- which I haven't done much of recently.

Old World aesthetics.

New World art & patrons.

Plus, walking with my bests is the only way to finish the perfect birthday.

~

Hello & Dive Bombers

This week has been semi-overwhelming with three different group projects climaxing, along with a quiz & an exam.  I'm not here to whine though.  Nope.  I just wanted to say hi, let you know I would still love to share our birthday fun with you along with some pretty photos of our stroll through Tlaquepaque in Sedona.  I just haven't had time to put it all together, so...

enjoy this silly little video we made in front of my new favorite Sedona eatery, ChocolaTree, for Tuesday Trainer -- & please ignore my mental lapse.  I meant upward dog at one point in there.  I was VERY RELAXED from my massage.

 

Have you checked out this week's Trainer yet?  Chest, Triceps, Shoulders.

It looks great.  I can't wait until I have more time to peruse everyone's submissions.  Click on the button below to check out several variations of push ups, as well as tricep targeting exercises like db extensions, band pulls, or even dancing crabs.

~

Happy Birthday to Me! Date Cake & Sedona Excursions

I know traditionally, I'm supposed to be on the receiving end today, but I am in a giving sort of mood.  Ok, so I'm not not really giving you much more than a link & a photo that hopefully convinces you these are worth making.  They call for only 5 ingredients, & that is including the salt & water.  If you have *almonds, coconut, & dates on hand, you are set & could be so so happy in only a few minutes (plus the hour of chilling). 

I recently made Karen's Raw Vegan Date Squares; they are so wonderful & delicious, I decided to make a variation as my "birthday cake".

Subtle variation: I pressed the crust into a round (parchment-lined) glass dish & reserved only 1/3 cup of it to sprinkle over the top of the filling.  Karen's recipe is perfect. 

The pureed dates fill your mouth with caramelly sweetness, & the salt in the crust hits your tongue at just the right moment.  I love it.  I would be surprised if conventional dessert/white sugar lovers don't love this.  I doubt they'd guess it's *raw, vegan, & healthy.  I can't wait to make this for my family back home.  I may have found a "weird, healthy" dessert they will love.

As for the rest of my birthday, Dave treated me to a lovely weekend in Sedona & a different sort of birthday cake Friday night.  I'll share more about it Wednesday.

~

*I know almonds are not technically raw in the states but have to be pasteurized.  I'm not being that nit-picky with the "raw" title.

A Simple Trail Mix

Dave has a fun surprise planned for me tomorrow.  I don't know what it is yet, but I can't wait to find out.  We are heading out bright & early.  I was told to pack a few snacks, which made me want to share my current favorite trail mix with you.  Now I know you don't need a recipe for trail mix; but I like getting flavor combinations ideas from people, so maybe you do too.

I generally like to keep it local & seasonal, but sometimes you just have to try something new.  Goji berries are touted as pretty amazing, & I read here they contain "18 amino acids; more Beta Carotene than carrots; more iron than spinach; 21 trace minerals; Vitamins B1, B2, B6, & E ; 500 times more Vitamin C by weight than oranges, & are 13% protein."  Honestly, there is something almost leathery & acidic about them when eaten alone, but they are complemented quite nicely by something sweet, like raisins, & toasted nuts.

Right now, I am loving dry toasted almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds & flecks of coconut with raisins, dried pineapple, cacao nibs, goji berries, & a little sea salt.

~

I actually sort of hope you don't see this post over the weekend, because I hope you are away from your computer & out having fun.  So turn it off, take advantage of the lovely fall weather, good company, & beautiful day.

Don't even comment.  Just get moving.

See you Monday.

xo.

Short, Intense Workouts

I'm riding a euphoric high after sending a project (fairly easily) this morning at the bouldering gym, after it had pretty much shut me down last week.  I'm sorry if the climber jargon is confusing.  What am I saying?  I'm really happy I successfully climbed a pretty hard problem at the rock climbing gym today, after failing to climb it last week.

I'm in a good mood, & I feel strong...so I thought I'd jump online (share a random picture of Kelly Canyon, because I'm anxious to get outside again) & leave a couple of my recent favorite workouts for you.  These are what I've turned to lately when I've been short on time but wanted to feel brutalized.

I hope you find them useful!

• 10 minutes of burpees.  That's right.  No rests.  Just do as many burpees as you can in 10 minutes.  When I say burpees, I mean with the vertical jump at the end.  (squat, hands on ground, jump back into plank, do a push up & pop back into a squat, jump as high as you can, repeat)  Don't forget to keep track so you can beat your score next time!  10 minutes.

• Burpees to pull ups.  Do burpees under a pull up bar.  When you jump, grab the pull up bar & do a pull up.  These are exhausting.  I like to do them often.  Most recently, I incorporated them on what became a sort of quick core & back day, when I needed to do something between classes but didn't have much time.  I did 4 minutes of intervals (like I've listed on the next workout) of burpees to pull ups, then russian twists with a 15# db, then hanging knee raises (hold a medicine ball between your legs if you have a partner to help you), then rhomboid pull ups (These are confusing to explain & don't look like much, but Dave & I like them. Maybe we'll make a short video). 16 minutes.

• 4 minutes of intervals of each of the following exercises, 10 seconds rest, 30 seconds maximum effort = 6 rounds each (10+30=1round): dynamic squats, body rows, dive bombers, turkish jump ups holding a medicine ball (check out the core Tuesday Trainer for a turkish jump up tutorial by Bonnie).  You could do this as a circuit, but I like burning out on each one before moving to the next. 16 minutes.

If none of the above appeal to you, I also like anything with pistol squats, jump tucks, squat jump tucks, mountain climbers, jump lunges, wood choppers, v ups, chin ups, variations of push ups...

Obviously, I like high intensity intervals.  They work.

Let me know if you give any of these workouts a try.

Please keep in mind the above times do not include warm up & cool down.  Make sure you include these in your workout -- even when you are just getting in a quick one -- to avoid injury, increase recovery, & tune into your body.  Faith recently did a couple great, detailed posts on the importance of warming up & cooling down.

~

Tuesday Trainer "Meet Your Trainers"

I decided to join in on the Tuesday Trainer fun & finally get over my nervousness of videoing myself.  I guess it's not the videoing that is as nerve racking as hitting the submit button & posting it online for you to see. Good thing you folks are really not that scary.

It was too nice yesterday afternoon not to do it on the grass; with my tripod set up & wicked point & shoot videoing skills, I'm sure my neighbors either think I am incredibly narcissistic or weird.

So I guess this is my first vlog.  Please join in in the comments & answer the same questions -- I'd love to hear your preferences & goals!

 

-- & make sure you head on over to Lindsay's blog to meet some awesome & strong ladies & access a growing library of exercise tutorials.

p.s. To clarify my first "small goal", I mean 10 chin ups in a row to failure or 10 pull ups in a row to failure -- I need a definite rest in between the different exercises, not between each chin up/pull up.

My Piano

It has been a long time coming -- only a few months short of a year -- but my piano finally lives with me again.  I was sure it would cost a small fortune to hire professional piano movers to transport it the hour & a half to us, but I was pleasantly surprised with the price & thrilled with the care they provided in bringing it to me.

Safe & sound.

  Now it rests in what could be the dining area, between the french doors & the kitchen.  It's a nice, little, well-lit space.  I can see myself letting go here.  That's what I love to do when I play: simply let go of my day & everything else & just fold myself into the music.

My ivory tickling skills are pretty modest (my grandpa always calls it tickling the ivory), but I am beyond grateful for the lessons I had as a child.  I don't know why, but I'm very happy to be able to read music.  Every time I play, I can't believe how lucky I am my parents gave me the piano.  It's nice to practice again & have live music fill our home.  Dave seems to agree; he has already asked for a morning serenade while he dressed for work.  Though it could certainly use a tuning after two pretty major moves in the past year, it sounds lovely.  Nothing is obviously off, but there is the occasional note that sounds subtly off.

I have a beautiful elephant sketch which hung above the piano in Utah.  I think I would like to add a bright painting to the room as well.  I like to keep it simple & uncluttered -- a space with subtle inspirations, fostering creativity, without being too loud to work, play, write, paint, etc.  Does that make sense?  I'm not sure what to add to this room or what to put on the piano.  The "design" aspect of our home is minimal, which I like; but I would like a more inspiring space.

As you might have guessed, I've been a little excited about my piano & more interested in playing than blogging these last couple weeks.  I'm still around though.  Check back soon!