HOOP

1) to use a hula hoop in the exercise of flow movement
2) to express one's self through artistic movement and dancing with a hoop (or hoops) used as a prop

3) to practice technical moves and tricks with freestyle or technical dancing
4) to rotate the hoop around parts of the body other than the waist, including the hips, chest, neck, shoulders, thighs, knees, arms, hands, thumbs, feet and toes

About a month ago -- my soul sister took a journey across the United States from Morgantown, Virginia to San Diego, California and I was fortunate enough to have almost four days with her as she swung by Seattle on her cross-country road trip (side note: her blog is WAY funnier than mine so you should check it out HERE for some laughs!)

I met Kaitlyn in college, as she was a transfer student and I was trying to rush her for my sorority. The funny thing is the more time I spent talking to her at the open house, the less it became about my sorority and more about how interested I was in wanting to make her my best friend immediately. You know those people that are simply captivating -- she's that kind. 

Kaitlyn did end up pledging, and even though we are sorority sisters -- we are much more than that. I have Kaitlyn to thank for stirring my soul, feeding my curiosity, praising my playful side, and most importantly, keeping me honest, genuine and real. OR maybe most importantly, teaching me to hula hoop. This girl is such a keeper. 

I cannot even explain how happy I was when I saw a text on my phone that said "I am trekking across the U.S. again and taking the northern route! I think I'll be in Seattle July 20th-ish." WHAT GREAT NEWS!

I started planning immediately and at the heart of my planning was one question "where are the best places for us to hoop together"?

We had a wonderful time, between Dick's Burgers at Kerry Park (past vegetarians unite!), sight-seeing/visiting places from 10 Things I Hate about You, soaking up the sun at bluegrass festival, and laughing at anything and everything. Some things never change -- and I am thankful for that. 

I am hoping that Kaitlyn has a big place in her heart for Seattle and will come back to visit soon (for longer!) since she is on the best coast now. Until then I will keep HOOPIN'.

EXPLAIN

1) make (an idea, situation, or problem) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts or ideas
2) Account for (an action or event) by giving a reason as excuse or justification

Ok, ok... I definitely feel like I have some explaining to do. I was really doing well with my New Year's Resolution of "blogging once a week", right? Until now. Now we are reaching the fourth week that you have been without something to read. 

So let me explain how life got really crazy busy (in all good ways). 

The weekend after the Big Climb was Easter -- which meant that I was heading south to spend the weekend with my family. It was so good for me to unplug from everything that keeps me busy with my day-to-day life, and just spend time in good company. 

That weekend led me into my 5 days of preparation before I headed out on my vacation! I had to prepare in three ways: 1) personal packing, shopping, and primping 2) moving 95% of my stuff out of my room because our landlords are AWESOME and they are doing a bunch of renovations (look for a future post on our Home Beautification Project) which were starting while I was on vacation and 3) getting a bunch of work done to help my team out for the five days I would be out of the office. Needless to say, there was no time to blog that week! 

This leads me into my 8-day vacation -- a Mexican Riviera cruise. My vacation was everything I wanted, and more importantly -- everything I needed (future posts on this too, I promise!).  

When I got back -- I hit the ground running. Right back into my busy work and workout schedule -- with the addition to helping put the house back together as the new kitchen flooring is in and our new carpets are complete. When the weekend came, I headed south (again) to celebrate the wedding of one of my dear friends from high school to her sweetheart (who I have known since kindergarten!). 

That (basically) leads me to today. Life is being SO good to me with wonderful changes, new experiences, and laughter and love through it all. Please know that I have so many good things I cannot wait to share -- I just need to make some time to get it all down for you. 

Remember how I told you I had a lot to tackle in March? Now that I have explained, take a visual look how I tackled March (brought to you by Instagram) and stay tuned for LOTS to come: 

March photo challenge daily topics (L to R, top to bottom):
Day 1: "clock" -- wishing for a watch!
Day 2: "morning"
Day 3: "kitchen"
BONUS: This is me wearing my arrow on International Badge Day. PPL.

Day 4: "where I sat" -- I use a stability ball at work :)
Day 5: "sharp"
Day 6: "what I wore"
Day 7: "hair"
Day 8: "mess"
Day 9: "handmade" necklaces with my sisters
Day 10: "favorite drink" -- mimosas!
BONUS: Bridal Shower for the future Mrs. Thomas

Day 11: "texture"
Day 12: "in my fridge"
Day 13: "treat"
Day 14: "share" -- our All American potluck
Day 15: "tiny" four leaf clover
Day 16: "ray of sunshine" -- I love this girl!
BONUS: The bachelorette and I

Day 17: "green" -- outside Voodoo Doughnut on St. Patty's day in Portland
Day 18: "where I was" (Portand!)
Day 19: "on the floor"
BONUS: First day of spring picture 

Day 20: "above"
Day 21: "hats"
Day 22: "sometimes i" get surprises from co-workers
Day 23: "pair" of moccasians
Day 24: "a dream" that one day we will find the cure for leukemia
Day 25: "shiny" new diamond earrings
Day 26: "work" -- my bulletin board
Day 27: "smooches"
Day 28: "flower"
Day 29: "I bought" -- goodies for Mexico!

Day 30: "fresh"? or fake

Day 31: "celebrate" -- Easter with my Family

FLEX

1) to bend, as a part of the body

2) to tighten (a muscle) by contraction

Last weekend LivingSocial took me on another adventure (I really think I should reach out to Groupon and LivingSocial to ask if they need an official spokeswoman...). Although this outing was something I had never even heard of before -- I can proudly say that taking trapeze and aerial arts classes definitely prepared me for what was in store (how often does someone get to say that?!).

I am sure you have figured out by now that I love trying new things. Emerald City Trapeze introduced me to my current love, the silk apparatus -- but unfortunately I have used up my circus freak punch card, so I have had my eyes peeled for something to fill my silk void. Lo and bold! Knotty Yoga came into my inbox!

Last Saturday was the first warm and sunny spring day that 2013 has delivered! I woke up to hear birds chirping and the sun beckoning me to open my curtains. Such an energizing start!

If the beautiful weather wasn't enough, Jo and I have been super excited to take this class together, having no idea what to expect. The Knotty Yoga studio describes itself as "a mixture of yoga, aerial acrobatics, strength training, and Thai massage". Woah what?!

Before we we even touched the silk, our instructor Mason, gave a complete background on the inception of Knotty Yoga. At the time it felt like a long-winded explanation of how he created the playground of my dreams but looking back I've realized it was very important to understand how these perceived "different" styles of physical activity can come together in the synergy that is Knotty Yoga. Without trying it for yourself (which I HIGHLY recommend you do!), the best way I can describe it is "similar to TRX Suspension Training but on a WHOLE different level". This was one of THE BEST core workouts I have ever had in my life, bar none, and he even taught us how to use tension with the silk to work out deep knots in our muscle tissue.

Jo and I could not believe how quickly our introductory 90 minute workshop flew by and we are already looking forward to our second class. In addition, Mason had "introductory offers" so Jo and I are sharing a 4-class punch card (yay! a new circus freak punch card!) so we can explore this studio a little more. 

If you are looking for a great workout to cure you of your gym blues, let me encourage you to give Knotty Yoga a try! You will not only have an amazing workout, but you will be sore in places you didn't know had muscles. Those "hidden" muscles are just waiting for the chance to FLEX!

DISTRACT

1) prevent (someone) from giving full attention to something
2) divert (attention) from something

I have been meaning to write this post for weeks! But here we are, better late than never... 

In mid-February two of my best girlfriends and I road tripped our way to Yakima to meet up with two of our other besties who are living in Eastern Washington. As much as I was super stoked beyond belief to have a weekend get-away and mini-road trip with my girls, I think what made me the MOST excited was having the chance to be a distraction for our favorite med school student for the weekend. 

Our future Dr. Quach does it ALL and she has been doin' it all ever since I can remember. She definitely makes my top ten list of "go-getters I am secretly a little bit jealous of". After becoming friends with her and watching her kick high school's butt, to fostering a long distance friendship as she took names in college, and now supporting her as she fulfills her dream to be a doctor -- I could not be happier to be one of her biggest cheerleaders. Let me also add, that despite the fact that she is a accomplished student, world traveler, and more, she is also one of the sweest, most down to earth and humble individuals I have ever met. 

So the the name of balance, and in upholding my life's mantra "work hard, play hard" - my high school besties and I spend the weekend with Dr. Quach in the name of fun. The aim was definitely to keep her mind off of school (ok...except for when we asked for a tour of her school), from a morning at the spa and a thrift shop themed wine tasting, to a sun-shine filled walk in the foothills and a PJ party watching Pitch Perfect - we helped our girl unwind. 

Here is the part where I get mushy, and say things like "you have no idea how thankful I am for my group of girl friends who are beautiful inside and out" and "we are the true definition of support system" or "I do not know where I would be with out my best friends"...but as cliche as they sound, I mean every word. I know not everyone is as lucky as I am to have such good company, so I aim to work every day to keep our bonds strong. If I meant even half the amount to them as they mean to me, I would be happy.

Dr. Quach, I am over-the-moon proud of your and your ability to stay true to yourself and your dreams. I hope as med school gets busier and more stressful, that you can think back at our hilarious moments over President's Day weekend and have a little laugh break. And when things get overwhelming, you can bet we will be right back there with you in Nola Loop, armed and ready to DISTRACT!

EXPLORE

1) to traverse or range over (a region, area, etc.) for the purpose of discovery

2) to look into closely; scrutinize; examine
3) to investigate into
4) to search for; search out
5) to engage in exploration 

Every year I use January as my "ramp up" month, where I flush out all the ideas, wants, hopes, needs, and dreams I have for the year ahead. The aim is to "have it altogether" by my birthday...the beginning of "my year". Today I looked back at my New Year's resolution post (you can read RESOLVE here!), and I recalled how my focus for January was to keep things simple. January was used to set the precedent for the year: life is simple, savor the day, the joy is in the journey, etc. After a month of focusing on my "be here now" mantra, I let myself use February to EXPLORE. 

Here I am at 24 with so many amazing experiences in my memory's catalog -- and so much in front of me that I can't help but jump out of bed each morning with excitement. In February explored hot yoga, aerial arts, painting, new relationships (did I mention HMG hired two new girls?!), Yakima, sleeping in, new blogs, the rave scene, new books, pushing myself, new firsts, new recipes, old traditions, and more. I let exploration manifest itself in big and small ways, which was a good challenge in keeping an open mind. 

One fun way I explored February was with my Instagram app, capturing my life one small frame at at time. So here is a visual look at my EXPLORING. 

February photo challenge daily topics (L to R, top to bottom):

Day 1: lockscreen photo - a favorite photo from our first time at the batting cages (yes -- that was a Groupon!)

Day 2: best friends - my sisters are two of my very best friends. 

Day 3: outfit of the day - the outfit I wore to my first aerial hoop class

Day 4: role model - my cousin Deanna, as well as Malone women in general 

Day 5: current favorite song - I really cannot get enough of the contrast of Calvin Harris' dance beat and Florence Welsh's haunting voice in Sweet Nothings   

Day 6:  food - this is my daily breakfast at work

Day 7: selfie

Day 8: pet - I miss the best dog ever, RIP Draven

Day 9: smiles - with the beautiful smiles of my sisters

Day 10: quote - this was a gift from my little and it says "though delicate they may seem...your wings are much stronger than you know... SO FLY"

Day 11: black and white - the hounds tooth pattern from one of my dresses

Day 12: screen shot - while this term generally applies to phones, I was slammed that day and I had no time for my phone...

Day 13: someone you love - this OF COURSE is my momma bear

Day 14: my valentine - 5 years running

Day 15: handwriting 

Day 16: something new - I loved this stained glass window panel (although I did not actually buy it)

Day 17: weather - we truly lucked out with warm weather and stunning blue skies while we were in Yakima

Day 18: breakfast - complete with my NEW favorite mug that was a birthday gift

Day 19: mirror pic (ah! you caught me wearing a blazer...again)

Day 20: outside - this was the view from under my new umbrella (thanks sister!)

Day 21: fashion - I keep up on fashion trends by watching the ever-changing downtown storefronts 

Day 22: special moment - is ADORABLE gender reveal was for my coworker (and FAVORITE blogger)  

Day 23: family - this picture quality may not be the best, but the memory from my shore-side dinner in Laguna Beach with my cousins is perfect

Day 24: celebrity crush - this really requires no explanation 

Day 25: jewelry - this statement piece was a gift from my mother 

Day 26: bedroom - just a peak into my sanctuary 

Day 27: night time

Day 28: favorite candy - I miss Reeses because I gave up candy (among other things) for Lent! 

The word for next month is TACKLE. February pulled a fast one on me as I enjoyed exploring it's days, and now I have many things that need accomplishing before this month's end.

LAUGH

1) to express mirth or pleasure with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements
2) to experience the emotion so expressed

Wait, what? It's February already?! Even worse...Mid-February? I have so many verbs that I haven't even had the chance to share yet! Slow down life!

But, since it is February...you know what that means! MY BIRTHDAY! 

My birthday weekend was celebrated with many of my favorite things -- but my most favorite thing was definitely in abundance: laughter.  

Fridays are awesome on their own...but when you have a Friday birthday it is a double whammy! I was completely spoiled from the moment I woke up, with gifts from my sweet sister all set up in the kitchen. Then I get to work and a fantastic coworker decorated my desk with balloons! I was taken out to lunch and the "surprised" as an afternoon internal review turned into a Trophy Cupcake hour (complete with Macklemore cupcake toppers...they know me too well)! The surprise almost worked -- but either way the laughs were sweeter than the icing on the cupcakes. 

That evening was spent in outstanding company as we partook in one of my all-time favorite verbs: DANCING. We danced the night away at Ballroom in Fremont and there was no shortage of laughter here as we showed off (or showed up) our moves (or lack of moves?).

Saturday brought my first ever wine tasting (thank you Groupon!). I will admit, I did stick to the white wines (you can guess why) but I tasted some seriously good wines! Convergence Zone and Kaealla both provided delicious sips, complete with impeccable vino knowledge and enjoyable conversation. In fact, my group ended up purchasing one bottle of wine from each boutique. After our tasting was over, we did a mini driving tour of the "Woodinville Wine Country" (since I have never seen in the area). I will definitely head back up to Woodinville to do some more exploring!

Just when I thought there was no way to top by birthday weekend, Saturday night absolutely night blew my mind. 

My wonderful date (who did an outstanding job keeping the whole event a COMPLETE secret, only dropping hints that I knew were just to lead me off track...)  was due to arrive at 5:30pm. He asked me to dress nicely, but insisted I add a sequined flower in my hair...a little out of the of ordinary.... Once I was dolled up and a sequined out, we jumped in the car. But we didn't head out until my blindfold and seat belt were both securely fastened -- yes, I said blind fold. I was blind folded in the car and on the entire walk up to the building (where the strangers passing by continued the masquerade by saying things like "I cannot WAIT for this wrestling match..."). 

When my blindfold was FINALLY removed, I stood looking at the front doors of Teatro Zinzanni, an aerial arts, carnival, hula hoop lover's dream! Not to mention, a foodie's dream -- with a decadent five-course meal. There are not enough "praiseful" adjectives to do justice to this dinner theater -- even extraordinary falls short, as no detail went unnoticed. From the rich velvet walls of the Moulin Rouge Tent and "completely in character at all times" waitstaff to the jaw dropping aerial arts performances and the hilarious dialog of the show-- this night was one I absolutely will never forget. 

Here's to 24! Thank you all for making my birthday such a blast. Life is a gift that is meant to be celebrated, and you all gave me the best present of all -- memories in which I will look back on and not only smile fondly, but LAUGH wholeheartedly.


P.S. As a side note...I thought I should let you know that after two and a half years, I have started eating meat again. Maybe that will be a blog post for another day? 

MERRY

1) to cause the feeling of cheerfulness or gaiety in spirit 

2) to create laughing happily, festively joyous moments, and/or a merrytime at the party
3) to bring happiness and/or delight

The past holiday season was, without a doubt, the busiest holiday season I have ever experienced -- but it was also one of the very best. Full of merry-ing and marrying (ok ok, so maybe "merry" isn't an actual verb, but go with it)! 

The week before Christmas, I flew out to Chicago to see my beautiful Big sister from my sorority tie the knot with her prince charming! And if that isn't awesome enough I got to stay with my Little sister for the week, as they are both from the Chicago area. This trip was a SERIOUS Michigan Alpha Pi Beta Phi reunion and my heart is still bursting with happiness from those six days of merry-ing. 

It is crazy to think that it has been at least two years since I have seen some of those girls, although it genuinely felt as if I saw them yesterday. While we were in college I spent practically every waking moment with my girls. In many ways, my sisters made my college experience complete and I truly cannot imagine life without them. My Big and I used to always sing this one song we liked to each other...it kind of began as a funny thing we did, then we made it "our thing", and then I think the more we sang it the more it actually became true..."I can change your life, if you'll let me..."

I arrived Tuesday evening, spent time with my Little's family on Wednesday, went to the bachelorette party on Thursday night (thankfully the world didn't end!), spent time in Chicago with my Little on Friday, attended the wedding on Saturday, and flew home Sunday. Although I would have loved more time with my girls, it just made us promise even more that we would plan another reunion...SOON!

 

I am so very thankful I could be present on my Big's special day. Besides the fact that she looked stunning beyond words, every last detail was perfect: from the post card themed guest book, to the chalk boards with adorable sayings on them, to the shout outs to "the bride's college girls", to the sparkler send off. The only thing more perfect than the wedding day is the love these two have for each other.  

Big -- I hope your day was everything that you dreamed it would be because in my humble opinion, it was flawless. I cannot wait until I get to see you again but until then... I will start practicing spelling your new last name!

The holiday season is always very busy, but remember to make time to...

MERRY!

GIVE

1) to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow 

2) to hand to someone 

3) to place in someone's care 

4) to grant (permission, opportunity, etc.) to someone 

5) to impart or communicate

Every Wednesday, one of my bests and I get together to catch up on the week and try out new recipes. This past week I was inspired by a wonderful co-worker, who had stumbled upon "Operation Christmas Child" and I asked Jo if she wanted to devote our "Wednesday Date Night" to this worthy cause. Of course, Jo was totally on board!

"Operation Christmas Child" is a simple way to create a little care package for a children in need. Jo and I picked the 10 - 14 year old age group and decided to make one package for a girl and one for a boy. Gathering little gifts was challenging (what colors do they like? what size are they? will this fit in the box?), yet fun -- and as we shopped around the store, we found ourselves creating a personality and likes/dislikes for "our kids".

We found that in giving to others, we received a sense of accomplishment. As we wrapped our gifts and imagined the smiles on the faces of the kids that would open these care packages, we couldn't help have our hearts warmed (despite the chilly November evening). And I may just be speaking for myself, but I think we even began to feel the Christmas spirit (a little early, we know!).

Photos (clockwise L to R) — 1: Finished product! 2: Jo prepping the gifts 

3: Moxi trying to help? 4: Boy gifts 5: Girl gifts

This week, I gave all of my time to my family. After working two jobs for over a year, I have not had any free time to head south and spend time with my parents and oldest sister. The arrival of Thanksgiving was just in time -- as family time is exactly what I need!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and not just for the food (I am a vegetarian after all...). The idea of spending a day "in thanks" and remembering to give thanks for all of the true blessings in your life is a beautiful and soul-stirring concept to me. And if I someday could could create the perfect household, "Thanksgiving day" would be every Sunday. I would love to devote Sundays to time with the family (and extended family), a wonderful family dinner (where everyone is included in the preparation), and relaxation. I think it is important to place a strong emphasis on the family unit, and this idea is absolutely reinforced on Thanksgiving.

Keep in mind that although you may only have a Thanksgiving day feast of food once a year, your life is a feast of blessings all year -- and you have much to give thanks for.

Photos (clockwise L to R) — 1: Brussell Sprouts -- my dish this year 

2: My first Cherry Pie that I made with my mother 3: Stuffing in the 

Crock Pot -- great for vegetarians 4: Our homemade Pumpkin Pie

As we enter the Christmas season, keep in mind the many ways in which you have the opportunity to...
GIVE!

RECOMMEND

1) to present as worthy
2) to make desirable or attractive

Back in June I made my third “big girl purchase” — a car. And while I will be the first person to admit I am obsessed with her (yes, Betty White), it may come as a surprise that I do not drive to work. Call me crazy, right?!
 

Wrong. I seriously treasure my bus ride time. I covet my 20ish minute commute, two times a day, five days a week. For the 20 minutes that I am stranded in the germ tube, I get some quality “me time” in for reviewing work emails, quick facebook stalking, groupon hunting, jamming out, or some meditation. But the activity I look forward to the most is reading. 

When it comes to good books, I love getting recommendations from friends, family, and co-wokers. I look forward to trading books with my cousin whenever I see her for visits and discussing when we swap again. But occasionally, I find myself in a bind… I have nothing in my mental reading queue (or worse…the library is standing me up!) and I am entering the reading “danger zone” (you know what I’m talking about, the final ten or so pages that you read the slowest because you are savoring your last moments with the characters). When desperate times call for desperate measures I do what every perpetual bus rider hates — I spy.

Generally these efforts are fruitless, as my bus-mates and I clearly don’t share much in common in the literature category (or everyone reads their Kindle which makes spying impossible). But on a rare occasion, I spy a gem. 

The gem I just finished reading is “MWF seeking BFF” and I would love to recommend it to you. This book chronicles Rachel Bertsche as she finds herself feeling friendless in the Windy City. When she realizes that her new married life is missing something, she resolves to spend one year making new friends. She re-tells the (insert: awkward, hilarious, touching, and heart-warming) stories of the fifty-two friend-dates she experiences (one per week for a year), as she searches for her new BFF. She totally hooks nerd-girls like me with her blend of personal account and social/psychological research as she examines the question: why will women happily announce they need a man but are embarrassed to admit they need a BFF?
 

This book as a good one, and although I had to return my copy to the library (actually, my loving sister returned it for me!) take this as me passing my copy of the book on to you. 

While we are at it, do you have something that you…

RECOMMEND?

ps. Big shout out to my cherished friends. Reading this book made me so thankful for all of you and pushed me to work harder in all of my friendships. Bless you for all of you have done for me and I very much look forward to all we have in store.