Twirling Leaf

Sorry for the long hiatus in Twirling Leaf posts. I still love writing; it’s just that my recent blogging has been as a guest writer on Body Inspired Fitness’ website and not here. For anyone interested in catching up on the posts I’ve written, here are the links:

Oxygen Mask

Game Changer 

Perception

Happiness Part I

Happiness Part II

The Body Inspired Fitness Blog site has many great posts, if you want to check them out. It’s a great website in general for workout videos and lots of other resources for health and fitness.

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When I was about 13, I remember dreaming with a friend about what the hypothetical love-of-our life would be like. I remember all the qualities that I listed he would have and even some quirky details that I thought would be endearing. One such detail was that the boy would drive a rather dodgy car (no pun intended). I was actually always rather judgmental and repulsed by guys in fast, shiny cars; I thought it seemed too flashy, too eager, like they were trying too hard to get someone’s attention. Plus, it always seemed to me that spending lots of money on a car seemed like sort of a waste. “There are so many other more fun ways to spend money,” I thought. “I’d prefer to have a “just okay” car, and save those pennies for some other fun…like traveling! like going to shows! like helping others! and having adventures!

Flash forward in life to just a couple of months after we got married; I was a bridesmaid in my dear friend’s wedding. All the bridesmaids were going to ride together from the church to the reception in a black limousine. As a newlywed, I wanted to ride with Collin instead. This was back in the era when we drove a bright-yellow hand-me-down festiva that–by the time we inherited it–couldn’t stop and restart without taking about an hour to recover.

So…I still remember Collin’s dismay when we pulled up to the Wilmington Country club and he saw that only valet parking was available. Collin hopped out of the car with haste and urgency (the crocheted pillow we used in lieu of a driver’s seat cushion falling out onto the ground). The little car was revving, giving us its warning that it was going to stall soon and then be down for the count if someone didn’t keep on pushing the gas pedal “SOON!”

Collin–with more urgency than is typical for him–almost yelled at the valet attendant, “you’ve really got to get in there and park it now, man! It can’t really wait or else it’s going to stall out and then be stuck out front here for about an hour.”

As this little memory attests, I certainly hit the jackpot in the world of romance when it comes to guys with crappy cars. It’s just one more little sign that he is the love of my life and soul mate. I say this to Collin and we laugh about it quite frequently these days. We have had plenty of opportunity to laugh about it as of late.

For example, my boot camp takes place in a rather nice part of Santa Monica. I park on a side street so as to avoid paying the meter on Ocean Avenue. Occasionally, I will get in my car, turn the key, and…nothing happens. Whereas normally a car would take that key-turning gesture as its cue to “START YOUR ENGINE!”, my car often doesn’t even try. The first time this happened in Santa Monica was when my good pal Jes Kruse was visiting; it happened as we were trying to leave after boot camp, and we had a good laugh about it as I had to gesture to the lady in the Lexus SUV to “keep on moving” because I wasn’t ready to leave my parking spot just yet. I grabbed a heavy, metal tool of some sort that happened to be lounging in our car, opened the hood, looked around for the part of the engine with the most dents in it, and “whap, whap, whap!” hit it while laughing hysterically.

It was nice to have a friend from my childhood there with me to find the hilarity in the situation; it has brought me laughter and comfort to remember that moment each of the many times I have had to hit that starter in swanky places throughout Los Angeles.

And it does still make me laugh. I mean, there have been times when I almost got into a crash because the gear shift sticks; that wasn’t so funny. But more often than not, the absolute crappiness of the car just makes me laugh. Why? Because it just seems so ridiculous.

Partly, it makes me laugh because I know how crazy it must seem to others that I drive such a junky car. I laugh, too, because I know I should be embarrassed, but I’m (usually) not. I am not embarrassed because we have so much love, so much character, excellent educations, and fabulous families and friends. We fell in love in Switzerland, watching the stars shoot across the sky while we talked and solved our adolescent problems together. We have traveled the world, from a month backpacking and hitchhiking across Thailand to a week camping in the savannah of Masai Mara with lions hunting wildebeest within several feet of our tiny backpacking tent. We have gotten to dearly love and know many people in a small rural village in Kenya who will never own a car, yet they are just as meaningful and worthwhile as anybody who drives a Lexus SUV. We have experienced some of our most thrilling and happiest moments in the wilderness of the Canadian rockies with only that which we could carry in our backpacks.

And while these experiences (and the wealth of others that we have) have taken money to some extent, and while we are looking to buy a safer, more reliable car…I look back over the years and I think, “now this is exactly why I wanted to be with a guy who drove a crappy car. Ever since I fell in love with this boy, I am–and have always felt–rich, rich, rich. And I always will.

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Furry just came up from the woods after I whisper-yelled at her to return home and stop barking (Senya is sleeping, so a whisper-yell with a few claps for audible emphasis is the best I could do). She returned–hackles raised–from the valley in the woods where coyotes had just been howling. “Picking fights with coyotes? Let’s not kid ourselves, Furry; you sleep with a stuffed animal at night.”

And then I thought to myself, “Hmmm. Furry and I have a bit in common, tonight.”

I was a bit unreasonable in my defensiveness this evening too.

Last night I carefully crafted an email to a few prospective faculty mentors at various institutions to which I am applying. The email response that I received this evening was less than exciting. It did not make my spirits soar with the sense that, “I am awesome, and someone noticed!” I felt patronized and misunderstood. I felt defensive, and I started swinging metaphorical fists in my mind as follows,

“I’m a pretty good student. I have a darn near-perfect GPA from my Master’s program, and I have won awards, obtained grants to perform research in Kenya, wrote a thesis about it, have co-founded several sustainable development programs, etc. I’m used to people thinking I’m pretty fabulous in the world of academia. In other words, I’m awesome, what the eff is wrong with her?”*

Unfortunately, when people hand me criticism, sometimes I interpret it like they are telling me that I have failed.  Often people who strive for excellence in life will hear that they are not good enough. But that is good. That should happen. It means that we are putting ourselves in challenging situations that will continue to help us grow and become better versions of ourselves. When criticism is offered (or even blatant rejection), it doesn’t mean “GAME OVER…YOU LOSE” is scrolling across the screen of life. I guess I take criticism to heart quite often because I try to live with excellence. And I get really unsettled when I feel average or less.

I have this serious internal force moving me to do things, at all times, to a standard that I can respect. And I like that, but sometimes I have to try to be a little less intense about where I set my standards.

And there is this lurking question in my mind, “what makes you exceptional?”, and it can really can get under my skin. I do not want my life to pass without consequence. I’ve been trying so hard for so long to make sure that I matter that sometimes I miss the journey for the destinations.

I just love this life, and sometimes I get so intense about living it. I really can not imagine what it would be like to not live my life at a 9.5 on the intensity scale.

Truth be told, I actually love learning. That is the core of why I love school. I love development work; I love partnering with other people to achieve their goals that improve their overall health and quality of life. I love caring about social justice issues and understanding the complex web of determinants that create behavior and outcomes. I love arguing on behalf of a cause when I am confident I have a good one. I cherish my close relationships with people and God, and I am in awe of nature. I love running and hiking and boot camp. I love challenging myself and overcoming and succeeding because it reminds me that “I AM ALIVE! Wahoooooo!”

It’s really not all about needing positive feedback. It’s just that, positive feedback does tend to feel important when the people giving the feedback are interwoven into your attempt to solve the question, “what am I going to do for a career?”

I do have my values set where they should be; it’s just tricky trying to figure out a career path. I do what I love in life. The tricky part is just figuring out how to make money doing the things that I love and that are meaningful. For now, when I let myself just be on this journey, I am completely content with how I am spending my life. This is something that I am working to balance; I’m still learning how to be at peace and present but not fatalistic.

*and yes, I do use the euphemism “eff” in my mind these days, as Senya repeats everything.

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The following is a summary of an article that I enjoyed reading entitled, “How to increase serotonin in the brain without drugs” by Simon N. Young.

*Note* I am completely supportive of people who do go the route of traditional medicine if that is what works best for them and those around them. Serious symptoms of depression (go here for a pretty extensive list) should be discussed with your doctor or mental health professional. This little list of things below, however, includes healthy suggestions that can benefit everyone. Especially if you find yourself feeling a mild case of the blues, try one or more of these suggestions.

1. Don’t underestimate the power of positive thinking!

Self-induced positive changes in thought (or changes due to psychotherapy) can change brain metabolism. A study conducted by Perreau-Linck et al. (2007) suggested that self-induced changes in mood can affect serotonin synthesis. Meditation, too, has a strong effect on the brain, and it can increase dopamine (Kjaer, Bertelsen, Piccini, et al., 2002).

Sometimes it helps me (this is now my advice not the original author’s) to write down my thoughts so that I can examine the contents of my thoughts more clearly. Writing has a way of making me process rather than just ruminate. Prayer with the belief that I am directing the contents of my heart and mind toward God feels more focused than mediating. I’ve not had much guidance or practice trying to meditate, and I’m not really all that interested in it (though I think it’s great for those who are patient enough to really power through the distractions and focus). Personally I prefer the self-induced changes via thought or prayer, but do what works best for you! The key is to take control of your thoughts when they start to go grim!

2. Shed a little light on the subject.

Exposure to bright light may also enhance serotonin levels in the brain. People have known for a while that bright light helps people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, but now some researchers concur that it may also help with nonseasonal depression (Golden, Gaynes, Ekstrom, et al., 2005), in prenatal depression (Epperson, Terman, Terman, et al., 2004), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (Lam, Carter, Misri, et al., 1999).

My advice: Get outside, if possible. Even on a cloudy day, the level of light outside is generally much higher than it is indoors. I know that winter can bring some harsh weather. I found, however, that once I stopped discounting cloudy, cold days as non-outside days I felt much better. Even just a short walk or some time playing outside all bundled up can really lift the mood. If schedules or weather make that too challenging to get outside in a day, then buy a light that simulates the sun.

3. Move it!

Studies examining the relationship between exercise  and mood pretty clearly demonstrate that exercise has antidepressant effects (Davis, Alderson, Welsh, 2000). Exercise has been shown to increase the amount of serotonin in the brain as well as tryptophan. Purified tryptophan in the brain is a mild hypnotic. Exercising just makes me feel better on so many levels. It boosts my self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. It also reminds me that what my body can do is awesome which shifts the focus from caring primarily about appearance to thinking about function and overall well-being. My advice: just get up and do something. Try it!

4. Eat happy food

Don’t go turkey-bingeing trying to achieve an elevated hypnotic state; purified tryptophan in your brain acts differently than the kind you consume from your food. In order to achieve an increase in brain serotonin through dietary consumption, you have to increase the amount of dietary tryptophan relative to the other amino acids that you consume. Now, this is what I read in the original article that I am summarizing by Simon N. Young. I don’t fully understand all of it. I basically concluded that high-protein foods  generally are jam-packed with a bunch of other amino acids besides just tryptophan; it’s like all those other amino acids call the shots in your brain; tryptophan has to take the back seat.

So, in order to get a real brain boost from dietary tryptophan, you’ll need to get it from a source that isn’t loaded with tons of other amino acids. So, they say that the domesticated chick pea fits the bill. It’s loaded with tryptophan and not too many other amino acids. So, eat some hummus or some chick peas if that’s an option for you.

My advice: think of food as fuel more often than not. Think about what you’re eating and how it will make you feel after the thrill of taste is gone. I’m the first to admit that I enjoy treats, too. If I find that my diet is becoming one big treat, however, I usually find that I am getting bigger as well–and feeling worse.

So, that concludes my attempt to sum up a great article and give you four concrete ways to naturally boost your brain chemicals.

Blomstrand E. (2001). Amino acids and central fatigue. Amino Acids, 20:25-34.

Davis, JM, Alderson NL, Welsh RS. (2000). Serotonin and central nervous system fatigue: nutritional considerations. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 72:573S-8S.

Epperson CN, Terman M, Terman JS, et al. (2004). Randomized clinical trial of bright light therapy for antepartum depression: preliminary findings. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 65:421-5.

Golden RN, Gaynes BN, Ekstrom RD, et al. (2005). The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and metaanalysis of the evidence. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162:656-62.

Kjaer TW, Bertelsen C, Piccini P, et al. (2002). Increased dopamine tone during meditation-induced change of consciousness. Brain Research: Cognitive Brain Research,13:255-9.

Lam RW, Carter D, Misri S, et al. (1999). A controlled study of light therapy in women with late luteal phase dysphoric disorder. Psychiatry Research, 86:185-92.

Perreau-Linck E, Beauregard M, Gravel P, et al. (2007). In vivo measurements of brain trapping of α-[11C]methyl-L-tryptophan during acute changes in mood states. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 32:430-4.

Young, S. N. (2007). How to increase serotonin in the brain without drugs. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 32(6): 394-399.

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Sorry for the long break in between posts. We had some splendid visitors (my mom and dad) for a couple of weeks, and I got out of the routine of posting.

We are doing well out here. I finished my first 6 week session of boot camp, and I am happy to be enrolled in another 6 week session that begins on November 7. I got sick for the last week of boot camp, and this (a long with some other events that took place) kept me from attending the last week of boot camp. I still finished well, though, as I participated in the 3 hour Ultimate Parker Challenge Event. It was intense–especially after taking a week off; it’s a good thing I had run a couple times during that week. Otherwise, I may not have had the psychological confidence that I could complete it.

And now some words about the psychology of working out. Here’s what Collin and I were discussing last night after a good 6 mile run at a pace that was uncomfortable for me (yet still conversational for him…sigh). We were saying that in order to get better at something, oftentimes you have to experience some discomfort. When I was pushing myself to run hard last night, the great Angela Parker’s words returned to me:

“Decide right now that you are going to be okay with the discomfort you are feeling. Recognize right now that the discomfort that you feel is a good thing. It means you are accomplishing the work that you want to do. It means you are reaching your goals.”

Man, that’s good stuff. It’s so true! When I remember these words of wisdom, I relax my face, I concentrate on my breathing, and I embrace the work that my body and mind are cooperating to do. When I let myself lean into the effort (rather than fighting it or trying somehow to avoid it) my actual performance improves. It’s an exciting and empowering phenomenon.

A lot of people fail to develop healthy fitness habits (getting exercise regularly), and one main reason is that people misinterpret the physical symptoms of getting into shape (I read this in Shelley Taylor’s Health Psychology text book last year, and that’s the best I can do right now for a citation if I want to finish this post while Senya is still napping).

People sometimes feel their lungs burning, they feel their hearts pounding, and they think that it’s the exercise that’s the problem. It’s unfortunate that some people never push past this stage of getting into shape. This is the worst stage! The reason some of us love running and working out is because that stage ends. It’s still hard work to run, but that lung-burning, gasping for oxygen, head-spinning, nauseous experience does take a back seat once your body is conditioned to working out.

Senya has awoken.

Here’s another thing I like from my MS program, “the body is more likely to rust out than wear out.”

So, get moving!

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The past few days Collin was in New York City for work. Darby, Jason, Lyric and Ollie were kind enough to invite Senya, Zuri, and me to their home for the days that Collin was gone. I missed Collin, and I am so glad he’s home. It was pretty fun, though, to get to be with such fun people for a few days.

Here are some examples:

Sen and Jase developed some fun new games (i.e., below is the manual “frog hopper”).

I got to have quality time with my fantastic niece and nephew.

Jase and I went running each night, and I’m making my way back to being a self-identified “runner.”

Darbs watched Sen on Wednesday morning so I could do boot camp in the pouring rain. It was, as always, intense.

Then last night, Darby and Jase volunteered to watch Sen so Collin and I could go on a dinner date. We ordered some amazing Indian food on Santa Monica Boulevard and then watched the sunset as we ate.

Oh, and furry somehow made it on our date, too.

I’m really glad he’s home. And as I was dancing with Sen in the kitchen to a band I’ve recently started to love (Local Natives), she was snuggled into my chest. I was struck by how completely content and happy we both were and how close I feel to her. I can’t express adequately how thankful I am to Collin for giving me this gift of getting to be with her so much. He’s working really hard, and I really appreciate the life that I have right now.

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So, in terms of an update: we went to Mosaic yesterday (that’s a church) in Pasadena. We have been both Sundays that we have been in LA, and it’s a fun way to spend our day. Darby, Jason, Lyric, and Ollie were there yesterday too. After church we went out for a bite to eat at a really great restaurant called the Peach Cafe in Monrovia. They had all kinds of delicious and interesting breakfast and lunch foods.

Then we went for a hike at a beautiful place that Collin selected. It was a waterfall trail, and it smelled nice the whole time. Sen was in a perfectly happy mood the whole day; she slept for part of the hike to the big waterfall. She then played in the waterfall stream and had a great time at the top. She was very happy the whole hike down the trail in her little backpack. It was fun. We finished the day by picking up Zuri from our little Topanga house and then heading down to Darby et. al’s house to eat a quick bite (I made a pizza with artichoke dip in lieu of the red sauce).

And as for what I’ll write regarding today~

I woke up at 5:30 this morning (as I do most boot camp mornings). Boot camp was pretty intense, plus I ran a little over 5 miles today. It’s kind of awesome up there on those bluffs in the morning. There are so many people who are working out, running, doing yoga, enjoying a walk, or being active in some way. There is an energy that exists up there that feels like my goals and dreams are really not that far fetched. It feels like I could accomplish what I set out to do in life, and there will probably be some excellent unexpected surprises as well.

I do really consider what that fellow boot camper told me to be good advice (“just show up, and just keep showing up”). I’d like to add to her advice that if you work diligently with what you have, more opportunities will make themselves available to you. I see this happen a lot in my life and in other peoples’ lives. Sometimes you have to start small with things that might not feel as big as the enthusiasm inside you. But if you do what you have set in front of you with all your heart, I really think that it matters.

Oftentimes, taking a long road to your destination builds a character strong enough to handle the even bigger successes that eventually will come your way. And a good character is worth a lot—whether your successes are more personal in nature such as in relationships, overcoming personal struggles, or mastering skills, or whether they extend to other areas of life such as in a career, financial prosperity, fame, etc.—taking the long road there will make you stronger. Whenever I reach the top of a mountain, so much of what makes that view so rewarding is how much it took to get there.

I’m thinking about the above principle as it pertains to Collin as he is working so hard at a new job. I’m thinking about it with myself in mind, as I’m staying at home full time for the first time ever with Senya in an entirely different set of circumstances than home has ever been. I’m thinking about that feeling when one’s heart longs for something more or different than it currently has, but yet, the person with that heart still gets up daily and puts every bit of themselves into what they currently do have. And maybe you just can’t put all of yourself into your job; maybe you can’t put all of yourself into some particulars of your circumstances. But I suggest finding something in which you can sincerely invest yourself. Being connected to a sincere love for what you are doing (at least in one area of your life) is so healthy.

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Today the four of us went hiking at a park called Corral Canyon in Malibu. It was pretty fun because we were the only people on the trail, so once we hiked far enough away from PCH that you couldn’t hear the traffic it felt really familiar. Being in nature feels so normal for me, and we haven’t had much of that since we arrived here. Topanga is a pretty natural-style place, but I haven’t lived this close to neighbors since getting married. It’s a little different for me, and it’s a bit of an adjustment. So, it was nice to get outside and find some space to ourselves.

Sen had a fantastic time digging in the dirt and hiking down the mountain (I back-packed her up and then we let her loose so she could hike down on her own. She LOVED it!)

Then she was very tired.

Then we set out for home by way of our the dog-friendly spot on the beach near our mountain and let our web-footed furry friend splash around for a bit while our darling daughter played in the sand and marveled at the birds.

Last night was fun, too. Collin and I went out for a date at one of my favorite restaurants around here, Marmalade Cafe.

I’m working on finding my groove here, as all four of us are. And part of Collin finding his groove has entailed starting his very own blog! Check it out.

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Yesterday morning, I woke up before my alarm (I had woken up several times preempting it so that Senya would not be awoken at 5:30 and decide that’s normal). I got ready, and left the house for my first day of boot camp in Santa Monica. It was a beautiful drive down our mountain and to the coastline. It felt adventurous to set out on my own to begin a new sort of “project” in a brand new place.

When I arrived (30 minutes early), I found a good parking spot, walked to the edge of the Santa Monica bluffs and looked out on the ocean for 15 minutes. It was cathartic to have some time alone with my thoughts about all the change that has recently transpired and all the novelty that continues to emerge daily.

When I approached the designated spot for boot camp, I saw a young girl (in her twenties) and I asked her if she was there for Angela’s boot camp. She responded that she was, and we chatted a little bit. We soon discovered that we were both from Pennsylvania and that we had only recently relocated here. “What brought you to LA?” I asked. “Well, I’m featured in this next season of an MTV show that is airing this October. Angela is my personal trainer.” Here’s the show’s trailer (I looked it up when I got home):

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/681202/chelsea-settles-trailer.jhtml#id=1668905

Then Angela arrived, and her hospitality and energy were contagious and put me at ease. The group also was really nice and funny and down to earth. Apparently, I picked a great time slot (according to the rest of the participants present and also my own observations).  The 7:30 group is friendly but also super intense about the workout. I was the only new person in the group, but I didn’t feel out of place. My neighbor to my right was very disarming and after a little chit-chat about my newness to the area and to boot camp specifically, she gave me some advice. “I’ve been working with Angela for a while now, and I’ve learned to just show up. If you’re sick, just show up. If you wake up with a hang over, just show up. If you feel good or not, just show up. You’ll always be glad that you did.”

We commenced the workout with a quick warm-up run around a loop on the Santa Monica bluffs. The rest of our hour was spent doing all kinds of strength training and intense work-out moves that were new to me. I was really challenged by her workout, but I left feeling inspired. Angela is a perfect blend of supportive and tough. She pushes people to reach deep within themselves to find the reasons that brought them to her during the most intense parts of the workout. She is really smart too, and she took [brief] bits of time when we were recovering from each specific series of exercises to explain the science behind her program design. I’m so glad that I’m doing this.

My muscles are sore today, but it’s not so bad that I am anything but excited to go back for more tomorrow.

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It’s September 16th today, and I’ve been here since the 6th. 10 days. A lot has happened in those ten days, and I have experienced different mental and emotional states about this transition. That’s why I waited to post anything about our move; I needed the dust to settle a bit before I could actually write anything that will also be true tomorrow.

I really like it where we live. It’s like a little compound with a series of little buildings that are all in the original Topanga style; a neighbor to the back of our building informed us of the history of this place. She has lived here for her whole life, and she knew the original owners and designers of this property where we now live. Apparently it’s where “wealthy Hollywood types” (her words) would come to “get bombed” (smoke pot) for the weekend and have a sort of camping retreat.

With that description, it might sound a little creepy to some of my readers. But in actuality, it’s got a very peaceful, pleasant feel. People are friendly but not in a plastic, fake way; also, it’s not overwhelming in an overly communal way (two stereotypes that I must have latently had about people’s friendliness in Southern California. Whoops.)

As is the tradition with the west coast fam out here (Darby, Jason, Lyric, and Oliver), they name each place where they live incorporating the landlord’s name. Our landlord’s name is Cameron, so this has been named the Campound (hybrid of compound and Cameron, just to make sure we’re all up to speed).

Cameron is a real, swell guy who likes to do extreme tree climbing and has his own animation studio on the Campound. He has three dogs, and one of them, Wolfie, is Zuri’s new, best, west-coast, furry friend. Wolfie is rather large for a dog (like 120 pounds), but Zuri is much quicker. So it’s funny to watch them play. Cameron also has two daughters (one is 4 and one is 2), and the older of the two loves playing with Senya whenever we’re all outside on the common grounds (there is a kid-awesome play set for all of us to use and a trampoline that is completely enclosed for safe jumping). Also, Cameron is married, and his wife, Rebecca, is a really kind person who is 14 days away from her due date. So, those are our neighbors/landlord family.

Our other neighbor is moving out of her house after living here for three years (she just told us that this morning, actually). She is also very sweet, so I hope her replacement is a good person (if anyone wants to move out here, it’s only $1300 a month for your very own cabin!).

So, it’s a very great environment when we are just kicking around our tiny Topanga home. It’s in the woods on a mountain; that’s pretty good for us. It’s really cold every morning and night, though it warms up a lot during the afternoon (mountain weather is my absolute favorite weather). It’s relaxed and chilled out (people are down to earth). And it does feel like a kind of home now (though I still call the east coast home-home). Our pod arrived last Friday, and now we even have our wood carvings and paintings on the walls.

One thing I love about this new season of life is that I have free time! What in the world is that?! After two years (especially this last year) of having (for all intents and purposes) every minute of my life allocated, it feels surreal to get to decide what I want to do when Senya is sleeping. It also feels like a dream come true that I get to be with Senya during the days. After so much of my life and my resources going in other directions, it is really great for this little family to have all of my resources focused here. It’s a season, so I’m enjoying it. Our plan is for us to switch up who makes the $$ and who gets to focus on the family. This is my year to be at home, and I’m loving every minute of it!

In terms of the current switch-up of division of labor roles, Collin is rocking his job. He’s a hit at the office with his coworkers, and he is good at what he does. He is enjoying little things about the job, too,  that make it more pleasant than the dreaded “office” job that he always feared. For example, he rides his motorcycle down the Topanga Canyon road in the morning. Also, he has an ocean view out of his office building at all times (tenth floor in Marina Del Rey). He works from home Mondays and Fridays, and two of the three days that he’s in the office so is one Jason Latshaw. SO, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, they are sitting butt cheek to butt cheek at the same desk (just like old times).

So, this is the beginning of our little season here in Los Angeles. We LOVE getting to see Lyric and Ollie and Darby and Jason so much. Darbs drove up to our house last night to pick up a paper that we printed for the goog; she brought us some butter for the recipe I was making (mushrooms sauteed in red wine sauce served over quinoa). It’s really nice to be near them again.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Coming soon in September:

Monday I start boot camp with Angela Parker, a well-renowned fitness guru here who is going to spend 6 weeks kicking my butt into shape.

Next weekend we plan to go on a family camping trip to either Yosemite, Sequoia, or Redwood.

At the end of September JES KRUSE! CHRIS FRASER! and JOE KEMPISTA! will be visiting.

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