These are my top 5 favorite movies of all time.

Enjoying blueberries at Grandma’s

Did you get the part where I mention frivolous in the description of my Top 5’s? Here are some pretty people for you to gaze at.

5. Taylor Lautner, team Jacob.

4. Gwen Stefani, in the No Doubt Tragic Kingdom days.

Onto the July challenge! I hope you enjoyed June’s Bucket List challenge. It was my favorite so far and I highly recommend everyone come up with at least a few items to put on your own bucket list. Since we were vacationing for the beginning of July I decided to take a mid-year break from the 30 day challenge. July will be a short month.

What I really wanted to do was run/be active for July, but obviously that’s not happening. About 10 days ago I twisted my ankle while running. It became clear that the only people made for falling are toddlers. When mama falls, she falls hard. My chiropractor had a serious look of concern on her face after adjusting my back, neck, wrists, knees and ankles. She prescribed an extra appointment, which will be happening on Wednesday. Hopefully I’ll be back in action by the end of this week.

Another hindrance to my idea of a physical challenge is that the temperatures in Boise have reach inferno levels. This is the climate part of Idaho that I have yet to fall in love with. So July is going to be frivolous and fun and I’m still going to post daily. Yay for you! Since I liked making a list in June, everyday for the rest of July I’m going to do a Top 5 list. If you have an idea for a Top 5, drop me a comment here or on Facebook. Here’s the first:

TOP 5 SUPER POWERS I WISH I HAD
5. Super hearing
4. Speed reading, and I don’t mean the kind you can learn in a course.
3. Photographic memory
2. Super strength
1. Flight

Feeding Big Baby

Playing with the trains and the Boise Airport, probably picking up another disease.

We each got our own seats on the airplane!

Sleeping at Tutu and Grandad’s house.

My mom working her magical Tutu powers to put Porter down for a nap so I could go get a massage and hot tub at the Well Within. Ahhh.

At my parents house riding a mini tractor. It was love at first sight…with the tractor.

We went to the Sacramento Train Museum on the 4th of July and it was AWESOME!

“Mo big choo choos!” Almost a sentence.

Porter, train engineer.

Bam Bam

Growing up, my brother and I were so close that sometimes our parents worried we wouldn’t have friends of our own. Of course that wasn’t how it turned out, but that’s how well we got along. We had friends who were a brother and sister pair, the exact same age as us. They fought like cats and dogs, but they still shared the special sibling relationship.

After having Porter around for almost 18 months I have considered not having more children. I can totally understand why parents chose to have 1 child and then stick. Our friends had one child and then when she turned 4 they had their second. I believe the quote went something to the effect of, “once you have two you might as well have more, because any more than one is craziness.” This probably isn’t true for some families, but without having more kids I’ll never know.

It has always been part of our plan to have more than one child. I have my brother and Luke has his two sisters. We both believe that siblings are important because we know from experience that there is absolutely no relationship like the one you have with your sibling. In life, there are things that happen which you can’t share with anyone, except your sibling. Not your parents, cousins or friends. More often then not I find it’s the implicit knowledge about familial and life situations that only my brother really truly understands, that has brought me comfort, peace of mind, happiness and sanity. That is why I picked it for #30.

1. Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
2. Spend time practicing yoga at an ashram in India, with my brother.
3. Join a choral group and sing with them regularly.
4. Tour all 50 states in an RV.
5. Visit Monet’s Gardens at Giverny.
6. Take ballroom dancing classes so I can ballroom dance for fun.
7. Travel to a far away destination by boat.
8. To be exceedingly generous to my family and friends.
9. Write a book.
10. Complete all three courses designed by BKS Iyengar in his book Light On Yoga, over the prescribed 300 weeks (5.7 years). 
11. Go hang gliding.
12. Catch a baby being born.
13. Champion a cause – out of hospital midwife assisted birth.
14. Have a garden worthy of a Sunset Magazine photo shoot.
15. Fit comfortably into a coach class airplane seat.
16. Throw a huge party and invite all of our friends and family. Dancing included.
17. Go on an epic solo adventure. 
18. See Alaska by train.
19. Blow glass.
20. Visit Lapland, Finland to celebrate the Solstice with the Midnight Sun.
21. See the Aurora Borealis.
22. Be debt free. With the exception of a house mortgage.
23. Visit The Farm and hear Ina May Gaskin speak. Better yet, meet her in person.
24. Treat common colds/illnesses/ailments holistically, before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.
25. Live next to a body of water (ocean, lake, pond, river, whatever).
26. Visit, meet and learn from the Amish.
27. Be in supreme physical shape.
28. Go to bed when I want and wake when I want. Everyday.
29. Take a trip using Sunset Magazine itinerary. Eat at their recommended food stops, stay at their recommended accommodations, and do their recommended activities.
30. Give Porter a sibling. Conversations will start in 2014.

Are you familiar with Sunset Magazine? If you live in the Western US then you’ve probably heard of it, know someone who subscribes to it, or get the monthly edition in your mailbox. A couple years ago my mom gifted me with a subscription and it is one of the most tender highlights of my life. It inspires me to cook more, and better. To garden with confidence, inspires me to see the part of the country that I’ve lived in all my life, and to be creative in my home. There is so much to enjoy and learn from this one magazine. I love it and I’m hooked. #29 is inspired by Sunset (as was #14).

1. Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
2. Spend time practicing yoga at an ashram in India, with my brother.
3. Join a choral group and sing with them regularly.
4. Tour all 50 states in an RV.
5. Visit Monet’s Gardens at Giverny.
6. Take ballroom dancing classes so I can ballroom dance for fun.
7. Travel to a far away destination by boat.
8. To be exceedingly generous to my family and friends.
9. Write a book.
10. Complete all three courses designed by BKS Iyengar in his book Light On Yoga, over the prescribed 300 weeks (5.7 years). 
11. Go hang gliding.
12. Catch a baby being born.
13. Champion a cause – out of hospital midwife assisted birth.
14. Have a garden worthy of a Sunset Magazine photo shoot.
15. Fit comfortably into a coach class airplane seat.
16. Throw a huge party and invite all of our friends and family. Dancing included.
17. Go on an epic solo adventure. 
18. See Alaska by train.
19. Blow glass.
20. Visit Lapland, Finland to celebrate the Solstice with the Midnight Sun.
21. See the Aurora Borealis.
22. Be debt free. With the exception of a house mortgage.
23. Visit The Farm and hear Ina May Gaskin speak. Better yet, meet her in person.
24. Treat common colds/illnesses/ailments holistically, before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.
25. Live next to a body of water (ocean, lake, pond, river, whatever).
26. Visit, meet and learn from the Amish.
27. Be in supreme physical shape.
28. Go to bed when I want and wake when I want. Everyday.
29. Take a trip using Sunset Magazine itinerary. Eat at their recommended food stops, stay at their recommended accommodations, and do their recommended activities.

#28 can only be reasoned by the fact that I have a child who was recently teething and then immediately ill (he is better now and has 4 shiny new molars to show for it). This has led to more sleep deprivation for everyone, except the kitties. In the last 18 months I’ve gotten about 3-4 months of regular sleep. Those sweet times always came after we did some sleep training, will it ever end? It can’t all be blamed on the baby though. We travel a lot, which throws off the regular schedule. And I’m a night owl and that just doesn’t jive with a child who wakes between 6-7am everyday. Even Saturdays! Alas, I signed on for this sleeplessness, but I can still dream.

1. Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
2. Spend time practicing yoga at an ashram in India, with my brother.
3. Join a choral group and sing with them regularly.
4. Tour all 50 states in an RV.
5. Visit Monet’s Gardens at Giverny.
6. Take ballroom dancing classes so I can ballroom dance for fun.
7. Travel to a far away destination by boat.
8. To be exceedingly generous to my family and friends.
9. Write a book.
10. Complete all three courses designed by BKS Iyengar in his book Light On Yoga, over the prescribed 300 weeks (5.7 years). 
11. Go hang gliding.
12. Catch a baby being born.
13. Champion a cause – out of hospital midwife assisted birth.
14. Have a garden worthy of a Sunset Magazine photo shoot.
15. Fit comfortably into a coach class airplane seat.
16. Throw a huge party and invite all of our friends and family. Dancing included.
17. Go on an epic solo adventure. 
18. See Alaska by train.
19. Blow glass.
20. Visit Lapland, Finland to celebrate the Solstice with the Midnight Sun.
21. See the Aurora Borealis.
22. Be debt free. With the exception of a house mortgage.
23. Visit The Farm and hear Ina May Gaskin speak. Better yet, meet her in person.
24. Treat common colds/illnesses/ailments holistically, before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.
25. Live next to a body of water (ocean, lake, pond, river, whatever).
26. Visit, meet and learn from the Amish.
27. Be in supreme physical shape.
28. Go to bed when I want and wake when I want. Everyday.

After running the Bay To Breakers with my dad. What a good example he was.

Finish line of the Spudman Triathlon.

In Idaho with my dad the day after finishing the Spudman Triathlon.

It’s the body image post, hurray! There are two types of body builds (in my opinion), heavy and light. Have you ever picked up a child and then practically thrown them in the air because they weight almost nothing, like they have hollow bird bones. Or picked up that child’s friend, or Porter, and felt like you were lifting a sack of bricks.  I don’t know the science of it, but according to my mother, picking me up as a child was on the brick side of things. I’m pretty confident that it runs in the genes, because Porter is no little birdy to carry around. I don’t think that’s such a big deal, but add to that some full hips and frizzy hair and it’s a recipe for a skewed body image. That was me in 5-7th grade. Then my dance teacher added the real cherry on top by asking me to lose 5 pounds before our upcoming recital. A word of advice, NEVER tell a 12 year old to lose 5 pounds. It was confirmed, I felt like a fatty.

Looking back on it, I was crazy to have been down on myself. In pictures I was perfectly normal and healthy, just not knobby kneed like my girl friends. Luckily, I was an active child and did sports through high school. So even though I wasn’t lithe and delicate, I was in great physical shape. Oh how beauty is wasted in youth! Then I went to college and started what has been a long decent to the where I am now. Very overweight and working my ass off to get back to “normal”. Let me tell you, that’s a long way to go from here.

Thankfully, I’ve been physically active most of my adult life by doing yoga, dancing, personal training, masters swimming, training for triathlons, teaching young children, currently running (not all at the same time). It turns out that the key to being healthy is eating right. And for someone who has a colossally huge sweet tooth it’s been hard to curb. I’m working at it and slowly but surly the weight is coming off. I also have the added bonus of having birthed my son naturally, which gives me confidence in my mind and body to accomplish just about anything. So, #27 may take awhile and I’m already working on it, but I’m excited to share when it’s complete.

1. Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
2. Spend time practicing yoga at an ashram in India, with my brother.
3. Join a choral group and sing with them regularly.
4. Tour all 50 states in an RV.
5. Visit Monet’s Gardens at Giverny.
6. Take ballroom dancing classes so I can ballroom dance for fun.
7. Travel to a far away destination by boat.
8. To be exceedingly generous to my family and friends.
9. Write a book.
10. Complete all three courses designed by BKS Iyengar in his book Light On Yoga, over the prescribed 300 weeks (5.7 years). 
11. Go hang gliding.
12. Catch a baby being born.
13. Champion a cause – out of hospital midwife assisted birth.
14. Have a garden worthy of a Sunset Magazine photo shoot.
15. Fit comfortably into a coach class airplane seat.
16. Throw a huge party and invite all of our friends and family. Dancing included.
17. Go on an epic solo adventure. 
18. See Alaska by train.
19. Blow glass.
20. Visit Lapland, Finland to celebrate the Solstice with the Midnight Sun.
21. See the Aurora Borealis.
22. Be debt free. With the exception of a house mortgage.
23. Visit The Farm and hear Ina May Gaskin speak. Better yet, meet her in person.
24. Treat common colds/illnesses/ailments holistically, before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.
25. Live next to a body of water (ocean, lake, pond, river, whatever).
26. Visit, meet and learn from the Amish.
27. Be in supreme physical shape.

For some reason, the Amish have always held my interest. Maybe it’s because they make amazing quilts, like my mom. Or because many birth stories that I’ve read by midwives speak of the natural labor and deliveries that happen in Amish communities. Maybe it’s because they’ve found a way to resist technology and the advancements of man and machine. Then there’s the part about their unyielding faith and ability to forgive. I’m sure that of all the Christian religious groups that are still in existence, Jesus would approve of their ability to love, forgive, accept others and hold fast to their convictions (although I don’t know how he’d feel about the whole giving up of free will to the elders bit). Their church services are open to the public, and while it may seem weird, I think it would be interesting to attend one.

Mostly, though, they are a people known for hard work that sustains their communities, and a lifestyle that lives in communion with the natural rhythms of the earth. Plus, I hear they make awesome ice cream. As an American, I can’t deny their appeal as a people. I feel similarly about the Pioneers that moved west and helped expand our country centuries ago. Luckily, I can meet the Amish and still learn from them in the first person. That’s my #26.

1. Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
2. Spend time practicing yoga at an ashram in India, with my brother.
3. Join a choral group and sing with them regularly.
4. Tour all 50 states in an RV.
5. Visit Monet’s Gardens at Giverny.
6. Take ballroom dancing classes so I can ballroom dance for fun.
7. Travel to a far away destination by boat.
8. To be exceedingly generous to my family and friends.
9. Write a book.
10. Complete all three courses designed by BKS Iyengar in his book Light On Yoga, over the prescribed 300 weeks (5.7 years). 
11. Go hang gliding.
12. Catch a baby being born.
13. Champion a cause – out of hospital midwife assisted birth.
14. Have a garden worthy of a Sunset Magazine photo shoot.
15. Fit comfortably into a coach class airplane seat.
16. Throw a huge party and invite all of our friends and family. Dancing included.
17. Go on an epic solo adventure. 
18. See Alaska by train.
19. Blow glass.
20. Visit Lapland, Finland to celebrate the Solstice with the Midnight Sun.
21. See the Aurora Borealis.
22. Be debt free. With the exception of a house mortgage.
23. Visit The Farm and hear Ina May Gaskin speak. Better yet, meet her in person.
24. Treat common colds/illnesses/ailments holistically, before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.
25. Live next to a body of water (ocean, lake, pond, river, whatever).
26. Visit, meet and learn from the Amish.