Old Year, New Year

Though I had been meaning to post more frequently while up here in AK but time has just slipped by. Which is strange to say, as I have continued to be relatively inactive here. It has been relaxing, yes, but I had many things on my checklist to do here that didn't get done. I had wanted to go sledding from day one and not until two days ago were sleds purchased (to be fair, the whole town was pretty much out of sleds). We were going to sled yesterday, but it rained. Ick. I had also wanted to go to Alyeska, since I haven't snowboarded in at least two years. I had wanted to go cross-country skiing, and rock climbing, and workout every day. Instead, we let the dark Alaskan winter mornings lure us to stay in our warm beds until past 9:30 and then we would watch episodes of ER for at least two more hours before considering getting up, which narrowed the active hours of the day significantly.

That's not to say I didn't do things. I got to have lunch with my wonderful long-time friend, Kim Morris, at Organic Oasis. We walked her dogs on the lake to my house and chatted about her iPad, medicine and hard-knock life in Arizona. We went Christmas shopping at REI where we scored big for loved ones. We got to see the lunar eclipse. We went to the museum and enjoyed the Andy Warhol exhibit and the new Imaginarium. I started my triathlon training at the Alaska Club. We had dinner and played dominoes with Laura and Elliot and I got to take photos of them another day. Nick and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary at the same amazing bed and breakfast where we spent our wedding night.

So it's not as if we just sat around the ENTIRE two weeks we were here. But there was a lot of lounging, especially after Christmas, and apparently I get a little stir-crazy.

New Years Eve was... well, not perfect, but it turned out pretty great. Traditionally, Nick and I join friends for a night of games and drinks but this year everyone seemed to have other plans--except for us. So we decided to go to the Indigo Girls concert at Bear Tooth. I knew they were an old group, and that the only song I owned was because Jim and Andy sang it on The Office, but Nick didn't know this. We also didn't anticipate that there wouldn't be any seating for the four hour show. So, surrounded by 40- and 50-somethings, we decided to ditch it and forfeit our $50 tickets. We spent the rest of the night at my parents' house playing a dice game called Farkle. We almost missed midnight, jumping in at the 5-second countdown. We watched the fireworks go off all over Anchorage from my living room window. It was a wonderful way to start the New Year.

In honor of this past year, here is my year in review:

January: Began 2010 in Las Vegas as newlyweds on our honeymoon. Started my second semester of prerequisite courses at Paradise Valley Community College (A&P II, Microbiology, and Chemistry I)

February: Signed up for my first 5K and started running with intention.

March: Went on "second honeymoon" cruise to Mexico. Tried veganism for a week, then two, then a month...

April: Returned to Minnesota to visit friends

May: Moved to the Glendale apartment, was visited by Laura, and discovered Bikram Yoga

June: Took Chemistry II in 8 weeks. Completed 31 continuous days of Bikram Yoga and fell in love. Also, after reading Eating Animals, decided that veganism was the right thing to do for my body, the environment, and the animals.

July: Spent several weeks in Alaska, photographed my first wedding!

August: Began my second year of prerequisites (Organic Chemistry I, Physics I)

September: Bought my road bike to train for triathlons (have since been too hot or too afraid of Arizona people who apparently will throw things like beer cans at your head). Applied to Bastyr University.

October: Got an interview for Bastyr University. Turned 24!

November: Interviewed at Bastyr and got accepted! Spent Thanksgiving in Oklahoma

December: First wedding anniversary, and all the aforementioned events :)

Best wishes for you, your loved ones, and the earth in 2011.

Alaska

Nick and I arrived in Anchorage, Alaska on Monday. We have been treated to a beautiful, wintry wonderland so far. There is lots of snow, not much wind, and even though the temperature is in the single-digits, it does not feel too cold. Last year I felt cold the entire time I was here, no matter how many layers I was wearing. I'm thankful that is not the case now.

It is also nice to be home and not have to be planning or participating in a wedding. Though it was nice having my closest friends here, it's a lot more relaxing this way. Plus, we get to celebrate our first anniversary and eat some very delicious (though not vegan) wedding cake! More on this will come on our family blog in a week from today.

Nick is enjoying the abundance of time to relax, while I am a bit restless. Perhaps I will do some cleaning and organizing, or at least go workout a bit. I got my hair cut and dyed at the salon I've been going to since I was 13. We had snacks and egg nog (soy nog this year) as part of our annual Christmas tradition. I dyed my hair a reliable dark red color that I've had several times before. It looks smashing!

That's all for now, really. More soon.

In the desert, I make my own rain.

Exhausted, drenched.
90 minutes conquered--I made it through again.
A few moments to myself, stretching on hands and knees.
The melodious drip drop from my elbows, forehead, hair
Sounds like gentle rainfall on a cloudy day
In the desert, I make my own rain.

What I'm Eating: Flax oil (ick) in a Smoothie (yum!)

As part of my health plan, my naturopathic physician prescribed me flax oil to take daily. I got a big jug of it and at first taking 2 tablespoons of it straight wasn't bad at all. Then it started getting to me.... the texture mostly, followed by the aftertaste. Sick. So yesterday I decided to take advice from the bottle itself and add it too a homemade smoothie.

In my Vitamix I added frozen blueberries and peaches, apple juice, soy milk, and flax oil, whirled it about and drank up! I couldn't tell the flax oil was in there at all. Plus, I had enough to have a second serving today.

What I'm Eating: Tofurky frozen pizza

FINALLY something to satisfy my pepperoni pizza craving! Whole Foods sells Tofurky frozen pizzas in three varieties: cheese, pepperoni, and combo ("italian somethingorother"). They are made with Daiya, the absolute BEST vegan cheese and of course all the meat is pretend. No, they are not the healthiest, but they are amazing (and not nearly as bad for you as the real thing).

What I'm Eating: Amy's Soup

I love Amy's soup. It's a little pricey, I must admit, but when I've just come home from yoga or class and I'm STARVING nothing beats the ability to have a delicious--healthy--meal in about 5 minutes. The majority of Amy's soups are vegan and gluten free and if not, this is labeled in bold making selecting these soups a breeze (all of Amy's products are vegetarian). Amy's offers organic and low sodium types, too, which is nice. I also like Amy's chili and refried beans. The company is independent and not owned by some evil parent corporation so it can still uphold its moral standards. Anyway, I always have a solid supply of Amy's soup in my pantry and someday soon I hope to replicate those flavors and make my own versions.

A few favorites:
black bean
lentil vegetable
thai coconut
chunky vegetable

Try one today and tell me how you like it :)

Bastyr University

As you may have read in an earlier blog post, in September/October I applied to Bastyr University, a naturopathic medical school. When I got back from Oklahoma after Thanksgiving I got the long-awaited envelope that said that I had been ACCEPTED to the program starting Fall 2011!!!

This is so exciting. It is nice to have plans definitively in place (well, assuming I pass Organic Chemistry II and Physics II) so we can go forward with, say, living arrangements. My mom and I are flying to Washington in January to search for a condo for Nick and me! We are very blessed that this is possible because we have been yearning for a place to call our own and are more than ready to settle down. We have moved every year for 6 years and we would like to not do that again for a while.

As for where to live, we are not quite sure. Nick just submitted his application for UW's Political Science PhD program and we should hear sometime before April. We are going to assume that he will get in so we are looking at living somewhere that would split the difference between our two schools or at least would be somewhere where the commute isn't too killer. When we visited in November we did some apartment searching and really like Lynnwood which is north of both of our schools, a little more suburban and farther from the city. I will also be looking in the Shoreline area because that is close to both our schools and hosts a Bikram Yoga studio. But I will be keeping my eyes and mind open and hopefully the perfect place will present itself to us! Here are two places we will definitely be visiting: Dunhill Terrace and Cambria Hills.

Fortunately, we already have several friends in the area so adjusting to a new state won't be quite as difficult. Plus, I just found out that a fellow Gustie from my graduating class is a second year student at Bastyr! I can't wait to be on a small, friendly campus again (with outstanding food).