That Time I Rode My Bike to a Pap Smear

This is for you ladies out there who need a good chuckle on this hump day Wednesday!  

---

It's a sunny day!  What a day to get probed by a doctor!

Sadly I hadn't worked out for two days and was feeling icky so I thought...

"Hey Abigail, why don't you take this opportunity to ride your bike over to the doctor's office and then home before you grab your mat and go to pilates?"

This being my first lady doctor visit...I didn't think this plan through very well.

So I rode my bike....it took 45 minutes to get there and I was sweating like a Sumo wrestler in Mexico City.  

"I"m sorry but the doctor was called out on an emergency surgery, would you like to re-scheule?"

*blink, blink, blink*

"No.  I rode my bike here....I need to see someone today!"

Thankfully they had a nurse practitioner so after waiting for 2 hours I finally got in and got all the lady business taken care of.

Now, walking like a penguin...I unlocked my bike and re-evaluated my life choices.

"Oh gee Abigail let's ride our bike to a downstairs exam"

"Let's get exercise genius"

"What a lovely idea you had dear...how freaking lovely"

Let's just say that the bike ride back up the hill to the highlands took about an hour and a half and I barely made it to pilates driving like a regular Seattlite/bat out of hell.

Moral of the story.

Drive to lady doctor visits.

That's all.

---

Gifting: Obligation or Joy?

If you saw my recent Facebook status...you'll know I finished Christmas shopping for my family...and will now be eating like a Victoria's Secret Angel to cut costs.

I'm not one to really get into the gift giving.  I find Christmas gifting stressful because it's expected of you.  My style is more like this...

---

Lalalala walking through a cute shop in Snoqualmie, WA  on March 3, and I spy a lumberjack teddy bear.

"My my isn't that the cutest lumber jack Moose ever?!" (I'm taking writer's license and making it a moose now)

*Thought bubble pops up over my head with a picture of my tiny nephew Sawyer*

*Light bulb*

*Wips out apple pay (we are soooo 2016) and buys the lumberjack moose*

*puts moose in priority mail box and sends to Glide, OR*

*Sawyer opens package and squeals in glee as he puts the moose's head in his mouth*

Mission successful

Does that make sense y'all?  I'd rather see something, think  of a person and give it to them without there needing to be a societal validation for the giving.  My validation is...I care for this person and would like to be a blessing to them.

I balk and recoil at the obligation that comes with the Holidays and Birthdays that now require a gift or else you don't care at all.  

As Dwight Shrute would say. "False"

It's not because I'm cheap or selfish.  No, I'd rather recieve a gift mid May because there is no other reason that I am receiving it besides the fact that the giver thought of me randomly and wanted to express it.  And I'd rather give a gift without any obligation so the person receiving knows my intention is duty free.  (not duty free like in the airport with the no tax on super expensive stuff...you know what I mean)

So as we go into this gift giving extravaganza of a holiday that's been super commercialized...remember to think about and show appreciation for those special ones year round.  Maybe don't make such a big deal about presents and who gave what this year.  Simply be thankful for what you are given and give gifts from a place of love, not duty.

Kindred Spirits

If you've googled anything today, you've seen that today is L.M. Montgomery's birthday.

"Anne of Green Gables" was one of my favorite books just like every other homeschooled girl I knew growing up.  Anne was spunky and broke the rules in a way that wasn't rebellious, just sweet innocent fun.

Golly I wanted red hair and to have a boy in a row boat come save me...just so I could be mad and then forgive him years later.

Now that I'm a wee bit older, I miss the sweet innocence of Anne.  It's hard to be full of wonder and awe at the world when the world's cares are bombings, refugees, frustrating elections, scary headlines, and simply trying to keep one's head above financial struggles.

"It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will." -Anne of Green Gables

---

I want to encourage you today to be in awe of something simple and beautiful.  

Dew drops on a spider's web.

Frost sparkling in the sunlight.

The wind dancing through leaves in the trees.

Take 5 deep breaths in your nose and out your mouth and focus on the simple, pretty, wonderful, natural thing that could have gone unnoticed like Anne would.   

"It was November--the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines. Anne roamed through the pineland alleys in the park and, as she said, let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul." -Anne of Green Gables

#optoutside

Thanks REI for the campaign to spend Black Friday not shopping and shoving for $1 socks and a new coffee maker. 

As a newbie minimalist, I didn't want to join the commercialism the day has come to be filled with...but let's face it...sometimes I'm shallow and want to buy things or just lay around the house in yoga pants. 

Just keeping it real y'all! 

Thankfully I'd gone to REI a few weeks back to pick up a HydroFlask True Pint and I saw the #optoutside sticker. 

I was intrigued because I had an open spot on my 16 oz HydroFlask for a new sticker. Yes I'm so deep and yes I own a lot of HydroFlask sizes.  

Don't judge me. 

The cashier let me know that REI stores were going to be closed on Black Friday to encourage people to spend the day outside being active instead jostling outside Walmart.  

Boom! 

New sticker and a bandwagon I can jump on to get me out of the house after Thanksgiving! 

If you look up the hashtag on Instagram you'll see a plethora of folks doing outdoor activities and enjoying nature. After a whole day dedicated to being thankful...somehow it just seems right to step away from the normal Black Friday madness. 

None of this is to put down those who took advantage of great sales! Way to be frugal! This post is to encourage all of us to take a step back (preferably outside) and get active and explore nature, the most beautiful free experience we have on this planet! 

Selfie of my Uncle Jim and I as we spent the morning and early afternoon biking around Lake Washington. Such a sunny gloriously crisp day! 

Family Hike

"The family that hikes together stays together."  

-Annonymous

---

On a bit of a rainy typical fall PNW day,  we (Mom, Dad, Luke, Sarah, Sawyer, Oma, and yours truly) took a family hike up to Susan Creek Falls just up the North Umpqua River from our home.  

Yes it was pouring rain at first...but seriously...what's a little bit of the elements when you've got the beautiful PNW forest around you and are with your loving and adventurous family?  We don't melt.

Armed with raincoats for all the family trekked up the path heading deep into the woods.  I was on a bike ride and was planning to catch up to them part way in after I'd done a few miles on a BLM road.  

Sure enough I met up with them about 2/3 of the way in to the falls.  I biked the rest of the way then walked back to join them.

Once we were at the falls...I turned baby snatcher and took Sawyer James (in his crazy adorable L.L. Bean rain gear) and marched across the bridge to see the falls up close.  He was mesmerized. He did not care that it was raining or cold...he is afraid of nothing.  Except the vacuum...not a big fan of that.

And then we walked down to the creek.  He immediatly tried to dive out of my arms into the water!  I parked him by the edge so he could grab leaves and stones and that child was so content I was envious.  

Cold water don't care.

Cold rocks don't care.

Soggy leaves don't care.

Mud don't care.

He loved it and would NOT be pried away.

That's the hand of his Daddy right there...holding him back because he wanted to keep exploring that creek!

Is that not one of the cutest little rain suit clad adventurers you've ever seen?

---

I'm not a Mom.  

I'm only an Auntie.

I'm an observer of the humans I see around me, both family and strangers.

I'm an outdoor enthusiast who loves adventure...and when I see a little boy not even 1 year old, unafraid of nature and the outdoors...

that warms my heart.

There are millions of humans in this country and around the world who are afraid of the elements.

Afraid of nature.

Humans who have no idea how to exist in nature without iPhones and google maps and being 100% comfortable at all times.

It's sad.  It's dangerous.  It's terribly depressing.

I wish every person would be open to experiencing the joy and wonder that my little nephew experienced.  His socks were wet and his hands were cold but he wasn't bothered with that.  He was learning.  Comfort was not his priority.  Learning was.

Here's a challenge I've put on myself and I'd like you to join me!

---

Learn something new.  

---

Maybe it's reading about Black tea vs Green tea.

Maybe it's listening to an audio book instead of music.

Maybe it's going to a dance class or painting class or language class.

I challenge you to learn something and don't focus on how comfortable you are.  

Choose something to learn and make it happen even if it's not gloriously fun all the time and super convenient. 

Let's not be lazy.  Let's be adventurous learners!

The Library

Yes they have books, but I'm not advocating getting a million books to read...though I strongly encourage it.  

No I'm just making a pitch for using a library for your internet needs

Reasons

1. It is cheaper than paying for it in your house or phone
2. There is a time limit so no life wasting (Yes I'm talking 'bout you Pinterest)
3. It's out of the house...you may notice the world out there and be happy about it!
4. The temptation to grab a new book to read is real...and strong...so strong
5. You may enjoy a coffee and bagel on the way to, or from...maybe with a friend

Basically I'm saying...if you have to work a little harder to get that access...maybe you'll spend less time mindlessly scrolling through funny cat videos and more time purposefully using a valuable tool and finding that you have time for other fun and interesting and interactive things too!  

This is a challenge I'm going to try this fall...yes out of need because I have no house...but I've found it's pretty cool to be efficient and feel good after an internet session instead of drained.

Memorial Day

While you all are out grilling, playing volleyball, camping, fishing, spending time with family... 

I sicerely hope you pause and realize what this day is for. Not for socializing, kicking off summer, or even just waving a flag.

Today is about remembering the amount of lives sacrificed over the last few hundred years so that you can be a free American. 

Today is also not just about one war. Too many focus on the losses from Iraq and Afganistan and forget that many generations before us have felt the blow of foreign wars and the toll it extracted from the families of those who perished.  

Think of the men who died simply for having the idea of a free country ruled by the people.  Men like Nathan Hale who were hung for speaking out about liberty and the rights of the people so long ago.

Men who pledged their "lives, [their] fortunes, and [thier] sacred honor" 

This is a day to reflect and be impacted by what so many sacrificed for you and for me.