He Said, She Said

Ease

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:20:08 -0800

He Said: I am laying in bed, wondering. What would make me happier at this moment? I am laying next to my beautiful wife. She is snoring, softly, but enough to know that she sleeps well. My belly is full. I am tired. Too many times I am not. The warmth of my blanket keeping me so. My pets sleeping, soundly. The warmth of the drink in my blood. The sounds from my TV filling my head. It is a film that I have seen many times. I like familiar sounds while I attempt to sleep. I don't have to think, which is what often keeps me awake. I listen to the characters that I already know. The dialogue that I could recite on cue. It gives me peace. These things many others cannot begin to realize.

As I lay there wondering what things could make me happier... I cannot find any.

Peace, however we find it is...

Red Rocks and Invisible Spirals Part 3

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:34:52 -0800

She Said: I approached my visit to Sedona with a completely open mind. Although I was raised Catholic, I don’t ascribe to one particular religious or spiritual philosophy. I take it all in and figure out what works for me, based on what feels right. I trust my intuition above all else, and it usually leads me in the right direction.

I attended every class, workshop and meditation I could squeeze in to my schedule. I noticed immediately that this resort was a place where people went to focus on things they want to manifest in their lives. There was a meditation room called the Crystal Grotto where morning and evening group meditations were held to start and end the day. It was open all day for anyone who wanted to meditate on their own time.

Red Rocks and Invisible Spirals Part 2

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:40:44 -0800

She Said: Sedona's red cliffs are the result of 500 years of uplifts, down faulting, wind erosion and volcanic activity. When dinosaurs roamed the earth, Sedona was under the sea. Horizontal lines in the rocks demarcate where the ocean once existed.

Red Rocks and Invisible Spirals Part 1

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:26:48 -0800

She Said: Years ago, I decided I would never turn down an opportunity to travel. So, when my grandmother asked me if I would like to go to Sedona, Arizona with her, I immediately said yes. I didn't know anything about the place, but I knew I'd have a good time. I didn't know it would change my life.

Sedona is a place of mystical desert beauty. Located approximately 120 miles north of Phoenix, it is nestled among Arizona's famed red rocks. After driving about two hours from the Phoenix airport, I approached our suite at Enchantment Resort. I was accompanied by my grandmother, aunt, cousin and two family friends, Debbie and Ardemis.

I looked out the driver's side window of our rented silver Ford Freestyle and realized I was completely surrounded in terracotta. Until then, I had only ever seen that color in small quantities--a planter in my garden, a pot on my desk--but the entire landscape of this place was nearly monochromatic. The muted green of trees and cacti was the only contrast.

We pulled up to our three-bedroom "casita" and exited our air-conditioned vehicle. As we removed our suitcases from the back of the minivan in the dry, 98-degree heat, I stopped and stared, mesmerized by the red cliffs that rose thousands of feet into the air. I felt as though I had driven to Mars.

The end of the line?

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:17:07 -0800

She Said: These are uncertain times. There are no leaders in the U.S. government in which to have any faith. The economy is in the toilet, and we're going deeper and deeper into debt. For a long time, I viewed the nation's politics and economic unraveling from a distance, thinking that here, in my own little world, I could remain unaffected. But I can no longer ignore how the current situation is impacting me and mine right here at home.

The couple that eats together, well...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:43:19 -0800

She Said: When Tony and I started dating, we were each in the best shape of our lives. I had spent a very dedicated few months losing approximately 40 lbs. I was eating well and exercising regularly, and I felt fantastic...so fantastic, I attracted myself a husband. Tony was also working out and eating well...and it showed! :) This was a common point of interest for us. At the beginning of our relationship, our desks were next to each other at the office. Our department was participating in a team-oriented healthy habits competition. Tony and I had fun supporting each other in the game and encouraging each other to exercise and eat healthy foods.

Happy Hound (with photos)

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:42:29 -0800

She Said: Casey's pack arrived a little over a week ago, and we've used it nearly every day since. He loves it! We get all the benefits I described in earlier posts, and the saddlebags keep him balanced. He gets excited when he sees it, and cooperates beautifully while I put it on him. That may be because the sight of it usually means an outing is imminent, but whatever gets him motivated is fine with me.

Here are a couple of photos of my happy working dog.

It's not a minivan.

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:22:19 -0800

She Said: We've been car shopping since that fateful day in May when an uninsured driver slammed into our truck while it was parked in front of our house, sent it into the back of the car in front of it, and totaled it. We finally bought a new car Saturday. Well, it's new to us anyway. It's a little nerve-wracking buying a used car, because you never really know what problems you're inheriting. But we feel we got a good car for the money we spent.

It's a silver 2000 Volvo V40 wagon.

Dog Tired

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:21:55 -0800

She Said: Casey will have his own backpack sooner than I thought. My dad, who lives in the Bay Area, called me Saturday from PetSmart to ask if it would be OK with me if he bought him one. They had one in his size, and he wondered if maroon would be a good color for his canine friend. I told him I thought Casey would look very handsome in maroon, thanked him, and proceeded to tell Casey he'd be getting a gift from Grandpa.

Casey at Work

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:23:39 -0800

She Said: There's always someone who wants to tell you how to parent your kid. In our case, our kid is our dog.

I've written before about the wisdom of Cesar Millan, a.k.a the Dog Whisperer. Tony and I try very hard to incorporate his methods into our dog "parenting" style. It takes a lot of work, particularly with our literally and figuratively hard-headed Am Staff. He has a lot of energy and a strong will. OK, I'm being kind; he's downright stubborn. He's four years old and although there's been improvement since starting the Dog Whisperer techniques, I still have trouble controlling him on a leash. He is easily distracted by skateboards, cats and especially other dogs.

The perfect date

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:08:33 -0800

She Said: I love weddings. They're fun and festive, a time to get together and celebrate a love so strong, two people are willing to endure the stress of planning a wedding just to share their commitment to each other in front of those most important to them. As my husband said to me, "You've really got to love each other to go through all that crap just to get married. If you can get through that, you'll be just fine."

Alone Time - with update

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:42:09 -0800

She Said: Several months ago, I posed the question: How does a couple strike a balance between getting enough alone time to maintain sanity, and spending enough time together to nurture the relationship? Folks, I have the answer. First of all, don't work together. Second, work opposite schedules. We used to see each other all day every day for months, both at home and at work. (It's a wonder neither of us resorted to murder just for a little solitude.) You won't hear either of us whining anymore about not having enough time to ourselves. We've got loads of it now.

What if you could bottle sunshine?

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:31:02 -0800

She Said: Forget Prozac and all those other happy pills--just give me sunshine. Seriously, it's no wonder the suicide rate is so high in the Pacific Northwest. We spend half the year under a thick cover of damp gray. Sure, it's the reason this region is lush, green and beautiful, but from November to May I can barely bring myself to leave the house to see any of that botanical beauty. But when the sun comes out, it's bliss.

A Stranger In A Strange Land

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:53:03 -0800

He Said: Here I am a Dodger fan in the land of Giants. When my cousin, who has been living and working in Europe for three years, called me to say that his company was sending him to the city for meetings, we both had the same thought. "Are the Giants in town?" They were. So we began planning a day at the Park. He had never even been to SF, let alone AT&T Park. I've been to the city plenty, but never for a game. He scored some great seats from stubhub.com and we sat like kids waiting for Xmas to get to the game. Having lived here for two years and on the other side of the Rockies in Colorado for 9 years, it's not as easy to get to Major League games.

No Excuse for Dogs on the Loose

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:46:22 -0800

She Said: I've heard all kinds of horror stories about Pit Bulls at large, indiscriminately attacking children and other dogs in their paths. When I was a little girl, my neighbor on the corner was walking her Pomeranian when a Pit Bull came out of nowhere and basically ate the tiny dog's head on the spot.

But I also have many years experience in animal rescue and veterinary work, and have taken a liking to this particular breed which, when treated properly, is one of the sweetest and most loyal of them all. I feel the breed has earned a bad rap, which is understandable given the number and severity of attacks one hears about in the news. But if it weren't the Pit Bull, it would be the Doberman or the German Shepherd, or some other such strong, energetic breed that requires discipline, consistency, stability, positive reinforcement and leadership. (Hmm, kind of sounds like parenting...but children run amok is a topic for another day.)