I took gymnastics for a handful of years when I was growing up. My sisters did too; as well as our next door neighbors who were pretty much our non-blood siblings. I never was really any good at it but I did enjoy trying and being part of an activity that were were all involved in.

My next door neighbor Craig - my 'brother from another mother' -  excelled in gymnastics and has been a gymnast ever since. He has also been a gymnastics coach for a long time. He finds it quite rewarding work to be so involved in the process of young developing gymnasts. The boys that he's worked with over the years are lucky to have him as their coach, their mentor, and their friend.

I consider myself lucky to have him as my friend too. My friendship with him is quite literally the longest friendship of my life. We like to joke that he was my first husband since we all liked to play 'house' a lot as kids. So many of my fondest memories from growing up include Craig and his sisters Rene'e and Andrea as well as my sisters Amy and Jill. We were two trios combined to make up one cohesive clan.

In winter you'd find us bundled up playing in the snow - sledding down our big hill, making snow forts, or performing ice skating dance routines on the pond across the street; come warmer months we'd be in our treehouses with walkie talkies, playing marco polo in the pool, doing tricks on the trampoline, or maybe even taking a road trip to the beach. We loved the outdoors and still do as adults.

Craig came out for a visit both last summer as well as recently. I am super happy that he plans on it being an annual trip. We had a really fun time together and I felt like I was 10 again when we spontaneously started playing 70's music on my Fisher-Price record player in the living room and dancing around like drama queens to act out the songs. It was hilarious - and since he's a gymnast and I have dance experience we were able to have fun with some fancy, and quite goofy, maneuvers. It's a shame there aren't any pictures.

Washington state is such a beautiful place with stunning natural landscapes especially on the coast and in the mountains. And since Craig, being a gymnast and all, is capable of some pretty stunning poses it's exciting to combine the two through photography.

One of the days he was here we hiked up Mt. Rainier. It was the two of us plus my husband Shawn. I'd been to Mt. Rainier a few times but never did much hiking upwards. We were all pleasantly surprised at how quickly we reached the snow fields. It was pretty neat hiking through snow in the middle of summer. The wildflowers blooming were amazing and the marmots and chipmunks were absolutely adorable. It was an overcast day which did block some of the potential views but we were pleased with the eerie and magical quality it gave to the scenery. I hope you enjoy the photos. We sure had fun taking them!

I also included some fun photos from his trip out here last year when we went up to Ruby Beach as well as up into Capital Forest for a panoramic view.

I had so so much fun during my recent trip to Tonga to visit my family. My niece and nephew are getting so big and it's crazy how much they change in a just handful of months. Melino turned one in April and had just started trying out walking when I got there. I feel blessed that I got to see him in his early stages of upright mobility - pretty darn cute. 'Iva turned three in March and is certainly in the "No!" phase. She's moody and defiant but she's also super duper fun and as sweet as can be - that is, when she wants to be. Ha. Her and I sang a bunch everyday. I brought a folder of print outs of my current favorite songs to sing and play. She would pull one out and say "Ummm.....'dis one!" and we would sing whatever it ended up being. Her favorite song ended up being Let It Be but sometimes she wanted to sing it as "let it go" inspired by the frozen song. It was funny.

Melino is really into dancing and oh, my, gosh, he is hilarious! He's like a little automated machine that waggles his body and taps his foot when music comes on. He really goes for it when the two of them are in 'Iva's room and she plays records. They get on her bed and jump around and dance like wild banshees. It's really funny too, because they copy each other and they also wrestle. 'Ive pretty much smothers him but I bet it won't be long before he can smother her too.

We mostly stayed at the house but I did get out most days even if it was just a car ride to pick 'Iva up at preschool. Every day felt like a busy day just with food prep, chores and tending to kiddos. Amy and Toni certainly have their hands full. Toni goes to work everyday and is sometimes able to come home for lunch which is nice. Amy stays home and is on kid duty. Toni's cousins wife comes over most days to watch Melino while 'Iva is at school so Amy can work on her computer. She works remotely doing house design work for a friend who has a design firm in California. Kinda perfect.

For the one day we made it to the beach we took a boat to the nearest island called Pangaimatu. It was a nice sandy beach and there's a shipwreck that people dive off of into the water. Not me...but fun to watch. The water was nice but certainly not bathwater temperature since it's the Fall there. It was fun to play with the kids in the water and in the sand. Melino only managed to eat one handful of sand that day.

I was there for almost two weeks and my parents were there for my last four days. They stayed a month after I left. The night before I left we left Melino with NaNa and Papa and took 'Iva to a buffet and floor show at one of the local resorts. The buffet is a fun opportunity to try lots of different Tongan foods. Some of it was really really good and some of it I really didn't care for. 'Iva, being the little Tongan girl that she is, wanted to eat nothing but puaka skin - crispy and fatty. Puaka is Tongan for pig. A Tongan feast would not be a Tongan feast without a roasted pig.

I brought a cassette player for the kids. It's that classic kind that you might see in a therapists office back in the day. I've been collecting cassette tapes from thrift stores and brought a nice little random assortment from Kenny Rogers to Celine Dion to Bobby McFerrin. I want the kids to have a hands on experience with music since most music these days is digital and not accessible to young kids in the same way it was when I was growing up. Between the record player and the cassette player, the kids are developing a tactile experiential relationship to music and they absolutely love it. And...so do I.

I could go on and on about all the details of my trip but hey, my husband is waiting for me so we can watch the new Cinderella movie. I put captions with most of the photos to share a few more highlights. I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Oh, and people have been asking me bout my layover in Fiji. Yes, Raj the taxi driver picked me up at 5:30am and I spent the whole day at his home. I'll have to write about my experience in the Chand household another time though.

Shawn and I just finished a 30 day dietary change commitment based off of The Whole 30. We omitted all grains, legumes, corn, dairy, alcohol, sugar, sulfates and nitrates (preservatives.) I know it seems like a lot but we ate a bounty of really tasty, satisfying and nutritious meals. Lots of veggies, fruit in moderation, animal protein at most meals, tons of eggs, nuts, seeds, and a whole lot of healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, ghee and avocados.

We are both feeling really great and are inspired to keep some of these eating guidelines long term. Shawn actually had some positive results that have really opened his eyes. He stopped having daily sneeze-o-fits (20 something sneezes in a row.....not exaggerating), he stopped snoring (I haven't worn earplugs to bed in over 5 weeks!), his joint pain has seemed to disappear and he just feels more clear headed in general. Plus, he ended up losing 10 lbs! I didn't have anything particularly miraculous happen to me but I do feel awesome, have a bunch of new recipes that I adore plus I just feel really inspired and juiced about my overall health and eating.

My biggest challenge during our 30 days was my craving for a treat after lunch and supper. Fresh fruit and dried fruit are great options but I personally have the tendency to overindulge in fruit and pay for it later. So I started experimenting and perfected this combination of healthy, satisfying, non-belly gurgling ingredients. I used to have chocolate as my treat after meals but I actually now prefer these refrigerator squares. They also make a great alternative to energy bars for a healthy dose of fats, fiber, protein and Omega-3 fatty acids.

I am in the habit now of making a double batch so that I always have my uber satisfying treats on hand. I love them so much  - especially how easy they are - and thought I'd share the recipe I came up with. I hope You love them as much as we do! (I posted some photos of the process at the end of this post)

Chocolate Chia Refrigerator Squares
raw - grain free - sugar free

Finely chop:
1/2 C Pecans in a food processor

Add:
1 C Shredded Coconut
1/4 C Chia Seeds
2 Tbs Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
2 pitted dates torn into smaller pieces

Process until ingredients are uniform and start to stick together

Add:
1/2 C Almond Butter

Process until ingredients form a big 'dough ball'
Using your hands, press 'dough' into an 8x8 baking dish lined w/ parchment paper

Finely chop:
Another 1/4 C Pecans in food processor
Dump chopped nuts onto flattened 'dough' and press in with hands

Refrigerate until firm enough to cut into small squares
Store in a covered container in refrigerator to keep their firmness

Just a couple additional notes......

Perhaps you don't know what the heck chia seeds are. They are a superfood that is now commonly available at grocery stores, health and supplement stores, and in bulk at the Olympia Food Co-op. They are high in fiber, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids. Check 'em out!

I encourage you to check out The Whole 30 food plan commitment if you are interested in doing something great for your health. I have never followed a 'fad diet' before but I really resonated with the particular guidelines in The Whole 30. We are really glad we made the decision to do it and stick to our 30 day commitment. It certainly paid off! Oh, and the book is great. Really delicious, easy and satisfying recipes and tips. It helped having something in hand to plan meals and grocery lists.

My annual trip to Tonga to visit my sister and her family is coming up soon. It got me thinking about my last trip and I realized I never shared about my absolutely BLISSFUL eight hour layover in Nadi, Fiji...which included being covered head to toe in MUD!

Here's how the day of Fijian Bliss unfolded....I went to the hotel across the street from the airport, had breakfast there and then asked about getting a cab to take me around exploring. This really nice Fijian woman said she'd call the cab driver her family uses. Raj, a jolly Indian man who's native to Fiji, showed up and welcomed me with a big genuine smile.

Raj took me to The Garden Of The Sleeping Giants botanical gardens first. He told me to take as much time as I wanted and that he would happily just sit and relax while I explored. A sweet Fijian woman served as my guide for part of the walk. She wore her hair in the hairstyle so common among Fijian women: a short afro. I enjoyed visiting with her as we slowly strolled the amazingly lush gardens and she shared her knowledge of many of the plants we encountered.

My favorite part of the walk was after the guide left me and I saw a small side trail that I decided to check out. It ended up being a steep climb but I was thrilled when I got to the top. I was on top of one of Fiji's many rolling hills with a spectacular view of the farmland and ocean below. It was an unexpected surprise!

The next place Raj took me to was the thermal mud pool and hot springs which was just up the road a ways.....a one lane very bumpy dirt road. We parked and he led me to the welcome hut where I paid my entrance fee and was instructed to change into my swimsuit over in the ladies dressing room hut. As I stepped out of the hut there were two Fijian women waiting for me. One had a five gallon of freshly harvested thermal mud and the other woman asked for my camera so she could document my experience for me at each station. The woman with the bucket of mud began helping me to slather the mud all over my body as the woman with the camera took a video. It was pretty hilarious. Then I was led to an area that had several makeshift stalls with shade where local women had their handicrafts on tables for sale. I still think about that string of Fijian black pearls that I wish I had gotten. Oh well, maybe next time.

The next step after the mud was fully baked on was to get into the mud pool for the first rinse. As I got to the second step on the rickety stairs leading into the pool I could feel the thick layer of debris - mostly dead leaves I'm guessing. It did feel a bit unpleasant and the fact that the water had zero visibility was ever so slightly concerning but I was having an adventure and this was part of it! Down another step, and another....and SQUISH - my foot sunk down half way up my calf into warm slippery ooey gooey mud! It was quite a sensation and took me by surprise. I laughed out loud and decided that even though the top half of me was submerged in a sea of dead leaf particles, my bottom half quite liked being engulfed by warm slimy mud.

The next stations I was lead to were two more thermal pools. The one for the final rinse was made from concrete and had a system for draining and refilling so the water was clean. After I was rinsed well, I treated my de-mudded self to an half hour massage. It felt so great, other than the fact that I had to leave my bathingsuit on and that the woman who was giving me the massage was speaking in Fijian to some guy outside the window most of the time. Different massage etiquette than I'm used to. All in all I was feeling pretty darn fantastic and was reunited with Raj, my cab driver.

He took me downtown to explore a bit and then to a hole in the wall authentic Fijian restaurant. I invited him in to dine with me - my treat. We ordered a couple fresh fish entrees and shared them. It was the best food I'd had in a long time. The textures and flavors were divine with lots of lime juice and fresh local coconut cream. I'm salivating just thinking about it. ;-)

After romping through lush tropical gardens, looking out from surprise hilltop vistas, being mudded and massaged, having my taste buds tantalized and my tummy full, it was time to head back to the airport to catch the long flight back to the USA. I was feeling so grateful for my day of adventure and experience and particularly grateful for my cab driver Raj. His hospitality, generosity and Fijian warmth really made my 9 hour layover special. I got his contact info so I could hire him next time I came through. He asked if I would be a guest at his home next time for a traditional Indian meal that his wife would make. I gladly accepted to his very kind gesture and said I am already looking forward to my next layover in Fiji!

During the last part of getting back home I unfortunately lost the scrap of paper that had his contact info on it. I am working on tracking him down through the hotel that referred him to me and and hoping to reconnect with him during my upcoming trip. I hope to explore more of Fiji, meet Raj's family and experience more of the culture there. I do have another 9 hour layover there coming up and plan to make the most of it yet again!

This past weekend was the annual Olympia Old Time Music Festival. The event began on Thursday night with a honky tonk kick-off  dance with live music by The Dead Tide Country Band and Rhinestone Deluxe. On Friday and Saturday afternoon I took advantage of the wide variety of workshops. I did some great singing workshops, and learned how to get started with washboard percussion. I also took workshops for guitar, beginner mandolin and beginner fiddle. Between schlepping around several instruments and getting to the next workshop on time I felt like I was at some kind of awesome school. It was a full couple of days and I loved the immersion.

On Saturday night I had the absolute pleasure of seeing The Onlies, a trio of very talented high school seniors; Pharis and Jason Romero, a captivating husband/wife duet; as well as Bruce Molsky, one of America's premier fiddling talents. Needless to say, it was a fantastic concert and I left feeling inspired and ready for a full day of workshops the following day.

On Sunday was the open mic caberet downtown at Arbutus Folk School. I took part in four songs. It was my first time playing guitar at an open mic since I picked it up this past Fall. I was proud of myself for flowing through all my 'mistakes' while on stage and keeping 'having fun' as my top priority. I am now a few steps further along on my journey towards feeling comfortable and confident to sing and play music in front of others - yay!

Had a night out with friends doing karaoke at the Hammock Hangout.
Got my country groove on and sang "All My Ex-es Live In Texas" with my friend Si who has a gorgeous deep smokey voice, did "Bohemian Rhapsody" with my five friends, cheered on Si as he nailed "Sweet Transvestite" from Rocky Horror, joined in and acted out The Little Mermaid's "Part Of Your World", and then soloed Bon Jovi's "Dead Or Alive" - super fun!

Shawn & I had a re-commitment ceremony where he had proposed to me 5yrs ago.
Six years ago I timidly asked Shawn if he wanted to have a pretend wedding at Burning Man to which he timidly replied 'sure'. It didn't end up happening that year though but the next year he brought it up since he knew I had been disappointed. We went to Two Lanterns Camp and met Rev. Bob who had us pick out cheesy rings to use for the ceremony. Rev. Bob officiated and when the ring bearer held out out rings, Shawn had the best man switch mine to my real engagement ring, got down on his knee, and proposed to me! It took me completely by surprise. It was amazing! This year about 30 of our friends witnessed as we renewed our vows to each other in the same place that we had gotten engaged. It was pretty darn special.

Had the luxury of dancing most mornings on our sprung bamboo open-air dance floor.
Shawn & I both have lead roles in our theme camp at Burning Man called Rhythmwave. We offer conscience dance to the community of Burning Man and there's really nothing else like it there. Conscience dance can be pretty potent  - especially at Burning Man where all emotions seem to become amplified. I don't think I can put into words what I experience while dancing on our beloved floor out in the Black Rock Desert; I'll just stick with simply saying that it is highly blissful and deeply transformative.

Got 'Foamed'.
Imagine being covered in fine dust for days, and mix in an ample amount of sweat and exhaustion and you're starting to get close to what your body feels like at Burning Man. Now imagine stepping into a big tent with loud music from a live DJ and about 200 naked people dancing as they excitedly wait their turn 'get foamed'. Now imagine standing there dancing as you watch about 60 people at the front of the line enter into a big plexi-glass chamber and stand shoulder to shoulder with friends and perfect strangers - all naked of course. Now imagine you are now one of those people in the chamber and from the catwalk above, people with hoses give you the gift of cool refreshing water from head to toe. The excitement builds and everyone around you is chanting "Foam, Foam, Foam, Foam". Just then, copious amounts of Dr. Bronner's peppermint foam come spewing down from the heavens above! All you can do is close your eyes, squeal with delight, and start rubbing up against the other slippery foamed bodies all around you. It's freakin' hilarious! I know it sounds kinky but it's so epic that it's not sexual or weird at all. Oh yeah, and you can feel the tingle of the peppermint soap Everywhere! Then you step out of the chamber completely elated and in amazement of what you just experienced. That's the 'foam dome'. Click here to read about how naked bodies, peppermint foam, hair clippings and intention all fit together for me at Burning Man.

Played a lot of music, sang a bunch, made a commitment to learn guitar, wrote my 1st guitar song.
One of my favorite activities this year was to sit around in camp just sing with friends. My friends Porter and Si know a lot of songs on guitar and I enjoyed singing and played along a bit on ukelele when I could. This may come as a surprise but I love country music. It's what I listen to on the radio and it's what I grew up with. My friend Si also has a love of country music. We discovered that our voices compliment each other quite nicely and we had a really great time singing country songs together. The one tune we sang over and over was "Angel From Montgomery". I decided I wanted to learn how to play it on guitar so Si taught me the 3 chords and I practiced on the 16hr ride back to Olympia on the out of tune beater guitar we transported home for a friend. By the time we got home I decided to commit to learning how to play guitar for real. I've always felt intimidated and frustrated with guitar since my hands are so tiny that it's hard to make some of the chords. I realized that there are still plenty of chords that I haven't yet mastered on uke yet but that hasn't stopped me from playing uke. So when we got home I printed out a sheet with easy guitar chords for beginners and started practicing on the nice 3/4 size guitar I have. It was really satisfying and two days later my first guitar song came through!

My greatest takeaway this year is this next new step in my musical journey. I am super excited to develop a relationship with guitar and continue experiencing this musical unfurling!

I recently had a really magical musical experience. It had been a little while since I had last picked up my ukelele and sung along. I was feeling the need to nourish myself by taking it into the woods and allowing the magic of nature to recharge me. I walked along the deer path that I had enhanced last year by moving some ferns and debris as well as reshaping some areas to make them more passable for us. It's a gorgeous meander through classic northwest forest with Woodard Creek meeting up with it several times. I had a big smile on my face and was fully breathing in the air around me. I was feeling happy that I listened to my longing to be out in the woods.

I found a spot that called to me and sat down. It was a somewhat open area without much brush. More of a cedar grove. I played and sang for a little bit and felt so present and content. Then I felt sleepy so I laid down on my side using my uke as a hollow wooden pillow. I dozed and daydreamed for about 20mins and when I woke up feeling blissful, I began to play and sing again - a love song that I wrote for Shawn called "Home With You". I was on my second time through the song when I turned my head and realized that I had an audience! There were two big bucks no more than 6 yards away completely focused on me and the unfamiliar but pleasing noises I was making. I did feel slightly intimidated so I decided to slowly stand up. They got startled as I stood up and put my uke down but I continued to look them in the eye and sing to them. With such curious expressions, they peered around the fallen tree they had hid behind and slowly began to come a bit closer until they decided they were close enough.

Eventually I noticed a doe not too far off. The bucks turned and began to make their way to her as I sang them gratitude for their curiosity and presence. It was truly a magical musical experience and I know the memory will stick with me for the years to come. And yes, I certainly did feel like Snow White! ;-)

I just recently got back from an awesome visit with my sister Amy & her family in Tonga. This was a special visit to meet my new nephew Melino Alovili Halapua, born April 30th. He is absolutely adorable! A sweet, peaceful little babe who's getting a whole lot of kisses and nuzzles from his big sister 'Iva who is 2. This is great news because the first few weeks of his life, Melino had to survive his sister's discontentment with his arrival, in the form of flying objects and the swats of a 2yr old.

I spent part of my time on the main island, Tongatapu, in the capital city of Nuku'alofa. This is where Amy & Toni own the lot where Toni grew up. There is a main house, guest cottage and a two story duplex all nestled into the small piece of property. Toni grew up in the duplex and a few years ago Amy and Toni had the main house and guest cottage built. They currently have all the spaces rented out with the exception of the lower level of the duplex. That's where they stay when they are occasionally down on Tongatapu.

Since this past fall they have lived up in an outer island group of Tonga called Ha'api. Back in January 2014 Cyclone Ian hit the Tongan island group of Ha'api leaving 800 homes severely damaged - that's over 80% of the total homes in Ha'api. Back in the fall Toni accepted a position with the Tongan government to help manage the rebuilding of homes for families in need. His contract is for one year and requires him and his family to live up there.

They live on the island of Lifuka in the village of Pangai. About 3,000 people live on the island of Lifuka and it's total area is approximately 7 square miles. It was near the north end of Lifuka that Captain Cook was so well received in 1777 that he called Tonga "The Friendly Islands." I was pleased to experience this friendliness during my time in Ha'api. I loved the village feel. Everyone waves and smiles and says hello. Well, actually they say "Bye" as a hello greeting to us 'white' folk. Kind of funny to get used to. Amy says they use the word "bye" like that because you're just greeting each other in passing.

There's not a whole lot to do on Lifuka, but there is a sweet spot called Mariner's Cafe where you can get some yummy food and sit in the open air dining area while sipping from gigantic fresh young coconuts as the cafe resident dogs lounge around under the tables. I also had some amazing food one night at the delectable buffet at Matafonua Lodge; an absolutely stunning resort on the neighboring island of Foa. There is a causeway that connects Lifuka to Foa and it's apparently not uncommon for waves and water to come up over the causeway depending on the weather. You can see evidence of rocks, sand and chunks of coral that have washed up onto the roadway.

On the drive to Matafonua Lodge, you drive across the airport runway. It runs from left to right and you see the ocean on either side of you - pretty cool. If a plane is taking off or landing, a sort of railroad crossing bar will come across to block traffic on either side of the runway. Once you get to a certain point on Foa island, you have to get out of your car and open the chain link gate that keeps the pigs, cows, horses, chickens and dogs out of a whole section of the island.

Once you get to the beach at Matafonua Lodge, it is totally gorgeous. Even on an overcast day I couldn't resist getting in the clear tropical water. It wasn't necessarily warm, but it wasn't painfully cold either. I played with 'Iva in the water a bit and Ollie joined us - the huge white dog who lives at the resort. I hope to return to this resort someday to go out and swim with the humpback whales that migrate there from July - September. Definitely on my bucket list!

Overall I had a really great trip. I loved bonding with baby Melino and had a blast being 'Iva's playmate. I am grateful to have had two weeks to be with my sister and a handful of days with my brother in law. They have spent most of their time on the main island in Nuku'alofa since before Melino was born so they could get to the hospital for his birth and be down there to meet up with my parents and myself at the main airport. After I left they headed back up to Ha'api to really settle in as a family of four with no luxury of daily help from family. There have been some challenging days for Amy juggling both a toddler and a newborn while Toni is at work - especially when 'Iva has a meltdown -  but overall they are doing well and figuring it out as they go along.

I really miss my family in Tonga but am counting down the months until I get to see them next. In the meantime, I look forward to our weekly Skype dates and am super delighted that 'Iva is just beginning to talk and sing with me on the phone!

More about Ha'api and it's history