february adventures

February has always been a pretty great month for me. It's still close enough from the new year holiday that I don't feel like I'm yet losing track of time and ends with birthday week. Well, since I was living in CA for a few Febs, I was trying to do something to challenge myself.

Birthday 24 was a reverse triathlon,   birthday 25 was my first 10k. -- so birthday 26? Well, this years birthday adventure is a bit different. Mainly because I'll be hiking up the Cinque Terre coast line on the big day with my stellar boyfriend.

That's right, as a combination of Valentine's, his birthday (the 26th) and my birthday (the 28th) we are packing a bag and heading to Italy for a week! So excited, I love traveling! One night in Venice, 2 nights in Tuscany, 1 night in Cinque Terre, and 3 nights in Rome. Happpppppyyyyy February!

where in the world

the cabinets after i removed the inner panels

BUSY! It's nice to not have down time to sit around and be bored, but this month has flown by and I don't quite know where it has gone. My weeks consist of work and getting work things done -- which I'm doing pretty good adjusting to the snails pace of the other office mainly because I have 2 million other things that I'm working on for work. Weekends have been filled with watching Jax & Davis for my sister, teaching handwriting classes at Gigi's Playhouse, and attempting to finish the kitchen project that I started like 6 weeks ago. I'm not one to procrastinate a DIY project, but I just haven't found time for the tedious trim work and the 2nd coats and polyurathane. Here's a couple of 'in progress photos':

The right side of the kitchen is done (except the trim) .. you don't even want to know what the right side looks like ... And of course, here is the obligatory little boy mohawk picture of my nephew. I love him to pieces.

 

three palms

Unwind. Decompress. Count to 10.

Me time. Detox. Destress. Relax. 

Calm oneself. Take a breather. Time out. 

There are a lot of ways to help ourselves unwind ...

This week I have found myself counting to 10 one too many times. Perhaps it was having to break up with all my patients -- which was miserable --this week and pack all my therapy stuff up to move to our other office (yes, i volunteered in a moment of selflessness)  or perhaps it was working one too many long days this week, or perhaps it is just because I need to stop taking deep breathes and for once be the selfish one in my life -- and I'll start with this glass of wine.

Goal 1: Drink a glass of wine.
Goal 2: Take a bath. 
Goal 3: Go to the thrift store. 
Goal 4: Try a new coffehouse in my area. 
Goal 5: Get a hair cut. 
Goal 6: Plant some new flowers on the balcony. 
Goal 7: Attend a yoga class.

get by with a little help from my friends

"Friendship is what you make it. The best of friends can survive long pauses and millions of miles, while the daily acquaintance can rarely withstand the day to day turmoil that exists in between our own ears" -- Me. 

Another week and now weekend down. This weekend I managed to do nothing. (By nothing I of course mean that accomplished every little task that required no great deal of exhaustion -- filed my taxes, online shopping for some stuff to teach handwriting at Gigi's Playhouse, made a mock itinerary for the boyfriend and I for Italy, and watched a few netflix movies in there on my computer too). Okay, okay, I made it to the gym as well, but still ... I did nothing. It was refreshingly awesome. 

So as I lay here (yeah, I'm not even sitting upright) with 7 different tabs on my browser of everything from Venice hotels to Georgia triathlons, I can't help but wonder how I can make this next week count. Not in a save the small african children kind of way, but in a shake up my daily lifestyle routine kind of way. So, goals. I'm going to set some goals for myself this week. Seven goals for seven days.

Alright well, let's see .... Mon-Thursday I've got a regular work schedule. Friday a work strategic planning meeting ALL day. Tuesday and Friday mornings I've got spin classes at 5:45am. And Thursday night I've got a study sess. And Saturday teaching at Gigi's. So hmm ... Goal 1: Drink a glass of wine. Goal 2: Take a bath. Goal 3: Go to the thrift store. Goal 4: Try a new coffehouse in my area. Goal 5: Get a hair cut.  Goal 6: Plant some new flowers on the balcony. Goal 7: Attend a yoga class.

As for now ... sleep! 

swet sour

 Well, another weekend down: Finally ended an epic game of phone tag with 1 of my 2 'opponents'. The boyfriend is still in the middle of nowhere and with such spottie cell/internet service I haven't really talked to him in a week. (Which kind of makes Birthday Week Vaca planning a little difficult...)

I did manage to get the house clean, rearrange the dining room (don't look so shocked), filed my taxes (BANK!!!, and even got to play with Robbie -- my camera, I named it that after my last one was stolen 2 years ago --

Happy weekend every body, I'm going to start planning my gym attack plan for tomorrow! 5:30 spin class comes very early!

he's a willing test subject

all we care about is talkin'

"The more people I meet, the more thankful I am for the few close one's in my life".

The count of people close to me in this life is a small, single digit number. 

And this fact makes me very happy.

Things I have done today:

• Breakfast with my favorite family of 3. 
• Drink way too many cups of coffee -- as I sit here sipping on another. 
• Reaffirm my belief that I'm happier as an introvert. 
• Drive in the monsoon/hail storm. 
• Attend and give to a great local foundation, The Cindy Donald Dreams of Recovery
• Catch up on emails and my blog (clearly...)

Things I really want to do today:

• Fiddle with my camera and perfect some photo shooting tricks
• Start the bathroom his/her mirror project
• Begin the mudroom/foyer renovation
• Start making washer necklaces for Etsy to keep raising $$ for my OT Gigi's classes

Things that I'm going to do instead of what I want:

• Clean my house --- holy moly this place is gross. Starting with the kitchen, then dining room, then living room, then my bathroom/bedroom. I'm talking like bleach and scrub brushes here people. It needs it bad... 
• Organize my tax info from 2011
• Perhaps paint another set of kitchen cabinets... the kitchen's only like 1/4 of the way completed and I already want to move on to a new project. I blame Pintrest.
• Laundry. Sort it, fold it, start a new load. Repeat, repeat, repeat. 

Okay, Saturday. Let's do this huh? 

gigi's playhouse of atlanta

Most of you have read, glimpsed, scanned my multiple posts about raising money to make a donation in my nephews name to Gigi's Playhouse of Atlanta. A lot of you have even supported the cause to promote Down Syndrome by purchasing the washer bracelets with the 'heart strength djk' message or one of your own. ((my favorite being the one that says 'miracles happen')). Lately I've been spending a lot of my weekends at Gigi's teaching parents the in's and out's of proximal stability, tying shoes, and even using forks and spoons while bonding with some pretty incredible kids.

Now, what you may not know ... These kids are amazing. Best part is, now Davis is one of 'em! This weekend he and my sister made it for their first class, a physical therapy 'Learning to Roll' class. And I was so touched to be there to share it with them both. Davis is what brought me to volunteer my time and resources at Gigi's and now he's getting a chance to let Gigi's share their resources with him. Gigi's Playhouse is an amazing facility. They provide FREE therapy sessions, FREE social time for parents and kids who live the life of an extra chromosome every day, and FREE infinite amounts of love, caring & good karma to those who walk in the doors.

So, the big news .... 

We met our goal of 1,200 dollars to donate in Davis' name ... 

AND my mom's company is going to match it! 

So Gigi's Playhouse can be expecting a donation of $2,400 from Davis James Kohl.

So to all of you who helped support the cause, whether monetarily or through assisting me with keeping my sanity.. THANK YOU. You have helped provide double the money and double the love to an amazing cause for some pretty incredible families in Atlanta!

PS. I will continue to sell the bracelets and coming soon necklaces to raise money for supplies for the classes at Gigi's, so keep spreading the love and awareness! 

pinterest

 Lately I've been Pinterest stalking for new fun ways to entertain my pallet. So .. here's what I've done for dinners lately. Personal lasagnas in a muffin tin & zucchini pizzas!

 

posted from Bloggeroid

twenty.twelve

Happy New Years!

Spent a very long weekend out in Keystone, CO with the boyfriend pretending to snowboard, enjoying the local flavor, and trying to stay warm!

chimney diving

Hoping everyone out there in cyber land had a great holiday season. 

Christmas came and went, and I enjoyed every second of the down time with my family.

Lex and I packed up Friday after a 1/2 day at work then went and stayed at my parents for 3 nights. It was great. Got to see Ally on multiple occasions (and she got to meet Davis!). 

  Don't judge, I know we're no pro bakery, but still ... decorating sugar cookies are a tradition in my family. Just about one of the only one's I remember doing every year. The other, the Hershey kiss reindeer. The Hershey kiss reindeer is a little cloth reindeer who's mouth pops open and my mom hides kiss inside it. Growing up, who ever woke up first would get to eat the kiss. We've done this for as many years as I can remember, and this year, all 3 kids got their own Hershey kiss reindeer. AWESOME. Picture to come soon. Swear. 

After a day of rest, a day of celebrating, then came the day FINALLY getting the living room in order. And, as promised, here are the newest pictures.

 --Stellar new coffee tables included --- 

Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah from me & Sir Lexicon ... he's worn out from all the chaos! 

posted from Bloggeroid

strength & scars

Davis is a rockstar. He's 3 days out from his open heart surgery and he's already smiling and laughing .. granted he's still on some pain medicine .. but rightfully so! 

I love this little guy!

posted from Bloggeroid

heart strength djk

Today's motto:   Today is not about me ... today is not about me .... today is not about me ....

Today is about Davis. Davis had his open heart surgery this morning and flew through it with no speed bumps. Tonight, he's resting peacefully (aka heavily sedated). He's still on a respirator and they're planning to take it off tomorrow morning. Till then it's just sweet dreams for this strong kiddo.

It's been a long day. I went to work this morning instead of sitting at the hospital for 10 hours with my family -- no one seemed to mind. When I show up to the hospital the parking lots full, but I go in anyway. I sit for 10 minutes while a mom puts her 4 kids in her minivan only to have some punk old lady and her 2 guests steal my parking spot (after acknowledging that I was indeed going to park there). I rolled down my window and the gentleman said 'ha, that sucks, go find a different spot'. FUMING because at this point all I want to do is see my nephew, I drive off. I find another spot, park, then get in the elevator .... with the people that took my spot. They start snickering (not very becoming of a 60 year old woman). I turned to them behind me and say 'look, it's just rude, inconsiderate, and i hope that you have a nice day'. they instantly were confused and thankfully my floor had arrived. WHO DOES THIS ... .At a children's hospital non the less!?! Americans, sometimes you suck.

Got to spend roughly 3 hours hanging out with Jackson. We played trains in a long empty hospital corridor most of the afternoon, then one of the Children's Playrooms opened. This volunteer was great. She was very into playing with jax and he really needed that kind of attention with all those toys. Sitting in the playroom across from the library (on the 2nd floor MJH) all of a sudden there was a beep and a code blue announcement for in the library. One of the parents was having a seizure... Now, I know what you're thinking, good timing/place to have a seizure, but the amazing part of this was that we were in a hallway with no rooms/units/hospital beds and within 20 seconds after the beep there were at least 45 people in this hallway. I kid you not, people were running from all directions and within 20 seconds over 45 people had responded to this page. It was pretty amazing. I know code blue is the 'oh, shit' code, but seriously ...45 people, 20 seconds. It was really reassuring that Davis is in the right place to have a heart condition.

Again, the motto of the day: today is not about me .... today  is not about me ....

Insights: Every family has their own dynamics, whether good, bad, great, ugly, functional, disfunctional... to each their own. Stress runs high in hospitals, I get it. People turn off filters, they let emotions  run loose, they show their not so humane side. Myself included. It was a stressful day for my family. I'm a super understanding and patient person ... but when I'm stressed out  I just can't deal with other peoples BS. Like the nonsense, no need BS. The legitimate crap and complaining and yelling is understood .. None the less, I was very happy to get away from the hospital last night. Wish I could have seen my nephew & godson ... but tomorrow is a new day.

.... tomorrow is a new day .... tomorrow is a new day .... tomorrow is a new day ....

Hall o weennn

""Tonight a lot of creatures will visit your door. Be open minded. The child who is grabbing more than one piece of candy might have poor fine motor skills. The child who takes forever to pick out one piece of candy might have motor planning issues. The child who does not say "trick or treat" or "thank you" might be shy or non-verbal. The child who looks disappointed when he sees your bowl might have an allergy. The child who isn't wearing a costume at all might have SPD or autism. Be nice. Be patient. It's everyone's Halloween. Make a mom feel good by making a big deal of her special child.""

 Love my little monkey nephews! (And Davis's face!)

hop a plane

Vacation & face time with the boyfriend.

Much needed & a complete success. 

Now ... when's the next one?

En route: Vacation started with a cup of coffee and 30 minutes of catching up on life with a good friend who's crazy enough to drive me to the airport at 6:2am (and pick me up at close to midnight when I came back). 

ATL --> DEN --> VEL

The flight to Vernal was .... tiny. I'm talking walk out onto the tarmac, 6 steps up into the plane, 8 rows back in the tiniest aisle with 1 seat on each side, the pilot is your stewardess and reviews the safety info with you, TINY. The entire plane seats 18 people ... including the pilot. I swear I took a photo, but it didn't save in my phone. So instead I'm stealing this one from the boyfriend from when he flew out of the same seat I did a few months ago. 

 

Finally landed in one piece and greeting in the smallest 1 room airport I've ever been in by the boyfriend. From there we headed to lunch. While in Vernal we went to Dinosaur National Park, some pretty lake that I don't remember the name of, saw where the boyfriend lives, then to dinner with a ton of his coworkers at the nicest place in Vernal. 

                                                                                                         FromVernal we drove east into Grand Junction, CO. Grand Junction is home to the Colorado National Independence Monument, the Grand Mesa, and a tasty winery. The drive there through Douglas Pass was the definition of fall; colored trees, windy roads, and windows down with the heat on.  Went to Canyon Wind Cellars winery just outside of Grand Junction, bought a bottle of wine, then went on a 'hike' (more like a drive .. but still) around parts of the national monument park.

   

After a night in Grand J, we take a 90 minute back road back over the state line into Moab, UT. Moab is one of the adventure capitals of the world. Pretty hikes, big red rocks, and fun off roading in a jeep rental, and gorgeous views of the Colorado River. The lodge we stayed at, Red Cliffs Lodge, was right on the river. So we did a lot of playing around there, and I even learned out how to skip a rock! If you know how well I can throw a frisbee, you know this is quite an amazing feat for me. It took me like a billion tries, but thankfully the boyfriends a good teacher .... or I'm just awesome.  

                                                                                                                     From Moab we drove to Park City, UT. Home of the 2002 Winter Olympics to crash for the night and tour the city the next day. They were prepping for the upcoming snow season and I was just entertained by all the colors of the trees!

Words don't really do the trip justice .. not that they ever do any experience justice .. but all in all, it was a great trip to a part of the US that I had yet to experience AND I got to see the boyfriend. It was great to spend 5 days just being us .. which mostly includes mocking one another. 

behind me

I have been a super bad blog updater lately ... my apologies for those of you that have been on pins and needles wondering how i'm doing. Haha.

First of all, happy birthday weekend to some of my good friends, mentors, and most importantly, my big sister turned 29 yesterday. Yeah, Steph, I just told everyone how old you are. :)

My hips been doing great --- get to and plan to start running tomorrow! (SLOWLY .. and most importantly PAIN FREE).

Work is really great. Performance reviews were this week, and it really couldn't have gone any better. Well, I mean they could have given me a million dollars ... but yeah. I'm still really happy about all of the things that went down on paper in my personale file.

Boyfriend: I GET TO SEE HIM IN 5.5 DAYS. Oh man, I am excited! 


Okay, really ... I'm trying to do laundry and clean up the house a bit ... more later. SWEAR.

the only girl

Communication, money & matters of the heart.

That about sums up my life lately. To elaborate let me write you multiple more than 2-sentence-paragraphs-followed-by very few photos with no captions. ;) It's hard to separate the the 3 categories since they're so closely intertwined. But here goes! 

 

Communication: @ work, @ friends & family, @ boyfriend. 

I am so fortunate to have a general overall people pleasing attitude as far as getting along in social settings. I do what I say and say things how I mean them. That'll get you far. Do not be fooled, I have my moments ... 

 I have been an pretty awful communicator lately when it comes to actually being able to make plans with my friends that live here in town. Either my schedule conflicts, or theirs does, or my phone dies or I just plan drop the ball on what could and would be a great encounter with great people. 

I've been good about keeping up with my family, but could definitely do better.. I need to see my little sister, who btw is now a sorority girl1?! (And I thought we were so similar.. haha) 

The boyfriend communication has been amazing the past few weeks. Can't ask for more than calls, texts & emails that make you smile, smirk & reply with all kinds of sarcastic remarks!

Money: @ work, @ family, @ i hate student loans

I love my job. Unfortunately I feel like I'm drowning in debt and contemplating taking another weekend PRN job to pay some of it down. I figure why the heck not, I'm 25, the boyfriend lives 1700 plus miles away & I'm a true multitasker ... It might interfere with my weekend rowing plans here or there ... but I could always drop the extra job when I needed to .. PS Have I mentioned lately that I'm obsessed with my job at GaHand?!? The pace is fast and the atmosphere is light and fun, but serious and down to business. My co-therapist workers rock! 

Up with Davis' Downs has made over 250 dollars in our (my) quest to raise 1200 to donate to Gigi's Playhouse of Atlanta in Davis' name. They open on Oct 8th and I'm really excited to get involved as an OT volunteer. 

I HATE STUDENT LOANS.. and that I accidentally paid mine twice last month. That's a lot of money. SHEESH!

Matters of the heart: @ work, @ friends & family, @ kujo

I love my job. Enough said. --Okay, maybe not. Honestly who gets lucky enough to find a dream job at age 25 right after 7 years  of schooling!?!? 

My nephews are amazing little boys. Jackson is just in awe of his little brother .. or ignores him. And Davis heads to the cardiologist in the AM again to get checked up on and after turning 2 months old (today!) he's roughly 8 weeks from his open heart surgery. He's a champ for sure. Spent the last 2 Sunday's with them and my sister and Davis is just perfect. PERFECT.
I love my friends. From bicoastal high fives to the cry because some strangers house burnt down, they could not be more supportive of me. 

I miss kujo. I had a moment today where I was doing some mundane task (laundry) and it crossed my mind that she was gone. Then my phone rang. Saved by the really obnoxious droid ringtone.

 

LA fitness

the la freeways on a typical day's commute

la fitness ... los angeles fitness .. I  mean really, it's no where near like working out in smog, traffic, warm, sunny LA atmosphere ... Well, actually, I guess it kind of is. Always busy, sweaty & full of people you'll never know. ANYHOW, not the point. The point is, I'm able to work out again! Granted my 10 min  on a bike the past few days is nothing in comparisson to what I wish I were doing.. BUT today I did 10 min on the bike then swam 16 lengths. That's right 16. My hip, it felt great. If anything, my triceps being so sore from yesterday were the most affected. YAY!!!


Although, part of me still really wishes I would bought myself a cryo cuff -- it's like an ice bath, without all the ice. And without the full body submursion. The cheapest I could find one for the hip (which is also double for the back and ribs?!) was a hundred and seventy five bucks .. which I've yet to decide to part with. Stupid cooler makes it expensive.

etsy

I can talk all the talk I want about being a great Aunt to my nephews, or I can put "my money where my mouth is". 

Officially launched my Etsy website selling handmade, custom scripted bracelets to raise money for Davis' Down's. My goal is to raise $1200 to make a donation to Gigi's Playhouse in Davis' name. 

Wanna help? Spread the word! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ceckelkamp1

Just cut, copy, follow, share, buy, etc with the link above!!

america

10 years ago I was sitting in sophomore high school anatomy when the attacks on the World Trade Center towers happened. When the bell rang we switched classes to art, where there were tv's in the new building of the high school. I remember just sitting there for the remainder of the day. Shocked. Emotionless really. Not really sure why, or to what magnitude, it would affect our country.

Today, the 10 year anniversary of the greatest loss of life in America, I sit here on my couch with my newspaper & coffee watching the Mayor Giuliani special on HBO, emotionless is no longer the word to describe it. It's awful. To watch the events unfold and hear the stories of those who were there is just heart wrenching. It makes you a little angry, a lot sad, and yet still hopefully.

As someone who was not directly connected with the +3000 lives lost, I can only reflect on the heroic acts of those who didn't have to be there. Our countries service men are incredible, here and overseas. The concept that if my house, not even the World Trade Center, were on fire and about to collapse that someone would still run in and attempt to save my life. It's hopeful.

So, hats off and safe thoughts to all those firefighters, police officers, & military who are at work doing what they do best.

five more minutes

five nights of awesome. Boyfriend awesome that is.

Made it to the opening of the GT football season, spent a great day at the lake, a perfect day in the mountains, and 2 lazy days of just being us. Throw in some family, friends, great food and a major downpour and well, it's safe to say that I'm a happy girl. Well, I mean I could do without him being back in Utah ... but fingers crossed their may be a trip out to visit in the works soon (ish).