am I crazy????

Today at work two of the other girls were talking about how they want to run a half marathon this fall on one of the nearby islands...I didn't pipe up AT ALL! In fact I turned away so one of them wouldn't even dare ask me to join. 
I HATE running. For some reason I see it as the end all, be all of life.
Thats when a wave of jealousy came over me....How cool is it that these young women have enough ambition to train for something that they aren't positive they can do and aren't currently prepared for. Something that scares them.
Who am I to not push myself??
I've been trying to get in to better exercise habits here but have quickly found that not working towards a goal doesn't seem to be very productive.....
So....you guessed it. I turned around in my chair and said, "Hey, I think I want to try too."
Immediately they were super supportive and said that we would do it together. I actually started getting excited...about running?!?!
What is this world coming to???
So here goes nothing! The run is last weekend of September. Meaning if we buckle down right away we should be at least a little prepared!
So I'm off to look up a new running schedule. Wish me luck and check in with me to keep me on track ;)
In the mean time I leave you with my thoughts.

Here's to doing something that scares you!!!

bali, bali, bali

As our summer vacation is coming close (I mean not super close but enough to give us hope) I have been pondering which destination I will explore next! As I think ahead to other traveling after my contract is finished I decided it would be best to tackle 1 country in my three week stay.

As the title announced...I chose BALI! In general, Indonesia. I'll be traveling (hopefully with some friends) around the various islands. Exploring the culture, people and beaches...

I can't wait to see what this new destination has in store!...and good luck to KNS. I'm not sure I'll return ;)

happy happy

Even though I am a bit sad that all of my friends are congregating in Pullman to celebrate the end of another school year, I am overwhelmed with pride for my friends who are graduating tomorrow. So it is a happy weekend! Happy, Happy!

fire building

Some of my dear friends are leaving Taiwan for their next adventure in life :( but in order to give them a proper send off we had a huge bbq in their honor! In true PNW style it rained almost all day...as in like pouring. Luckily we had giant umbrellas and cover so we managed to stay dry but not clean!
We went to this great place outside of town where they fix you up with a pile of food to be wrapped in newspaper and then placed in a hand made rock oven/pile.
When we arrived we were instructed to gather rocks and dry mud. It started with this.

We then wrapped all the food and got to work building! It was so rainy that we had a hard time getting from the mud/rock/wood site back to our kiln that we were covered in mud by the end of the process!

The final product was this! A large pyramid of rocks with a fire stoking inside.

 The rocks would heat up until the were all black and hottttt!

  

We then broke open the top, dropped all of our food inside and began to shovel like mad. We filled loose dirt and mud on top of it so the mound then looked like this.

The food sat in there for two hours and cooked to utter perfection! We had a bbq going all day so the two chickens that came out of our oven was the perfect amount for the 20 of us there. It was a great day. All be it, very rainy but a good way to spend time with good friends!

the rules for being amazing

I wish I knew the rules or had come up with them on my own. But during one of my latests internet pinterest research sessions I found this great little picture. I loved all the words that it said. They couldn't be truer.

Today, do something amazing.

Home

Every once and a while you forget what home looks like. When all you see day to day is Chinese writing, large concrete buildings and smog you forget just how beautiful some parts of the world really are.
All day long I dream of laying on a beach, staying in a little cabana and a drink in my hand. But today I will dream of this....

Henry James

I've been playing how much is that doggy in the window for about two months...I kept seeing the same dog in a small little cage at this pet store. This weekend was the fifth time I went back and he was still there! I offered the store a lower price and they accepted!!!!
I picked up my bundle of joy this afternoon! He is so fun and hasn't barked yet. (Knocks on wood)
We have a great park near our house and we took him there today! Since he hadn't really ever ran around much he was quite confused. And a leash simply pissed him off for the first three hours we had him. 
But tonight we went on a long walk and it was getting slightly easier...other than when the ground changed in the slightest. That made him a bit nervous haha
We're taking him to the beach on Tuesday! He'll be a world traveler and bilingual before you know it!
Now just to come up with his Chinese name!!

Also, just saw this on the internet and fell in love....I've got lots of teaching to do with Henry but it looks like lots of learning to do as well.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.” Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live. He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued, ”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.” Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy. Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree. When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!