I'm SO not a blogger....

Clearly I wasn't meant to be a blogger...I'm averaging one post a year it seems lol. So I'm back and trying again. I'm on day 4 of eating a plant based diet. Vegan/raw, no alcohol or processed foods, no refined sugar, meat or dairy. Today I had/made a chocolate almond milk, spinach, banana smoothie (YUM!!), eggplant bacon, sweet potato chips, avocado/cashew/basil pesto over zucchini noodles and coffee with my new favorite: hazelnut coconut creamer. Recipes and pictures to come!

Haha wow my last post was well over a year ago....let's see if I can get back on track with this whole blog thing. I have a bad (is it bad?) habit of treating Facebook like a blog. I'm essentially forcing everyone to read everything about my life (because I post everything) when what I'm really just posting it for me for the most part. In the end who cares? Anyway, I'll slowly catch up here with things that have happened over the last year but for now I'll just write about the things floating around in my head.

Roller Derby
Yep, I'm still playing. My two year anniversary with the Cherry City Derby Girls is coming up pretty quick! I broke my foot on Rachaell's 13th birthday (10/19) at the after party dancing to Gangnam Style. Don't laugh. Ok you can laugh...it is rather funny. Last night was my first night back on skates since that night. It was great, while I seem to have lost quite a bit of muscle memory and strength in my right ankle I have faith it will come back rather quickly. I was also finally able to do crossovers in the opposite direction without pain in my left ankle for the first time since April (yet another stupid injury non derby related) so that was a hurdle I was happy to overcome. The last 6 months or so have been a struggle for me, but I feel like I've moved past most of the things that were bringing me down and I'm optimistic for what the future holds for me in derby.

Home
The girls and I took a leap of faith and decided to rent a house with someone (and her kids) I really didn't know all too well. We talked a bit here and there, she new Rachaell as she was one of the jr. derby coaches but we never spent any time together. It ended up being the best decision I've made in quite some time. She quickly became a very good friend, like a sister and I'm so grateful for her coming into my life. We now live in a pretty big house with a yard, a hot tub (someday we'll get it running) 2 fireplaces, a garage and nice hardwood floors upstairs. The girls are doing just great in school and I'm so proud of them.

Work
For the last year I've been slowly building Olive Chaos. I mainly make bags but I want to get back into make scarves, mixed media art, hats and other accessories. I got into some of the markets through Salem Saturday Market this year and I hope to do more in 2014. Last weekend I did the Salem Holiday Market at the fairgrounds and it was my biggest show yet! I was so proud of myself, for the first time I actually went in with a good selection of stock. Not nearly what I should have, I'm sure sales would have doubled if I would have been a bit more prepared. Nonetheless, I considered it a success.

Personal
I've been working on myself a lot lately, trying to be more positive...and in general just a better person. It's been a fun journey and I'm enjoying getting to know myself more. Since taking a leave from derby a few months ago I've gained a bit of weight..I was eating worse than ever and was still drinking just as much. A glass (or 3) of wine a night, a beer or two, a cocktail...never enough to alter my mood but enough to pile on the pounds. I joined Planet Fitness a couple days ago for $10 a month and I decided yesterday to stop drinking for a while. I also decided to go back to mainly a plant based diet, starting with the Engine 2 Diet. I've owned this book for a couple years now but I've never really followed it. I've never followed any diet plan to be honest. I'm looking forward to sticking with something. Anything. Tonight for dinner, I'm making shepherds pie. We'll see how the kids like it.

Love Life
My relationship of almost 7 years pretty much ended a year and a half ago. Since then I've gone on a few dates but nothing serious. It's strange, for the first time in my adult life I really have no desire to be in another relationship. I hate to say I'm jaded, that just sounds terrible. Cautious maybe.

So that pretty much sums up quite a bit - hopefully more to come.

Sick of being sick....

This marks the 6th day of me being sick and I'm not loving it. I haven't felt this bad in many years. I finally went to the dr. yesterday and was told I've got bronchitis. I was prescribed an inhaler and cough syrup with codine. I'm pretty sure it's just nasty bitter water though, as it's done nothing so far. I'm happy I got it when I did though, and not a few days earlier as I was still able to bout last Saturday. The sad thing is, I've now missed two scrimmages, 2 endurance's and 1 1/2 team practices. I feel weak and tired, and every time I get up and try to do something as little as a load of laundry I break out in a sweat. Not good. It's also completely stopped production of my bags, I haven't sewn since last Friday at our team bonding night (derby) and even then it wasn't much. We're supposed to be going to the drive in tomorrow night, here's hoping I'm up for it! XOXOXOXO

Opening my eyes to what's around me and embracing my life!

I've been cleaning most of the day, throwing SO much away and it feels absolutely wonderful. I can't explain the funk I've been in the last year. The foggyness and clouds that have seemed to surround my head has lifted and I can see so much clearer. Ironically...I just started wearing my glasses again this last weekend and that's around the same time I noticed I was focusing more. So many puns there, lol. In just two days I've been able to rid our living space of about 1/4 of our stuff. Stuff we don't need. I'm about 1/3 of the way done, then the deep cleaning starts. With 2 cats and a ferret, there's so much dust in the air. Cat hair is one thing I cannot stand..and it's probably one of the things that will take the longest to rid this place of. The black mold on our bedroom windows, the scum in every corner of our shower...the hair around the sink (thanks sweetie) and the dusty *everything in our living room*... Spring cleaning has started, the sun has been out for a couple days and I feel like every part of me has woken up. I feel as if I'm living for the first time in well over a year..two years maybe. On a side note, I'm on day 5 of my raw vegan adventure. While 100% raw-vegan is my goal, I've been about 98% on a daily basis and I'm so proud of myself! I've used my dehydrator twice this week, which is a huge change for me! Hello world - what do you have in store for me today?! <3 Kara

My head is spinning..

I recently decided to re-start my raw food journey and I'm on day 4. I haven't been 100% raw, it's been more like 90..but it's still a major change. I feel better every day, my head is clearer and I'm more focused. In a strange way, I feel more at peace. I think I'm a hippie at heart...I'd have dreadlocks and drive a Volkswagen van if it made sense with the rest of my life. I think now, I'd just get strange looks. I'm in a purging phase at home. My apartment has been so extremely cluttered the last year/two and I'm in the mood to just get rid of everything. So, yesterday that's what I started doing. I'm interested in seeing the changes I'm able to make today. I don't really need to leave the house, except to run to the grocery store for more produce so it should be a good day to clean.

More pics from Maui!

Pics - another phone test

Spam mints lol
Lovely..

Another posting test

Every once in a while I'll post from my phone...and test things out to see what it will look like lol. This is one of those times.
Olive Chaos <------- my shop
Adding some random pics..

*CCDG* Home Sweet New Home

As of yesterday, I am now a part of CCDG, Salem's roller derby league. I'm so excited, the girls are so welcoming and I can already tell it's an amazing fit. I posted back in December about leaving FM...blah blah blah. My reasons are still valid, but I've proven time and time again...and again a few more times that Roller Derby isn't something I can give up. With CCDG's attendance requirements, my Saturday's are free to continue working towards my dream of owning my own business. So here's to some amazing new adventures and new friends!

HCG - Placebo or not?

While I was absolutely convinced just a few months ago, that the HCG drops worked miracles (I lost about 16 lbs) I'm now wondering if they were just a placebo and a scam. I had planned on going back on the HCG diet this week, and now I'm thinking about just limiting my calorie intake and instead of sticking to the approved food list (aka "the protocol") I may just limit myself to 500 calories a day.
This is just an experiment mind you...certainly not something I plan to stick with for a long period of time.

G'night!

It's a balancing act...I haven't mastered it yet

It's been a month since I re-joined Fresh Meat and again, I decide to leave...for the second time. Now I wonder, when I come back again, will a team even want me? Will they question my dedication to the team? The league? My love for derby? When I left back in August, it was for completely different reasons. Some emotional..ok most of them were emotional. I felt like I had been completely screwed over and I was pissed off to be honest. I haven't always been very good at juggling responsibilities and commitments. I usually jump in head first and it's all or nothing. Only with things I actually care about though...and derby was IS one of those things. So I did that. I put my family, friends, everything on hold and followed my passion. When my passion was questioned and I felt like my back was against the wall...I felt almost betrayed by something I loved so much. It made me start to question myself, and I hated that. So...I left. It wasn't long before I realized it wasn't going to be that easy. Roller Derby had become a part of me. It was a force so much bigger than I was and I just couldn't stay away. I was lucky enough to have Alumni status so at any point, I could just walk back on to Fresh Meat. So I did. I was so happy to be back, I couldn't wait to get cleared again and start practicing with the teams. I knew drafts were in Feb, so I made sure to come back early enough to regain the strength and endurance I once had, before my injury back in April. Things didn't go exactly how I had hoped. It was taking longer to get cleared than I thought it would...and I started to feel discouraged after I found out there was a special draft that I wouldn't be eligible for. I was actually mad at myself...mad that I left at all. Mad that my body wasn't doing what I wanted it to, mad that I wasn't better than I was. I had no hopes in actually BEING drafted...I just wanted to be eligible. So that...on top of a few other technicalities made me think - maybe my other dream/passion needed my time and commitment for a while. Derby will always be here. I'm 31, and I skate with women in their late 40's. If I'm THAT dedicated to this, if my heart really burns for derby..that flame will still burn in 6 months, a year, whatever it takes. So, the other day while I was sewing some scarves and stressing about how many I could finish before practice, I realized...I need to just commit to one thing. I got some advice from a few NON derby friends first, they knew me the longest, and they both said the same thing. Derby doesn't bring in money and that's what I need right now. If I don't follow my passion for having my own business, I will always regret it and wonder if I could have done it. SO I sent the email, posted on the forum, sent a few texts and that was that. I was no longer on Fresh Meat. I wasn't Alumni. I wasn't anything...but Kara, jewelry and upcycled clothing designer. I cried, and watched my hope of being drafted in Feb to my absolute favorite team of all time (GNR) go out the window. I immediately thought....when I come back...will anyone want me...and that question has been on my mind every day since. I will say this...if this had gone differently and I actually WAS on a team I would have never left just to sew and make jewelry. I'm leaving now because I think it's the best time. I know when I do come back I will be all in, 1000%. And in reality I could have stayed on FM but not make attendance...but why would I want that? That choice wouldn't have been a good one for anyone. I would have been seen as someone that wasn't dedicated, and didn't take the FM program seriously. I think that would have been much worse than leaving...again.

So there it is. I'm still going to skate with Wreckers, Shadow City, Cherry City, Coos County (when I can get out there), Open Scrimmages, and men's endurance (if they'll still have me!) so in 6 months *that's my special number...I'm giving myself 6 months to get my business going and somewhat off the ground* I'll still have my skill, endurance and I'll be ready!

Aloha!

It's 8:10 Hawaii time, and it's about 80 degrees already. We've only been here a night and already I'm in love with Maui. We swam in the ocean a few times already, and plan on snorkeling a little later. I'm posting from my phone, so pardon any mistakes lol.
We just got on the bus, it goes everywhere! Plus. It's just $2.00 for the whole day!

HCG Diet "r1p2d3"

I'm on day 3 of the diet and I'm down to 168 for a total of 13 lbs!! I feel great, I have energy and I'm LOVING waking up every morning and seeing another few pounds gone! Before I know it I'll be into my skinny jeans and out of my fat pants!

HCG Diet "r1p2d1"

Round 1, Phase 2, Day 1!

I decided to try the HCG diet and started taking the drops 2 days ago. I'm on day 3, the day you start taking in only 500 calories. I'm currently at 213 calories for the day and I've been VERY careful, counting everything. I started at 181 lbs, weighed in at 175.5 this morning. My weight has always fluctuated about 8 lbs so that change isn't necessarily due to the diet. We'll see.
I'v been peeing like crazy today lol but I'm guessing that's due to the 1/2-1 gallon of water I've been drinking every day.

Not Back To School - Day 2

Here it is day 2, and she's off to a great start. She has an online "live session" class today for an hour,
She bought herself a laptop using money she had saved in a savings account so she's pretty much set!
School officially started yesterday, and while she hasn't received her physical books and supplies yet, she's able to do most of her work with the online material.

Homeschool

I made the decision today to home school Rabecca for the 2011-2012 school year. A friend suggested Connections Academy to me today when I was looking for information, and I fell in love with it. After doing some research I quickly learned it was the best home school option available. It's a state funded online school, where she can learn at her own pace and I can be more involved with what she's learning. She is actually excited about it, and is looking forward to the possibility of finishing school early in the year. We've already signed up for some amazing field trips, and a "not back to school" camping trip next week!
There's still a few more steps to take for registration, but it should be finished this week and her first day is 8/30. From what I read, she's required to attend 'school' 5 hours a day during the week. It's very structured, she's actually assigned a teacher and we qualify for a free laptop for her to use.
Oaks Park has a home school event 9/9 from 11-4 I'm kind of excited about. $10 for a ride bracelet and skating, plus she gets to interact with other kids in the area that are home schooled. I must admit, I'm a little scared..but I believe it's for the best.
Here's to new adventures, bonding with my daughter and getting her back on track.

What happens when you leave your gear in your car overnight?....

Monday night someone broke into my Jeep and decided my skate bag ($60), including my uniform ($100), skates ($375 including gumball toe stops, Swiss bearings and heartless wheels), knee gaskets ($30), ankle braces ($13 each), wrist guards ($18), elbow pads ($20), mouth guard ($13), black derby skinz ($18), outdoor wheels ($20) Betties shirt ($?) among other misc clothes were more important to them than me..and..100 tickets to the Season 6 Championship bout valued at $14 a piece. I was the new Betties ticket wrangler..they were my responsibility. I decided to have 1/2 in my purse and 1/2 in my skate bag..so when I went into the hangar I'd have plenty on me..

I never leave my gear in my vehicle, much less in my soft top jeep. I coached Wreckers practice on Monday and   planned on leaving again later in the afternoon, possibly for an outdoor skate, so I figured it would be ok as I'd be back down shortly. Well I laid down, iced my knees and didn't leave the rest of the day. I forgot all about my gear until the next afternoon when I when to leave to the store. The back zipper was up and part of my top was ripped. Once I realized my bag was gone I couldn't breathe. The first thing that went through my head was "they're gonna kick me out..I can't play derby anymore"...due to loosing $1400 worth of bout tickets. I immediately called my captain in tears...she was quite calm surprisingly. After a few calls were made, I heard back and found out this type of thing has actually happened before. I was told not to freak out, it's not as bad as it seems. I was able to pick up more tickets for Cheap Ticket Night, and told again...it's ok. It's happened..."not a big deal"..I'll never forget those words. Those words convinced me this will in fact NOT end my derby career...

So throughout the day we searched garbage cans, local apartment dumpsters, posted fliers and went to a local pawn shop. Nothing. My friends and derby sisters immediately started posting all over Facebook: "Portland: Stolen skate alert! Black Reidell skates with fat pink laces, along with gear and a Betties uniform. Please keep an eye out for someone selling these!!"
I was so thankful to have the most caring friends!
Well, Beki told me later to come into the skate shop before practice that night. I figured maybe she had a used pair of skates I could use/buy, MAYBE there was an option for some kind of payment plan. When I go in, she tells me some money has been set aside to help me get new skates. I was shocked..I couldn't believe it. She asks my size, I say 9. "I've got a pair of 965's size 8 I want you to try"...there NO WAY I could afford 965's. NO way. But, she brought them out..and they were beautiful. Dark purple with a bit of black on the toe. They were wide, which was a miracle in itself. I have flat/wide feet. They fit..it was like having cotton balls stuffed into my skates lol. I do a lap around the rink..I was in heaven. They were SO light! They were custom skates that someone had ordered but were too big. I don't know how I got so lucky all the way around..but these skates were going to be mine. These 965 Minx purple boots with Revenge plates were going to be mine! How did that happen?! I was excited (AM EXCITED) but along with that I have a feeling of obvious sadness...other people would be buying these for me. Because I left my gear in my car. Because I messed up.
So Skatie Kat comes in and tells Beki the whole amt. of the skates would be covered. I teared up..I was planning on a payment plan for the balance. I find out there was some funds left over from a Chip In account that was created for Scrappy Go Lucky (my teammate) that was created just a few days before to replace her skates and that PMRD were the main donators to that account. She received some money for her birthday to get new ones..then sadly she lost her job and needed those funds for expenses. Then Skatie says there should be some more funds coming in and she'd just roll it over to be used for me. *insert overwhelming feeling of love and support here*

I head to the hangar with my new skates in hand and Skatie Kat. It was the Betties last practice, and without my gear, I wasn't able to participate. I chatted with Skatie while she waited for the guys to get back from an outdoor skate. When they got back, I ran outside to show them what they had helped purchase. It was impossible for me to put into words how thankful I was. But I tried and they all smiled.

When I got home, I logged into Facebook and saw a Chip In account was created for me! Before I knew it, there was $25 in there! Then $70, now it's up to $301! (it wouldn't refresh real time for me so that $ may not be correct) I didn't know who was donating, how much, I had no idea of the details. The only information I had access to was the comments to the right from people who helped. There's only a few comments but 20 total donations so far. The only ones I know about are from the comments and a couple personal friends. There was a woman I had skated with in an open scrimmage last month, a bouncer with the DC Rollergirls, a couple girls with the league and 2 people I've never met before! I will keep names private as they might want to keep it that way.
Before I knew it, the link to this page was all over Facebook. Girls from other leagues were posting, non-derby friends were posting, it was on a derby girls Yahoo group I belong to but honestly forgot about..I was full of emotions I couldn't express.
I'm sure I'll never know exactly who helped me but I will forever be greatful.
So I've got my skates, and I was able to buy new wrist guards elbow pads last night. I still need a few more things, but thanks to everyone's unbelievable kindness I should have everything I lost in the next week or so :)

<3 Nori

I'm a swapping fool!

I found this awesome website last year (Swap Bot) and it's seriously SO much fun! Basically you sign up for any kind of swap you want. Some are emails where you can swap recipes, song lists, a letter about yourself, etc. Some are flat swaps like postcards, a sticker sheet, a sheet of clear stamps, or a large package! Where you fill the envelope with scrapbooking supplies, ribbon, sewing supplies, basically anything you could think of.

I had some personal things going on shortly after I joined (and had an AWESOME rating) so it went down a bit but I'm trying to get it back up. I'm now back on and ready to swap again! I even created my own swap last night, just an email one but still!

6 months later!

I can't believe how bad I am at keeping a blog. I blame it on Facebook. Back in the day, when I used Live Journal, I'd write every day...*sigh*

So, I'll try to cram the last 6 months into a few paragraphs and bring everyone up to speed. Well...everyone as in those that happen to come accross my blog for one reason or another lol.

I'm still skating with the Rose City Rollers, and I'm now a Break Neck Bettie (!!!!!) I tried out for the Fresh Meat program for the second time back in December 2010 and made it. After a few months, I got cleared for endurance, then cleared for scrimmage/team practices. After a few practices and some talks with some of the Betties...I was hooked. I knew that was one of the teams I someday wanted to be on. RCR is such a competitive league, it's hard enough to make a team, much less make one of the teams you WANT...so it was a long shot.
So, the first draft since I made FM comes up. I was nervous, but since I had hurt my knees at Betties practice the week before and was actually (temporarily) on crutches, I didn't think my chances were good. The night of drafts I didn't go to practice. My attendance was fine, and I was sick so I figured if I didn't make it, I'd much rather get the news while sitting at Kay's drinking beer with John and some friends rather than sitting on the bleachers since I wasn't able to skate anyway. I get the call. I made it. I MADE IT! I was officially a BREAK NECK BETTIE! I cried. My derby dream came true, and much faster than I ever could have expected.

So I've now been a Bettie for a month. Season championships are next month (6/18/11) and we're going to take on the High Rollers.

Home Alone!

The kids are at my grandmas, John is at the beach for my brothers birthday and I'm all one! I've got coffee in hand, warm fire made and I'm excited to finish my dress for the "Miss Universe Pagent" themed Wreckers meeting tonight.
The agenda today consists of finishing my dress, finishing my hair (putting black & pink over the recent bleach job) Wreckers practice from 1-3 then the meeting at 6 and party after!
Tomorrow is Rosebuds practice, first day of bootcamp (OMG YES!!!!!)  then drinks with Kathryn around 6:30!

Alrighty, fires dying down and coffe is almost gone. Time to fix both and get on to my dress!

Good morning!

So setting my alarm for 5am doesn't really do me much good when I hit snooze every 10 minutes. So up at 7 instead!
I decided to juice this morning, but not my normal orange, strawberry, pear, apple, carrot juice. I've been wanting to try 'green' juice for a while now, I just couldn't bring myself to it. So today it's parsley, spinnach, kale, with a bit of orange. It's really not that bad and I'm really looking forward to the energy. I've been so tired and almost lathargic lately. My dr. thinks I have a vitamin b12 deficiency..I think he's right. This should do the trick!

Off to shower, clean up a bit then head to the studio where I'm sure I'll hit a brick wall and my head will go blank...what will I be creating today I wonder??

2 months later..

It's coming up on 2 months since my last day of work (Sept 2nd) and I can honestly say I'm not exactly proud of what I've accomplished. I planned to sew all day, every day, post items on Etsy, open my website and that would be that! I've done a bit of sewing, some roller derby events, school confrences, shopped for fabric, gone to practice and taken care of some personal things on my never ending to-do list.

My alarm is set for 5am and it's do or die. I told myself from theh beginning, if I can't do it, at least I'll know I tried. But I haven't...not really. I haven't put 100% into it and given it my all.

I'm giving myself 2 weeks. If I don't see a major change in my daily habits and drive, I'm throwing in the towel and rejoining the 40 hour a week work force...

raw dinner -

Last night Miya, her friend Lindsey and I met Sarah & Johan for dinner at the Blossoming Lotus. I've only been there once before, but it's an amazing vegan/raw food resteraunt. I never knew you could be in love with food! I had the raw taco salad for the first time and wow. Wow. Yummy! I also had the live nachos of course, I still need to try to make those at home one day!
Afterwards we went to the Hungry Tiger, apparently they have really good vegan corn dogs. Given the fact that I've now been raw now for 8 days it probably wouldn't be a good idea to fall off the wagon quite yet. It was quite a cozy atmosphere, there were couches on the back porch, and people playing board games. We played Apples to Apples, first time for me. Cute game!
~*~*~*~*~Oh my gosh! I totally have to take a minute to say how excited I am, I just found out I was eligible to register my skate name! It's been submitted! I'm so super excited, I decided to go with Nori Spekt! I feel a little more official lol~*~*~*~*~*
So THEN after the Hungry Tiger, we went over to CC Slaughters. It's a gay bar, I've never been there before. Really cool place, I can't wait to go back! I finally headed home around midnight, crawled into bed and drug myself in here at 8am this morning :)
I'm still so super excited about my name..Nori Spekt...lol :)
Boot camp tonight. 2 hours of getting my butt kicked!

Swap-Bot Fun!

I got a postcard today for my Recycled Packaging Postcard Swap, an envelope from my pink ribbon swap, an envelope of little goodies from my Newbie Niceties swap and my package of deco-tapes from my private swap. How cool is that! I guess all the stuff came yesterday, but I stayed home from work so it was there waiting for me. Speaking of, I changed my address so now I'll be recieving packages at home instead of work since I started to get quite a bit of mail. I'm having so much fun with Swap-Bot, what a cool new hobby! I'm in a few swaps currently that I need to work on and get out in the mail, I'll post about them later. I'll also edit this post with pictures of my packages!
Tonight I'm finishing up my journal for Two Weeks In My Lifeto get out in tomorrows mail, that's the one I've been more concerned with. I've NEVER kept a journal on paper, only blogging online and it really is a lot more difficult!

I'm hungry, what's for dinner!?

She said yes :)

So I've been trying to find a good way to ask Miya to be my derby wife for a couple weeks now but it just hasn't quite worked out. Last night, finally, I asked at Gay Skate :) A bunch of us derby girls to go gay skate, it's once a month and a lot of people are there. It's a ton of fun and basically just another 'open skate'. So I asked, and she said yes. I'm pretty excited about it, she's just adorable and the best derby wife I could ask for.

I'm going on day 6 of 100% raw! I've already lost about 8 lbs, but I know it's probably water weight. On top of that I've been skating my ass off and between the two I'm gonna be down to a size 6 in no time! That's my goal :)

*drooling* The Camera I want

I desperately want this camera. It's on sale right now for $399 down from $899, I've never owned a SLR before and it's about time I bought a grown up camera! :)

Boot camp day 1!

First day of boot camp down...barely..
We got our butts handed to us tonight, but it felt amazing! There were about 30 girls there, we really had to push ourselves. Squats, squats, SQUATS! Wow..I was hurting.
I'm probably not going to Wreckers practice tomorrow night, I'm not sure my body could handle it lol. Boot camp again Saturday and Sunday though!

Derby~Rawsome~Adventures~Creative

Derby:

**A few of us Wreckers met up with Viva & Texine with the High Rollers Saturday morning to be a part of the Street-A-Fair over off of Hoyt. It was a Grand Re-Opening for the local businesses. The lead singer from Everclear was there, we were able to get a picture taken with him so that was pretty awesome. We demonstrated some drills, mingled, and really enjoyed skating outside before heading off to practice. Miya's mom, son, and cousin tagged along too! After practice we headed out to the Mississippi Street Fair to hand out flyers and enjoy the rest of the day outside on skates. It was super busy! We had a beer and some vegan pizza at Mississippi pizza, and got to talk to a couple more people about derby! The street fair shut down around 7, then we headed back to Miya's where I grabbed my Jeep and headed home to sleep. I was so exhausted, and was asleep by 8. The next two days I felt like a truck hit me, and Miya was my angel with Epsom Salts lol.

**Boot camp starts tomorrow! I'm really excited, mostly nervous and a little scared. I think mostly because I don't know what to expect! Well that, and that just means Fresh Meat tryouts are just around the corner (8/12/10) I've heard Fresh Meat is much more intense than Wreckers and if our last practice coached by Wench Warden is an idea of what's to come, I won't be able to walk by the 2^nd day!

**If you don't know what a derby wife is, you're not alone…I had no idea about a month and a half ago. I think I'm going to ask a certain someone to be my Derby Wife J I recently posted on Facebook about this my friend Amanda posted the funniest reply

"remember, derby best friends make the best derby wives. there are still so many doors to open yet in derby Kara, dont rush into things, or you may wind up being derby divorced! then you have to divide up the derby property, hire derby lawyers, its a mess. Lots of derby fish in the derby sea. best of luck in your upcoming derby engagement. Ill be happy to officiate the ceremony when it all goes down. :-D "

I laughed so hard, that was priceless! Well, I knew within the first day or two that we had a lot in common besides derby, and there was an immediate friendship/connection there. She's really fun, laid back, into derby as much as I am and genuinely thoughtful. Now I'm just trying to figure out the best way to ask!

RAWR!:

**I promised myself when boot camp came around, I would go 100% raw for the 3 weeks I was in it..maybe that would be enough to keep me doing it longer! So today I had a medium zucchini (ribbons) some diced red & green pepper, shredded carrots, cilantro salad with avocado mashed up with lime juice for the 'dressing' and it was yummy!

I have a few new recipe books, so I'm excited to see what I can come up with!

 

Sewing/Creating/Adventures:

**I'm dying to start my own business. Every day I come up with new ideas and think of how to go about it. It's a bit hard to do when you work full time. I sewed a bag yesterday, it turned out pretty cute! The pattern is really basic, I'm thinking about editing it to make it my own design. Etsy keeps calling my name..I really just need to jump in and do it.

 

Playing Catch Up

I need to get a tattoo on my hand that says "Update Blog"...seriously.

A couple weeks ago Tini and I took 13 teenagers (Rosebuds) camping for the weekend. It was fun, but a lot of work/stress for only two people. This caused me to miss Wreckers practice. Last weekend, John, Bex, Rachaell, Jamie and I went camping with my mom, sister and niece down in Southern Oregon for the 4th of July/mom's 50th birthday (yet missing another weekend of Wreckers practice..) I'm really not sure how to explain that weekend, it was a strange one. I love my mom dearly, but I went home remembering again why I moved away.

More derby stuff..love it!! This weekend is my first practice in a month. I've gone to two gay skates and I've skated outdoors but with bootcamp starting next week I need to catch up. Ah yes...bootcamp. I'm so excited I can't stand it. I was on the waiting list for about 3 weeks due to a glitch in the shopping cart. There were 30 spots available and mine went through when there was still room. Aparently it synced up with the system when it was sold out...making me #1 on the waiting list. Well I got the email Tuesday, and I'm in! So starting next Thursday I'll be practicing about 5 times a week, twice on Saturday. It's going to kick my ass, I'll be sore, but it's (hopefully) going to get me ready for Fresh Meat Tryouts in August.
I just bought some awesome tights, socks and laces from Wicked Skatewear, I can't wait to wear them this weekend! And Beki at Oaks set me and Bex up with some awesome new (better) wheels than we already had so I should be set!

Work..ugh. I have a job so I shouldn't be complaining but it's nice outside, I have this great sewing studio/creative space that I'm not able to find time to get to and I'm not in love with my job..not the way I use to be. I can't wait until I come up with an amazing idea, and can sell billions of whatever that may be lol..until then I'm here. Monday through Friday..I'm here. In my cubicle..

Love..oh yeah! I'm more in love than ever. Every day I find yet another reason to be greatful for my awesome relationship. John's really been supportive of RD, helping me figure out what I want to do when I grow up, and the kids. I'm so happy it's one less stress I have to deal with.

Friends..where are they?! Facebook seems to be really the only way of communicating with my friends now, and I'm not exactly sure what I think about it. Jen and I text, Rochelle and I chat online, but for the most part, other than that it's all Facebook. We're all so busy so it certainly comes in handy..but what happened to the personal quality time, the friendly get togethers and happy hour?

I found a website yesterday, Swap-Bot. I can't believe I've never heard of this before, but it's a website where you can go to trade stuff! Handmade, New, Vintage, whatever! I'm excited to get started and start swapping, I love getting things in the mail! I signed up for a few already, one I'm most excited about is a journal swap. We keep a daily journal with a minimum of 10 entries and 10 pictures. We need to include 3 'souveniers' and an intro page. We then send it off to the person that was assigned to us and we get to read about the life of a complete stranger! I think it's really cool, and I'm going to tell them all about roller derby! Another one, is we just need to send a package of pink stuff. That's it, just pink items! Ribbon, note cards, stickers, fabric, etc. We get to read their profile and get an idea of the kinds of things they like and go from there. I can't wait to start getting packages in the mail!

That's it for now, time to work!

Tickets - Tickets- Get your Tickets!

I finally got to experience what it's like to skate in downtown Portland. I met up with Tyger and Tammy at Henry's for a drink before heading out to pass out flyers and promote the awesomeness that is Roller Derby.
We had a great time, the weather stayed dry, and at the end of the night Tammy ended up selling 4 tickets!

2 Year 364 Days!

John and I area heading out of town tonight for our 3 year anniversary. We're going on a weekend road trip with no set destination in mind and I'm pretty excited about it. Tonight we'll be heading toward the John Day Fossil Beds (I think) but we'll see! Now that we have a Cherokee we can throw the air mattress in the back and sleep back there. Who needs a hotel room when you've got an SUV! Lol Tomorrow I think we'll make our way towards Bend and hit some hot springs along the way.

The only thing that really sucks, is I'll be missing practice AGAIN..

I just want to skate!

Is this normal!? I work Monday through Friday 8-5, practice is Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. I live in Oregon, which means rain..and a lot of it. I FINALLY get my outdoor wheels and I have no idea where to skate around here.

I could go to Oaks, and pay $6 every time I wanna go but I'm hoping to find somewhere around here that doesn't cost. That's indoors! The mall? Lol I don't know how well that would go over..but the people would make great obstacles!

 

How To Date A Rollergirl: A MANual

This is by far the funniest thing I've read this week. It seems to ring pretty true, especially the part where we smell. Bad.
This is a must read for any boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband/partner/stalker of any derby girl. Don't say you weren't warned!
I borrowed this from http://www.livederbygirls.com/, please check out their site!


Dating a rollergirl is not for the faint of heart, gentlemen. There are intolerable things that you will be forced to put up with: your girl smells. She smells BAAAAD. She has lots of friends, LOTS of them; and they all smell bad too. Her hobby is expensive—we can spend more money on SHIT than you would ever believe (It’s true!). Roller derby is evolving faster than DELL. She’s always covered in unsightly bruises, and you will probably catch some scathing glances from restaurant patrons when they catch a glimpse of her battered biceps.
But there are plenty of perks that go along with dating a rollergirl too: chances are your old lady has the sweetest ass on the block. Chances are your old lady has the meanest BLOCK on the block, too. You get the bragging rights of dating the Tri-State Leg Wrestling Champion. She’s the closest thing you’ll ever meet to Wonder Woman, and your old lady has her own old lady. How cool is that!

So, here are a few tips to keep your Warrior Woman happy:

1—Don’t EVER say, “Dude, I totally saw you bust your ass out there” or any variation of that phrase. I just knocked down eight people BEFORE I busted my ass, so how ‘bout you point that out.

2—Please don’t bitch about the smell! I know I stink. I can smell myself. People recoil and visibly wretch when I walk into the gas station after practice. I really don’t need you to point out that I stink after every bout, practice, dryland, etc.

3—Forget the flowers. Bearings are a girls best friend—expensive ones, that come in tiny red boxes adorned with white crosses.

4—Compliment me on my ass, a lot! Flattery will get you everywhere! I worked hard on that thing. It’s nice to know you appreciate it.

5—If you’re going to get mad when I don’t pay attention to you at practice, don’t come. I don’t hang out at the gym while you and your boys pump iron, then get pissed off ‘cause you’re too busy giving yourself a hernia doing leg presses to pay attention to me. You don’t go to the gym to hang out with me! I don’t go to practice to hang out with you!

6—I’m on a high protein diet! Stay the fuck out of my beef jerky!

7—If we win, tell me how awesome I was.

8—If we lose, TELL ME HOW AWESOME I WAS!!! Now is not the time to bring up the fact that I accidentally took out my own jammer during the last jam when we were down by six points.

These are just a few simple suggestions that really will make your lives easier, guys. And remember, the way to a rollergirl’s heart is ATOM!

How To Date A Rollergirl: A MANual

Ima Slacker!

It's June 2nd and I haven't posted a real blog worthy post in..well..a LONG time! I swore this year I'd do better. I guess I've been so wrapped up with random Facebook posts on a daily basis I've completely forgoten about blogging.

So here I am again.
My crazy life now consists of Roller Derby and work. My job is pretty basic, Mon-Fri 8-5 (4 on Fridays) but Roller Derby..Roller Derby has taken over..and I LOVE it! I joined barely a month and a half ago, and since then I've been going to practices 3 days a week, a few open skates at Oaks, a few bouts, and I've been volunteering. Not to mention Bex is now a Rosebud (Portland's Junior Roller Derby team) so I'm trying to help out where I can with them as well. I'm sore all the time, I often feel like I'm not getting anywhere and I'm considering changing my name to Klutz. But I feel so amazing after the practices, and as much as I hate endruance training..I am so thankfull for it after. I signed up for the Pre-Meat Bootcamp last night, I really think it will be a great experience, not to mention raise my chances on getting picked for the Fresh Meat team. Bootcamp goes from 7/15-8/8 and tryouts are 8/12. I'm already nervous. But..I know what I need to practice, I know what I'm struggling with and if I could just get those things down it will make more confident for the bootcamp!

This weekend is Our Gang Off Road's Season Opener up at Browns Camp and I'm leading a ladies only trail run...otherwise I'd be going to the Championships and practice :(

Zoe got to spend the night with me on Saturday. It was awesome, I haven't cared for a newborn (2 mos.) in almost 10 years! Funny how everything comes back. I have absolutely no desire to have any more kids, and I LOVE that I can just take her home to her parents :) But Jen and I have been best friends for 13 years. We've been there through each others marriage's, divorces, kids, custody issues, legal issues, we've had normal best friend problems and here we are. She's not my sister, but she might as well be. I'm so greatful to be Zoe's aunt, I'm excited to spoil her rotten, to be a shoulder for her to cry on. To have a safe place for her to come to when she's 15 and her parent's 'just don't understand'.

That's it for now, time to get back to work.

Negative calorie foods

I was eating some fresh (not canned) pineapple this morning at my desk and thought to myself ~I wonder if there's a diet made up of ONLY pineapple..I could eat ony pineapple if I had to!~ and I found it. Pineapple, ice water, and tuna (?!) I'm not sure I'd really enjoy tuna and pineapple for a week straight but that's just me. On and off the raw food wagon for months, I'm hoping to get inspired again and figure out my happy medium.
So this morning, I had..

1 banana

1 Odwalla Strawberry/Bananna juice

1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple

I love fresh fruit. LOVE IT! So maybe I can do this pineapple thing..or something similar. I've put on 16 lbs in the last 5 or 6 months and I'm I misserable. My clothes fit and I'm sure it's not all fat as I'm skating a lot now (Roller Derby) but still..16 pounds! Here goes nothing..again!

I found this list of "Negative Calorie Foods", where your body actually burns more calories than they contain. That's kind of a cool thought..

Negative Calorie Vegetables
Asparagus
Beet Root
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
CeleryChicory
Hot Chili
Cucumber
Garden cress
Garlic
Green Beans
Lettuce
Onion
Radish
Spinach
Turnip
Zucchini

Negative Calorie Fruits
Apple
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cranberry
Grapefruit Honeydew
Lemon/Lime
Mango
Orange
Papaya
PeachPineapple
Raspberry
Strawberry
Tomato
Tangerine
Turnip
Watermelon

Rose City Rollers :: Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls Fundraiser

Rose City Rollers :: Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls Fundraiser

Lace up your skates -- it's time to rumble | OregonLive.com

Here's an article written about Rose City Roller's ~ Rosebuds team, John, Bex and Rach got to see their first bout on Sunday. I unfortunately had to work, but I heard it was fantastic!

Lace up your skates -- it's time to rumble OregonLive.com

Derbygirl's Blog

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4b29f2e848a8cdf8

Raw Food it is!

Anyone who knows me at all know I change my mind about as often as I change my Facebook status *lol*. So Vegan wasn't for me. I don't have the dedication it takes (or the paycheck) to cut all animal products completely out of my life. Food yes, no problem I can do that. But shoes, handbags, face moisturizer and shampoo? So with more research and a bit of poking around the internet I discovered the Raw Food diet. Which..I don't think you can consider it a diet, and maybe that's not the right term. I've heard Raw Food Revolution, Raw Food Enthusiest, Raw Foodie *lol*. I stumbled upon an amazing website Raw Food Rehab and so far I think it's going to be the key to my success. The women I've had the opportunity to speak with so far are wonderful and very inspirational.
I even got a food dehydrator a couple days ago, I can't wait to start putting it to good use! Also, the day I joined I went and bought flax seed, raw brazil nuts, and raw sunflower seeds to get me started.
I talked to John a little about it and how I really want the kids to be on board with it as well. He (seems) up to the challange!

So for breakfast today:
Odwalla Mango Tango Smoothie (don't think it's raw because I think they are pasturized~but I'm still new to this, I'll learn!)

Lunch:
4 Carrots (juiced in my fantastic Omega VRT)
2 Kiwi's (juiced)
1 Apple (juiced)
1/2 Celery Stock (juiced)

I've never EVER juiced a carrot and drank it...it was simply wonderful! I never expected it to be sweet, what a nice treat!

I can't wait to see what I can come up with for dinner:)

Raw Food Diet?

 

I read something last night that just amazed me. A woman that was given just 2 weeks to live, on her death bed with colon cancer, was sent home with her family to die. Her daughter started feeding her a macrobiotic diet, and she fully recovered. The main reason why I wanted to go Vegan was because of the health benefits. I'm not going to stop using my favorite kinds of makeup, or tell my family and friends to stop hunting, so in trying to find a happy medium, maybe a Raw Food diet is the way to go? I just love fresh fruits and veggies, above pizza, cheeseburgers, and steak. But oh man how I love steak…and chicken lol. And SUSHI! But, trying to find a place I'm comfortable in, looks like I'm going to try this route and see where it leads.

I am just so thankful to have such an open minded man, he's willing to try anything. He went to a Vegan restaurant with me a few weeks ago, he watched a nutrition video last night with me when we went to bed and he even agreed to do yoga with me this morning before I went to work! Which…I admit we didn't do lol but we will! I have the best support I could ask for, how lucky am I?!?!

How To Make A Kitty Hammock « Inside, Out: Home Garden

How To Make A Kitty Hammock « Inside, Out: Home Garden

Posted using ShareThis

Good morning!

Rachaell missed the bus today, seams to be a regular thing for her now. I have a meeting with my boss in couple hours and while they always go great, and I'm usually as prepared as I'd like to be I'm always stressed and scrambling to find papers just minutes before. Odwalla Mango Tango and Adderall for breakfast, always a nice combination.

My order from Overstock.com is coming today, being delivered here at work so that'll be fun. I purchased a refurbished Brother CE5000 Project Runway Edition sewing machine for the girls' to learn on and to have an extra when I want to work on projects away from home. I also have 2 sweaters and a jacket coming, all for less than $15 each J

WOOHOO! UPS just delivered them, how funny.

Alright back to work. Then to Rachaell's meds follow up at 10:30, taking an early lunch.

~Fell off the wagon..time to get back on~

I think it's quite possibe that I'm the worst Vegan ever. Just a few days after a shopping trip with Rabecca and John to Food Fight over on Sandy in Portland, I consumed...wait for it..steak. It's been about a week since I threw Veganism to the wind but in my defense, it's been a rough few weeks. My brain's been much from one or both of the girls being sick, basketball practices and games, me getting sick, work, throwing a baby shower for my best friend, and now here I am. Things are slowing down and I think I can hold my head high and say I'm ready to give it another go.

Now, getting off topic, Jen's baby shower went great. Most of our friends were there, there was lots of food and the men were great sports about it being co-ed.
Baby Zoe will be here in less than a month and I'm so excited!

Vegans Taste Better

While strolling the isles of Whole Foods (working my second job) last Sunday I picked up a book that I whole heartedly believe has already changed my life. The Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living. I immediately made the decision to totally commit to becoming a Vegan. Now, this isn't the first time I've tried this, back in April of 2008, while on a wheelin' trip to Moab, UT with my boyfriend (John) I picked it up at a small local bookstore, Skinny Bitch. It's the most amazing book I've ever read. It completely changed my outlook on eating and what I put into my body..for about 4 months. I tried to go Vegan..it lasted a week. At the time it was just 'too hard' and I switched to Vegetarian for the next 3 1/2 months until I fell off the wagon and haven't looked back since. Until last weekend.
But, I became 100% more concious on what I eat and how important fresh fruits and veggies are for you. I started teaching my girls what I had learned and I started reading more on refined, enriched, and processed foods. White sugar, rice and flour, I'm convinced, are the devil. White pasta is everything BUT healthy and I never really knew all of that before.
So before I left the store for the day, I bought Tofu, fresh fruits and veggies, some organic maple syrup, vegan "sour cream" and organic vegan "butter". Oh, and some vegan "cheddar" cheese that will actually take some time getting use to, but I will!
For dinner I had cauliflower and broccoli with some curry paste, coconut milk and brown rice. It was fantastic. Since Monday, I've been eating fresh fruit smoothies with nothing but fruit and water, home made soup with nothing but veggies and tofu and MMMMMmmm Vanilla Silk Soy Milk!

I still have a lot to learn, but I'm really excited!

Pieces of Kara!

Like everyone elses, my life is made up of (what feels like) a million different pieces. I have an abnormally large number of hobbies, ideas what I think are just great at the time, projects I never finish and what I like to call 'girl moments'. My girls drive me crazy but I love them more than anything. I'm extremely thankful to be employed but sometimes working two jobs drives me insane.

I have a blog for sewing, then of course Myspace and Facebook, then some random blogs laying around the internet. I started off in Live Journal, which I still use once ina blue moon, but I've always liked the idea of starting fresh.

Here's hoping this one will be one of the last ones I create. Here's hoping this is one of the best years of all time, and here's hoping I can find some way to stop 30 from happening..I've got less than 3 months to figure it out.