Family!

I know I have been a bit absent from this scene again. I just wanted to stop in quick and brag about my family a little bit! Usually, we all go to Montana for Christmas. This year I have to work and instead of be stuck in Portland, my family rearranged plans to spend Christmas in Portland. It will be a year of some new traditions. My nephew is now 19 months and it will be a special treat to see Christmas through his eyes. My parents are currently driving from very snowy montana to be here by tomorrow and I can hardly wait!

Here are some highlights of my Christmas season, December 2013 thus far!

Winter Ale Festival 

Winter Ale Fest

Peacock Lane 

Peacock Lane Christmas lights

50 years later...

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the 35th President, John F Kennedy. It truly is an event unlike any other in recent American history.  I will be honest, American history is not really my forte and so my knowledge of the events on this day are derived from just a few sources.

So, this week I embarked on a task of asking all of my patients >50 years old what they remembered from the Kennedy assassination. I am a sucker for personal portrayal of history and it seemed like this week everyone was talking about the 50 year anniversary. Here are some of the most interesting stories I heard this week:

-"I was an 18 year old and the class president of my senior class. The principal tasked me to go to each of the classrooms to tell each teacher of Kennedy's death. At least half of those teachers cried"

-"I was 4 and I just remember my mom crying. It seemed the nation was crying"

-"Oh yes, I remember. It was horrible. It was the unthinkable. The unimaginable. And now we were stuck with LBJ. We had lost our hope. And Jackie. Poor Jackie. She truly lived up to all of our expectations. They were our Royal Family" -87 year old female

-"All I could think about was if Kennedy was dead, we were likely going to be taken over by the Russians"

-"I was living in NYC at the time, as a stock exchange currier. The news spread like wild fire and they closed trading for the day. They were terrified the market would crash as a result. It really shut down the city in a way I've never seen. No one was on the street. The city was mourning" -90 year old female

"I was 20 and remember it well. In college in California. Class had just ended or something and I was passing through the student union building and saw masses of people crowed around the TV. I stopped to check it out and couldn't believe my eyes"

"I was 18 at the time, living in Fort Worth. All I remember thinking is, we are going to go to war because of this. Sure enough, Vietnam came just a few years later" 78 year old patient, veteran of Vietnam

The stories go on. I tried to ask the questions in a way that I could spark personal memory versus memories clouded by information since learned. I will say it was a really neat experience for me and a week I won't easily forget.

my fabulous weekend

I want to end every sentence in this post with an ! or !!!!!, just so you know.  My best friend Kristen was in Portland to hang out with me for the weekend. Let me start by saying I am completely blessed by this lovely lady. She knows me from all my life stages. We were friends in high school, better friends in college and best life friends since then. She is truly a special friend and I am so lucky to have her only 160 miles from me! Such a perfect weekend!

Friday

 -Breakfast at Jam!!!

-Shopping (including Christmas gift shopping)

-Board games at Vivace

-Home made pizza 

-Home made pumpkin roll

-Wine!

-Authentic conversations til the wee hours

Saturday

-Home made scones and coffee

-Pottery painting!!!!!!

-Shopping

-Snack at Matadore 

-Great American Wife Festival with Kristen and Meghan

-Deschutes; best Mac and Cheese- ever!

-Falling asleep to Season 2 of Grays

Sunday

-Walk around the neighborhood while the sun peaked out on us

-Brunch at the Waffle Window

-Coffee at Barista 

-Ticket to Ride at a Coffee shop (I lost twice to this girl)

-Seahawks win!!!!!! 10-1 to start the season

-Shopping at BR with Tony

-Sunday night football and catch up for the week

-Dinner Chicken Parm and couscous 

Life goals

I am very good at setting work goals. And gym goals. And little New Years resolutions. But it's been a while since I have set any life goals. You know, the goals of where you want to be in 5 years? Things you want to try and accomplish. Finding a life partner you want to commit to forever and ever. Little humans you want to bring into the world, etc. Those goals, I am not so good at setting. 

Today when I was riding the bus I read something that said very simply, "if your dreams don't scare you, then they aren't big enough". Got me thinking, what are my life dreams? My life goals? 

It's interesting as you live your life in the world of academia for a while (18 years, plus 4 years, plus 3), most of your goals and accomplishments are established and layed out for you- you just have to go achieve them. Very different is the world once you leave that nice little structure. 

My best friend is visiting this weekend and I absolutely cannot wait to hang out with her and ponder life dreams together. I am ever reminded how blessed I am to life in a country that allows space for dreaming and achieving. Stay tuned!

Strength Training

Subscribing to a lifting program has always been difficult for me to do. Not sure why, but I find myself really not that interested in lifting. Maybe because I associate lifting with big, bulky muscles that make it so I cannot get my jeans past my thighs or my shirts get stuck on my biceps. But what I think it really comes down to is I have never stuck with a lifting program long enough to see results. And if you never see results, why keep trying?

Being a physical therapist, I am the first one to know the benefits of strength training. Here are a couple that come to mind:

• Improved metabolic rate; improve and increase efficiency of the body's ability to burn calories 
• Improved Bone Density-prevention of bone loss. Increasingly more important for women as we age
• Sharpen focus and boosted stamina 
• Improved glucose control

This month I am committing to a strength program targeting specific muscle groups. Arms, back, core and legs. I have to admit, this is going to be a challenge. I know I am going to need to start lifting at work to get each program in and completed. I am also working on a plank challenge and that is where I am seeing the most progress.

Overall, it's been a good first week! I feel like I have more energy and I actually feel like my pants are fitting better :)

Cheers to the end of week 1! Don't forget to follow me on twitter if you're interested in a more daily update! @jyndiaschaible

Weekend! Fall back...

This weekend was fantastic! Fully of fun fall like activities. On Saturday we went out to Kramer vineyard to participate in their vertical party. We tasted 6 different vintages of the same wine (2005,2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011). It was really cool to learn more about the process of wine making, what goes into harvest and more details about Pinot Noir. I also got to wear my Hunter boots for the first time so I was pretty excited!!

We got back from the vineyard and got ready for the "Fall Back" party. I made some pumpkin bread and provided cheeses and crackers. It was fun to host a bunch of people and just hang out in the new house. I got to see some folks I havent seen in a long while. I wish I would have gotten more pics of friends for the evening.

On Sunday I went to the gym and got a good sweat on. I have been doing well with the workouts so far and surprisingly the hardest part I have noticed is getting my diet on track. Its not that I eat poorly on the whole, but I do like the sweets. I think I will focus on cutting some of the snacking out next week. This week it has been all about getting back to going to the gym! We watched the Seahawks win again and capped the night off by making jambalaya!

I am a bit late to update for the weekend, but it was truly a good one.

November Boot Camp!

 There is something to be said that once you put something "out there" in the not-so-small world of the internet, it carries a little weight. This is my attempt. In the past 3-4 months, I have taken a not so small break from the gym and all things active. Part of it has been a change in my working hours at work (I now work from 830-7, instead of 7-530) and part of it has been endless traveling and finding buffalo wings and beer more appealing than healthy shakes and veggies. Regardless, these not so lovely habits have got to stop for fear my pants will no longer fit.

Enter November's BootCamp! Here are some of my ideas. I am trying to be realistic in my expectations because I dont do well with failure (blame the type A, OCD side  of me). I am also enlisting some friends in my venture. And lastly, I am contemplating posting weekly as another way of keeping myself accountable. My poor little blog has taken a back seat and its time to revive it!

Here is a little of what BootCamp is going to look like:

Sweat:
-Gym workouts 4 days week
-1 class per week (included in the 4 days/week)
-Tally at least 10,000 steps per day
-Participate in the 30 day challenge for abs, arms and planks

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Must include yogurt and granola
Dinner: Shakes for dinner, 3 of 4 work nights
Limit eating out to 2-3 times per week
NO beer for the entire month of November :(
Drink 64 oz of water per day

Goals:
Lose 1 pounds per week (7 total weeks before Christmas)
2 inches off my waist and 1 inch from my true waist
Firm/Tone arms (unsure how to define this objectively yet...)

Thats a good start. I think I need to sit down at the beginning of each week and plan it out. I know I do better with a plan. I looked into morning classes and I could take a 530AM cycle class twice a week at one gym and 6AM at the other gym. I might have to try and attend one or two of those. :/ For those that know me, I dont do mornings well.

I will be posting instagram (jyndia) and twitter (@jyndiaschaible) updates of which you are welcome to join in a fitness challenge of your own.  I think I will use #NovBootyCamp for twitter follower if you want to also hashtag. Goal of updating the blog on fridays and will likely call it Friday Fitness Update or something super creative like that :)

A perfect weekend!

Fall in Portland is hard to beat. The crisp cool air, beautiful transition of all the leaves and the abundance of sunshine has made this one of the best fall seasons in my recent memory. This weekend we went to Sauvie Island to get veggies to make fabulous dinners from, went whiskey tasting at some local distilleries and made dinner on sunday and watched a lot of football. Overall, the weekend was perfect and I cannot wait for more fall days ahead!

whirlwind

... noun- something that involves many quickly changing events, feelings, etc

Thats a pretty accurate summary of the last month for me! I started the month off in Lebanon hanging out with my family as my sister-in-law competed in her first triathlon! So impressive that she completed it quickly!

Second weekend, I went to Montana for my cousins wedding! She was absolutely stunning, but my favorite part was just spending time with my family at my parents house. My mom and I repainted my old room, watched some football with my parents and had a great, restful weekend.

I came back and worked three days and then headed off to New York to celebrate Haley's wedding combined with a mini-college reunion! It was such a lovely week spent catching up with friends from all corners of my life and spending time in a city I love.

And last weekend I went to Houston with some friends to watch the Seahawks win against the Texans and celebrate a friend's birthday. All in all it was an amazing month filled with memories to last a lifetime. I am going to do a photo dump and hopefully add words and real thoughts soon hereafter. Enjoy!

Lyd's triathlon 

Cousin's wedding!

NEW YORK!

Houston TX

SeaHawks win!

Catch up soon!

#iamback!

It feels so good to log into blogger again. I am a bit overwhelmed by the unread blogs I have waiting for me to read, but heres to hopefully being back on track! A lot has happened in just one short month. The biggest news is I am a semi-homeowner! I say semi because my parents were kind enough to foot the downpayment for this beautiful house that I now call my home. It was built this year and was finished the week before we closed. As one might expect, purchasing a home is an all encompassing event. Just finding a home in Portland's market was exhausting. A very low inventory mixed with location specifications for proximity to work made a very small window even smaller. But we survived!

A little about the house! Its a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath with brand new everything! The kitchen/living room is an open concept with a quant little deck to host parties and events. I cannot wait to make it more my home. I have been in it for a little over a week, but with a hectic work schedule, it has been tough to find motivation to unpack boxes.

In other news, I completed two bike races with friends. The first being Women, Wine and Wheels which was a 30+ mile ride in wine country that I completed with my friend Sarah. We had a blast, but there were a lot of hills. Good ride that was well organized. One I will forsure look to do again next year.

Sarah an myself prerace

The other ride was the Portland Bridge Pedal. For anyone who knows me, knows I love the bridges of this city. We rode over all 10 bridges that cross the Willamette River along with about 18,000 other riders. My friend Fiona and myself logged 35+ miles throughout the city and it was amazing, including 2 bridges that are part of the freeway system!!! I will post separate blogs on these events- stay tuned!

I cannot believe September is this weekend. It seems like it was just July. I am looking forward to fall for many reasons, but the biggest of all is this weekend; College Football!!!! cannot. freaking. wait!

Will be back soon! Enjoy the long holiday weekend!

Half way there... [101 in 1001] update

I did not realize until late last night that yesterday was my 1/2 way point of my 1001 days!  Hard to believe it has been 500+ days since I created my list! I still remember sitting down with a pencil and paper (who really does that any more) and thinking about all the things I would like to accomplish in the next 1001 days. The idea of lists is really quite fascinating. You scribe things in somewhat of a bullet or number fashion, in hopes of completing or checking these items off the list. The list helps them to be organized. The list holds its own weight of significance; it has been written down, no turning back.  The irony of it is, the list was created to be dismembered.

My list was created partly because I love making lists. I love even more when I can check something off the list. I feel that lists keep me organized. Keep me focused. I am a task orientated person (not just something I can say when interviewing for a job). The gratification that comes with checking an item off the list is akin to finishing a race or winning a contest.

Anyways, the progress on my 101 things has been somewhat slow. There are items on the list that are easy to check off and others that require more planning, money and time. As of July 23rd, 2013, I have completed 31 tasks and 5 other tasks are in progress. That brings my total to 36/101 that are somewhat complete. I have some work to do!

This week we are heading to Montana for some much needed vacation. My brother, sister-in-law and nephew will also be there, so it will be a fun filled 4 days in paradise! When I return, I will start to get more serious about scheduling in some "list" activities. The greatest thing about this list is that it is comprised of all things I WANT to do!! Excited to see what the second half of this journey holds in store!

In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed ~ Sid Caesar

100 Things That Make Me Happy...

There are so many things that make me happy. From the littlest things to the biggest things. I feel so blessed that a list of a 100 things was relatively easy to comprise. There have been a few times in my life where coming up with this list would have been rather difficult due to circumstances or situations. What I want most from making this list, is a reminder that no matter the circumstance, there are always things all around me that make me happy. 

• Vanilla lattes
• My family
• My nephew's sweet squeals
• Flowers in a mason jar
• Red wine
• Going/watching to football games
• Sweet text messages
• Being known
• Coffee dates with my friends
• Peanut butter on M&Ms
• Country music
• A clean car
• Traveling
• Reading books by the fire
• Worship at my church
• 4th of July in Montana on the lake
• My job and my amazing coworkers
• Wearing my boots
• Fall weather
• Riding my bike
• Falling asleep in the sun
• Cowboy hats and beer in mason jars
• Checking things off my list
• Wondering through an unknown city
• Writing
• Discovering new music 
• Catching up with a friend on the phone/FaceTime/Skype
• Playing board games with my family
• Sunshine! and at the same time, rain
• Live music
• Having my hair washed for me
• Finding old pictures sparking old memories
• People watching
• Camp fires and roasting marshmallows 
• Knowing how much my family loves me
• Smell of rain
• Unplugging from technology
• Bridges in Portland
• Quite time with my God
• Buying used books
• Trying new foods/restaurants
• Nutella
• Drinking beer with my dad
• Summer seasonal (beers) on a hot summer day
• Going to Timbers games and sitting in the Army!
• Walks in the sun
• Food carts in Portland
• Busy streets of NYC
• Setting goals and of course, completing them!
• Hosting parties
• Planning a vacation with someone I love
• A breeze on a hot day
• Lemon in my water
• Rereading the Harry Potter series
• Escaping all the traffic lights on my way home
• Sunsets
• Thunderstorms
• Fun chunky jewelry
• New nikes on my feet
• Having deep meaningful conversations
• Laughter
• Reading on a rainy day
• Feeling sore after a long workout
• Sleeping in a hammock 
• Journaling
• Oversized sunglasses
• Walking down a new street and taking in the vibe
• Buying the perfect gift
• My profession
• Fresh fruit from the farmers market
• Reading People magazine 
• Going to baseball games
• Talking about dreams for the future
• Brunch on the weekends
• Long, intellectual conversations with my brother and his wife
• Making dinner
• Funfetti cake and frosting
• Anything the color of teal
• Organizing my closet/life
• Pinterest :)
• Growing and confirmation in my faith
• Post-workout feeling
• People watching and making up stories about their lives 
• Wearing my sperrys or toms
• Mac & Cheese
• Partaking in city adventures and seeing my city in a way I never have before
• Taking old things and making then new
• Tailgating before football games
• Celebrating love by going to someone's wedding
• Spending time with children
• Tim's Cascade Chips (especially Jalapeno)
• Garage Sales with my mom
• Montana 
• Receiving compliments
• Being the little spoon
• Receiving snail mail
• Date night 
• Shopping with my friends
• Watching FRIENDS reruns and laughing til I cry

Life happenings!

Whew! Summer is almost half over and I cannot even begin to recap all the adventures that have been happening around here. So many great things, that at the end of the day, I am exhausted and have nothing left in my tank (in my mind, the best way to live life!). I have taken another large hiatus from the blogging world, but attempting to find more of a rhythm in the upcoming weeks/months. Here is a little blurb of the adventures that have been happening in my little world:

Family!
I have been so incredibly blessed to have my family around these past few weeks. My brother completed the Seattle to Portland bike ride, which meant I got to spend some sweet time with my little nephew, sister-in-law and some of her family. I cannot believe how big my little James has gotten! My parents surprised my brother by driving to Portland, so we had a great time hanging out in the sunshine. It was fun to see everyone and play in the Portland sunshine.

Work!
I have officially been a practicing licensed PT for 1 year! I had my annual review last week at OHSU and it was so fun to look how far I have come in the past year. I am beginning to define myself as more of a professional and expert in my field. I am humbled by how much I have learned in the past year and excited to see what is on the horizon for this next year as I am given more responsibilities and take on new projects. A more detailed post coming on this!

Adventures with my friends!
Where to start! I feel like we have been having non-stop adventures! Taking advantage of the lovely weather we have been having in Portland and enjoying sights and scenes all around us. My friend Kristen came down from Seattle for a weekend and we kayaked, went on a long bike ride and ate tons of food. The quest to find the best burger in Portland continues, but so far my favorite is the lamb burger from Wildwood.  For the 4th of July, we went to the Blues Fest on the Waterfront with some friends and then went down to the St. Paul rodeo on Friday with some of Tony's friends. Timbers played an away match so we met up with some friends and watched the game at Kells (and got free pint glasses with our beers)!

Kayaking in PDX

Finding a home!
In other news, some exciting things coming down the pike. My parents were in Portland for the past week looking at homes in the area to buy as an investment property with the hopes of myself purchasing it from them in the future. We found my dream home that is in the final stages of being built! We put an offer in last week and it was accepted! So now we are in those in-between stages where the paperwork is taking place. More on this in a future post as well! I am very excited to start the next stage of my life- seems so unreal!

Urban Waxx

NorthWest Location

In the spirit of talking about things I love about Portland, I thought I would do a review of one of my favorite places to be pampered. I started going to Urban Waxx when I first moved back to Portland a year and a half ago. Finding a waxing place was daunting because I had the most lovely waxing lady in Denver and I was anxious about finding a place that would be as good as my previous experience.

I searched yelp and the first place to come up was Urban Wax. I was skeptical, but after reading the reviews I decided to give it a try. I appreciated that their website features full bios on their specialists since waxing is a fairly intimate experience and you want to be with someone who "gets you". I chose Megan because a few of the reviews mentioned her by name and because she looked fun and bubbly! I could not have chosen a better person!

Here are just a few reasons why I love Urban Waxx!! 

• The customer service is among the best out of any pampering service I have ever experienced
• The front desk staff are all so incredibly welcoming and make you feel like a person, not a number
• I love that they offer you coffee, tea or wine when you arrive and also have M&Ms and nuts available for snacking. I try to arrive early enough to enjoy this special little treat 
• I love that they have samples in their bathroom of some of the products they feature (Sweet Spot is my favorite!)
• I love that Megan is always running on time; I cannot tell you how important this is when I am trying to squeeze in a myriad of other errands or am rushing to/from work 
• The atmosphere is incredibly inviting and invokes a sense of relaxation. Their overstuffed couches and chairs are perfect for sipping on my drink of choice and pursing one of many magazines
• They accept on-line booking!!! which is so convenient since I usually remember to book my appointments after they've closed for the evening
• Each time you refer a friend, you recieve 15% off- how much better can it get?!

This past year I have been working with Megan to reshape my eyebrows. She has been incredibly patient with my instinct to over-tweeze and continues to remind me to just have faith in the process. My eyebrows were previously super thin and did not compliment face shape at all. She has given me countless tips on how to survive the "growing out phase" and never pushes products on me. Another great bonus, she always remembers the smallest details of my life. This again helps me to not just feel like a number.

Urban Waxx has several locations in Portland. I go to the one in NW since it is close to my apartment, but I have friends that go to other locations and also boast of their wonderful customer service and atmosphere. They have a list of FAQs and a link to their blog where you can find answers to your questions before you even arrive.

Bottom line, these ladies love to make you feel like your important. You can tell they love their job, which makes the whole experience that much better. I fully recommend Urban Waxx for all your waxing needs! 

What a wonderful life!

Oregon Wine Country

This past weekend was a little reminder of how blessed I am to live in a city I love with people I love all around me. Portland is a city that feels more and more like home every passing month. Its hard to know what life is going to look like in the next 5 years, but I know it would take a lot to get me to leave this beautiful city.

This weekend I felt like I was back in my stride. Going on adventures in my city, enjoying good food, participating in activities that any tourist visiting the city would love to do and enjoying the clinking of glasses of craft brews and speciality wines. Here is a little glimpse into my weekend!

Date night at Slow Burger- Best Burger in Portland

 Wine tasting at 3 vineyards in Willamette Valley

Rode the Brewcycle around the Pearl District with co-workers!

Coworkers on the cycle! (physical therapists have the most fun!)

Oh and did I mention I got off early on Wednesday and got to play Ticket to Ride with Jenn while eating wings and drinking tall boys :)