~

2010-02-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

I have another that my heart belongs to.... go here for more of me :)

2009-08-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

texas.

oklahoma.

these pieces of art are really beautiful. there is one for each state.
i love the bison.
danny occasionally makes promises, when we get in one of those moments where anything is possible for us, that we will have land with bison.

then I start to imagine about the Native American Bison and how maybe one day a little lost bison will walk it's way up to our back yard and see some chickens and think "um, this would be a nice place to rest".

crazier things have happened.

the meat eaters.

2009-07-29T12:02:00.002-07:00

family

2009-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

These are my parents. It is hard not living close to home. To family. To the people who know you the best.

7 hours away is a long way away.

Aren't they beautiful.

I love yall and appreciate all that you do! This picture is worth a million words.

Danny and I get to visit them in a couple of weeks. We miss yall!

oly lifts

2009-07-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

for those who are inspired by women lifting heavy stuff, this is for you.

MC Hammer Time

2009-06-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Just for your Wednesday night pleasure!

Lights Out

2009-06-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

There are few books that have managed to "rock my world". This is one of them:

An overview of the book:

With research gleaned from the National Institutes of Health, T. S. Wiley and Bent Formby deliver staggering findings: Americans really are sick from being tired. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and depression are rising in our population. We're literally dying for a good night's sleep.

Our lifestyle wasn't always this way. It began with the invention of the lightbulb.

When we don't get enough sleep in sync with seasonal light exposure, we fundamentally alter a balance of nature that has been programmed into our physiology since Day One. This delicate biological rhythm rules the hormones and neurotransmitters that determine appetite, fertility, and mental and physical health. When we rely on artificial light to extend our day until 11 PM, midnight, and beyond, we fool our bodies into living in a perpetual state of summer. Anticipating the scarce food supply and forced inactivity of winter, our bodies begin storing fat and slowing metabolism to sustain us through the months of hibernation and hunger that never arrive.

This is a great book for those who are NOT OCD. I feel like I am a pretty laid back kinda person and this book makes me nervous. It makes me really consider the things that I do/eat on a day to day basis (and night to night), but I take it in stride... There are things that you strive for and there are things that you just allow. If you make a mistake along the way, make a better choice next time.

Anyway this is a good book if you like science and can get past a little sarcasm.

The choices of our youth.

2009-06-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

I came across this post from the "Again Faster" website and thought I would share it with you.

I was leaning against the windows of the Walgreens, waiting for the 66 bus to come and bring me to the gym. Evening rush hour was slowing everything down. A young guy was pacing the sidewalk nearby, asking every second or third person if they might donate money to save the children, or the whales, or the trees.
She was a quarter of the way across the street before I saw her. When she stepped off the curb, I’m sure she had the light. But now, as she pushed her walker, the light was changing and a stream of cars could do nothing but watch and wait. Part of me wanted to go over, pick up the old lady and carry her the rest of the way. Every step was progress, but barely.
I admired her persistence, sad that it took her five full minutes to cross the street. I thought it wasn’t as sad as if she couldn’t make it at all, and I thought about a conversation I’d had recently.
I was sitting beneath the judge’s tent at the Northeast Qualifiers, in a beach chair real low to the pavement. A hundred yards away, barbells and bumper plates crashed to the ground. I could hear the pull-up bars shake under the momentum of kips. Rafael lowered himself into the seat next to me.
I don’t remember how we got to talking about it, but eventually he mentioned his father. He said there was no way his father could get in and out of a chair like the ones we were in. He said, “I love my father, but I don’t want to end up like him.”
If he isn’t already, Rafael is close to turning forty, though you’d never guess it. He’s a fighter, a trainer, an athlete, and a constant stream of encouragement. You’re always just a little bit better when Raf is nearby, and as we sat there, the irony of what we were talking about didn’t escape me.
It was a weekend to celebrate athleticism, to marvel at the virility, viability and ferociousness of youth, and we were talking about what it was like to grow old. All around us wandered the chiseled bodies of young gods and goddesses, but Rafael and I were talking about nursing homes. We were talking about our fathers.
My father isn’t in bad shape. He’s in his fifties and stays active. My mother sees to it that he eats relatively well, and when he’s not battling some knee or shoulder problem, he gets to the gym a couple times a week. I’ve tried to introduce him to CrossFit, but he’s a man of routine. Twenty minutes on the stationary bike, some seated shoulder presses and leg extensions and he’s happy. Every now and again, he’ll call me and tell me he got on the Concept2 at the Y, just like I showed him.
So maybe I shouldn’t be worried, but I am. I’ve watched his mother start showing signs of Alzheimer’s. At dinner with her, I’ve watched him put on a smile as she tells us the same story she told us ten minutes prior, and I can’t help but wonder if that smile will be mine some day. I want him to stop eating pasta and bread, but I’m fighting against years of homemade Italian cooking and I don’t know how hard to push. I don’t know how to tell him it’s because I don’t want him to end up like her.
Rafael and I are sitting in beach chairs real low to the pavement and he says, “I love my father, but I don’t want to end up like him,” and I start to wonder if my old man could get in and out of the chair. I don’t know the answer.
It’s so easy to get lost in the vanity of now. In the mirror’s reflection. It’s so easy to focus on the Fran time and the max deadlift and the consecutive pull-ups. What’s harder to remember is that we aren’t doing this for today.
It’s nice to look good with your clothes off, but it’s nicer to know that for the rest of your life you’ll be able to take those clothes off without the assistance of a certified health care provider. That you’ll be able to get across the street without the assistance of a traffic cop.
While my father’s mother forgets, my mother’s parents are on their boat, floating down the Hudson River on a trip they’ve taken many times before. When summer comes, family barbeques are scheduled around their arrival. My grandfather is still one of the strongest people I’ve ever known, and my grandmother is still one the sharpest.
I can’t know all the reasons my grandparents have aged differently. There are too many variables. I can’t know if it was environment, their diet, lifestyle, or genetics, but I do know that blaming randomness is too easy. The choices we make in youth give color to our future selves.

What we’re doing, it isn’t about today.

PR

2009-06-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

Snatch PR... 67lbs

Good Morning

2009-05-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

One week of the sun rising and not setting in the artic...

Hell's Half Acre

2009-05-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we traveled to the Hell's Half Acre in Fort Worth. Danny competed in the Crossfit qualifiers.

He did a great job.

We spent time with some great friends.

and met new friends!

This weekend was overall great!

I did learn that when Danny competes, I get VERY anxious. All I can say is that I'm glad Crossfiters enjoy a little BEER. :)

Here are some pictures from the weekend. I have a lot more of Dutch and Wes because I was filming Danny...

I haven't quit figured out how to put film on this thing sorry... See danny for some sweet action.

This was Danny after the first WOD of 155lb clean/jerk (10reps), 500m row
<3rounds>

And He's Up and Smiling! Nothing can stop him!

And here is Dutch... Great athlete. Great coach. Great friend.

And yes that is a jumbo-tron in the back ground.
Contemplation.

More pictures to come of Wes Bob...

fantastic foods

2009-04-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

the above is an experiment. i have found some great deals on strawberries BUT strawberries always seem to go bad in the morchat house.

i hate when food goes bad.

i feel so guilty

i think about how much money i wasted, then i think about how much CO2 is now being exerted into the atmosphere.

and with one basket of strawberries i have just ruined the world... ugh...

sooo i decided to purchase a couple of baskets... and freeze them before they go bad!

it is a perfect summer snack that will last for-ever?

i don't know but at least for a while!

danny and i have been eating mainly paleo for the past few months. i have made it a goal to try something new each month (preferably a veggie). this month we tried brussel sprouts... i know i know...but i have never had them before and i have some friends who LOVE them.

i think i need to work on my brussel cooking skills. everything was okay except i used macadamion nuts instead of pine nuts and they cooked way too quick.

Ingredients

bacon
butter
brussels
pine nuts

DIRECTIONS

Cook the bacon until it's crispy. Set aside.
Leave a thin coating of bacon grease in the pan. Throw in some butter and pine nuts, stir until browned.
Add Brussels sprouts and cook over medium heat until sprouts are tender, 5-10 minutes.
Crumble bacon over the top before serving, salt and pepper to taste.

this next picture was of our breakfast this morning. it was fantastic!

ingredients:

1/2 onion
a little sausage (HEB portabela and queso)
bacon
eggs
mango salsa on top!!

Mornings have been wonderful. Danny will be competing in the Crossfit Qualifiers this weekend. I can't wait to see him whoop ass. :)

beautiful music for a beautiful day

2009-04-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

this was the song that rob played as i walked down the aisle to meet danny

2009-04-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

beautiful music from beautiful friends.

taylor posted the video which is even more exquisite.

Week in Tennessee

2009-03-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

There is so much I could write about but I never know where to start....

Since Friday Danny and I have been in Tennessee visiting with the Cavins. Their home is so welcoming and restful. Sam is a little person now. He talks with me and I am now Jordan and no longer Jojo. So grown up...

Danny and I woke up early this morning to check out Crossfit Murfreesboro (Drew's new territory). Dave was there to greet us. We had some great conversations on how they operate their classes. We got so many ideas on some changes that may come with the transition of the ATM box.

I can not wait. Some days I will sit in our backyard and just day dream about the Box. It is a little hard to imagine because as of right now it is just a dream and a few sketches. Once we start breaking ground I think reality will set in a little.

warm up:

squat cleans, split jerks

~ began very light

35 - 55 - 55 - 65 - 75 - 95(PR!!!) - 105 x

metcon:

10 rounds for time, 30 sec rest b/w each round

~ sprint 40 meters, 5 box jumps, 5 burpees

13:20 min

cool down:

a lot of stretching

Nutrition:

happy paleo.... aka trying really hard but this is spring break

A side note about nutrition... Danny and I are going to the Nutrition Cert with Robb Wolf this weekend in Austin! I am really excited. I have even dreamt about it... only once... but really this is just right up my alley.

Peace,

Tabata Mornings

2009-03-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

This week I have been a little busy. Too busy to write any posts. Last Friday we moved into our new home. It is so stink'n wonderful! And Danny is so stink'n great! He has spent much time painting and moving large loads (quickly!). We have had a week of non-stop home-working cross-fit. And the rewards are great! We are NOT living out of boxes anymore!

Danny and I have had some great mornings. Constant variation has been key in our training. This morning we did tabata squats! Right when the alarm sounded, still in our nighties... the tabata began!

Everyone I would also like to make an announcement! The past TWO tabatas I have beat Danny!

Monday morning WOD

tabata squats
20 seconds on 10 sec rest

~14 each round

Monday afternoon WOD

"Nicole"
AMRAP Run 400m, pull ups

~53 pull ups

Letting go of my coaching clutches

2009-02-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

"We need to get you strong!"

Jonny K told me this the other day as I was about do 21-15-9 of over head squats and knees to elbows. So of course we added on the weight.

I have been thinking a lot lately about what makes a phenomenal coach. How do you communicate effectively to get across your expectations and achieve the goals set by the client? How do you know when to push and when to step back and decrease weight? ....

These questions floating around in my head after a while begin to intimidate me into thinking that I wont be on of the "greats" in coaching. I know there is so much to learn. That mindset I think is the first step.

Realizing that I do know some things but still have worlds to learn....

From there.... I think the best thing to do is just start doing!

This past week Danny and I helped out at the gym because Jonny and Marshall were out for a couple of days. It was so good to be on my own without my current coaching clutches. (jonny, marshall, and danny)

I think I gained more confidence and learned more in the past couple of days than I have in a while. Ive realized by doing things that make me incredibly uncomfortable I learn more! And my experience is that much richer, because I actually did it on my own! It makes me grow and be creative and it is just down right good for me!

Recently I have been reading a blog by Melissa Byers. She is a trainer who has some great information on coaching! Check her out if you are interested in this stuff.

Big Changes for Big Grown up People.

2009-02-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Danny and have news for you!

If you know us, you know by now.

We really were not planning on this but it has happened so fast.

In the beginning we were casually playing around with the idea.

And within one week we we found the perfect little cottage.

And then made the largest purchase of our life.

Yes people we bought our first home!

It is perfect for our little family. And it has room for us to grow :)

And speaking of growing... the week after our big move (Friday!) We will be adding a new addition to the Morchat home.

She will be interning with us until she marries her love in May. Everyone I would like to introduce you to Miss Virginia.

Sorry V, but these were the only pictures I could find of you and I could not decide which one was better :).

She was so sweet to help me get into my wedding dress.

We can't wait until you come to town!

Getting to know you... And ME!

2009-02-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

Okay I do love these. I found this one off of my wonderful friend, Steph Lee's, blog.

1.High heels or boots? BOOTS but i love heels. there are boots with heels. so i choose those!

2. What time did you get up this morning? 6:00am

4. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I believe it was... oh geez I don't remember...

5. What is your favorite TV show? 30 ROCK and THE OFFICE! oh and Project Runway!

6. What do you usually have for breakfast? 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 1/2 avocado, an apple, and coffee

7. What is your middle name? Shea

8. What food do you dislike? Dislike or distaste? I dislike those damn dirty grains for making my stomach curl into knots but I sure do like the taste.

9. What is your favorite song at the moment? It has been the same for a while... anything by Bon Iver

10. Favorite sandwich? Again those damn dirty grains... so I have not had a sandwich in a while... okay I do have a favorite sandwich. The sandwich I eat the day after Thanksgiving... THAT is my favorite sandwich.

11. What characteristic do you despise? Stubbornness... ? Danny just informed me that the majority of the time I am stubborn. Maybe that is why I dislike this ...

12. Clothing? Sometimes, only when it is appropriate

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Spain, Oregon, China (to visit Taylor and his girl)

14. Are you an organized person? Some days I think my family would say otherwise

15. Where would you like to retire to? That is too far away I do not know.

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? The ones that fall on Thanksgiving. Ummm those are delicious.

17. What are you going to do when you finish this? finish laundry, we sold our washer and dryer so i am trying to cram in last minute cleaning before they come to pick them machines up.

18. Furthest place you are sending this? who knows, i think Taylor reads this and he is in china

19. Person you expect to send it back first? ?

20.When is your birthday? November 23

21. Morning person or a night person? Morning

22. What is your shoe size? 6 1/2

23. Pets? Yes! Snow, see the previous posting

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Everyone! We bought a house!

25. What did you want to be when you were little? A chef, an actress and a color creator.

27. What is your favorite flower? hydrangeas

28. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? February 20, we move into our new home!

29. What was the last thing you ate? a piece of cheese, 4 oz of whole milk, slice of chicken, and sweet potatoes... oh and some delicious paleo cookies...

31. Do you wish on stars? sometimes but they end up turning into prayers

32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green! all of the shades of green!

33. How is the weather right now? cloudy 60's

34. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Our leasing officer.

35. Favorite soft drink? Ginger Ale

36. Favorite restaurant? In the BCS area it would have to be Maden's but only for Saturday breakfast. It is phenomenal!

37. Hair color? Brown

38. What was your favorite toy as a child? Snuffalupaguss, my white polar bear.

39. Summer or winter? FALL! :) okay if i must choose it would be summer but fall is my favorite season!

40. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate—dark chocolate is my only vice. okay so it is one of them...

41. Coffee or tea? coffee

42. Do you want your friends to do this also? Sure

43. When was the last time you cried? 3 hours ago? Okay so... I think I'm just being emotional. I was going to miss my Doctor's apt because I am no longer sick... the office told me because I am an initial client, if I miss my appointment, I will NEVER be able to see that Doctor! Okay I am emotional but really! NEVER is such a long time.

I probably shouldn't have told you that. The lady just made me very mad so I teared up a little.

44. What is under your bed? Hopefully nothing. Our mattress is touching the floor. We are in a transitional stage of living so things are a little less normal around the Morchat house.

45. What did you do last night? Well... I worked until 8:00pm! Sick I know. Then Danny and I cooked some incredible fish tacos and watched Lost.

47. Salty or sweet? Oh geez, you cannot make me choose. BOTH!

48. How many keys on your key ring? 5

49. How many years at your current job? 9 months

50. Favorite day of the week? Fridays and Saturdays

51. Positive or negative? Mainly positive

52. How many people will you send this to? whoever reads the blog

53. How many will respond? ?

54. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Yup!

And I don't think a blog is any good without pictures. :) So here's one for good luck! This is Danny and I preparing to be married. Im sorry I haven't shown any of the actual wedding photos but those are on their way!

The only child.

2009-02-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

This is Snowball.

My only child.

She does not care what you think and is very independent. I took some glamor shots of her munching on the grass.

Yes I do feed her. It is just one of those things animals do I guess.

This one makes her look a little crazy although I would agree she is crazy sometimes... she is a sweet companion when Danny is away.

little bumps

2009-02-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

i have this pain.

it wont go away.

i can barely walk or run or do anything without holding my breath to avoid bursting into tears.

my feet hurt. i inherited them from my dad and my mom. naturally. but you see my dad's feet are crazy. 10 little aliens sprouting from two extensions of his body. i also have them. yes it has been very difficult being a girl and having man feet.
danny is nice and calls them little peanuts or cartoon toes (but im not really sure how to take that)

i also have my mom's feet. this is where the pain comes in. from years of wearing stilettos, playing tennis, and step aerobics she developed growths... (if this too much for you, you can now click the tiny little X at the top of your screen). i now have these growths.

i am a little bitter/angry. never was there a warning that one day soccer cleats would come and bite me in the feet or that there would be repercussions for wearing my cowboy boots every possible moment in high school.

i now have these growths.

they scream cuss words at me all day long and tell me to go home. to take off my shoes and have danny give them little massages..

but i have to wait. i work all day until 7:30. and then i can drive home

there i am greeted with scrimps, wine, cheese and my love to rub my little bumps on my feet...

he is wonderful and probably the only thing that keeps from me going crazy right now.

one week from today we will now wither i need surgery to remove the little ones.

i have been referring to the bumps as bumps because i can make an educated guess and say that they are bunions or cysts but i wont really know until next wednesday.

so please pray for the best. pray the pain will just float away...

Oren Lavie

2009-01-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

I wish all dreams were this fun

Her Morning Elegance / Oren Lavie

Men show me your stockings!

2009-01-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

Just a side note from nutrition.

I saw this post on my new favorite blog and could not help but copy... Yes it is what it looks like. Ladies the boundaries have been crossed.

Pantyhose + man = mantyhose

also seen on http://blog.freepeople.com/

Food is a drug

2009-01-08T08:01:00.001-08:00

In the next few posts I am going to try. I say this lightly... try... to tackle the many myths, obstacles, and stigma we have when it comes to nutrition...

Nutrition - the provision to support life.

Why do we eat?

To live... Right?

Maybe more appropriate... Why do we NEED to eat?

"When it comes to discussing food, it can be a very touchy subject. It can almost be as bad as talking about religion and politics..." (R. Wolf) I don't mean to offend you. I don't even think many people read this blog so maybe Ill just offend the few. I want this to be an open discussion. I am much better at the dialogue than typing into space...

Okay so the question... Why do we eat?

It is apart of our culture, a way of life.
It is a pleasure.
A death bed.
It is an emotional clutch.
A social gathering...

Okay maybe the question should be. ... Should we look at food differently?

How would that affect us individually and as people groups?

Just a few facts... I like facts. They help me to see some truth in all this...

65 % of adults are either overweight or obese
Deaths from obesity = 280,184 per year
64 million Americans have cardiovascular disease (CVD)
CVD = leading cause of death
50 million Americans are hypertensive
11 million have type 2 diabetes
Cancer = 2nd leading cause of death in the US
1/3 of all cancer deaths are from nutritional factors

Obviously there is a problem in our world today. Okay there is more than one problem but lets focus in on something we can control. The above lists diseases that CAN be controlled. I believe they CAN. These numbers CAN decrease. We as a people can stop "digging our graves with our teeth" and fight. Fight for ourselves. We can make a change in the way we live and what we eat... We CAN stop the cruse control. We CAN be active in our lives. We CAN thrive and not just survive!

I went to a certification in Fort Worth this past weekend and a friend spoke of how to view food differently. She discussed two ways to see food:

1. A drug

2. Fuel

Ask any person who has struggled with weight if they consider food to be addictive. Maybe not any person... I think a lot of us live in denial but if we are honest I believe our answer would be a YES! Have you ever tried not eating any sugar (including all bread and grains) for one week? Try it and tell me that your body does not feel the "withdrawal".

I am going to break food down a little.

At the basic level there are 3 macronutrients that food live in:

PRO (protein), CHO (carbohydrates) & Fat

Okay so back to food being a drug. Food has a hormonal reaction when entering our body. Let us use a slice of whole grain bread for our example... We eat the bread.

To make things brief, that bread breaks down to glucose (blood sugar) and our pancreas releases insulin. Insulin attaches to our cells. Insulin is a very important hormone. It allows our cells to take in the nutrients and store glucose as glycogen (released when we need quick energy).

In type 1 diabetes the pancreas does not produce insulin so insulin must be injected for the person to survive...

Food is a drug.

What happens if we eat too much bread? I am just using bread as an example... What if in general we eat too many CHO?

We get something called hyperinsulinemia... Too much insulin. Our cells have a limit on their glycogen stores and will eventually turn all excess glucose into adipose (fat).

Food is a drug.

Do you believe me yet. Or should I have more word vomit on this post?

Danny tells me when it comes to nutrition I have a bad case of word vomit. My filter comes off and I can NOT stop. Maybe it is good... this monologue thing. You can be the filter and I can just vomit all over the page. :)

So I will leave you now with some food for thought... ;)

How do you view food? Why do you eat? You don't have to tell me but just think about it...

Okay so one more thing to think of...

If food is a drug could it help to heal?

http://www.crossfit.com/
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/articles/Origins%20Paper%20Final.pdf

It is Honeymoon Time!

2008-12-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

We are off! To Thailand that is.... We will keep you updated with some photos.

See you in the New Year.

Peace,
Jmo

Currently listening: Anya Marina

Currently reading: 4 hour work week and the prophet amos.

Our Winter Wonder Land

2008-12-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

This is our winter wonderland.

Our first home as husband and wife.

Our first winter snow.

Our first Christmas as the Morchats....

Our first winter fire in the snow???

Yep Danny, the pyro that I love, created a fire from his favorite thing to start fires with... Gasoline.
I think he enjoys the explosion. That is the only thing I can imagine because afterward everything smells of gas. gross.
But we definitely had fun in our little winter wonderland.....

SPROUT IT OUT

2008-12-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

Some thing that Danny and I are known for is absorbing any and all information on health. There is so much to learn on how to take care of what we put into our body....

Recently we have begun taking the time to sprout our nuts. This may sound like a difficult or time consuming thing to do just for some nuts, but in my opinion it is worth the effort.

"Sprouting enlivens the enzymes that are dormant within each almond. These enzymes activate when they come in contact with water (the soaking process), and the nuts are “awakened”. The potential growth for each almond is to become a tree—and when we eat sprouted almonds our bodies receive this concentrated vital energy and nutrition" ~almond essence.com

To sprout:
Place your almonds into a wide mouthed bowl and pour water over the almonds. After 11 hours of soaking remove the almonds from the water.
You could eat the nuts as they are but danny and I like to place them on a cooking tray and turn the oven to 200. They turn out nice and roasted....

Im in...

2008-12-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

So in the Olympic lifting world I would now be considered on the in....

My first pair of lifting shoes.

Yesterday I practiced my squat cleans. For those who do not know what a squat clean is here is Danny with a perfect example

http://danielmorchat.blogspot.com/2008/12/again-new-olympic-clean-max-video.html

peace.

a little sparce

2008-11-10T08:58:00.000-08:00

my posts on this blog my seem a little sparce. i am converting over to the team morchat blog. if you would like visit the link. http://teammorchat.blogspot.com/

tutonka

2008-07-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

today i have been riding tutonka. my car has been in the shop for the past couple of weeks....
not having a car has seemed to hit the a slow motion button on my life. to be honest it has taken me up until today to appreciate this change of speed. despite the 100 degree temperature and the non-biker friendly roads, riding around bryan has been lovely. i have had a lot of time to think. thinking about my hopes for my marriage, my dreams of being apart of a great change in the world, my desires for community and loving people.
i talked with a close friend this morning and she gave me some advice.... write things down. write your hopes, dreams, desires... some say expressing your dreams, having a physical object to represent those dreams creates this law of attraction. so the more you tell others, the more ways you express your hopes, the more you will start to see the reality of your dream. so i will try to write and talk and express in the best ways i know how. i say try because i know at some point i will get busy and hopefully by that time there will be others with those same dreams who will remind me of what it was that i was dreaming...

change:living in community, sharing lives, bringing healing, releasing freedom...
dream:oregon/cali :) ranch, wellness center, simply living off the grid...

2008-07-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

today was another day. i woke up. rolled onto the floor. put on my shoes and headed for crossfit. as normal i met danny at the gym/garage. i am really happy to know that he cares to take care of his body and that intense physical activity will most likely be apart of our everyday life.
(i did 31 kipping pull ups today... booyakasha!)

in the mornings i have come into the habit of eating a "balanced zone" breakfast. something i look forward to after every workout. in one medium bowl mix together: 1/2cup cottage cheese, 1cup papaya, 1 cup strawberries, 1/4 cup almonds, 1/2 tbsp almond butter, sprinkle of flax seed, and a squeeze of honey.... mmmm...

2blocks protein:2 block CHO: ~10 block fat... (ive been eating more fat lately for more energy at the end of the day)
danny is big into the zone. ive only really zoned over to two meals a day. breakfast and lunch. by dinner im usually too tired to measure out my meals. maybe one day the motivation will be there.

then im off to work. i do love my job. the more i learn what it is that we do, the more i love the heart of it all...

once work is finished it is time to play. tonight danny and i cooked dinner for killer and her roommate. lots of great conversation and tofu.... :)

and now im home typing into the black hole of cyber space. and now im sleepy. good night to all.

rest... for you are home.

2008-06-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

the past couple of weeks i have been spending a lot of time with danny, working crazy hours, and training my body to conquer life's basic tasks.

wedding planning is in full force. less than 4 months from now i will be mrs. morchat. and we will be team morchat. what a wonderful anticipation.

the cavins will leave this weekend for an adventure in tennessee. i will miss jen with her spiritual sense and her genuine love. i will miss sam with his sweet smile and little jojo's. i will miss drew with his humor and love for life.
i don't have words to say what you all have meant to my soul... i love you guys.

mr. clean and jerk.

2008-06-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

im officially a "crossfitter". this is my first clean and jerk.

my form is a little sloppy. soon it will be perfected. :)

2008-06-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

this week i have overcome a huge obstacle. this is something that i have faced over and over again. in my younger years it set me apart from those whose natural build allowed them to breeze through basic fitness tests/the president's award/monkey bar extravaganzas.... everything that, at the time, meant the world to me.

i did my first pull up!

sorry it is sideways. im new to blogging...

a beautiful love.

2008-06-08T20:41:00.001-07:00

my sweet friend, meredith, married her love this weekend. the union took place at a wildflower center.
i found myself at a loss for words as she sat in waiting for the time to walk to her betrothed. there was a lot of joy and a peaceful sense of completion and a beginning... as rob sang, she walked with her father to her groom and jesus smiled. i felt love and freedom pouring over the crowd as we all danced into the night.
i think this was one of the most fun weddings that i have been apart of.

i live in a town.

2008-06-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

i live in a town. i have these friends. most of them come in pairs. a few are old. many are young. we speak from different minds. we have the same hearts. most are liberal. some are conservative. we have learned to love. we have learned to pray. we have learned to care for each other... these are my brothers and my sisters and my children and my dogs... my family. i live in a town.

a new day.

2008-06-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

danny and i had a vacation in c.s. this weekend. we ate sushi and ice cream, fell asleep watching movies, played soccer in the park, rekindled old friendships, road bikes until our asses wanted to fall off...
i am grateful that we live in the same place.

tomorrow is a new day. hopeful for love and many more of life's simple treasures.