Katherine, my buddy from college has some fairly Pomona-esque questions for me…

1) What is your life philosophy? How do you practice that philosophy on a daily basis?

Essay or short answer? I guess overall I’d say my life philosophy focuses on me being a better person. I do what I can to make life easier/happier/less complicated for others, try to see the good in every situation, and slow down so that I can enjoy the ride. I haven’t mastered all this yet, but I tend to focus on the little things - smiling at the cashier who just got yelled at by a strangely grumpy customer, being more courteous when I drive, meeting small goals that I’ve set for myself like watching less tv or running 1 errand after work instead of going straight home to my couch… It’s not a lot, but I like to think that if we all slowed down a little and tried to be more courteous (or at least not purposely get in each others way), that life would be better for all of us.

2) When you feel overworked, stressed, overwhelmed, how do you refresh yourself? Advice for others?

I try to slow down and remember what’s important. I tend to refocus and do something for myself - take a bath or a walk, go to the gym, sleep in. Once I’m refreshed, I try to figure out what stressed me out so much - and make a list to help me realize that whatever the issue is, it can be dealt with one step at a time, just like anything else.

3) What is your favorite place in Portland? Why?

In my narrow view of Portland (admittedly I don’t get out much - this is something I’m trying to work on) and my busy life, Edgefield is a pretty cool place to go. We tend to go there for dinner and movies some nights. You can watch them do glass blowing, there’s free music quite often, lots of neat events, and the artwork all over the grounds is entertaining. Other than that, my favorite places only crop up between May - October - the Farmers’ Markets! They make my Saturday mornings very happy.

4) Nature vs. Technology, which would you choose?

I tend to live more in the world of technology. Sometimes I wish that weren’t the case, that I had more of a focus in nature, but it just isn’t my life right now. However, part of the reason we will stay in the Northwest is that I love the green and that so many beautiful things are close for when I do make time for that part of my life.

We’ve been buying a lot of foods in bulk recently and our cabinets have really gotten disorganized. I finally got my act together and got another set of Tupperware’s modular mates. The cabinets look soooo much better!

Laura, who’s blog I’ve been reading for several years now and who turned me on to this question answer idea, has a trio of questions:

1. Who from your past do you wish you could reestablish contact with?

There are a few people who instantly come to mind with this one (some of the few I can’t hunt down online).

The first is Jerrod - he was my first real boyfriend and we’ve stayed friends for years until just a few years ago when he sort of disappeared out of my life. I’m usually quite good at tracking people down online, but except for one small reference (which leads me to believe he’s probably fairly happy), I’m having trouble finding anything about him.

The second is (yea, you can groan if you know me) Leslie. We were friends since 3rd grade and in our senior year of high school I got the guy and she started actively disliking and not talking to me. What bugs me is that I know she could easily just unblock me on facebook so I can check things out and at least see that she’s doing ok, but she won’t and it really haunts me.

2. Do you guys plan on having kids in the future? (had to ask)

Yup. Definitely not until Jesse is done with school next year. At that point the active decision making will start. My guess is probably somewhere 1-3 years from now we’ll have a kiddo.

3. What’s your favorite way to wind down for the night?

I hate to say it, but I usually watch tv before bed. I wish I didn’t - it’s actually one of my goals (limit of 1 hour of tv per day) since I always feel like there isn’t enough time - but I struggle to do other things when I’m worn out from the day. I also really enjoy reading, though I sometimes have trouble doing that right before bed since it’s harder to focus! And of course I prefer any of these activities (or whatever else) when they occur next to my honey.

“Do you feel like you’re life is constantly moving and you can’t stop it?” - Jenni (often now called Jen - I just can’t quite adjust!), my best friend growing up, who I miss since she still lives in Southern California

Well I know for sure I can’t stop the future from speeding closer. Jesse graduates from school next March. At that point things are pretty in the air again with our life. I have a fair idea of where we’ll steer it (probably back across the river to Camas - though the exact timeframe for that is unclear), but there are lots and lots of unknowns. It’s exciting, but still scary sometimes.

Then there are some things that make me feel like my life is stagnant. That’s the part where I spend my weekends cleaning/shopping/catching up on sleep instead of exploring the area or something like that.

It’s sort of a double edged sword. I want stability and certainty in some parts of my life and excitement in others. Right now I think we’ve got what we can handle… but I dream of a life that includes a house (with a garden), weekends exploring the beauty of the northwest, good friends in the area that I see on a regular basis, and a financial plan that is viable more than a year from now. I think it’s a fairly simple picture - just not quite one we can get to yet. I just hope we are able to make the choices that will get us to that future. It seems like a lot of those choices have to be made fairly quickly as the future barrels down on us!

If you haven’t yet asked me a question, go for it! I’ll be here all week =)

After I posted about my sinus & running issues in February I went to see a local naturopath. My sinus issues were really out of control. I was tired all the time. Some of this had to do with the fact that people with chronic issues (for me hypothyroidism & sinusitis) tend to have adrenal fatigue. I had no idea. Now I do, so I don’t feel guilty when I’m tired. But, it’s all getting better…

The thing that the Dr. suggested that I believe has made the biggest difference for my health was suggesting that I follow the diet outlined in the book Live Right 4 Your Type. I was skeptical that it would actually make a difference, but after following the diet for ~2 months my sinus problems have disappeared (and Jesse’s allergies haven’t even shown up this year!). I wasn’t totally convinced until I ate a lot of “avoid” foods last week - my face broke out and I got sick - I don’t know how it could be a coincidence. Personally, I think it’s amazing and I can’t wait to see how much better I feel another 2 months from now.

Other things that I’ve changed after having seen the doctor:

• I now take Armour Thyroid instead of Synthroid
• I take DHEA in the mornings (apparently my DHEA-S levels are the same as a 90 year old woman’s … not good!)
• I take some herbal supplements that help my thyroid and adrenal function

I’m definitely feeling better. Not perfect by any means… but I kind of feel like I’m on the right path.