Some Summer Photos

While my computer is still broken, I thought I would supplement with some iPhone pictures. Enjoy;)

My Computer:(

My computer is not displaying properly so I'm blogging via iPhone, which is about as easy as blogging with your nose. 

All About My White Ink Tattoo

I have a tattoo.  It's fairly new, as tattoos go, about 8 months.  My family isn't entirely accepting of tattoos but they aren't necessarily unaccepting either.  They just don't have them and aren't quite sure why I would want them :).

For me, it was a big choice and one that I thought about for many years.  I have struggled with anxiety and worry my entire life.  I wanted something to help soothe that and represent what I truly know: that life is to be enjoyed and glorified and lived.  I researched lots of different options, but I ended up deciding on the om symbol.

The Om symbol has deeply religious roots, in Hindu, Buddism, and Jainism.  It literally means the universe, the past present and future, the origin and end of all things and all times.  To me, this is God.  I am a practicing Christian and I wanted a symbol that reminded me to be centered in my faith, to be pure in my walk and to set all my worries aside and focus on the tasks at hand.  I love it.  It's on the radial pulse of my left wrist and I see it every day.

Right after. It bleeds a bit! 

Marking out the design 

About an hour after.  

As I'm in a professional trade (nursing), I opted to go for a white ink tattoo and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.  I also tend towards daintier, feminine things and the white ink fits my personality.  Subtle but fully present.  The tattoo artist wasn't thrilled to do a white tattoo.  He cautioned me that as it healed, it would turn a color similar to skin and be hard to see.  I understood.  I wanted that, a design that looked like it was part of me.

Did it hurt?  Heck yes it hurt!  But it wasn't NEARLY as bad as I was expecting.  It honestly only took about two minutes and the part that hurt the most was when he went back over the parts he had already done.  It felt like stepping on a burr or getting bitten by a fire ant.  The pain lasted maybe five minutes afterward.  Easy peasy.

This is how my tattoo looks now, all healed up

Black and white shows the contrast better.  I love it!  

Songs To Motivate You

If I'm being completely honest, I don't love my job.  It sometimes takes a little work for me to get pumped up to go at 6pm and know that I'll be there until 8am.  It definately is not something I want to be doing the rest of my life, but I try to stay positive and realize that I'm exactly where I need to be for a reason.  God has a plan for me and I pray every shift that I can touch the patient's I have in some way and remain tender, kind, and compassionate.  Anyway, these songs help me stay motivated:

One Step at a Time by Jordin Sparks
"It's gonna happen when it's supposed to happen and we find the reasons why one step at a time." 

Stronger by Kanye West
"Work it harder, make it better, do it faster, makes us stronger." 

It's My Life by Bon Jovi
"It's my life and it's now or never.  I ain't gonna live forever."

Beautiful Day by U2
"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away." 

Stand By Me by Ben E. King
"When the night has come and the land is dark and the moon is the only light we see...No I won't be afraid, Oh I won't be afraid...Just as long as you'll stand by me." 

Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
"Rising up, straight to the top.  Has the guts, got the glory."

Champion by Kanye West
"Did you realize that you are a champion?"

All the Above by Maino
"See me come up from nothing to be living my dreams"

Number One by Nelly
"I am number one!" 

Life Snapshots

I've been working a ton, so the easiest way for me to tell you all about my little life is through pictures!

Outfit I wore to a street fair with my Marmie-head.  

Chopping up ginger for some syrup/elixir

pickling cucumbers 

cucumbers pickling ;).  They're so much better homemade. 

The tiniest bass in the world.  He got freed back into the water, no worries! 

Thinking about life and all that jazz...

Street fair finds. SCORE

Working on a quilt project.  So far I love it! 

I'm Looking for a Dime

"She decided to free herself, dance in the wind, create a new language.  And birds fluttered around her, writing "yes" in the sky". 
-Monique Duval

I have this friend who taught me a clapping song when we were ten.  She doesn't remember it but I do and it was in Spanish and I thought she was super cool at the time.

That same friend would wrap me in her arms years later when I was depressed and lonely and confused.  She understood when I canceled plans and drove hours and did things quite sporadically.  She never judged me or got annoyed with my craziness.

When we were taking a dance class in high school, we used to lay on our backs with our legs straight up in the air, against a wall and sing rap songs, making our feet dance and laughing until it hurt.  Once I mentioned how much I loved the piggy bank I had gotten from Mexico but I was sad that I had had to break out the bottom.  Next thing I knew, she had another one for me.  Magic.  I still have both of them, in fact I can reach out and touch them right now.

Another time we drove down to the border of Texas and Mexico to pilgrimage to a shrine that held a deep and special place in her heart.  Hours of conversation that I won't forget.  Killing about a million monarch butterflies accidentally.  Asking for aqua and getting limonada.  Border guards.  Holy water.

She's the kind of friend that you can go weeks or even months without talking to and then once you start again, it's like nothing has changed.  Her home is always open to me and mine is always open to her.  She's one of my sister-friends that will never ever leave my heart.  Kindred.  My own little free-spirited love bug buddy.


And there's something else you should know about her.  She's incredibly determined and smart.  She's the first in her ENTIRE family to graduate college.  She wanted something so she did it.  That's my friend.  That's my Anahi.

Dearest Anahi, if  you're reading this, I want you to know how much I love you.

My Imaginary House: Kitchen

I have a teensy tiny kitchen in my home now that also serves as a laundry room so I'm constantly trolling the internet (pinterest) for small kitchen ideas.  Not that I can or would do any MAJOR remodeling as I'm renting and also poor, but it's nice to dream about!  I am drawn to open shelving, herbs all around, sunshine, butcher block counter tops and jars full of grains and other such kitchen goodness.  All the pictures here are from Gabi over at Moon to Moon, a blog I have been following for literally YEARS.  She's amazing.  I bet her house is like an earthy, bohemian dream.

I love the coca-cola box at the top and the open shelves! 

Turquoise walls and rows of jars...mmmmm

What a dream to have an eat-in kitchen!  And oooo that exposed brick! 

Hanging herbal goodness ;)

I love how bright and sunny and fresh this is

Open shelves and COLOR even with white walls and cabinets 

BUTCHER BLOCK 

I love the hanging things.  This could be done with a tension rod, no? 

Juxtaposition, Wanderlust, and the Balance In Between

There is a certain amount of wanderlust in my blood.  We moved a fair amount when I was a child, not a ton, but enough to make an impact, I think.  Since I've left home, I've lived in 8 different apartments or houses.  2 were my parents homes, 4 were apartments, 1 was a dorm, and 1 is the house I now rent by myself.  My parents generally move every 3 years or so, and that suits them well enough.

I have a deep yearning to see the world, to experience different cultures and touch the skin of others born into unique situations.  I want to see nature, especially, and the wondrous bits of it that exist beyond my backyard.

But I also have a deep yearning to nest, to build a home and a family, to be close to my parents and brother and friends.  I want to hop in the car after church and drive to see my cousin and her family, then stop by my parents for dinner.  I want to experience the gift of motherhood and share all that is love and the world with my little ones.

So that is me.  I have a longing to roam, to fly, but to always have a soft place to land, a home with beating hearts and flesh and blood that welcomes me and is there for me and holds the space that I need.  The idea of taking my little family with me everywhere appeals to me greatly, like a nomadic gypsy family, but I don't have a little family quite yet and traveling alone, while refreshing and humbling, isn't always super amazingly fun for me.

Does this sound confusing?  That's probably because I feel confused.  ;).  For now, I'm content to live my little peaceful life and make money as a night nurse while planning travels. My parents are three hours away and for that I'm grateful.  My cousin and sister-friends are always available via the phone and my brother is safely tucked away in the eastern most corner of the country, but still present in my heart.

White Willow Bark Vs. Aspirin

White willow bark is a great alternative to aspirin and can provide gentle but still powerful pain relief.  Hippocrates recommended that his patients chew the bark for fever and inflammation as early as 400 B.C.  In 1829 Europe, scientist found that salicin was the active ingredient in White Willow Bark, or the ingredient that causes the pain relieving properties.  However, extracting salicin from White Willow Bark was difficult and time consuming. In 1852 a synthetic form was created called salicylic acid.  The body converts salicin to salicylic acid after being metabolized in the stomach.  This is why some believe that White Willow Bark is more gentle on the gastrointestinal system, because the acidic property of salicylic acid never was meant to be actually present in the stomach.  This acid can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding.  Then, later, Bayer, a German company, called salicylic acidacetylsalicylic acid, or ASA and marketed it as the aspirin we know today. 

I personally take White Willow Bark in the dry leaf form as a tea.  I brew 1 to 2 teaspoons in a cup of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.  I take around 3 to 4 cups a day as needed.  

I buy my white willow bark in bulk, at about $7 per pound.  I usually buy $1 worth and it lasts me six months or so.  I am lucky enough to have a great chain shop that sells bulk dried herbs, but it you don't this website is well respected and ethical for sourcing your herby needs.  

White Willow Bark

Uses: Pain relief, especially pain caused by inflammation. 

Form: Tea

Dosage: 1-2 tsp. in 1 cup hot water for 10-15 minutes.  3-4 cups per day as needed. 

Things to consider: Do not take if you have bleeding tendencies, as it can thin the blood. 

My herbalism disclaimer: While I have been studying herbs for five years now and am a Registered Nurse with a bachelor's degree in allopathic medicine, I do not know you.  I do not know your special body quirks or how you react to certain compounds.  Please do not use my words as concrete fact and realize that these herbs have traditional uses that work for most.