Fighting Dragons With You: January 2013

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Life's little reminders

Care deeply. Enjoy simple pleasures. Seek out the good. Plant trees (lots of them). Go barefoot. Push the envelope. Drink plenty of water. Worry less. Love what you do. Go where you've never been. Try a new recipe. Be part of a team. Take nothing for granted. Be brave. Take a class. Transform negatives. Be a little kinder than necessary. Build a sandcastle. Say please and thank you. Breathe deeply. Celebrate little victories. Visit a museum.

Stretch your comfort zone. Travel without a map.

Welcome the sunrise. Take chances.

Rise to the occasion.

Foster creativity. Stay young at heart. Be kind to creatures. Give back. Laugh a lot. Lead by example. Welcome new challenges. Make the world better. Be moved to tears. Respect tradition. Share knowledge. Discover what inspires you. Ride a bike. Expect success. Remember birthdays. Be spontaneous. Cultivate compassion. Shoot for the moon. Find balance. Delight your friends. Take responsibility. Lift your face to the sun. Settle for more. Take a road trip. Keep your word. Create opportunity. Trust your instincts. Radiate happiness. Skip rocks. Make every moment count. Embrace new ideas. Find four-leaf clovers. Learn from mistakes.

Nurture your soul. Make your own luck. Invest in your future. Be a friend. Start a new tradition. Loosen up. Win without a fight. Spend time with the elderly. Swing for the fence. Fight for a cause. Try something new. Go out and play. Remember the good stuff. Face your fears. Grow a garden. Be a hero. Strengthen your community. Feel the wind. Chase your dreams.Appreciate what you have. Be a good listener. Treasure old friends. Tread lightly. Live with intention. Be generous. Keep in touch. Take the scenic route. Cherish family. Smell the ocean. Give the benefit of the doubt.

See a natural wonder. Leap before you look.

Volunteer. See for yourself. Run through the sprinkler. Look closely. Be new and improved. Smile often. Think globally. Practice kindness. Embrace change. Take it easy. Find your passion. Let your mind wander. Fall in love. Be a good sport. Revisit childhood dreams. Be grateful. Build a treehouse. Keep an open mind. Dress up. Sleep under the stars. Know peace. Share your smile. Go places. Be part of something good. Keep learning. Leave time for fun.

Get carried away.

Make someone's day.

Mom's visit...in June

I can't believe I haven't written about mom's visit yet. Her and rhonda made their way over and it was their first time flying outside of the US! It was recorded last year as the second wettest year in the UK... so it wasn't really the BEST year to visit, but I think and I hope they enjoyed it anyway. They came just in time for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee ...which of course landed on a rainy bank holiday. We watched it on TV and gawked over Kate's stunning outfit and how her hair doesn't frizz in the rain. Mom and Rhonda both caught colds - probably from the flight - and had serious jetlag for a while. The first night they were up until 4 in the morning cleaning our entire house and basically had a movie marathon. Lucky for them, Peter has an abundant collection. One of the days we went to the Folkestone Airshow & had a big BBQ at Peter's parents house with nan and grandad & JP and his family. Unfortunately, moms visit clashed with Peter's parents trip to Germany so they didn't get to see a lot of each other until their last few days. Andrew was here visiting though so that was fun. We managed to fill our days with lots of fun little day trips; one to Brighton, a few days in Whitstable and a trip to the beautiful Bruges! We also took them to Mt. Ephraim gardens & had the best lunch at The Dove with the whole family. It was so nice seeing mom & catching up with her like no time had passed. I think she was really impressed by Canterbury and seemed to understand what drew me in. I think she felt a lot better too after seeing our home, our routine & lifestyle in general. I know it's a pricey trip and is a pretty big deal, but I hope she visits again and I can't wait for that day!

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Winner Winter

Last year, I realized that winter is not really my season. I had a nasty case of the winter blues. I was homesick, lacking more Vitamin D than ever before (which you don't notice until you leave SD!) and experiencing other new revelations about this gloomy wonderland. First, let me point out that it's dark when you wake up, and is dark again around 3:30-4:00 PM. Most days are cloudy, gloomy and wet meaning for a few months, I miss the sunsets {moon & stars} and leave work in pure darkness. I've noticed that people tend to complain more in winter, too. About how dark it is, how cold it is, how wet it is, now it's snowing...etc.

This year I was more prepared and I invested in things I knew would help {drastically!}. I finally bought my first rain jacket which made running and biking outdoors much more enjoyable for a bit longer. North face from TK Maxx.

After leaving San Diego in November, my mama gave me some money specifically to buy a new winter coat and I found the best coat ever. It makes me so happy and I am no longer afraid to face the horrible weather, in fact, I enjoy being so warm and cozy now during such awful conditions!

Along with my new jacket and coat, I also found the best pair of boots at TK Maxx. Happy as a clam, I am! They're soo comfy & go with practically everything in my wardrobe. Yes.

I am so much happier this year than last, despite the gloom and darkness. Here are a few things that have helped make this winter better than last...

Almond sent me a sun-lamp...my favorite.
I bought a HUGE bottle of Vitamin D & Biotin
Seeing family, friends & sun for Thanksgiving
Leg warmers & thermal socks
My new super cozy mink robe
Our Christmas tree & our ornaments from all over
My homemade Christmas cards
Our work parties
Christmas!!
Tanning lotion
Our gym routine
Looking forward to and seeing the Hollywood Costume Exhibit at the V&A on New Years day.
Peter's birthday
Secret Cinema
& I may or may not have brought back a few treats from home....ingredients for s'mores, cookie mixes, my favorite gum, jolly ranchers, a reusable Trader Joe's bag to remind me of home, and more.

Toodles!

Friday 11 January 2013

California, here we come!

Before I knew summer wouldn't make it's appearance in England, I decided to hold off on our big California trip until the beginning of winter since that's when I was the most desperate to be home last year. It starts getting really wet and cold near the end of October to early November & then winter is in full flow by the end of November to January. Well, when summer never came, I decided that my happiness, sanity and longing to be home was worth considering a last minute flight home to catch the last bit of summer and see everyone I was missing so much. I didn't actually think about it being an option but the more people suggested it to me, the more I started thinking of ways to make it possible. Peter and I talked about it for a few weeks and soon enough, a flight was booked for the end of August.

My homesickness reached a summertime peak around the 4th of July when I was freezing cold walking to work thinking about how it should be scorching hot and I should be celebrating by the pool with fireworks. In any case, our trip to Germany quickly came and went, and then I was on my way home for the first time in just over a year - the longest I'd ever been away from home. Needless to say, it was great to be home; I loved spending time with my mom and close friends and squeezing everyone I could into my crazy, jam-packed days. I will say, I learned just how hard it is to actually see everyone, and that being said, it's a lot easier than I thought to hurt feelings. It was a fun and busy, but also kind of a stressful trip. I left saying "see you in a month" to mama which made leaving a tiny bit easier than the last.

California, not only are you BEAUTIFUL, your food is delicious. You are home to many of my favorite people and restaurants. I am obsessed with your hiking trails and love your challenges on the racquetball court. Thank you for the constant sunshine and breathtaking sunsets. For 25 years of my life I have been more blessed than I'll ever know to have grown up on your sun-kissed soil.

My first trip home, I was so busy I didn't even get a chance to hit the beach (or relax!) Our second trip was with JP, and we had a full schedule but also wanted to allow time for relaxing. It's a lot easier said than done because when you're actually there, you feel like you just have to do everything. Also, seeing so many people on a tight schedule can get difficult. Each day seemed like a roller coaster ride to me. Some days we were up and others were down. Still, it's home and you just can't beat a trip home. I can't quite say when we'll go back because Peter and I are desperate to explore more of the world, but at least now I am feeling happier and healthier about being so far from home. I still miss so much about it, but I know it's always there and hasn't changed much since I left :-) til next time.

san diego from Lindsay Reynolds on Vimeo.

London 2012

Ahhhhh how great were last years Olympics?! I was so lucky to be in the UK. Not only did I get to experience the buzz of the Diamond Jubilee {even though it was raining!} but I got to experience the hype of living in the hosting country of the 2012 Olympics! It all started with the countdown for the torch to reach the UK from it's home in Athens. Then we watched it wander all over the country. When it came to Canterbury, I made sure to leave work a little early to see it. As you can probably imagine, the town was buzzing with excitement. There were dancers, music and rows & rows of people who had been waiting for hours. Since I got into town so late, I didn't get the best view (below), and although that picture obviously does not do it any justice, it was the vibe of the atmosphere that was the real kicker. I even got a little emotional to be there - seeing it in person. When I traveled to London in 2009, I remember telling myself I would be here for the Olympics, and here I was, seeing the torch run by me in person. My view was no where near as good as Peter's (below mine), but I was still extremely thankful to be there. Everyone was so happy and excited to see it go by. It felt like the best party I'd ever been to.

The Friday night of the opening ceremony, the three of us {P & JP} sat together at home anxious for the games to begin! We were in complete awe the entire time & I could tell the boys felt really proud of their country that night. I felt proud, too! We all loved each moment of it (except maybe the hour of calling out countries we'd never knew existed!) and I was honestly shocked when I heard so many negative reviews on facebook & news articles from America. I guess I probably would have had different feelings had I not lived here and understood some of it's history and humor? Or, if I was watching back home instead of with my proud and excited Brits? Either way, I really loved it. Well done Danny Boyle. If you're in the UK and fancy another watch, you can go here. I don't think that link will work in the US...but based on your reviews, you probably don't care anyway ;-)

Peter and I didn't actually go up to London to watch any of it in the end. The weather wasn't ever really nice enough to go last minute (because it's hard to plan things around this weather, even in summer....!!) and we couldn't really be bothered to worry about parking & deal with all the madness. But we did go to London just 3 days before they started. So we saw all the preparations up and ready to go, and even then, you could feel the excitement in the air.

My favorite event to watch was the long distance running. I was so excited by the marathon and the 10,000 meters. I loved watching Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba win first place in her 10,000m run. I think I connected with running the most just because I can kind of empathize and only wish I could be as wonderful of a runner as they! Seriously, 6 miles in 29 minutes as a woman?! Course, I also liked the swimming events & watching Michael Phelps kick everyone's asses. I love this video of the US swim team below and it's even better because this song reminds me so much of last summer anyway!

Thursday 3 January 2013

In with the new

I know I am so behind on my blogging these past few months...I still jot down the odd idea at least once a week, but I just never sit down to write anything.

Tonight, I'm going to slowly work my way backwards.
I'll start with the New Year, reflect a little, then make my way back to Christmas, our trip to San Diego, my personal development, moms visit to England (whoa, in June!), and whatever else might come to mind {hopefully}.

I've never really been the type to come up with a new years resolution because I am a true believer that you can make changes any day of the year, not just at the beginning of the year. If I'm not happy with something, I usually change it as soon as I can.

This year is a teeny bit different. I recently read a book called "How to have a brilliant life", and I had to write down 50 things I wanted. Do you think you could write down 50 things you want in life? It took me some time and a lot of thought, but I managed. Once I knew what I wanted, I had to categorize them into short-term (90 days), medium-term (1-5years) and long term (+5yrs) goals. Did you know that only about 5% of people write down their goals? Apparently "committing goals to paper and reviewing them regularly gives you a 95% higher chance of achieving your desired outcomes. Studies have shown that only three to five percent of people in the world have written goals – the same three to five percent who have achieved success in reaching those goals."

I won't share my 50 wants or my goals, but I will share a few things I'd like to work on in 2013.