Ice Skating! Pics

Here are the pics from Ice Skating! on New Year's Day. Have you noticed that I can't really write "Ice Skating!" without putting an exclamation point behind it? There's something to that... hahaha!

Best Friends!

You know, it's hard to get a non-action (a.k.a., non-blurry) shot when you're out on an ice rink...

Cloe's first time on the ice - she said "I only want to go with my friend Amy Kingston!" Thankfully, Stacey went with us for back-up... just in case!

Rob and Dan... looking spiffy! They tried out some pretty fancy tricks on the ice.

Kennedy and Kaela, watching from the sidelines and acting as the unofficial photographers.

Good times! Until the fall that came shortly after this pic... but even that was pretty fun, I must admit!

Megan and I... check out the speed!






Megan and Brian taking a well-deserved break...

Who I Am (A Declaration)

Who am I?

I am an optimist. I am an idealist.

I am the possibility of freedom and joy.

I believe freedom and joy are available to every person... in every moment... in the face of every circumstance life has to offer.

Finding freedom and joy in each moment gives access to power.

My interpretation of reality becomes my reality.
My interpretation of reality is my power, and it cannot be taken from me.

I am the words that I speak, for those words create my interpretation of reality.
Therefore, my word is my power.

I am a member of a worldwide community...
one that inspires me and one that I am proud to be part of.
That community is called "human beings."

I am on this planet to make a difference.

My presence and my way of being impacts everyone around me...
both when I am aware of that impact and when I'm not.

I choose to be a force for good in the world.

I am committed to self-expression.

I am committed to my own freedom and joy...
and to your freedom and joy, too.


Who are you?

You are my friend, my family, my lover.

You hold in your hands the promise of a new future.
You are everything-nothing.

You are a member of my community... the community of human beings.
You are a reflection of me, and I am a reflection of you.

In the end, there is only we.

Lights... Camera... What Comes Next?

Imagine me, sitting in front of a not-so-interesting episode of Battlestar Galactica...

Now imagine a bolt of inspiration from out of the blue... ice skating!

That pretty much sums up last Sunday afternoon for me. And it's not too uncommon in my world.

You see, I have this gift of being struck with inspiration on a regular basis... and it usually comes at the least expected moments and takes the least expected forms.

But here's where this particular idea took a different path - I actually followed through on it!

So often, I get a really exciting idea and I play it out in my head for days. "Ooooh... I could do this... or that... or maybe it would be fun to..." Well, you get the idea. And don't get me wrong, having a fantastic, inspiring, and active life in my head is great fun - and it's pretty safe and easy, too! I don't have to venture out in the rain, I don't have to expend much energy, it's completely free, and I don't have to risk any kind of social rejection. It's also lonely...

So this week I invented the possibility of action... being in action, inspiring others to action, having my actions make a difference in the world. When an inspiring thought appears in my mind, I'm committed to translating it into action right away!

So when "Ice skating!" popped into my head Sunday, I got on the net and changed my Facebook status. "Amy wants to ice skate this week. Anyone interested?" A few people showed interest, so I created an event invitation and sent it out.

And when I was thinking about the event and "Hot chocolate!" popped into my head, I started calling around to find a hot water dispenser. The result? A local Starbucks donated a huge carafe filled with hot water... for free!

And when the thought "Snacks!" showed up, I mentioned it to a few friends and we ended up with so much food it barely fit on the table!

The result: This afternoon, seventeen fantastic people from my community joined me at the Lloyd Center Ice Rink and we had a blast! We welcomed in 2009... we ate up lots of leftover munchies from last night's New Year's Eve parties... we fell, and we laughed about it... we met new people... we ice skated!

And tonight, I'm going dancing. Now THAT'S what I call action!

The Christmas Spirit...

A friend recently posted this video on her Facebook page and it inspired me to try something different this year. I'm going to make most of my holiday gifts for friends and family, or I'm going to recycle things that I already have and would love to share with others around me. In addition, I'm going to match the money I spend on gifts, supplies for making gifts, wrapping, and shipping by donating to charities that make a difference in the world.

Of course, this adventure has required me to get started early, and here's what I've already noticed:

1. I love being artistic, but it's something I often fail to make time for in my day-to-day life. Making gifts for other people has given me an amazing reason to be artistic, rather than coming home and plopping down in front of a computer game or book. So it has been a real gift to myself, too.

2. Making a promise to match my holiday spending with charitable giving is forcing me to be creative and think about every dollar I spend. I'm doing things like making my wrapping paper out of materials I already have in order to save money. And that's a good thing... because rampant consumerism is definitely NOT a good thing. (If you're not sure why I say that, check out www.storyofstuff.org)

3. For the first time in years, holiday gifts mean something to me. You see, I've already logged hours of time making gifts, and I've spent each of those hours thinking about the people I love... reminiscing about our times together... trying to envision what they would enjoy the most. That's what Christmas is really about. It's a lot more work than clicking the "buy" button at some Internet shopping site, but it's been so worth it to me.

4. I haven't had to survive the obnoxious crowds, super-sappy holiday music, long lines, and "buy, buy, buy" messages that bombard people in malls and stores these days. Which means I get to decide what Christmas is about for me, rather than letting pop culture decide for me. And I've got more time for making those gifts... do you see the cycle?

5. I get to honor my friends and family AND make a difference in the world through charitable giving. That gives me warm fuzzy feelings inside.

So if you're reading this, here's my request: take a few minutes to watch the video and decide how YOU'RE going to make a difference this year. Maybe it will be something small... that's okay. It all starts with small acts of kindness.

And please know that you'll be getting something relatively small or hand-made from me... and that I don't expect anything expensive or extravagant from you, either. Your love and friendship is enough... everything else is just a bonus!

Things I'm Thankful For...

• My parents, who have always loved me and supported me despite all the crap I've put them through.
• My first love, Adam... I'll never forget what it felt like to be loved for who I am. I know I'll find that again someday.
• The children in my class - they are so small and vulnerable, yet they radiate joy and trust. They remind me of the things that really matter in life.
• The parents of the children in my class, for trusting me with their most important treasures every day.
• Megan O, my best friend and the sister I never had, for loving me through the ups and the downs. Here's to a bright future together, raising our kids and playing in the sunshine and making art and... well, you know.
• Nike, for respecting teachers and paying us accordingly.
• All my amazing friends, near and far... and the technology that helps us keep in touch, even in the midst of our busy lives.
• My dog Abby Lou... she's the best hiking buddy a girl could ever ask for and she's worth all the shoes she's chewed up over the years.
• My co-teachers and suitemates, who make it a joy to wake up and go to work every day.
• Portland, Oregon... finally a place that feels like home.
• Music... my lifeblood... when I can't find the words, I can always find a song to express how I feel.
• Barack Obama, who helped me rediscover the part of myself that cares about where our nation is headed.
• Landmark Education. I really wouldn't be who I am today without a three-day course called the Landmark Forum.
• Art... which comes in many forms, and hides inside all of us.
• The people who take the time to smile as they pass me on the sidewalk each day.
• Freedom and love and joy and celebrations and diversity and friends and family and heartache and trust and all the other things that make us human.
• I'm grateful for every day in this beautiful Universe!

Nike Guest Passes...

As you may know, I work for Nike... which means I get to shop at the Nike Employee Store. That's right... incredible Nike gear at incredibly cheap prices.

And because you're reading this blog, you could shop there too!

I've gotten lots of extra guest passes to the employee store for the holiday season, and I'd hate to see them go to waste. They have to be used up before the end of the year.

If you or your friends are interested in checking out the store - it's located in Beaverton, and it contains all the best Nike, Converse, Cole Haan, and Hurley gear at 50% off the retail price - just let me know. I'll need to know the date you want to do your shopping and I'll put your name on the guest list. I'll give you my employee number and directions to the store and you'll be admitted with no problems!

Easy breezy... leave a comment or e-mail me if you're interested. First come, first served!

Brunch = Brilliant

I hope whoever thought up the idea of brunch got an award for it...

And I hope Casa Naranja - a relatively new restaurant on Mississippi Ave - becomes as brilliantly popular as it deserves to be.

I had brunch there today because a friend of mine is dating the sous-chef, and it was delightful. Excellent food, great art on the walls, good ambience, and fantastic service (knowing a chef doesn't hurt, of course...).

I remembered that I really love mimosas with Sunday brunch, and I discovered the concept of a "torta" - sort of like quiche, only way yummier. Mine had layers of egg, potatoes, sage, tomatoes, and onions, all drizzled with a spicy honey sauce. Mmmmmm....

As if that's not enough, my friend Kennedy brought some of her friends that I'd never met before and we had some great conversations. So it really IS easy to make new friends, after all. One thing leads to another... and another... and eventually it all comes full circle.

So check it out... http://www.casanaranjapdx.com/. I heard it just got chosen as a Willamette Weekly pick-of-the-week, so get in now before all those tables are full!

Art Party!

I'm having an Art Party this weekend!

I've been binding books and making homemade journals like crazy... everyone will get to pick one to decorate. We'll be making photo albums, journals, memorial books, sketchbooks... whatever people are inspired to create.

And I'm amazed by how many people are coming! Lots of friends, both new and old. It seems I'm not the only one who likes to get crafty...

I'm in the window of time when I usually get a bit panicky... people coming over tomorrow, big event to get ready for, need the house to be clean and the supplies to be organized, and it feels like there's too much to do. But this time I'm going to take it easy and enjoy it. After all, this is supposed to be fun! I'm not going to ruin it by stressing out. That's a big lesson I've learned over the past few years, and this Art Party is my chance to put it into practice.

Here's another lesson I've learned: it's not so hard to make new friends, after all. You just look for people you enjoy being around, strike up a conversation, and invite them to get together sometime. It really is that simple... :) I can't wait to get to know all the new friends that are coming over this weekend, and I can't wait to see all that creativity unleashed on the world. We're going to create beautiful things!

Life is good... life is very, very good.

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old...

This weekend I had dinner with two friends that I haven't seen in eighteen years!

My father was in the Air Force, so we moved quite a bit when I was young. Of all the moves, the toughest one for me was leaving Alexandria, Louisiana in 1990, the summer between 7th and 8th grades.

You see, for the first time in my life I had real friends. Not the kind of friends that liked the same My Little Pony toys as me or showed up to play dates arranged by my mom, but real friends. I had a group of friends that I loved hanging out with... friends I had chosen for myself... friends I could tell secrets to. And we were finally old enough to walk to each other's houses after school or stay up late at slumber parties.

And then I moved... boy did it suck leaving all that behind to be the "new girl" in eighth grade.

My Louisiana friends and I promised to keep in touch, but that's a tough promise for a twelve-year-old to keep, so it wasn't long before we lost contact altogether... until Facebook intervened and we reconnected a few months ago.

And it turns out one of them lives in Portland, and another is seriously considering moving to Portland sometime soon.

So Becky and Linda and I met up for dinner downtown this weekend and it was a blast!

Of course we were nervous that we wouldn't have anything in common. A lot changes between seventh grade and adulthood, and we had no way of knowing in what direction each of our lives had gone during the past eighteen years.

But after a few hours of laughing, reminiscing, and catching up on each other's lives, here's what we decided: some things never change, and the things that make you choose your friends when you're twelve are the SAME things you look for in a friend when you're thirty.

It just reaffirms my belief that we start out as wise as we'll ever get, and that children really do have all the answers.