Turning 50

If you don't die, you'll get to age 50.

I'm a few hours away and feel like I have a good chance of making it.

I feel awesome. And grateful. I hoped that I could say that I feel healthier than ever, but I have fallen off the ladder with exercise and I definitely notice it.

Don't get me wrong, I feel really good. I'm eating well and I think that all in all I'm doing great.

They say 50 is the new 30. Not sure about that. What I am sure about is that I will continue to take each day as a gift, continue to spend as much time as possible being a voice for the voiceless and work to make the world a little safer for all living beings. I will get serious about exercise again.

For my 50th birthday I decided to raise money for Urban Peak, a rock-star non-profit in Denver that serves youth experience homelessness, over 2,000 of them a year. Their staff is filled with compassionate and passionate people who give their all in service of others. I was hoping to raise $1,000 and as of today am at $2,465! So awesome.

I'd like to say thank you to all of you who have supported this blog, which has become a highlight of my activism and work towards liberation. Those who read my blog have become an awesome part of my life, and I am grateful.

Together we can do so much for so many.

If you would like to know more about Urban Peak, click here.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for being part of this blog community.

Living in Los Angeles

Seven weeks.

It's hard to believe that we are already living here, already settled in, and already working our new jobs.

We had the dream, we took the risk, and we are loving it.

I remember telling people we were moving from Colorado to Los Angeles and getting the look. The look like "are you crazy?". Then all of the negative comments about how terrible traffic is in LA, how crowded it it, etc.

The traffic is definitely terrible and it sure is crowded. It doesn't take long to learn to deal with that, and even embrace it at least in regards to it being crowded. 

There is so much that we already love: the diversity, the people, the closeness to the beach, the urban and mountain beauty, the food, the markets, etc. Almost every day there is something else to add to the list.

If you are vegan and a foodie, LA is one of the most incredible cities ever. Wherever I am for a work appointment, I can plug the word "vegan" into Yelp and find so many options for a meal it's crazy. And I mean good vegan options. The other day I wanted to take one of my team out for lunch and found a place called Un Solo Sol, a local Mexican place. Oh my. Delicious food and gracious hospitality. Review to come for sure. This is just one example.

As I was sitting in traffic last night on the way home from work, I looked up at the palm trees and smiled.

We live here.

Thanks for reading.

Living your dream

Our move to the Los Angeles area is realizing a dream we have had for years to live in southern California. I want to live there to be closer to the beach, where I can surf, kayak and just relax while reading a good book. The weather, food, diversity and awesome farmers markets are a bonus.

I look forward to so much. Yes, there are down sides. For instance, I constantly hear horror stories about the traffic and just getting from A to B. We will definitely have to get used to all that. But for us our dream will be coming true.

Life is short. I say many times that I was 28 and then one day I woke up and I was 49. Just like that.

Life is such a gift. Every day is precious, and not guaranteed.

Live your dream.

Take that cooking class.

Ask that man or woman on a date.

Organize that protest.

Take that trip.

Don't wait for tomorrow.

You are totally worth it!

Thanks for reading!

Making a big move

If you have been connected with us for even a little while, you might know that for a long time we have been spending a lot of time in southern California. For me, my sweet spaces are the beaches in and north of San Diego. I have wanted to move there for several years.

Mike, not so much. Yet over the past couple of years he has gotten closer to wanting to move and last summer when we were there he said that he was ready.

Since last summer we have thought about a move a lot. I have applied for a couple of jobs but nothing in the San Diego area looked promising. I expanded my search to the Los Angeles area and had better luck getting calls for interviews from non-profits there. Mike joined me in the search and last week got the call.

We are moving.

To Los Angeles. The east side, like between downtown LA and the Inland Empire.

It looks like we'll move in July.

We still have to sell the house, find at least temporary housing there, and I need to find a job.

But we are doing it. My dream of living in southern California. And although we won't be as far south as we would like, we're still only 1 1/2 hours from one of our favorite beaches, Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, and Torrey Pines in San Diego.

It's been very emotional since starting to tell our co-workers, neighbors and friends. Seeing the For Sale sign in front of our house almost crushed me. We certainly have a lot to be grateful here and will totally miss our family of friends.

Life is truly so short. It's time to go for our dreams.

If you live in the southern California area please connect with us!

Thanks for reading.

My 14 faves of '14: #3

My third fave of 2014 is Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego.

I am sure you're not surprised!

We LOVE this beach!

The area we hang out at the most is right about the center of this photo in the beach area.

This is from a hike we took this year. We started at the beach, took the road up, and then paths back down to the beach. Incredible!



And us during the hike!

If you are ever going to be in the San Diego area (we hope to live there one day) I highly recommend that you spend at least a day at Torrey Pines State Beach!

Thanks for reading!