How I did it: We spent 4 days in Death Valley in December. We camped at Furnace Creek and explored some of the key sights in the Valley. You could spend a very long time there, especially if you have a vehicle that can go off-road or if you like hiking. We were very impressed by everything we saw and had a great time. Read how I did it…
How I did it: Very early in the morning, we drove from Victoria to the China Beach parking lot, stopping on our way to drop off a bag at our bed and breakfast. We had booked the shuttle bus from China Beach to Port Renfrew. It was slightly late, but otherwise everything ran smoothly. We hiked the 2.5 km to the Botanical Beach trailhead and then camped at the following spots: Payzant Creek (got there early and got the waterfall view), West Sombrio Beach… Read how I did it…
How I did it: I followed Hal Higdon's intermediate training plan (more or less) and trained for 12 weeks before the race. I knew it was a hilly course, so I trained some on hills - but I was still unprepared for the largest hill on the course, which was more like a mountain. It was seriously intense!The race was not well organized, so even though I got there in plenty of time, it took ages to park, parking was far from the start line, and then when I f… Read how I did it…
How I did it: I toasted 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp cardamom pods, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, a 2" piece of cinnamon bark, 1 tsp of ground ginger, and 1 tsp of fennel seeds in a frying pan. Then I ground the spices in a spice grinder. I got this recipe from The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook and adapted with with advice from my mom. Read how I did it…
How I did it: We were in Yosemite from October 21-24. The weather was absolutely gorgeous while we were there - blue skies and temps in the mid-70s.The weather brought more tourists than usual, and because we were driving from San Diego and couldn't arrive that early, we worried about finding a campsite. We decided to stay in Bass Lake, where we had a nice campsite and were conveniently close to Oakhurst, but thought it was a little far to drive in and… Read how I did it…
How I did it: It took me three months to complete my course, but years to work up the courage to do it and to make space in my life to devote to this goal. Having made some changes so that I could have more time and energy to devote to this project, I finally decided to choose a local course that could be finished quickly. I visited the studio and had an interview there, and then I registered and paid for the program.It was a lot of work - a lot of stu… Read how I did it…
How I did it: I think it may have something to do with the daily repetition of the name of Shiva. The fire lotus necklace I was wearing probably was a dead giveaway, or maybe God caught a glimpse of the Buddha in my apartment. Or perhaps it was that Saturday morning nookie, unwedded state notwithstanding.I'm not sure, but I was practice teaching at 6:00, and while that was a difficult and not altogether positive experience this time around, I can't say… Read how I did it…
How I did it: We went through the Sedona area on our way home from the Grand Canyon. I'd like to return and spend more time in the area in the future, since we only had one day. We actually stayed in the Abineau Lodge in the Flagstaff area, which was a bit hard to find late at night but a very nice place to stay. Then we drove from Flagstaff through Oak Creek Canyon, which was beautiful. We decided not to pay to enter any of the parks, but just paused … Read how I did it…
How I did it: We got up very early in the morning of my birthday and drove north, then east for about nine hours. We had lots of laughs on the way; for example, we passed a cop who had pulled over a Krispy Kreme truck! Also, weird road names like Shinarump Dr. We had a lovely picnic lunch in a not-so-lovely spot in the Needles area. We arrived in Williams, had a nap at our bed and breakfast, and headed up to the canyon (about an hour).Wow! Breathtaking… Read how I did it…
How I did it: I had this idea that the Grand Canyon would be a pretty cool place to take some yoga photos. I had a mental image of myself doing beautiful poses on the rim. I forgot that I'm afraid of heights! Even though I was back from the rim, I couldn't do any poses that required me to look up because the vertigo was so bad. I did some poses by the edge and some a bit further away. (The attached photo is one of the ones further from the edge - with … Read how I did it…
How I did it: My studio was holding a workshop of 108 sun salutations in honor of the spring equinox, so I signed up. 9 teachers taught 12 sun salutations each, with a brief savasana after 3 teachers had taught. I did all of the sun salutations except one or two I missed when I went to the restroom. :) We did Surya Namaskar A except with no lift up to flat back (to protect the lower back from so many repetitions). I made sure to do easier variations wh… Read how I did it…
How I did it: This goal was on and off my list for nearly two years. I have a beautiful paper journal, and I wrote in it when I first met my boyfriend and while I was on a yoga retreat, but I've had a terrible time integrating journal writing into my regular life. Finally, I found the website 750 Words, and that has really helped me make a habit of writing. I write so little by hand any more, and I think having the journal online was really helpful for… Read how I did it…
How I did it: I used lists and my day planner to organize my life. I noted what was and wasn't working in my schedule - especially what areas were causing me extra stress - and tried to strategize in order to resolve those areas. I realized that because my work schedule is different from day to day, I also need to vary my expectations for what else I can accomplish. I also realized that I need to be planned well in advance so that I can afford to take … Read how I did it…
How I did it: It took me 28 days to complete the challenge, but I first heard of Commit to Sit in 2007 when it was published in Tricycle Magazine. I was drawn to the challenge but intimidated by it. I had never had a regular meditation practice and I'd never sat for longer than 15 or 20 minutes at a time.Gradually, over the course of 2010, I built a daily meditation practice that encouraged me to attempt Commit to Sit, and I put it on my New Year's Res… Read how I did it…
How I did it: This is challenging for me. Apparently my identity is all caught up in my clothes. It took me ages, but little by little I went through the closets and drawer and put clothes I no longer wear into a bag (if in good enough condition). We're going to drop them off at Goodwill this afternoon.Basically, my criterion was things not worn in the past year - although I exempted some essential work wear, formal wear, and other "specialty clothes" … Read how I did it…
How I did it: I read through the paperwork provided to me by my institution about using Safe Assign. I also looked at the Safe Assign website. I logged onto Blackboard and worked through the instructions to create my first assignment. I also read through the sample instructions that students will follow. I will have to make sure to print these out for my students as well. Read how I did it…
How I did it: I made a list of the countries my students come from and anything else I knew about their cultures, religions, languages, etc. Then I used Google to find out more about where they come from. The CIA World Factbook was a useful resource, and I used Wikipedia as well, even though I know it isn't always reliable.I focused on: history and politics; statistics about the people, especially education; cultural information such as food, music, et… Read how I did it…
How I did it: I started out using Mint.com after having it recommended to me. I know that Mint works for a lot of people, but it just didn't work for me. It was hard for me to remember to keep track of my cash when everything else was being entered automatically, and I kept forgetting to log in.Eventually, I just made my own Excel Spreadsheets and taught myself how to make the formulas work properly. This helps me remember to keep track of all my purch… Read how I did it…
How I did it: I registered with Elance.com and took their admission test successfully. I then went through the process to verify my phone number. Before creating my profile, I looked at other profiles of similar providers and I also read through the Elance tips and guidelines. I tried to use all of the sections of my profile to market myself to the best of my ability. I still feel like I'll need to work with my profile to improve it over time, but I'm … Read how I did it…
How I did it: I used TripAdvisor to write reviews of our hotels. I also wrote reviews of some of the travel clothes I bought on the company's website (and the shoes on Zappos). I tried to be very specific about the pros and cons of each hotel/ product and to let readers know what my values are and what I was looking for. (I hate it when reviewers don't do this, because you need this information to figure out how to read a review!)I have to admit, thoug… Read how I did it…
