Author: natnat

la paz, mexico

Our journey to La Paz has begun with dropping off our fur friends at their very own hotel where they will be spa’d and treated like the little kings and queens they are. their Jr Suite even comes with a web cam so we can check in on them at all times!

The 1 AM flight was supposed to be a time saver for our 4 day excursion, but it was a bit brutal staying awake and not cranky in the airport. Once on the plane things got much better and the super cheap upgrade to 1st class made sleeping on the flight to Mexico City easy.

What hasn’t been easy is dealing with my dad’s heart situation. Being able to talk to him, to hear him go from sounding concerned to joking about tequila has helped. To know that my mom (health and wellness traffic control officer of the year) is there with him helps a ton too. I think she’s stood by long enough and watched him not tell the doctors everything they need to know. His medical team is very well informed with Clara J in the mix .

top down

I’m so we’ve acquired a new car. mini cooper s – convertible, and she’s/he’s adorable!! i’ve heard a few times that california is working well for me, and the car that loses it’s top so that beautiful ball in the sky can shine in is one more confirmation I am adjusting!!

back to the gender thing — do people do that or am I crazy feeling like this car has a gender, personality and requires a name?? felix, ninja, lucy, zuri (african for beautiful), betty, le pew (as in pepe)….all contenders. what do you think??

you’ll spot me on hwy 280, with my top down!

name??

day 4, 5 and the naturopathic allergist

day 4 is done! and i’m half way through the final day of the big juice cleanse. it’s been amazing and I will DEFINITELY do it again!

we had a pretty busy sunday – Alameda Flea Market in the morning, a little shopping in the Marina, and Thai massages in the afternoon. I was better about drinking water in the sun, but I started late, and ended up with 3 bottles left to drink at 7pm. mad dash to the end of the night, but I made it.

day 5 has gone great! i’m still feeling fantastic – actually feeling very clear, very light, and i can see my face thinning. already planned my next cleanse in 4-6 months!

I had my first session with a naturopathic allergist – and was digitally screened for over 30 food/airborne items my body is sensitive to. the process is a muscle test, where the allergen is introduced through this armband and my body reacts to it – the reaction is measured and determined if there is a need to do further testing.

I had a reaction to 21 of 39 items. none or ALL of these could be contributing to my hives, but we are treating the items that triggered the strongest and contribute the most to skin issues.

SUGAR topped my list, and I underwent my initial treatment to desensitize my body to all of the sugars that I had been having an issue with. energy medians opened, sugar allergy cleared. now i wait and watch to see how i feel over the next few days. I could actually lose my sugar cravings or have them diminished. we’ll see. other things that were triggered:

corn, eggs, wheat/gluten, cats, dogs, dust, flowers, grasses, trees, weeds, blah, blah, blah.

having a reaction doesn’t mean i’m allergic and can never have these things or be around them – but that my body shows signs of agitation when these items are eaten or i’m around them. i have a few more appointments set up to have the next largest groups eliminated – hoping that this answers the 20yr old question of why I get hives!!

juice cleanses, clear flowing energy, and a convertible — i am a california girl!!

for more about my treatment: http://aasclinics.com/

the big cleanse: day 3 done, day 4 begins

day 3 is in the bank and im starting day 4. the cleanse is going so much better than I expected. No hunger, although tv commercials of delicious food is killing me! Headache-ie yesterday, but I think that is because of all the driving we did in the sun and the lack of water.

the volume of liquid I’m taking in is insane, but I know it’s working because the number of bathroom trips is also insane!!

day 4 is ahead of me, and then only one day left.

off to drink breakfast – and then some flea market shopping!

cleanse – day 1, 2

so I’m half way through day 2 and doing GREAT!  

the juice from pressedjuicery is amazing!  6 16 oz bottles of cold pressed veggies and fruit combinations and a weird green chlorophyl and apple water, plus a soothing aloe vera water for bed time. it’s A LOT of liquid, but i haven’t had one moment of hunger, no headaches, and no grouchies yet…  

i set my iPhone every 2.5 hours to grab the next juice and i’m hydrating all day with water and herbal tea in between.  

day 2 – things good, and the old bladder is getting a work out! 🙂

 

day 1 empties!

the hives and the cleanse

I have suffered from ‘chronic idiopathic urticaria’ for over 20 years.  It has appeared with major life events, and hung around for 2 weeks to over a year. they started when I entered UW, then appeared again when I had my daughter, again with the end of my marriage, then a quick stint at the end of 17 yr marriage to Nordstrom.  most recently they’ve joined me with my move to SF.  this bout started in August, but it hasn’t beat my longest bout which was over a year.

what is chronic idiopathic urticaria you ask??

The common definition is: hives, and whatever it is called, chronic idiopathic urticaria is a painful, demoralizing condition. Chronic idiopathic urticaria occurs when a person suffers from wheals or itching, almost daily, for over six weeks, with no obvious cause. The word “idiopathic” means the condition stems from an unknown cause. Hives, in general, mean some kind of allergic reaction is taking place. The body is, in effect, seeing something as an enemy and reacting to dispel the intruder. <my body is fighting itself and I can’t seem to call a time out!>

Chronic idiopathic urticaria is a disorder that often baffles dermatologists and allergists alike. Without a known cause, it is nearly impossible to prescribe an effective treatment. Without effective treatment, the patient continues to suffer. The skin often becomes scarred and otherwise damaged from the wheals and scratching. Chronic idiopathic urticaria can cause secondary depression because the sufferer is continually miserable, embarrassed by his skin and pessimistic about ever being free from the disorder. <–yes, all of that has been true for me!

endless Benadryl, all kinds of prescription antihistamines that leave me grogggggggy all day and the feeling of always wanting to be OUT of my skin is driving me to try natural options.

the cleanse….

tomorrow I embark on a journey to rid my body of toxins by starting a 5 day juice cleanse.  I will track my progress here, the highs, the lows, and the hunger pains.  I have no idea if this will help calm my hives, but at the 9 month mark I’m trying everything I can think.  I’ve never been able to tie my hives to food, and allergists have tested me for literally EVERYTHING.  This cleanse will allow my body to be off sugar, dairy, and meat for 5 days — and I will ease myself back into foods one thing at a time. 

the hives are frustrating, and this cleanse feels a little daunting, but I’m excited to try.  

– xoxo itchynat

http://www.pressedjuicery.com – my juice source

photography

Loving this medium of expression. There is art, science/chemistry, math, technology and sheer beauty that comes from it.

I’m up to 3 camera bodies, 5-6 lenses and have become very familiar with BW film ptocessing and development. Darkroom magic is incredible – tedious, but incredible!

You’ll find me always hunting for the right light…

writing with light…

i’m excited to report that the photography hobby that was born a few years ago has taken on a new form!
i’ve always played with cameras, thought i had ‘an eye’ for capturing interesting images, and always wanted to learn more about the full process. it helped that a boyfriend (in the past) was/is a professional sports photographer, and i would go on kids sporting shoots with him, run through the business end of ordering prints, go with him to meet clients to deliver prints, and had the hard work/glamorous experience of shooting in Madison Square Garden and Qwest Field. the bug was solidly in place, but my time in Seattle was fully occupied with board seats, volunteering for an amazing international non-profit, work, kids, tennis and life.

now there is time. pause and listen to the quietness… 🙂

time for me to explore this hobby to it’s fullest. to learn from pro’s, to take classes and to shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot! that is what i’m learning. to improve my photography, i need to keep shooting, and keep asking questions, and keep shooting and editing and shooting.

watch for the images that make me the happiest to be posted to my website at http://tallieimages.zenfolio.com. get it – natalie (tallie) 🙂

hope all is well with every one, and i hope you follow me on my journey to writing the best stories with light.

-nat

the first year, or at least the first half

a little over six months into the adventure and what have i learned…

sunshine is good for your soul, there is worse traffic than N/S I5 Seattle, and expanding your boundaries outside the US broadens your way of thinking.

at the 6 month mark things are starting to come together. the ‘fruit’ is ripening in the super sunny Cupertino sun, i’m finding my way, sharing my knowledge and I think I’m beginning to add some value which feels good.
living in the city has been a lot of fun, and I am adjusting! I am in a much better place with the neighborhood than I had been in the beginning. I’ve learned that my environment is more important to me than I thought. concrete jungles are great to visit, and even live in if there is GREEN available somewhere. birds, grass, trees are a must have. and coming from the cascade foothills where we had bear watch signs everywhere, I now understand why nothing but cold grey pavement has been tough to accept as my new hood. the next 6 months will consist of looking for places that are more green and hopefully still in the city.
the commute remains a killer, but the private wifi enabled buses that the fruit provides continue to make it bearable. even if the move at the end of this year takes me to berkley (which is a possibility), there are still buses – so no need to deal with the insane traffic from a driving perspective.
speaking of travel, i’ve had 2 amazing opportunities to travel in the first half of the year. both of which have pushed my mind to think beyond my bubble. it was enlightening to meet people from more than half way around the world who think about us in the states. To work with colleagues who have to consider customer engagement, translation, phrasing, relevance for 10+ countries at a time. what a fun challenge, but it made me stop and think that as Americans we rarely think beyond our circle of friends and family. how often do we think about the impact of what we do on the rest of the world? my two little trips have definitely impacted my thought process.
I am looking forward to the summer, or winter in the city and scorching dessert heat in the south bay. The temperature changes are easily 30-40 degrees between home and work – in the same day and within 30 mins of leaving either location. the climates (yes, multiple) just here in the city are pretty spectacular and ever changing! you really never know what you’re going to get.

I am really looking forward to what the next six months have in store!!

Drive safe, stay warm and think BIGGER than yourself.