I’ve been absent from the Blog for a little too long! One of my main goals for 2019 was to journal every day, and I had no idea it would lead me off of the keyboard in such a big way. Yes, I love putting pen to paper, doodling, channeling meditations and reviewing tarot cards. It’s a beautiful practice to flip through my musing of the past few weeks in real time, rather than write on a computer and then scroll through a blog. The rainbow pens I use are just enough variety for me to revisit pages and add accents to embellish my work. Maybe I should upload a few pictures? Although, I do love keeping this blog word focused…WERDS.

So, now, the 2019 goal is to keep the website living with new content AND keep my journal flowing with fun drawings. Cue stream of consciousness verbiage.

Yesterday was Valentine’s, and we celebrated with over 10 inches of beautiful snow by riding the Steamboat Resort. There is nothing quite like mobbing through the trees with a squad of friends, whooping through the drops and scary moments. One of the best feelings of flow Kyle and I can get into is exploring gravity together. The adrenaline of going downhill is met with confidence on our home mountain, a combination that keeps us lapping our favorite chairs for fresh lines, or venturing off to seek untouched terrain. It truly makes a difference to ride with folks that memorize each trail. If you’re planning a ski trip any time soon, be the lady or guy that knows the map, and your crew will love you! Being the Jerry stopped in the middle of a run consulting a piece of paper? Chaos.

Side note: I submitted a JerryoftheDay and it got over 100k likes. BOOM. INSTAGRAM FAMOUS. Come on, universe! Lemme manifest that shit. End Note.

Being back in the Yampa Valley has spoiled me rotten. I have a handful of yoga studios with a giant rotation of excellent teachers to visit; homies at restaurants selflessly offer the hookups; overly generous hosts and hostesses welcome our extended stays; and mother nature has reminded me that I can handle it all even though living in the van hasn’t worked out. See, our rig isn’t set up for proper winter survival. There is no way to dry off our gear, keep us warm without the propane heater killing us, or store our food without it freezing completely. Plus, Winnie has lots of doggos to play with and home owners that love her, and we have been exceedingly lucky (and fake vanlifing…again). So I retreat into the woods to keep from being cooped up. Skinning up a mountain in the backcountry, walking around the river, or taking the pups for an adventure, I’ve dealt with -20 F all the way to 50 F, and I love it. It’s an interested choice, that we constantly obsess over the weather in towns like this. Very few want to discuss sustainability or earth conscious habits on a daily basis, but checking the forecast multiple times a week is necessary. When will we marry the two? Realizing that we can love the earth, treat her well, and depend on consistent weather?

I don’t have the answers…just catching you up, remember?

We had a small stint at a farm with goats and chickens—or, I should say, I had a short visit while Kyle managed the animals for over a week. I managed to skip town and visit Arizona for yet another incredible gem show, which I adoringly named ImprompTucson 2019. Conclusions on gem shows:

I’m getting better at understanding pricing, but there is still a lot to learn. How much a cabachon “should” cost, what’s a good deal per Kilo of Amethyst, how can I sweet talk my way into a bulk discount, which vendor remembers me and why I should spend more money with her—the list goes on. My trained eye for bullshit is more acute, but I still got bamboozled. I don’t want to harp on the few items I paid a little too much for, because the real victories were way bigger steals!!!!! I got dozens of pendents from 60%-85% off wholesale pricing, successfully restrained the urge to splurge, prevented myself from buying a shitton of beads so I could focus on quality goods, and haggled my way home with an incredibly amazing piece for my massage therapist. Seeing the look of shock when I lugged that crystal into her treatment room was worth every minute of browsing (ahem, four full days before deciding on her special rock). Yea, I’ve spent more on bigger stuff in the past, but this one was so special!!! And she reminded me that she will have it for the rest of her life and pass it down to her daughter, which gives all the warm and fuzzies!!!!

Trading energy is huge. She’s offered massages to clients in turn for other services in the past, and hasn’t always been rewarded for her efforts. Her time and skill are precious, and she doesn’t just trade with anyone. I am so blessed that she has gotten me on her table in exchange for malas, but this Amethyst was really, mega bodacious, and she’s got THAT as a benchmark for trades in the future!

What do you love to do for others?? How do you best like to receive?

Take a moment…find some gratitude for that!

For all my angels who have gifted us $25 day passes to ski (as opposed to making us spend close to $200/day, yikes), THANK YOU!!!!!! I’ve donated sensory deprivation floats and party favors your way, and I hope you know that you deserve what you deem appropriate. That’s different for each person. Like letting someone borrow your car, or asking her to watch your dog, or making a meal—it’s all an exchange of effort. Viewing everything as energy can backfire; take people who abuse my policy of restringing malas, or who don’t get back to me when I make them a custom piece—I’m sure you have your own examples in your head! How about when someone asks a favor of you, and you say yes, only to feel taken advantage of in ways that really aren’t comparable?? Like, it will bug you for days, weeks, or months, that you went out of your way to be of assistance, and it turned out to be thankless, or over the top? Even though the favor may have only been to cover a shift or run an errand, the annoyance can last a while if it didn’t go down the way you had hoped.

I hadn’t really thought about this too much before writing, because I don’t have some concise way of putting it, but that’s the magic of this blog. I suppose what I’m trying to get at is YOU, WE, I AM IN CHARGE OF MY EFFORT! I don’t give away my power. I recognize the value of my precious time and skills. My energy is priceless and useful. I spent multiple hours last week writing and re-writing and editing a Character Letter for a friend who is going to court. Did he ask me to? No. But if one little bone in that judge’s body feels loving kindness from that letter, and it maybe shaves some time off of his sentence? Fuck, that’s worth those hours ten fold! I drove over 30 hours with a friend so we could explore the gem show, and could I have been doing other things? Uh, YA. Saving money, hunkering down at the farm, making jewelry, selling jewelry, you name it. But I did the drive and loved the show! As a gemini, I spend a lot of time second guessing why I do things or what I should go, and always play devil’s advocate. Yet my desire to design my days, feel freedom, work hard for myself and my passions, express my creativity instead of slaving for a “normal job,” THAT IS FLOW!!!

I’m ready to step back, not view everything as flippin’ life or death, and move forward with the path of least resistance. Not the path of least effort, which can feel comfortable and easier…the road of flow!

Happy V-day, y’all. Find your Flow!