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😍😍😍 I love him!!!!

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A post shared by Pickle The Pig (@pickle.the.pig)

“Pickle, you want a belly rub?” (sound on)

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Adorable.

nutrition

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A Long Story; Part 1

This story is likely going to be in several parts. I have had a spiritual awakening of sorts in the past few months, and I feel the need to write all of this down before I forget it.

The first installment of this story takes place almost a decade ago. In the beginning, it may not make sense what this chance meeting with a stranger did for me, or how it relates, but trust me. I’ll get there.

Over 9 years ago, my family asked me to take a few days off from school to join them on a trip to Hawaii. I was only able to go for a few days, so I flew out alone to meet them there as soon as I was able.

As I boarded the plane for my flight to LAX, I braced myself. Any seasoned traveler knows the thoughts racing through my head - would the person next to me be someone who drools and snores the whole flight? Will it be someone who should have purchased two seats, but will be content to take up half of mine? After over 100 flights, I had developed a strong pessimism for flying and feared the unique feeling of being an unsuspecting hostage for several hours next to someone who isn’t showering as a political statement.

This flight was different. Have you ever met someone who you felt instantly aware of, from the second you meet them? No, not the nervous, butterflies-in-my-stomach feeling, although I’ve felt that before, too. The I-feel-like-we’ve-been-friends-forever level of awareness. From the moment I locked eyes with my seatmate, I felt…..calm. He looked at me, smiled an adorable, vaguely crooked grin at me, and stood up so that I could get in past him to my seat. Instead of feeling like I was putting someone out, like I usually do in these moments, I thanked him and scooted past him with ease, feeling weirdly aware of how comfortable I felt around him. I sat down, as did he, and I looked over at him, blatantly. As a shy, introverted person, I generally avoid starting conversations or seeking out eye contact, but he weirdly felt like someone who already knew me, and I had to look at him to try to understand what it was about him that made me feel this way.

He smiled at me again, and introduced himself. “I’m Paul*,” he said easily, in an Australian accent. “Christina,” I said. He looked to be in his 30s, and as a 19 year old American, I knew in that moment that I had not crossed paths with him before, due to the unlikeliness of us being on the same continent, let alone the same schools, social circles, etc. Despite that, though, I still felt intensely linked to him, in a comfortable way.

The flight was wonderful. I spent the entire two hours (flying time plus a delay) feeling like I was laughing and talking with a dear friend. My feelings were very conflicted. With his tall stature, confident demeanor, dry humor, charming smile, and stunning eyes, he was very attractive to me, but I knew there was an age difference, and furthermore, who wants to be the creepy weird girl on a plane who asks for some stranger’s contact information?

Paul held a very meaningful place in my life for years to come. Not only was I in awe of the overwhelming feeling of knowing him already, but our conversation was one of such joy and depth. At one point, I opened up to him about my current dilemma in leaving the church I was raised in. All of my friends and family were active members, and I could not confide in them about my doubts or feelings, as I knew they would try to convince me to pray more and “fake it until I make it" or advise me to talk to our religious leaders. I knew my close family would be disappointed in me. After a couple of years stressing about this, I felt aware that the man sitting next to me understood me, and knew that this decision was not something I had arrived at lightly, and I intrinsically knew he would not judge me or think less of me. Our conversation was very meaningful to me, and I don’t plan to post it here, but suffice it to say that Paul was exactly who I needed, exactly when I needed him.

As our plane pulled in to our gate, I considered my options. Option A: ask for his contact information, and risk him thinking I’m a creepy young girl with a thing for Australians. Option B: give him my information and risk him thinking that I’m a creepy young girl who wants to use him as a personal therapist as I work through my life decisions. Option C: walk away from this, and see if he shows interest in keeping in touch. As a shy, uncertain girl, I opted for the last of these, and walked off the plane with him, still laughing and talking like we were old friends. The flight attendant, assuming that we were part of the same party, smiled as we disembarked and said, “you two have a good day,” and we walked down the gateway together.

We arrived at the gate, and stopped and stood opposite each other, silent for the first time in over two hours.

“I hope your flight to Sydney goes by quickly,” I said, unsure of what else to say, and hoping he had felt what I had on the plane.

“It never does,” he laughed, “but I hope your flight to Hawaii goes well.”

I nodded, and smiled at him, this unsuspecting stranger who had, in only two hours, managed to change me in ways I couldn’t put to words.

We stood in silence for what was likely only a few seconds, but felt like much more, and I nodded, smiled, and walked away, feeling my awareness of him fade away with each step.

I reached the gate for my next flight, and settled in for the next hour before boarding, my mind racing with thoughts of Paul. I knew he was much older than me, and while I knew he was divorced, I didn’t know if he was single or attached. Over the next half hour, I felt a slow torment fill me as I realized that I had met someone who understood me instantly, and I had allowed my fear to keep me from even asking for his email. In a moment of rare courage, I stood up, grabbed my carry-on bag, and walked briskly towards the terminal of his next flight, unsure of what I would do when I arrived. The decision was made for me, though, as I arrived at his gate to see that the plane had left the gate, and he was gone.

Over the years, I have looked back on that flight many, many times, and often wondered what would have happened if I had not been afraid. Finding someone that you relate with so naturally is almost impossible, I’ve learned, and the strong connection I felt to this man has never been present with anyone else that I’ve met or gotten to know.

Whenever things with the man in my life got rough, I often thought of Paul. I know that sounds terrible, but with such difficult communication between me and the man, and all of the judgement I felt from the man, I couldn’t help but think of the easy, relaxed, judgement-free connection that I had with Paul from the plane, and wonder if I could ever find that with anyone else. In one flight, he changed my life, my outlook, and my awareness of who I could be.

Every day is a blessing; but some days are truly miracles.

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Amazing!

The day I met my solemate

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I think you know you’ve found someone special when you meet them for the first time, and it feels like you’re just picking up where you left off. You kind of look at them and think “Where the hell did you come from? Where the hell have you been?

Caitlin Siehl (via thelovejournals)

My life right now.

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a moment to whine....

I just got my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday. Its Day six, and it is getting worse, not better. I have a follow ip tomorrow and they think they will have to do more cutting. On the positive side, I have lost seven pounds. The wisdom teeth/starvation diet does wonders. On the negative, I have been unable to work out for 7 days. I have been working out 5-6 days/week for two months, so I both miss it and worry I will fall out of habit.

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I do love asparagus :)

25 Asparagus Recipes Worth Using

Top: Asparagus Risotto Verde

Bottom: Shaved Asparagus Ribbon Nests

Click HERE for all 25 recipes

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the best egg sandwich [like … ever]

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She did not need much, wanted very little. A kind word, sincerity, fresh air, clean water, a garden, kisses, books to read, sheltering arms, a cosy bed, and to love and be loved in return.

Starra Neely Blade  (via fawun)

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rhyan helped prep this tuscan potato, sausage + kale soup last night, then we headed out to shoot some basketball while it simmered.

we came home to the smell of heaven, toasted/buttered some crusty bread, and the end result was without a doubt quite delightful.

so rich & hearty, just go make a pot and see for yourself.

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My weakness .

cadbury creme egg cupcakes

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Everlasting Storm

Darkness doesn’t last long in the skies of Lake Maracaibo, located at the mouth of the Catatumbo river in Venezuela. An hour after dusk, the clouds brew and the lightshow begins—lightning bolt after lightning bolt strikes, and intense cloud-to-cloud discharge that forms arc of lightning more than five kilometres high. “Relámpago del Catatumbo” (Catatumbo lightning) it is a unique natural phenomenon: it’s an almost permanent storm that lights up the skies over the marshlands of Lake Maracaibo for 10 hours a night, over 160 nights a year. Rapid-fire bolts rip open the sky 16 to 40 times a minute on any given night, reaching an intensity of 400,000 amps, and they can be seen from 400 km away—but the phenomenon occurs so high up that the thunder is inaudible to spectators on the ground. This storm has been raging for centuries. The indigenous people of Northwestern Venezuela call the phenomenon “rib a-ba” or “river of fire in the sky”, and ancient mariners used the lightning for navigation. In 1595, Francis Drake was forced to abandon a sneak attack on the city of Maracaibo after the lightning exposed his ship to the Spanish garrison. The lightning storms are caused by the collision of winds sweeping down from the Andes Mountains, and the ionised gases (specifically methane) that rise up to feed the storm from the marshlands below, created by the decomposition of organic matter. Some researchers believe the storm generates ozone and helps replenish the ozone later, but others say that the ozone produced wouldn’t rise that high. Nonetheless, it’s one of the longest displays of continuous lightning in the world—similar phenomena are found in Colombia, Indonesia and Uganda, but not with the insane intensity and frequency of the Catatumbo lightning.

(Image Credit: Alan Highton/NatGeo)

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Sounds like just what I need.

i present the cocktail of choice for marta’s birthday weekend.