Welcome

You are invited to blog on Bell Ladies, a blog for women who share a love for literature, music, cooking, health & fitness, and anything pretty. Share your good news, store & sales, creativity, and feelings. If you'd like to blog with us, send an E-mail to bell.ladies@gmail.com . Include your full name and how you found our blog. We are excited to blog with you!

Thursday

Debut


Me and Catherine last weekend in Symphony Lake, Alaska

This is my first post on here so I better do a bit of an introduction. My name is Nicole. I have lived in Alaska for 9 months now. Prior to that we were in Utah for 10 years and Delaware for 2.5. I grew up in New York so I guess if I keep heading west I will eventually make it back where I started from!

I have 3 kids, 2 cats and 1 dog. I stay at home and enjoy the usual things: reading, decorating the abode, shopping, talking, writing, backpacking.

Wait. What? I thought you said the normal things?

Yeah, turns out backpacking into some remote area and spending a night or two is normal here in the great white north. Up until June of this year the only thing I ever put on my back was a bag of school books. And I rarely sleep in anything but my own bed. But I have actually gone twice this summer with only other women.

I guess my motto has been "When in Nome- er- Rome, do as the Nomans, I mean Romans."

And being open to this, or rather being open to the thought of having a night off from the whole making-dinner-put-kids-to-bed routine, turned out to be just what I needed. In fact, it is in my blood now.

After the end of my first 5-mile hike and we were sitting on this cliff overlooking the Cook Inlet. I laid down on the grass and breathed the salty air and listened to the gulls calling to each other as the wind rustled the trees. I felt the quiet. The absolute peace of being so far from anything; my cell phone, my car, my TV and yes even my computer. I felt that one-ness with myself and my thoughts. I felt centered.

Then the next day I was so stiff I could not even imagine hoisting that pack on again to truck it 5-miles out, but I did it. I pushed hard and I got out faster than we went in. I felt so pleased that I did something out of the ordinary for me, and that was pretty challenging physically. I felt like I could do hard things. I felt empowered and refreshed to face life again. I returned to my family a happier person.

So I guess the discussion I pose to each of you is this: What have you done that was so out of the ordinary for you, that you ended up finding rewarding?

6 comments:

Alicia said...

Great post! Glad you're on the blog. I guess I haven't done anything out of the ordinary in a while. Except that I moved to a new town where I knew no one and started life all over. That was pretty cool, I guess.

Raquel said...

Great post! Its great to hear of ladies doing "out of ordinary" things and pushing their limits to become better versions of self. My boyfriend, er, now he's a fiance, started doing Kundalini yoga earlier this year. This is not your regular "gym" yoga -- I love it and now we go at least 1 time a week. It pushes me physically and emotionally. I LOVE IT!

Jessica Reid said...

I love your post. But which person are you? The one on the left or right?

I've done two things that have taken me by surprise. The first was about a year ago. I gave birth to my son at home and it was an amazing and life changing experience. 2nd is recently I have begun running to finally get myself in shape and I am sooooooo not a "runner", or at least I never thought it would have been possible. It has been a great experience to question the assumptions I have had about myself and my capabilities and to learn to push past them. Really, we are all capable of whatever we decide on and that is a life changing thing when you actually apply it.

Nicole said...

I am the one on the right. And these are all such cool things you have all done. Alicia, I am with you on the whole move thing, that takes guts. And Raquel, yoga intrigues me...is this the one you do in a really hot room? And journey, wow, birthing at home is definitely something I admire and hear is truly a life changing spiritual experience. Unfortunately my husband said we would have to buy a new mattress after each birth and quite frankly, I like my epidural too ;)

Jessica Reid said...

LOL. I didn't give birth on the bed but in an inflatable pool in our room. But if I *did* give birth on the bed they have these things you put on the bed to prevent any fluids from getting on them. :)

Sarah said...

Hey Nicole! Great to see that you've joined! I still haven't posted my intro yet. :)

Something that was new for me a couple of years ago was to have my daughter. I hadn't really been around kids since I was one, and I had never been a baby person. I was (and still am) often guilty of being too serious. Of course I was looking forward to having my daughter, but I had no idea how much I would love her and how much I would love being a mom -- especially a silly, playful mom.