The Adventures of Indiana Kristen!

don't i look like i'm in my natural environment?
this reminds me of the humpback mural in san diego. humpack, orca, san diego, indianapolis, what's the difference really? its all melting together...
lots of fun murals and art on buildings here
can i eat this? or climb on it?
oooh pretty
this is my nest i built
love the dancing lizard on the bowl from mayan people! why arent our dishes like this?

golden wave! reminds me of that door way at big sur. pout.
note the tiny person at the bottom! coolest escalator ever
out of the countless virgins de guadalupes i've seen...i enjoyed this one. maybe thats because its shiny
definitely got some ideas for painting my house
the famous sculpture
i found the only organic coffee shop in indianapolis!
pondering the art from my rustic wooden chair
european "sunken" garden?
oooh!
watch out its spikey!
ahhh!
flamingo flower!
some of the endless types of orchids



papaya tree! want.
cacao tree with a Endangered Species chocolate sign! hey im eating some right now!
huge leaf
whoa close up butterfly interaction!

enjoying moments with the butterflies


downtown shot

so we FINALLY got out of the small town of Lafayette (well i guess Purdue is here, but no students right now) and went down to Indianapolis. i dont know why we havent been there yet, other than lack of adequate funding. i looked up some places to go online and planned out a good day of wandering and exploring. first we went to a conservatory that had all these amazing tropical plants, i was so happy there! we saw alot of plants we used to be around all the time in california too. i miss you palm trees and aloe plants! we also happened to be there for the last days of the butterfly exhibit! theres a whole room of flowers and tons of butterflies fluttering all over the place, and a special little greenhouse in there with more butterflies and flowers. so awesome! they were flying around us in all directions, everywhere we turned. definitely a mood enhancer. i was giggling with joy. i think the other people thought i was crazy. i mean, what do you do when a butterfly flies up in your face? anyways, its amazing how uplifting and inspiring plants are, especially exotic tropical ones.
then we went to the only organic coffee shop in the city, which was hard to find, but i was determined to make it happen. so we met some cool people there and had some yummy coffee, gluten free cookies, and a tofu salad sandwich. next we went to the Museum of Art, which is always a fun free thing to do. i havent been to a new art museum in awhile, and i just love being in places with awesome architecture. its just so much more exciting to experience your body in space when it is shaped creatively. saw some art and stuff, checked out the gardens there, and then we were a little worn out already. you must remember, we have been in a 2 bedroom apartment with 6 people for some time now, so this was overwhelming for the senses, you see. so much stimulation! i loved it!
so then we drove by luke's old house from when his family lived here and checked out a park he used to go to as a kid, with lots of trails and over 1000 species of trees, all listed on the map you get. pretty cool!
next we went to a town called Broadripple just outside the city, apparently this is where its at. all the cool people i guess, and healthfood stores, and delicious thai food, all of which we experienced. we had some famous blueberry goat cheese pie from a cafe called the Three Sisters. pretty yummy! overall success.

it was SO good to get out of town. my bubble had started to shrink, you know, where your world consists of the few places you go, and you start to forget there's a whole world out there. the down side is, bringing back this awareness made me get the itch again. i wanna go places! i want all those things out there! i want to see and do more! i am now slightly discontent with being stuck. i know i know, ive been growing and learning and blah blah blah but man i just want to get back out there! i was enjoying my alone time, but now im craving meeting people again. atleast its motivation. luke is pretty grumpy about not being in california, so i guess we are working on getting out of here soonish. of course, then theres things like a guy at the store telling us the native american legend that all who pass through here are destined to die here, and a guy at luke's job telling him about a man who made predictions of the future here in indiana, so far all of which have been true, and he said that indiana will be safe from apocolypse. makes ya wonder, is there a much bigger reason we are here than we even think? maybe so, but we both definitely lost some sleep over that one.....but i dunno, the truth is, i dont think i'd make it through the winter here. i detest the cold. especially when it makes you stuck inside because of snow...

today i finally got a call from starbucks, telling me im starting work thursday. so i guess thats good. im slightly ashamed to be working for such a corporation, but whatever. you do what you gotta do. havent started teaching yoga yet, but we are working on getting some mats there so i can make it happen. also attempting to write the cookbook, but it sure is alot more difficult to organize than i had imagined...
conclusion: i want to be somewhere tropical.

4H Fair Adventure!

here we go! rodeo!

you remember the good ol' days when you used to go out back and spray down your big stinky pig?

baby goat!

this was horse was ready for his close up, he knew he would be famous as soon as he hit my blog

walkin the cow

Luke is not the biggest fan of my favorite ride, the Scrambler

that ride where the big boat swings back and forth ya know

ferris wheel is a bit more relaxing

view from the top

another view from the top. there sure are lots of water towers here....

Luke and I had a lovely date at the fair, hanging out in 100 degree weather with stinky animals, eatin funnel cakes and drinking lemonade. i'd say we renewed our love a little bit.

what else does one do when its this hot outside? we saw Harry Potter, that was a highlight of the week i guess. and True Blood! isnt this exciting to read about on a blog? things I've watched. should i start making a list?

after freaking out some about my life, i got over it and realized sometimes it takes getting rid of everything i can possibly imagine to remember things i've forgotten, and reconnect to myself as a divinity filled being experiencing the gift of embodiment. it is also a great opportunity, having a blank canvas, to create whatever i want in my life from here. also, i bought a $100 mini laptop at the pawnshop. so i do have something! which of course is for writing my cookbook! and you thought i'd forgotten about that....

i got a job as a yoga teacher at a sort of gym. its like an appointment with personal trainers only gym. nice atmosphere and great people, lovely green yoga room, and the other yoga teacher reminds me so much of my first teacher, Debra! this makes me happy. its also just an awesome opportunity because they are basically giving me free reign to do, well, whatever i want i guess. i can teach as many classes as i want whenever i want and charge as much as i want and get half and teach and do whatever i want! im really excited to build on my teaching skills and confidence, and share where its something less accessible. also, i went to my first Zumba class there today, and the other students were so friendly and interested in talking to me and open to what i had to say. Zumba was pretty fun, not as tiring as i expected. good for coordination. seeing myself in the mirror dancing in the "latin american style" made me feel like a crazy monkey doing some sort of tribal dance with my long gangly limbs. but the others said i was so coordinated and doing really good. so, go me! maybe i just have this image of myself that i see that i've made in my head, and its not actually what i look like. but just for a good laugh, imagine me doing Zumba. monkey style.

yesterday Luke said, "maybe we should just stay here for awhile" and i had thought the same thing earlier that day. right now we have some opportunities here and everything we need at the moment. so its ok to not know where i want to go next. because apparently i dont need to go anywhere. but man, who woulda thought. indiana. whats next, a greased up watermelon contest? oh right, we're going to that today. yep, we're in deep.

On a Different Note

luke's brother daniel and their mom, before their canoe tipped in Tippecanoe county....

just doin a little warmin up before the canoeing

banjo playin on the back porch

i just noticed that i hadn't put pictures up from our epic canoe journey down the Eagle Creek. this happened some time ago, maybe the second time we were in Indiana...?(how many times have we even been here now???)

also, despite being confused and freaking out just a little (but its ok, its all part of the divine plan right?) the other night i couldn't sleep and i was thinking about my cookbook that i need to write. before i'd thought it would be a vegan cookbook, but i decided whilst laying awake in the middle of the night that it should be an everything book! because i'm not even vegan. i just like vegan food. and all food, really, that is quality. and every body is different, so we all eat all kinds of things. so i am writing a book that has all kinds of things that i cook, from vegan, raw foods, to lamb curry and chicken fried steak (a healthy version of course). so this book is going to address all types of dietary lifestyles and inspire people to be healthier and be themselves! it also is going to have a yoga section, maybe an exercise section, a breathing section, and so on. all kinds of things that inspire us to feel better and live healthier. and maybe, in the back, it could have a DVD with a yoga class on it! and a cooking show! and then i will be called to be on the Food Network! and they will pay me to wander lost in places and eat! and then i will make more books and exercise DVDs! its genius! and it starts now.

done and done.

Lost in Indiana

hey that's how Brooks sleeps! face down

luke and his kitty

me and luke's dad at taste of tippecanoe

tasting delicious indian food

pretty fireworks!

the ducks by the pond out back

welp, who woulda thought, still in indiana. not me. or luke. but we are outa money for now. we are both working some. i've been entertaining myself by working out obsessively, which has paid off and i've lost 10 pounds and have ripped arms now! so that's probably the only thing i've got going for me now. (note: these pictures are pre-ripped)

other than that, i'd say this whole plan has failed entirely. have i said that before? i have no money, no career, no place (that i really want) to go, no material posessions other than too many clothes and hula hoops, and luke and i aren't even sure things are going to go in the same direction for us. so now what. am i ending up completely alone and helpless? thanks alot, inspiration to go travel...

yet i still kept on hearing in my head "move!" which i now have reinterpreted as i needed to move my body continuously, such as exercise, yoga, walking, bike riding, anything i possibly can do to not sit still too long, and this realization has brought me much more contentedness. so maybe i figured out that thing i was trying to figure out by doing this whole big thing. before, when i heard "move", it might not have meant location......oops.

if i wasn't entirely before, i have reached a point of utter, complete, and overwhelming confusion.

help!