Cheers to Traditions

I get impatient in early November.

I am so excited for holiday that is Thanksgiving at my parent’s house in Houston, I can barely contain myself.  My family is the real deal when it comes to traditions.  And, my family is the real deal when we are all together.  It is magic.

I sit here staring at the date in the bottom right hand of my computer, as if I am sitting in Los Angeles traffic at 5:15pm on the 10 freeway.  Willing it to move, move, move faster.

I shall share with you what excites me about the holiday of Turkey, Moustaches, and Thankful-ness:

+  Love.  I feel so much love.

+  My sisters.  There is nothing in the World that compares to the moments shared with my sisters.  Nothing.

+  When I walk through the door to my Houston home, I feel a sigh of relief come straight from my Mom’s heart to my own.  There is something about a child living far away that makes the holidays so special to her.  It is like her puzzle is finished in that moment.  I feel that.

+ And then my Dad, the life of the party at any hour.  To this day, he still makes me laugh more than any human … well, ever.  And you know what they say, laughter is the best medicine.  Always.

+ My sweet and utmost patient boyfriend in the chaos that is my loud and louder family.  He is finding his way and it steals my big heart every time.

+ My best friend of an inducted brother, Chris New joining in like he has been there forever.  He does what he wants, when he wants.  And, he makes the Paula Deen special Mac n’ Cheese.  Oh, my brother.

+ Oh, and my Dad’s best friend from his high school days in good ol’ Indiana, Mark “Ruby” Robertson comes over with a deep fry kit and a full fireman outfit.  He is jet set to deep fry the turkey!  Yes, it is true and a sight to see.

+ The Movember moustache that is my Dad, Mark “Ruby” Robertson, boyfriend and brother’s upper lip (and my left index finger) is in full effect.

+ A tradtion to sake bomb the night after Thanksgiving Dinner.  Who has room for sushi and sake?  We do.  Ready everyone:  “When I say Sake, you say Bomb, SAKE….BOMB….SAKE…BOMB!”  WARNING:  A pre-apology to anyone and everyone at the restaurant we attend this year.  Happening, Houstonians.  Waiter, waiter, can you get the bill?  No, not for us, for everyone else?  Thanks.

+  The feast.  Grateful.  Period.

+  There have been rumors of a keg being ordered for this year as a new tradition.  NOTE:  Coors Light, you are welcome, Dad.  Never going to grow up at this Thanksgiving.  I see Keg stands in our near future.  How old are we?  #glorydays

+  And that moment when we are all sitting down at dinner.  My Mom calls for someone to say Grace.  We all hold hands around the table, give thanks and feel love.

My heart beats for the holidays.  Bring it on, Thanksgiving!

Rock your traditions for any holiday and if you can, add a SAKE BOMB in there!

Five More Minutes

You know that moment when the alarm goes off early in the morning and you every so intentionally hit the snooze button?

You roll back over and tell yourself, “only five more minutes” and there you are  There you are enveloped in that sweet spot in the bed.  You know what I’m talking about: somehow the sheets are a few degrees cooler there, all the fluff has entangled right where you rolled to and the pillow has never felt so soft.  In this moment, you lose all sense of time; you immediately drift back to the sweetest dreams and just snuggle in feeling every feather of your comforter.

Just five more minutes.

This moment after the snooze button in the sweetest feathery comfort is exactly how I feel with my family.  I snuggle deep into the unconditional love of my parents and feel right at home connecting and  chatting with my younger sisters.  Even my family’s dogs seem to surround me with love and at every opportunity; they lay their head on my shoulder on the love seat in the living room or snuggle up with me in bed at night.  I have absolutely no sense of time and I am comfortable both physically and emotionally.  It really is quite magical and yet, so beautifully ordinary.

The past week, I was enveloped in this magical, beautiful and ordinary family love. We did not go on any crazy roadtrips or hit some extravagant beach.  I honestly rarely left the house…ever.   There was a big breakfast a la Grandpa, a run with my Dad, staying up way past my normal bedtime talking with my sisters, time with my Grandparents, lying by the pool reading with my Mother, a family gathering with the perfect amount of summer time beverages outdoors, and a lot, a lot of laughter.

And when the moment came to pack my suitcase today and head back to my sunny home in California with my own loving dog and my hot boyfriend, I had an urge to press snooze again, just five more minutes in the sweet spot that is my family love.

Just five more minutes.

Sisters

For My Sweet Sisters

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

-e. e. cummings

Adventure: Beautiful Distraction

Okay, I admit it, I hate running and talking at the same time.  I was never great with running partners because I never truly mastered the syncing of rhythm + speed +breath  to allow for smooth conversation.  Thus, my ability to talk without sounding completely out of shape was not there.  Ego check?  Oh yes, you’re still there.   

So today, it was an incredibly glorious day.  I had to get my feet in the sand and body in the sun!  Give me that sweat and Vitamin D, please.

I begin the mile trek from my apartment down to Venice beach on my bicycle and my dear Mother calls.  I am already rocking out to some 80′ s station on Pandora, so I flip the switch and answer.  To my disbelief, she says my headphones are crystal clear.  So, we are chatting about life, my day, her crazy day and what she is up to for the evening, all while I am biking and being very defensive and safe (hands free headphones).  We actually continue the conversation while I lock my bike up and embark on my beach run.   Smooth so far and really a beautiful distraction to my beginning-to-barkcalves due to barefoot on the sand running.  Note #1:  Beach runs are such a gnarly workout for the legs, get out there in that soft sand!

So a 1/2 mile in and Mom has to jet.  I immediately miss the friendly banter and run partner of a family member via mobile unit.  So I stop short and peruse the contact sheet, I dial up my sister.  She answers and the run is back on.  We chat about this and that, the sunny day here, the absolute absurd amount of bathing suits she owns, about our Mother …the usual.  And my run is over!  I am schlepping through the soft sand back to my bike and she hands the phone over to good ol’ Dad!  There we are…chatting away about our upcoming family trip to Aspen, his birthday, when the family should visit me in California this Summer…and my bike comes to a halt and I am home.

What?  How phenomenal is that? 

Biking in the sun to the beach while talking to Mom.  Running in the sand while talking to Mom.  Continued and completed run while talking to Sister.  Biking in the sun back home while talking to Dad.

It was one of the most enjoyable workouts … ever.  Two of my favorite things coming together:  family and sweating-in-the-sun.  If you were like me with the ego around the out of breath convos while running, I say give it another try…well, and maybe slow down a notch!  So yes, I highly recommend the family reconnection while working out in the sunshine and on the sand.  #beautifuldistraction  #clearconnection

Note #2: Take no mind to all the staring passersby who think you are crazy talking to yourself about swimsuits or your Mother while running.  It keeps it interesting.

Barefoot Beach Run, taken while talking to the Sister

Adventure: Thank-FULL-ness

Sometimes, life hits you with gratitude like a lightning bolt. 

BOOM … BANG … TEARS

Let me set the stage for you:  I had just left the Yoga Journal Conference, driving along in my rental SUV, Dodge NITRO through the winding roads that take you from Estes Park to the Denver Airport.  The views were unreal – lake on my left, montain peaks to my right, and people playing oustide everywhere along the way.  On the radio is blasting Pitbull’s, ‘Give Me Everything’ featuring Ne-Yo; I know, random.

And all of a sudden in this very moment, my body just filled up with gratitude. 

My heart starts to swell and beat a beat faster and tears dive down my face.  I’m literally wrapped in a moment of thank-FULL-ness.  I think about and mentally thank my loving boyfriend, who deals with more personalities than any human should, my there for you any time, all the time family, and my radical friends who call me, invite me on adventures and offer high fives daily.  I look at where I am driving, this insanely gorgeous landscape that I get to drive through for work, how lucky am I?  So happy I left the heels and slacks to feather earrings and strech pants.  More tears.  The amazing people in my life, a job that I love to wake up to every day, my happy hamstrings open and free, as I had just rocked out three juicy days of yoga….Could I very well be the most grateful human right now in this moment?

I smile at the dude in front of me in the red SUV dancing to his music and waving his left arm out the window in the wind.  I turn Ne-Yo up and breathe it in, too.

Here is the kick, in that moment, I let go.  I let go of everything and felt the monster rush that was the gratitude lighting bolt.  I allowed myself to cry…by myself… in the car.   I gave myself permission to feel love and be thankFULL. 

When was the last time you allowed yourself to feel loved?  Feel insane gratitude?  Love your life?  Cry in the car by yourself?

Well, I highly recommend it.

From my Car Window!

Project Inspiration: Jacke “Dad” Carr

As I dig deep and look into who I really am, I look into who I invest my time with and how they have moved me in what I have called Project Inspiration.

I wanted to take this time to tell you how my father, Jacke Carr has inspired me and been a part of my life evolution, from the very beginning. You probably have one of these:  the do-anything-for-you-coach-all-your-little-league-teams-loudest-dude-in-the-crowd-fun-loving father.  Let’s compare notes…

Dear Dad,

You are the beginning.  There from the first breath, to the first step, at the first softball game, to the first car wreck, from college good bye to the roadtrip to California.  You’re my guy, Dad.

What I want to let you know is that who you are has and continues to shape who I am everyday.

You say ‘I love you’ every single time we hang up the phone.  Every time.  And knowing I am truly loved and cherished by my father is a gift no one else can give to a child.  Knowing you are loved unconditionally instills confidence, enables possibility, and empowers choice.  Thank you, Dad.  I commit to one day make my children feel the exact same way.

Softball, basketball, all the sports –  you are my head coach.  You taught me the skills, you taught me teamwork, and you taught me how to be a leader.  Thank you for being my coach on and off the playing field.  Who you are as a leader inspires me, drives me and keeps me seeking for greatness in myself and those around me.

Oh, how I hate to disagree with you.  You are such a passionate person which colors you such a vibrant human being.  That stubborn spark inspires me to be passionate in all areas of my life and fight the good fight.

You and Mom’s relationship is one for the books.  You are there for her, you love her endlessly, and you are her ultimate adventure.  I am inspired by you in that space, and I hope Chris and I will continue to celebrate life  just as you and Mom rock out your relationship.

Always up for an adventure, you are never one to sit on the sidelines of life.  Thank you for making sure I never take life too serious, that I am always up for a good time and for letting me get in trouble.  You are the life of the party.  Always.

I cannot imagine being a Dad to three girls ranging in ages of 27 to 13, but somehow you keep your cool.  I know you inspire A LOT of people out there with this one.  But for me, your ability to relate in the midst of tears, how you tolerate all the drama that is sisters, and maintain your dude-like and oh-so-macho dad-like character is the ultimate.   When given a life full of ladies that you might not have expected, you sure have done a great job raising radical kids.  Keep up the good work.

And last but not least, your laugh.  When I look back at those life moments that really move you, my favorite memories are filled with you and in the front seats of a mini van doing SNL impressions, pretending to eat the moon made out of cheese, and all of a sudden we are both laughing until the tears flow behind our glasses.  That whole-hearted laughter that moves you, shakes you to the present moment.  That ability to be present, laugh until you cry with your daughter and enjoy life reminds me that life is actually about the moments shared.  Slow down and laugh until you cry.

Thank you for giving me life. Thank you for loving me, Dad.  Thank you for inspiring me everyday to be confident in my choices, a leader in my own life, to take in the moments, expect the unexpected and be awesome.

As you continue to rock in this life, keep being who you are. And I promise that I will do the same.

Your Inspired daughter,

Jacki Carr

Dad and his girls

Dad being the “dad”

Mom & Dad

Adventure: Time

Happy Holidays to all.

This past week, I made like a turkey and flew home to Houston, TX and spent the week with my loved ones and best friends. As some of you may know, my heart melts every time I see my little sister, Bailey. She recently turned 13 and literally rocks my World on the regular!

Now, something most of you might not know – I am the absolute WORST in the kitchen. Story time: I took a cooking class in college for my moment as a nutrition major and put the aluminum muffin holders in the microwave. True story. I am lucky I didn’t burn the place down with some microwave-able explosion.

Anyways – Bailey is a Food Network watching, cupcake loving, cooking class taking teenager! She knows her way around a kitchen. So, of course, the first adventure we take together: Christmas Cookies!

Oh ya! Getting in the spirit! We go grocery shopping together and bought anything that was red and/or green, then popped over to Barnes and Noble to purchase Elf, Elf: The Soundtrack and some other Christmas CD from Hotel Cafe.

Here is the deal – it is about TIME.

T. I. M. E.

Taking the time with the people you love. We baked and we laughed and I messed up the dough because I did not put enough flour on the table and we burned the first batch and drank hot cocoa with christmas-shaped marshmallows and we sang really loud and had a very merry time!

And that is what it is all about. And that was my holiday adventure. TIME with my little sister.

Hearts. Melts.

Holiday Groceries…

Sugar Cookies

Cookie Boss

Hot Cocoa with Christmas Mallows!

Adventure: Cycle and Yoga w/ Dad!

On recent home trip home to Houston, I spent some quality time with good ol’ Dad. We usually do some athletic activity together, be it a trip to the gym, a run or a bike ride; it is kind of our thing.

One thing hard about living far away from your family – especially with one as radical and quite comical as mine, is all the fun things you ‘could’ do if you lived closer. Working out w/ Dad, family cookouts – my Dad is a grill master, pretending to be a teen again with my little sis, pretending to be in college again with my middle sis….the list goes on and on.

But on this trip, my Dad and I went for a bike ride in the sweltering and muggy environment that is Houston, TX. We rode down to the bike path near our house and really sweat it out!

Now, here’s the deal with biking and quality time. You have all these gears to work with, you are out of breathe, and for me, I have to concentrate on the road and handlebars as to not FALL off! Coming from my beachcruiser days in CA, the tighter handlebars and smaller frame was quite the change.  So, Dad and I went for this ride – and what it became was that silent support!  So I would lead and then Dad would lead. He was going for resistance w/ higher gears, I was going for speed and cardio in a lower gear. It made for a gnarly workout and one that allowed for little conversation and bonding. However, when I looked up at my Dad on our numerous water breaks – not ONLY did we have one matching lululemon athletica tops (not planned) but it was just that joy of being together. Just me and Dad, hitting the bike trail!

We got home and parked the bikes and I enrolled  my Dad to stretch it out in a nice little Surya Namaskar A. We set up our yoga mats by the pool and went to work!

It was just a great morning with Dad. I am so thankful to have a cool Dad and an amazing family that will partake in my adventure-seeking, fun and beautifully balanced life. The rest of the day was spent together with the whole crew – we had a friendly (somewhat competitive) game of water volleyball, watched a movie and sent me on my ways back to Chicago.

A perfect family adventure.