venturesome krysia

2011 Reflections

Reflecting is an important element for growth. When I look back on 2011, I see an overwhelming theme: Communication. Positive communication is so important, and knowing not everyone communicates in the same way is just as crucial. There have been many instances in my professional and personal life where a breakdown in communication has been present for me in 2011.

I had the opportunity to listen to a webinar in November through the OIWC given by Life Coach Amy Magyar called “That Little Thing Called Stress”. Amy gave some terrific advice on effective communication. One of the gems I am implementing for 2012 is, if you are angry, pause before you speak. Amy stated, “It only takes a second to pause, take a breath, and regroup before you say something in anger.” This is true! Getting swept up in a fit of anger can lead to saying something you later regret and no matter what, can’t take back. I have been on both ends of this dynamic personally, and on the receiving end, professionally, in 2011, and hope to never be involved in any of this nonsense again.

I am also resolving to always listen to my inner voice. I always follow my heart, and listen to that voice in the grand scheme of life, but sometimes in the small day to day things, I hear that voice, and think, “Oh, it’s no big deal”, ignore it, and then of course, live to regret it! It seems I always do know best, but don’t actually “do” best. Weird.

My last resolution is to use texting strictly as meaningless form of communication. I am keeping it to things like “What time are we meeting?” “I am running late.” “Where should we go?” etc. I refuse to get into texting or chat conversations, which often end badly, because I have found no amount of emoticons can accurately convey your message or the messages of those who you are receiving. The chance of having a misunderstanding is greater than not; at least in my experience.

So there you have it, for what it is worth. I wish you all a happy and peaceful New Year and hope to have the same!

Review: The North Face Etip gloves

Yes, being a blogger and a social media slave means I always want to stay connected (go ahead and groan, we all have our flaws!) But my hands get cold in the fall and winter and regular gloves will not work on my iPhone. So what’s a girl to do but get technology-friendly gloves.

I recently bought The North Face’s Etip gloves and I have to say, they are pretty sweet. I usually wear a lightweight stretchy glove in all but the coldest weather, so instead of buying Mountain Wear’s Power Stretch Gloves or Outdoor Research’s PL 150 Gloves, like I have in the past, I invested in the Etips. They are bit heavier, thus warmer, which I like, but still give me the dexterity I need. Yet, the best part is I can text or Tweet with them on. And I have to say, I can actually do a better job at touching the correct character because the pointer finger tip has a bit of an edge on it so actually allows me to be more precise than bare handed; this I did not expect.

They also have little grippy dots on the fingers and palms which I think would be good for holding a rope while on belay when ice climbing. This I have not tried yet, but hope to this winter.

I bought the Deep Water Blue because I like color, but they also come in TNF Black and Moonlit Ivory for women and Graphite Grey, TNF Black, and Deep Water Blue for men.

At $40 a pair, it is a bit of an investment, but so far totally worth it. I can keep my hands covered at all times and still stay connected with my children, friends, and business colleagues.

For more information check out TNF.

Rosie’s Toesies Review

I have a weakness for body care products, especially high quality ones; I am my mother’s daughter in this respect! I recently had the chance to try an amazing product that I think a lot of readers who climb would like to know about. It’s made by Riveting Skincare and it’s called Rosie’s Toesies. I think it is probably the best foot creme I have ever tried.

My feet get pretty calloused from jamming them into my climbing shoes and then playing on rocks, but after injuring my ankle and not be able to even get my foot wet for 6 weeks, the amount of dry skin and callouses accumulated was, well, disgusting!

I started using Rosie’s Toesies twice a day, beginning the first day I received the ok from my doctor to resume my normal hygienic routine. The first thing I noticed about it was that it was not greasy or sticky when applied. It also smelled amazing, I am a sucker for products scented with essential oils, Peppermint and Rosemary are the primary oils in this product which both have anti-fungal properties. However, these two attributes alone would mean nothing if the product didn’t perform, but it did!

After using it for 1 week, I saw great improvement and by 2 weeks my feet were soft and smooth and callous free! This is because Rosie’s Toesies has fruit acids in it which help exfoliate dead skin. I usually use Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme, which is a thick nighttime balm, but I have never gotten results as quickly with it.

Another cool thing about the company is it is owned by a police officer, Sarah Mackesey. Sarah found there were few choices for hard working women, who at the end of the day, still wanted to look feminine. Wearing heavy police boots everyday put her feet through the paces; I think outdoorsy women go through the same thing in pursuit of of our passions!

So whether it is your career, hobby, or just life that toughens your feet, Rosie’s Toesies is just the TLC they need!

2 Weekends, 3 Great Lakes

Freedom! After spending about two months at home healing, I couldn’t wait to take a road trip, so I took two.

My ankle is still not completely healed, I am able to walk ~ slowly and was prescribed to ride a bike by my doctor, Dr. Kadakia (aka Dr Awesome!) My boyfriend and I decided to take two weekend trips and explore areas of Michigan that I have never been before.

Our first trip was an overnighter in Tawas which is on the shore of Lake Huron. I have spent a lot of time up north on the west side of the state, but never the east side. Tawas was a pleasant surprise. We were car camping at the Tawas State Park because of my inability to backpack, but there is nothing like sleeping outside! The weather was blustery with 50 mph winds and overcast sky, but we didn’t care.

The park has a beautiful beach with a lighthouse on it and lucky for us, they were giving night tours to the top of it that weekend. They only offer this once a year, it was pretty cool to see the lights from Port Huron, which is a good three hours away, from the top.

The next day we stopped at the local gear shop, Nordic Sports to poke around and met Gary, the owner who started a non-profit group to maintain winter X-country and snowshoe trails in the Huron Forest. He gave us some great maps full of hiking and winter trails and told us about a hidden treasure in that area that I am going to keep to myself (Sorry!) Regrettably, we didn’t have time to hike any of the trails, but plan on going back this winter, it was that enticing.

We spent the following weekend on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. We spent a night on Mackinac Island, a place I have always wanted to go, but had never been. It was the last weekend they were open for the season. The island is beautiful and is famous for having the historic Grand Hotel and for being automobile free; bikes are the transportation of choice. We rented bikes on the island and spent the afternoon pedaling along the coast, which was magnificent. Seriously what the doctor ordered! We had perfect fall weather and both agreed the ride was the highlight of the trip.

After a night on the island we drove up to Tahquamenon Falls. Again we car camped, but luckily we were virtually the only people there, so it felt more like “real” camping than Tawas did. We spent the two days there light hiking to see the upper and lower falls. The falls have an orange tinge as they spill over the rocks; the color is a result of tannins leached from a cedar swamp that feeds into the river. During peak season there is a brewery at the upper falls, but they were closed for the season when we were there.