A Mile In My Shoes

Arrivederci!

2011-09-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day! The last two months flew by, and Monday at 10:00AM I will arrive in Rome, Italy. My bag is mostly packed and hopefully I haven't forgotten anything. As light as I thought I packed, my bag is still very full. I had to leave out my fleece and my Italy guidebook. Tonight is laundry, dishes, yard watering, other loose ends and a little Fiddler on the Roof. I'm not sure I'm going to sleep tonight!

See you all in a couple of weeks - hopefully I will have some amazing pictures to post!

Italia!

2011-07-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Italy in just about 2 months! I know this because I bought non-refundable plane tickets, so I better go. :) Originally, I wanted to do one week in Ireland and one week in Italy to meet up with Katie and Sean, but Italy seems perhaps a little easier to get around by public transportation. Here is my semi-rough itinerary:

Day 1: Flying
Day 2: Arrive in Naples and travel to Sorrento
Day 3: Tour the Amalfi Coast (by bus - see Positano, Ravello)
Day 4: See Pompeii/Herculaneum & Naples (Archeological Museum and pizza!)
Day 5: Train to Rome, tour Colosseum, Pantheon & Roman Forum
Day 6: See St. Peter's Basilica & Vatican Museums, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps
Day 7: Catacombs & Appian Way
Day 8: Travel from Rome to Cinque Terre
Day 9: Hike Cinque Terre
Day 10: Relax in Cinque Terre
Day 11: Travel to Florence and tour Chianti
Day 12: Florence tour, then travel to Venice
Day 13: Tour Venice
Day 14: Fly home

I'm hoping this isn't too ambitious of an itinerary. I added Venice on at the end because I feel like I just have to see it! I was going to stay on Capri one night before heading on to Rome, but decided maybe an extra day in Rome would be better. There is just so much to see, and I don't want to be rushing around the entire time.

It has been a good geography lesson and I know the trip will be an adventure! I have an "Italian for Dummies" book from the library, so I have been learning a little bit. I'm afraid that I will try to use Spanish words by accident, or maybe French since those are the languages I have studied, but hopefully I'll have enough learned to get by. I don't think there is any way I won't stand out as a tourist - not a chance I can pass for Italian.

From the research I have done, it sounds like the worst that will likely happen in Italy is getting pickpocketed. Apparently, it is not advisable to carry any sort of a purse or backpack in Naples, and maybe Rome as well. If I need to carry anything (i.e. water or jacket), carrying a plastic grocery bag sounds like the best bet so thieves can see that there is nothing valuable there. I don't know for sure what to do with my camera though - maybe keep it in a zipped pocket in my pants or shorts. I know that tons of pictures will be in order!

Two months!!

Summery Saturday

2011-06-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

It is BEAUTIFUL outside! I'm so happy that summer is finally here. :) I slept in until 7:30 this morning, then ate breakfast out on my deck. All the rain this morning has made the yard very happy - keep an eye out for a tour of my yard coming soon!

I really have no plans for this weekend (i.e. I don't have to be anywhere), but I already have a small itinerary for at least today:

- go for a run (it's going to be warm!)
- ride my bike to Sunflower to get groceries
- maybe stop at Starbucks for an iced coffee :)
- make curried pumpkin soup for lunch
- read a book
- make mint iced tea (to use the bushels of mint growing in my yard!)
- maybe make strawberry margarita popsicles?
- fire up the grill and make portobello mushroom burgers tonight

My goal is to try to not drive my car this weekend. Last weekend, I needed to run some errands down at Front Range Village, including checking out the library branch there, and decided to try it by bike. It was actually really fun! I notice a lot of different things on my bike and it was nice to just walk around between the different stores rather than parking several times. Because I tried to stop by an open house that wasn't open, I took a detour and my overall mileage was 9.3 miles. I ride slow, so my legs weren't sore the next day but my behind definitely was!

It's almost 10, so I should get running!

Planning

2011-05-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

The next three months are going to be busy and exciting. The first BIG change coming is my job - leaving my current firm and joining my dad's firm! There are so many things to get ready, from organizing my current cases to transition out of the firm and getting everything set for the new firm - office, advertising, logo, etc. On top of that, I have been thinking/planning to take a trip to Europe this fall somewhat for my 30th birthday. I've gone back and forth on whether and how to do it, especially with the timing of the new firm. As it turns out, Katie and Sean are planning an Iceland/Europe trip as well for their honeymoon and have graciously offered to let me meet up with them for part of the trip in Italy! So my hope is to spend some time in Ireland first on my own and then head on to Italy. I've ordered two travel books on the countries so I can read up on them over the summer! I also dug out my passport, which is expired, and plan to get my renewal application in the mail very soon.

It will be hard to decide what all to see - I want to enjoy the places I do get to see without rushing around. I can't wait to get my books!

I have mixed emotions about traveling alone - it seems scary, but since Ireland is an English-speaking country, that should help. I at least should be able to read signs and ask for directions. :) It will be an adventure and I think it will be a good experience for me.

Woo hoo!

Recovery

2011-05-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day I woke up with sinus pressure and/or headache for over a week, so I am feeling good! I had planned to do some yard stuff this weekend - buy some plants, work on the garden, etc. but it is much colder than I thought it was going to be with '40's, clouds and some rain. Yesterday, I had a slow morning, but went in to the office for a couple of hours and then braved the chilly weather to buy some plants at Walmart and Fort Collins Nursery. This morning, I finally felt good enough to run after my two-week hiatus. In the interests of time, I hit the treadmill with the goal to run for 30 minutes. It felt good! I have been wanting to run for more than a week, but have not had the energy.

Since the marathon is over, I want to set some new running goals to keep in shape:

1. Run a 5K with 9-minute miles this summer
2. Train to run a half in under 2:20:00

Basically, I would like to improve my speed this summer. I am thinking of joining a running club - I have been afraid to because I am generally slower than a lot of other runners. But I think it would help me improve my speed, and it should be a good way to meet new people as well.

Some races I am thinking of running:

- May 30: BolderBoulder (I think I'm signed up free through CBeyond)
- July 4: FireKracker 5K
- August 6: Human Race 10K
- September 18: Crossroads Half (last race before I turn 30)
- October 9: Denver Marathon/Half-Marathon ???
- November 24: Turkey Trot 4-mile

I think I would do another marathon, and maybe I would be ready in October to do another? Maybe . . .

Have a great Sunday!

Couch Blogger

2011-05-07T14:12:00.001-07:00

Sadly, it is a beautiful warm Saturday, and I am sitting on my couch with a head cold. How many weekends recently have I fought the wind and cold to run or do yard work outside? Alas. I haven't been sick in at least a year, so I shouldn't complain. I can also be thankful that my body held out through the marathon and a busy work week, and apparently waited until after to force a break. I do have to note that this cold has been different than any I can recall in that I don't have a headache. In fact, I haven't really had a headache in two months since I have been on this diet. Normally, when I get a cold, I get a headache of some sort. Maybe that's why I was in denial about this cold all week?

That brings me to my current topic of this crazy diet I've been on. In a lot of ways, I am excited about the fact that this diet (plus all of the supplements the doctor prescribed) has actually worked. No headaches? Clearer skin? Wow. I have had acne since I was probably 12, and regular headaches starting in high school. On the other hand, I am somewhat sad because this means I probably need to keep up with the diet as much as possible in the future. That's not a bad thing by any means, but it's not easy. When I think that I haven't had a brownie or cookie or cake (or margarita!) in two months, it's hard to believe. It has been hard a few times, especially when there was a delicious Whole Foods lemon cake at the office. Food in our culture is sooooo sweet - you don't realize it until you try to cut out sugars. It's in everything and everywhere! Popcorn has been my guilty pleasure of late, and I feel like I deserve a little butter and salt with all of the other cutbacks.

Laying on the couch is the perfect time for browsing grocery ads and planning my shopping/cooking for the week. I am planning on trying a wheat free pizza recipe this week, so we'll see how that goes. I'm also hoping to make homemade ketchup as well. I'm not a huge ketchup person, but it is very tasty with kale chips and regular ketchup has lots of sugar. Finally, I found a coconut curry lentil recipe that sounds delicious!

I think it's time for a nap and vitamin C . . .

Post-Marathon

2011-05-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

It's over! I still can't believe I ran a marathon. It was hard, maybe harder than I thought. I woke up this morning at 3:00AM - three alarms plus a wake up call from Daddy. A shower, plus coffee and oatmeal, got me going. Penny was very confused by such an early morning.

Out the door!

Onto the bus around 4:30AM, and it was up the Poudre Canyon! I sat at the front, and didn't have any motion sickness - whew! It was a zoo up at the top. I stayed on the bus as long as I could, and then found a bathroom line. They were completely disorganized and winding around. Between that and getting my bag in the bus, I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the start on time! The weather was very decent for May 1 - chilly, but not too bad. Off we went! The 17 miles in the canyon were fabulous. I was running faster than I had planned, but felt really good. The downhill probably had something to do with it. :P Somewhere around mile 8 there was a car crashed on the side of the road and police doing roadsides on the driver - yikes!

My wall was hit around mile 19 - the course flattened out and my body suddenly wanted to slow down, a lot. My chest was tight and I had to will myself to breathe deeply to keep going. The last 8 miles were really really tough - lots of walking, and slow jogging. I expected my legs to be the issue later in the marathon, but it was actually the breathing that was my problem. I would have loved to sprint across the finish, but I was just happy to be running at all by that point! It was wonderful to have Mama and Daddy there cheering me on, plus a surprise visit from my friend/co-worker Lisa! I almost made my goal time of under 5 hours, finishing at 5:05:17.

Here are my mile paces - the "wall" is pretty obvious:

Mile 1 - 10:44
Mile 2 - 10:29
Mile 3 - 10:23
Mile 4 - 10:45
Mile 5 - 10:48
Mile 6 - 11:10
Mile 7 - 10:42
Mile 8 - 12:32
Mile 9 - 10:45
Mile 10 - 10:43
Mile 11 - 11:05
Mile 12 - 10:52
Mile 13 - 10:52
Mile 14 - 11:05
Mile 15 - 10:56
Mile 16 - 11:19
Mile 17 - 12:20
Mile 18 - 10:44
Mile 19 - 11:27
Mile 20 - 11:49
Mile 21 - 11:32
Mile 22 - 12:52
Mile 23 - 12:37
Mile 24 - 12:45
Mile 25 - 15:02
Mile 26 - 11:09

Whew! This afternoon I have recuperated with a hot bath, a nap, and lounging on the couch.

On another note, I have still been on my no sugar/no wheat/no milk diet. Necessity is the mother of invention, or in this case, investigation of new cooking options, so I have tried some new recipes. My favorites recently are coconut flour pancakes and buckwheat breakfast bakes - tomorrow I am going to try this one.

The Night Before The Race

2011-04-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost go time! I have my drink bottles filled and chilling in the fridge, my clothes and gear laid out, my alarm set. The bus ride up the canyon adds some additional planning, I think. As I write this, I realize how much I dislike bus rides, especially on curvy mountain roads. I'm thinking some ginger tea might be in order tomorrow morning.

It will be an adventure, and I'm sure I will be recounting the experience here afterwards!

The Marathon

2011-04-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

Less than three weeks until the Colorado Marathon! I'm getting excited and nervous. After looking through the marathon website, I learned that the buses leave between 4:00 and 4:45 AM that morning - YIKES! I have already scheduled a day off for the Monday following to sleep and recover.

Here is the website with all the details - the course layout, aid stations, etc.

http://www.thecoloradomarathon.com/

Eek!!

Lazy Saturday

2011-03-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I have a weekend with nothing scheduled, so I have enjoyed moseying around the house this morning. Another headache was not a good way to wake up, but again some excedrin took it away while leaving some jitters. With my restricted diet for the next few week, I have had to cook a lot more, so I had a huge pile of dishes this morning - it took two batches to get them done! Here are some of the dishes I have made this week:

Homemade almond butter - this was a HUGE success! So good. I adapted a recipe I found online, and used one tbsp of pure maple syrup for 2.5 cups of raw almonds, roasted them, then blended in my Vitamix. I added a little sea salt, a bit more syrup, and grapeseed oil. Seriously so good. I don't think I'll buy almond butter from the store again!

Oatmeal Bars - basically just oats, cranberries, cinnamon, egg, coconut milk, and walnuts. These are decently tasty and healthy.

Thai Shrimp Curry - I used an Emeril recipe for this, and accidentally cheated with buying red curry sauce instead of red curry paste (it had some sugar, but oh well), but it was super easy and really yummy. The only white rice I had in the house was sushi rice (I think), so it was kind of gummy, but the dish was very delicious and I wish I had more leftovers. :(

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas - I don't have a picture of the final result, but I made my own enchilada sauce thickened with brown rice flour and then the filling with roasted sweet potato and black beans. I made way too much sauce. I added some mexican cheese on top and used all of the sauce, and they turned out very tasty!

It does take some thought to avoid sugar and wheat. Fortunately, I had already switched to non-dairy milk and I am fortunately allowed to have cheese and yogurt (whew), so that's not much of a change. I do miss my super cheap Totino's party pizzas - I know, definitely NOT a healthy dinner, but so easy. In reading my coconut milk box, I saw that their coconut ice cream is actually made with agave nectar, which means that I could eat that as well so I am not completely deprived of dessert. :)

Tomorrow I am going to try my 18-mile run again. Last Sunday I was sore and tired from the 5K I had run the day before. That was not a smart decision, and I ended up giving up when I got back to my car at 9.6 miles. So tomorrow I WILL complete the 18 miles. I have planned a route that stops at a couple of locations where I am planning to leave some water for a refill/rest. That way I won't be tempted to either stop at home or at my car, and I will have to keep going. On a side note, I have been taping my feet and toes and it has made a huge difference in my blisters!

Anyway, have a great weekend!

18 Miles

2011-03-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

I had a strange dreams last night, including a possible conflict with a new client, something involving football, and running in snow, realizing I had only gone halfway with 9 miles, rather than the full 18 I am supposed to do today. I woke up and am still not feeling terribly motivated to run for another 3 1/2ish hours today. It's just a really long time. I also ran a 5K yesterday at a faster speed than I have been used to running and my legs are a bit sore! I know I can complete the 18 miles - just keep running . . .

I didn't do any of my weekly runs this week, other than the 5K. The week was filled with client appointments, and I put in quite a few extra hours, so I just couldn't muster the energy to hop on the treadmill. Maybe now that the evenings will be lighter, I can go after work.

My issue for today is what fuel to bring with me for my run. I saw a naturopathic doctor this week who believes I have a fungus issue, so I am now on an anti-fungal diet for a month at least, which means no wheat, milk, sugar, peanuts, or oranges. Sugar is tough because I need something while I'm running so far, and I have been taking gatorade and energy chews. I'm going to switch to coconut water for today, and try to limit the chews I eat to keep the sugar content lower. I do have a book with recipes for energy gels you can make yourself, but I don't know if I have all of the ingredients. Sugar is also hard since it's Easter candy season, and I really really like jelly beans. :)

Well, it's that time! Back after 18 miles . . .

Running Report

2011-02-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend I am gearing up for a 15-mile run. Last Sunday, I ran the furthest I ever have at 14 miles. It was definitely tough. I ran north of town and ended up on some dirt roads. The scenery was great - a view of the mountains, plains, and even some cows. :) Very stinky cows. My legs started hurting probably around mile 10, but there really was no way to get home other than to run or break down and call someone to rescue me. I do always take my cell phone, credit card and drivers' license just in case, as well as KEYS. This time, because I was out of town a bit, I took my pepper spray. I heard one dog barking at me behind a fence that made me thankful to have the spray if he decided to come and maul me. The hardest part is having enough water for that long. Since I run slow, it took me over 2.5 hours to run 14 miles. I have a fuel belt that allows me to carry 32 ounces of water, but I think they say you should drink 8-10 oz. per 15-20 minutes. My plan for tomorrow is to run a loop and stop by my house halfway through for some liquid. It will be very tempting to just stop, so we'll so how it works!

Running, Etc.

2011-02-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

I am now on week #6 of my marathon training. Last weekend, I ran 12 miles, which is very close to the longest I have EVER run - 13.1 in my half-marathons. I did not feel like running that day, but from past training experience, I know that the long runs are critical to training and if I missed this, I would be setting myself back or for possible injury. It actually went well. Towards the end, I did start to feel some aches and pains, mainly in my right knee. But I have been trying to take walking breaks, and that seems to help. I am also trying to run with small, light steps - it's supposed to be the trick of the best marathoners! This weekend is back down to a 9-mile run, which is still long, but the following weekend is 14 miles - ahhh! I have the hardest time staying motivated to do all the weekly runs - it gets somewhat old.

Other than that, there isn't too much exciting going on, other than waiting for the arrival of my new niece! Any day now . . . :)

Long Run #2

2011-01-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

On December 27, I officially started my marathon training plan. I am using this one. Last weekend, I ran my first long run of 8 miles. It was only around 25 degrees out, so I layered up in running tights, shorts, a long-sleeve technical shirt for cold weather, a fleece, headband and gloves. That worked fairly well, except for a part of the run where I was running into the wind and it was sneaking under my headband, and at the end when my right arm really started to get cold. It was fun running on the packed snow through my neighborhood, but not so fun trying to navigate icy patches on the sidewalks. Nonetheless, I finished my run and essentially collapsed the rest of the day on the couch!

Today is slotted for a 9 mile run. It is 26 degrees out, with a light dusting of snow on the ground. Since I haven't eaten yet, I probably won't run for another hour and a half or so, and my run will take over an hour and a half. So I am planning to brave the weather, but hopefully the temperature will stay relatively the same until I get back before it stops dropping into the single digits as the forecasters have been saying! I think I will be fine as long as I don't freeze. :)

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

On this last day of 2010, I am looking forward to 2011. I usually like to make some resolutions for the new year, but this year, I only have a couple:

1. Finish Colorado Marathon on May 1, 2011
2. Take a trip to Europe in the fall
3. Try not to be so stressed out!

Yep, that's it. Other than those items, I will just see what 2011 brings! I have a lot to be thankful for - a warm house, a steady job, wonderful family and friends, and a sweet little bichon to keep me company. :)

Wintry Sunday

2010-11-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up to a very wintry Colorado day outside. Penny and I took a walk in the crisp air, and she didn't seem to mind at all. She is sitting beside me on the couch, and appearing very happy with the day. Kari, Will and Chloe are coming over tonight for chile rellenos, so Penny has even more to look forward to tonight! Just as a random comment, I know a lot of people with bigger dogs have them well trained and are somewhat shocked to see Penny on my furniture as the norm. Well, to be honest, I'm not sure what the point of having a small, lap dog is if you don't let them on the furniture. To me, a big dog is, on top of the things dogs generally are good for - love, companionship, entertainment, especially good for going running or hiking with, and providing protection. A small dog, on the other hand, generally is not going to be hiking a 14er, or running a 5K. Instead, a small dog can sit on your lap, let you carry him/her around, and be generally transportable. So I think it makes perfect sense to have a small dog on the couch, chair or bed. :)

My other comment on this wintry Sunday is that I love lentils! I received a copy of "How To Make Everything Vegetarian" cookbook for my birthday, and am trying to pick some recipes to try. I tried a lentil and potato curry recipe earlier this week. It was super simple - just lentils, potatoes, liquid, and curry powder. I used to HATE curry, but this is actually really good. It looks a bit frightening, as most Indian food does, but with some brown rice, it was super yummy. I also baked an acorn squash with some butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. I never used to like acorn squash, so I may be living in an alternate reality right now . . .

Happy Sunday!

Race Results

2010-09-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

I finished the half-marathon today, almost met my goal time, didn't think I was going to die in the middle, and can still walk! Altogether, a success!

With my new Garmin watch, here are my mile splits (the last one is a little off because I forgot to stop the timer for maybe a minute or so after I finished):

Mile 1 - 11:08
Mile 2 - 11:04
Mile 3 - 11:06
Mile 4 - 10:51
Mile 5 - 10:51
Mile 6 - 10:57
Mile 7 - 10:58
Mile 8 - 10:53
Mile 9 - 11:01
Mile 10 - 11:13
Mile 11 - 12:09
Mile 12 - 11:36
Mile 13 - 10:41

Miles 8 through 11 were pretty uphill on the bike trails heading west, and I got pretty tired. But I didn't have trouble breathing like I did last year (which I blame on starting off way too fast in trying to keep up with faster friends), and my legs feel way better than in my past two long runs (which I contribute to switching back to my stability Nikes for this race).

Second half-marathon down, first marathon to come??

Crossroads Half-Marathon - 2nd Anniversary

2010-09-18T16:06:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow will be my second Crossroads Half-Marathon. I am hoping to make it a tradition since it is very close to my birthday. The schedule for tomorrow morning:

5:30AM - Wake up and take a quick shower
6:00AM - Eat a yummy breakfast, small cup of coffee and water
7:15AM - Leave for race
8:00AM - Start running 13.1 miles!

I have been struggling with some pains over the summer - first my ankle/calf started hurting after the BolderBoulder, so I switched from stability to neutral shoes. That worked well for awhile, but in my 10 mile and 11 mile runs, I started having stiffness/dull aches in my legs and hips towards the end. I am going to run in my older Nike stability shoes tomorrow, so hopefully I won't regret it!

My goals for tomorrow from highest to lowest (or most realistic to least realistic):

1. Finish!
2. Finish in less time than last year (2:35:00ish)
3. Finish in under 2:30:00
4. Run 11 min/miles and finish around 2:24:00

I think it will be fun no matter what!

Yoga Report

2010-08-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

I got back from my first yoga class at Breathe Yoga. I decided to try the ashtanga class, which was supposed to be in the medium heat room (89 degrees). Apparently, even though I think the class list said it was for all levels, it seemed to be a bit more advanced. The instructor told me when I came in that I chose "rigorous" class to start with. It was 90 minutes, and definitely hard. I had to cheat on down dog after not too long and I am pretty sure my arms will not work tomorrow. I did sweat quite a bit, and left feeling hungry and shaky. It was more hard core than my little video. References to vinyasas, chakras, bhandas (?), fishhooks of energy? Yeah, not really sure. I also cheated on the headstand at the end.

I don't think I will necessarily get into the "chakras" or finding my "purpose" through yoga, but I think it is good for strengthening, balancing, and understanding my body better. I am more interested in the fitness aspect of yoga. I had planned on doing another class tomorrow, but I will have to assess that in the morning!

"Vacation"

2010-08-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

I am on day two of my "vacation" - i.e. at home trying not to work. I actually slept in until 7:00 this morning, and then snoozed on the couch with Penny until 8:00. My run yesterday really wore me out, so I still feel a little tired. I'm trying not to "do" too much, but also want to do some things I don't normally have time for. I might take Penny on a little walk to get Starbucks (for me, not her). This afternoon I have an eye appointment, and then I'm planning to sign up for a trial membership at LifeFit 24. They have HOT YOGA! I'm very excited to try it out and see if I like it. I know when I do yoga I feel a lot better, but sometimes I am too lazy to do it. Tonight I am going to make eggplant parmesan and hopefully find a recipe I really like.

I have also made a decision about my health - I am going to stop taking birth control. I have stayed on it all this time because it seems to have helped regulate my hormones and cleared my skin after bad breakouts in my early 20's. I have thought many times about not taking it, but my doctor always tells me that being on it for 9 years simulates a pregnancy and somehow that's supposed to be good. Maybe so, but now a gal I know who is younger than me is in the hospital with blood clots that are probably related to the very same birth control I am on. It just logically can't be good to add hormones to our bodies, and I would like to think that I could regulate my hormones through nutrition. However, I am nervous about how this will work. I used to have horrible headaches, mood swings, bad acne, and horrible cramps, so I worry that all of this will come back. But I won't know until I try . . . Eek.

Movie Reviews

2010-08-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

As part of my semi-vacation from work this week, I thought I should do a little blogging. I just got back from a 9-mile run, and after fighting some slight nausea, managed to eat a little and now am relaxing on my patio. I missed my long run last weekend, and then had a headache all weekend, so I knew I had to go today. It was nice for the first third, tolerable for the second third, and the last third, I thought I might die a little. How I am going to do a half-marathon in a month seems beyond me at the moment!

(It looks like I'm getting rained out, so I better move inside . . .)

I haven't been into movies much lately, probably due to the fall/winter shows I get addicted to and then my serious addiction to 24 that took up the end of spring/early summer. But now that I have to wait for the last season of 24 to come out, I have actually watched a couple of movies, didn't fall asleep, and enjoyed them.

The first one I'll mention is "P.S. I Love You." I'm sure part of the reason I liked it is my slight crush on Gerard Butler (started with "Phantom of the Opera"). I didn't care for Hillary Swank in the role of the wife, but overall, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it. It is sad, but also very sweet.

Yesterday I watched "Up In the Air" with George Clooney, and found it surprisingly good. I'm not sure what I expected, but I wasn't that excited to watch it. Mainly, I was trying to get some benefit out of my Netflix subscription before I suspend it. It was very well done and George Clooney did well in a non-typical role for him.

Anyway, so much for my unsolicited movie recommendations.

Oooh, it's sounding stormy outside now! It may be an afternoon of baking after all . . . oatmeal raisin cookies are on the menu.

On Tap

2010-08-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my first real oral argument - in front of the Colorado Court of Appeals. I think I am as prepared as I can be (without being ridiculous?) - you can always be more prepared, but I think there is a law of diminishing returns at some point. I will feel much better after it is over.

Tonight I am going to use some cooking therapy to ease my nerves. On the menu: Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers (from Guideposts magazine), sweet potato fries (baked w/ salt & rosemary), and a tomato cucumber feta salad that is currently chilling in my fridge. On Saturday night, I made Exotic Mushroom Pizza on homemade whole wheat crust- sounds a little fishy :P (no "exotic" mushrooms involved, I promise) - but was very delicious. I thought it tasted like french onion soup on a pizza.

I now have a roommate. Although it has been an adjustment, primarily in making room in my kitchen and scheduling showers, I must admit that it's nice to have someone to talk to. We also got cable, so I am enjoying all of the fun shows on Food Network again. :) I didn't miss the commercials though - "attention all catheter users!" Um, yes. I also broke down and turned on the A/C . . . just a little though. It's still warm in here, but I don't like keeping the windows closed all the time to keep the temperature lower. I love fresh air, just not hot fresh air.

So this was my random post for no particular reason. Buenos tardes.

Colorado Girls - If Only It Weren't So True . . .

2010-08-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

Flooring 101

2010-07-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Goodbye carpet . . . at least in my main living area.

My carpet was starting to really gross me out. Puppies, a dog with bladder stones, and general dirt coming in from outside essentially ruined it. I didn't like it much to begin with - it was old, blah in color and not very soft. I finally decided that this summer would be the time to replace the floors. Since laminate flooring is supposed to be "user-friendly," I decided to go for it. I ordered 400 square feet of Pergo Virginia Walnut, along with the underlayment, transitions and sealant. It was delivered on a pallet by my garage, and I carried it into the house, and got my first look at it. Gorgeous.

Happy with my selection, it was time to start. My parents offered to help, and as it turned out, there is no way I could have installed this flooring myself. It requires fancy saws and the skills to cut fancy angles in the wood, neither of which I have. My dad also did not feel comfortable with these requirements, so we recruited help from a friend whose specialty and trade is building custom kitchen cabinets.

My dad and I started by ripping out the flooring (I promise I did help).

Masks were worn during the kitchen rip-out since there may or may not have been glue with asbestos in it.

Now you see it . . .

Now you don't . . .

Staples were pulled out by hand throughout the room and the carpet tacking was ahh-"tacked" vigorously. Both of us were feeling some pain over the following days from all of this.

Now for the "fun" part - after three of us with multiple college degrees read the directions for installing the floors and contemplated the meaning of "scribing" against an uneven wall, we called for help. Thanks, Chris! He and my dad worked very hard. I assisted with painting the quarter round that will be installed, procuring food and drink, and acting as "glue patrol" with the kitchen installation.

It's looking really nice . . .

Fancy woodwork!

This project was a lot more work than I had anticipated, and I'm looking forward to getting my house back together, but it is worth it!

Adventures in Eating

2010-06-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Even though it is only Wednesday night, I am feeling relaxed and looking forward to a day of working at home tomorrow. I have a few motions to work on for one case, and then a list of other small tasks to accomplish. Since I won't have to rush to work, my plan is to have a nice breakfast, do some work and then go for a mid-morning run. I went for a run tonight after work, but it was hot in the sun and my stomach is never quite as happy with running at night as in the morning.

I've been lacking the je ne sais quoi with my work lately. Sometimes I lose confidence in myself as an attorney - I feel like I am really not helping my clients, that I'm not making enough money for the firm, that prospective clients think I'm too young, etc. I try to keep in mind that some clients are looking for certain characteristics in an attorney - aggressive, decades of experience, male? It's not possible to win over every potential client. I also did not create the situations that people find themselves in, nor write the laws that currently exist. Anyway, I have just had some difficulty feeling much motivation or zest for my work lately. I told one of the other attorneys today - after complaining about opposing counsel on a case - that I want to go live on a farm and grow vegetables and raise a goat. I think Penny would enjoy having a goat sibling . . .

Other than work, I have been moving along with my new vegetarian diet. I think it has been around three or so weeks since I had any non-fish meat. I have had some tuna at a restaurant last week, but I didn't enjoy it at all. My goal is to get to a point of being as meat-free and gluten-free, and low-dairy as possible (I cannot resign myself to giving up yogurt or cheese yet). I am sort of following the "blood type" diet for a Type A. The problem is that I have bread in my freezer, and some tortillas in my fridge. So I am going to try to use up as much of that as possible before switching.

I'm not going to lie - the thought of a piece of fried chicken crossed my mind today. I was actually thinking about how I really don't miss meat. To be honest, I generally prefer vegetarian foods, unless it's something deliciously bad like fried chicken, pepperoni, bacon, a Big Mac, etc. I can pass on the meat that is actually supposed to be healthy, like a chicken breast.

"There is massive, massive confusion" - Max Baucus re: the 2010 "suspension" of the estate tax. Well, that is sort of how I feel about eating right now. I have never eaten so healthy (except when I was living at home growing up :)) as I have been lately. Oatmeal, spinach, bananas, hummus, greek yogurt, fruits and fresh vegetables have been a large part of my diet. However, it's a little overwhelming to even know where to begin with a vegetarian diet because there are so many possibilities! I'm not sure exactly why I am vegetarian, except that it's a combination of (a) the bone marrow incident, (b) having thought about it for a long time, (c) the blood type diet/idea that I feel better without meat, and (d) the fact that it probably is pretty disturbing where most of our meat comes from and what is in it.

My hope is to start blogging regularly about my new found healthy lifestyle. I am somewhat obsessed with two "healthy living" blogs (see my blog list). I have been very inspired by these two gals that write their blogs - they focus on eating healthy real foods and exercising, but seem to have a good balance in their lives and are fit in a healthy way. It would be fun to chronicle my own little journey for myself.

Okay, enough of the rambling! Time for 24 . . . :)

Food Fun

2010-06-14T18:01:00.001-07:00

I made Alton Brown's vegetarian dumplings last night - it was quite a process . . . but I had "Julie and Julia" playing in the background, so I had some food company. :)

First mixing the filling:

Then wrapping:

Then steaming in separate batches:

Then eating:

They were tasty, but the texture of the wrappers was not quite what it should have been since I had to do so many batches and keep them in the oven while others were cooking.

As always, my kitchen was a mess:

This morning, I woke up early, cleaned the kitchen, made breakfast and got my snacks ready for the day:

Oats in my new Buddha Bowl :)

Healthy snacks - hummus and veggies, Fage greek yogurt and raspberries.

I haven't tried Fage yogurt before, but it was pretty tasty and it was on sale. It has a separate pouch for the honey (and presumably for other flavors), and I thought it was more honey than necessary, but that didn't stop me from eating it separately with my spoon . . .

Tonight I made another recipe I've been planning from a Food Network cookbook. Very delicious! Japanese Brothy Noodles . . . I tried to use the chopsticks, but they didn't work with the soba noodles. I also made the asian bean salad I meant to make last night - I would highly recommend it! Thanks Emeril!

I think portabello mushrooms might be one of the tastiest foods out there! Way better than the tofu. :P

My clean kitchen ended up looking like this:

Penny is always around helping and looking for tidbits. :)

I would like to run to Bed Bath & Beyond and check out some Oxo pop-top containers I've been eyeing, but I also need to do yoga tonight. Right now, I really just feel like sitting on the couch and watching the next season of 24 . . .

Rainy Race

2010-06-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

It's going to be a wet morning - Gail and I signed up for a 10K in Longmont for today, and it is not looking like the rain is going to let up.

Here's what it looks like out there:

I have never run a race in the rain, so I'm not sure how to dress. I have a bag of dry clothes for the way home and I'm going to run in my old running shoes.

I don't think Penny wants me to go . . .

As I always do on a race morning, I made a nice warm bowl of oatmeal and toppings - rolled oats, skim milk, chia seeds, a spoonful of peanut butter, and fresh blueberries. Mmmmm . . . oh, and a cup of coffee (yes, just one!).

I wanted to try one of my new nut butters from my Whole Foods trip yesterday, but thought I'd better stick with something my stomach is used to.

I am hoping for a good time this morning, but I've been feeling slow on my runs this week. Wish me luck!

A Few Things

2010-06-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

In an effort to continue working on a healthy lifestyle, here are some things I am working on currently:

1. I am still forging ahead without t.v. and think I'm going to stick with it for now. The only shows I really miss are Food Network and HGTV. I was hopeful that Hulu would have some of those shows, but all they have are snippets. :( I should in theory be reading more due to my t.v. deprivation, but alas, I have just been watching a lot of 24 on Netflix. Reading more is still a goal in mind however . . .

2. I am back on a calorie-counting regime - not because I think I'm fat, but sometimes I get into the mindset that I can eat anything, and then the pounds start creeping up again. It's always very educational to see what different foods actually have for calories, fat, etc. I use the Calorie Counter app on my phone, and it's awesome!

3. On that note, I am also trying out a semi-vegetarian diet and hopefully semi-gluten-free once I can figure out how to do that! I had a troublesome experience at a restaurant involving bone marrow, and that was enough to push me to something I have considered for a long time. I am still eating fish, and at this point, I don't think I'll be an absolute stickler for avoiding meat (I'm not sure I could say no to bacon . . .), but I'd like to strive to keep meat out of my diet as much as possible. Tonight I am planning on making this recipe tonight - do you think I can freeze some? If I can talk myself into getting out one more time to go to Sprouts, I also want to make this salad. I'll try to post pictures . . .

4. Facebook - I have deactivated my account for awhile. Sometimes when I am feeling a bit down about things I wish I had in my life, it's hard to see people putting their happy lives up for the world to see. Interestingly, church this morning was about fairness and how things that don't seem "fair" may actually be "value added" in the grand scheme of things. I need to really take that to heart when I feel envious of what others' have.

5. I'm still running regularly, and getting my time up little by little. I hope to do at least one half marathon this year - maybe the Crossroads half right before my b-day again? I am also trying to add yoga to my schedule at least once a week and some strength training, plus biking to work as much as I can while the weather is nice.

Stay away winter!!!

Reunions

2010-06-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

This year will be my 10-year anniversary of graduating high school which means . . . the inevitable reunion. I am on the fence about whether I will go - it may depend on what the festivities are. I enjoyed high school for the most part. I had good teachers, some really good classes, and fun being in band and orchestra. But I think 10 years is a little too soon to see all of my classmates again. As much as I would love to show up and tell everyone I invented PostIts, I know that I will regress to feeling just like I did in high school.

Why is the elementary/junior high/high school so horrible for so many of us? I was thinking about this, and concluded that there are two overlapping reasons: 1) school is our first real exposure to social situations and it is a shock to our system to have to learn to deal with them, and 2) our brains don't fully mature until sometime after high school (as I recall from psychology) so all those various personalities running around haven't learned how to keep them in check.

I guess this is a way of giving (some) people the benefit of the doubt. As we grow up, we are ALWAYS faced with people we don't get along with or situations that are uncomfortable or frustrating. With time, we hopefully learn how to make friends with people similar to us, how to gracefully deal with the people we don't click with and have the general ability to avoid them. In school, you are forced to constantly interact with all of those people. Some grow out of negative behaviors; some do not.

This must be why there are so many movies and shows with reunion scenarios. It makes me wonder if there are people out there from some past experience that absolutely despise me and I just have no idea. Perhaps I should go to my reunion and find out. :)

8 Mile

2010-05-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

Speaking of, what ever happened to Eminem? Hah. I'm looking forward to a nice long 8-mile run tomorrow. Although I don't think I will be running a half-marathon too soon, I have been following a training program just because it gives me some schedule to follow. Last weekend was the Colorado Marathon in which I ran the 10K since the half-marathon capped early in February. I am seriously contemplating signing up for that marathon next year - 2011!! The next race on the agenda is the Bolder Boulder with Gail on Memorial Day - I feel like it's a race I want to do at least once. Both of us are aiming to finish in under an hour! I think I could have reached that time in the 10K last weekend, but the start was kind of slow with the whole crowd.

I'm trying to have a lazy weekend since I have nothing planned. I did some work on a bankruptcy and then picked up some work to tinker with at home. A little shopping trip to hit up the sales at the Loft fit in. The next step is to buy some new shoes, but I just couldn't bring myself to shop for more than an hour today.

On another note, I have made it one whole month without tv! Well, sort of. I got my netflix disc for the wii and am now addicted to the show 24. I still miss just turning on the tv for some mindless background noise, but it's not so bad. Maybe this summer I will look for a new tv and get direct tv or some other over-priced tv service! :P

Happy weekend, everyone!

A World Without TV (Sort Of)

2010-04-18T16:22:00.001-07:00

In my anger at Comcast over raising the price of cable (above my promotional deal which I knew was coming), and not automatically giving me the same deal again, I now have no cable. No tv. It is very sad. But I think it's good for me. I'm going to try it for a little while and see how long I last. The shows I watch regularly are all available online, for the most part. What I miss most is Food Network - I love the Saturday morning cooking shows, as well as Iron Chef and Ultimate Recipe Showdown. But I will survive! I was looking at getting a Roku, which Kari and Will have, but then Kari informed me that the same idea is available for free if you have a Wii. So once my disc arrives, I can watch all of my Netflix selections on my tv!

In lieu of tv, I am going to try to read more and blog more. On my trip to DC, I actually read an entire book! It was "Eclipse," the third book in the Twilight series, so not heavy reading, but that's still an accomplishment for me since law school partially ruined reading for me. I'm trying to get back into it, and not automatically fall asleep. :P

Anyway, this is a little experiment to see if I can hold out from signing up for cable again!

Penny, I am so sorry . . .

2010-04-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize just how "overgrown" poor Penny was at the end of February until I loaded these pictures onto my computer . . . I got a pretty good laugh just now though. :)

Travel

2010-02-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

I have been getting the itch to travel, but feel that I have a bit of a dilemman - how does a single gal go about traveling to new and distant places in a fun, not-super-expensive and non-risky manner?

Some places I would like to go:

1. New York City

2. Vancouver, B.C.

3. Italy/Europe

4. The South

5. Hawaii

6. Napa Valley

I'm very excited to be going to D.C. to visit Angela and Nate in April! Hopefully I will get to see the tail end of the cherry blossoms and maybe a couple of sites. I'm going to start saving some money to travel more, but I want to start thinking about how to accomplish it.

The "Cone of Shame"

2009-12-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Penny came through her bladder stone surgery just fine, but she has been forced to wear the "cone of shame" (from the movie "Up") since Friday when I caught her licking the incision. She hates it, but it's awfully cute . . .

She's getting very spoiled as I've been bringing her to work with me and spoon-feeding her antibiotics in peanut butter. She gets lots of attention from the ladies at work with her little cone. :)

In the hopes of avoiding this problem from ever coming back, I bought a book on dog health that includes recipes for homemade dog food. They include lean (and raw!) meat, health grains, vegetables, proteins and lots of nutritional supplements, like brewer's yeast, cod liver oil and vitamins. Even the dog foods that start with good quality food sources may kill the nutritional value through the cooking process. It makes me think a little more about what I eat. For now, I have been adding either water or soft food and water to Penny's meals in the hopes of getting more water into her system. Maybe she could handle another bladder surgery, but I'm not sure I can!!

Musical Crates

2009-10-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

"New" Kitchen Cabinets

2009-10-25T19:32:00.001-07:00

My kitchen was finally presentable enough to take some pictures of the finished cabinets!! I am very happy with how the painting turned out, even though it took ALL summer. Whew!

2009-10-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

This makes me wonder if I would ever run a marathon . . . yikes.

Crossroads Half-Marathon 9/20/09

2009-09-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

In case anyone was wondering, I did survive and finish the half-marathon this morning. It was much harder than I had imagined!

Here is a pre-race photo:

I was the last of our group to finish, but only by a little bit. I was NOT the last runner by any means (although I started to wonder at a few points . . .). My time was roughly 2:35:00, which was a 11:50 minute mile. I ran a pretty solid 11-minute mile for the beginning when the four of us were running together, but I think it was a bit much and I started to wear out. I walked quite a bit between miles 7 and 11. It was a great feeling to run across the finish line!

Penny was excited too . . . the medal was just for finishing - I certainly didn't break any records!

My Nikes are going to be retired for running purposes. They got me started in running and got me through a half-marathon (although not without a few blisters).

Things I learned for the next half-marathon:

1. Bring my own water - I will not count on the race water stations for hydration
2. Start closer to the start line - running an extra 1/4 mile is not really fun when you have 13.1 to go
3. Be more anti-social - trying to talk while running, I think, gets my breathing off and then I think I'm going to pass out

Hopefully with a few changes, the next race will be less painful and even more fun!

T-Minus 2 Hours

2009-09-20T04:55:00.000-07:00

It's the morning of the Crossroads Half-Marathon, a little before 6:00AM. My alarm went off around 5:15, in the middle of a complicated dream, so I hit the snooze one more time. I finally got up, and just finished a small breakfast of one egg, raisin toast with butter, a cup of coffee, some gatorade and water. I'm hoping this will be enough to keep me going, but not give me a stomach ache! I think I will take a quick shower to warm up and then walk a little on my treadmill to get my legs moving. Then off to the race! I'm hoping for a time of 2:30:00, but just finishing will be a huge accomplishment.

The Half-Marathon Goal

2009-08-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning, I am supposed to be running 10 miles with Vicky in preparation for our upcoming half-marathon. Neither of us have run a half-marathon, so we've been training hard this summer for it! We are running the Crossroads Half-Marathon in September (the day before my b-day) and the Denver Half-Marathon in September. I'm very excited because I wasn't able to run the Colorado Half-Marathon in May due to knee/hip issues, and also have been starting to increase my speed some lately!

Running has become a great hobby for me. I have never been the athletic type, at least since swim team in early elementary school. Somewhere around 11 and 12 years of age, cold water started to be less appealing than in my earlier years, so swimming wasn't such a good option. I tried basketball in 9th grade, which was a huge disaster (my piece de le resistance was shooting the ball at the wrong basket in one of my few minutes actually playing after someone else on my team had already done the same thing). In my college days, I didn't think I needed to exercise because I was naturally thin. But that changed during law school, and I did gain a few (eh hem) extra pounds I was not happy to have. I started meeting Vicky to walk at the mall about a year and a half ago, which progressed to joining 24 Hour Fitness, and then a random decision on my part to start running. I honestly could barely run one minute at a time at a very slow pace when I started. I looked up a training program for running a 5K, and started there. It involved intervals of running with walking, building up eventually to 30 minutes of running in a row. Before I thought I was really ready, I was convinced to run a 5K with my friend Gail. I hadn't run one mile all in a row at that point, but in the race, ran almost 2 miles without walking. My goal had been to complete the race within 45 minutes, and actually finished in 36:30ish, which was a big deal for me!

Since then, I have run a 4-mile race (Turkey Trot), four 10K's, and two 5K's. My most recent race times have been under 10 minute miles, and I'm thrilled! Some anger/frustration drove my running for awhile, and still sneaks in from time to time. Other times, I run because I feel like I should. Generally, I know it keeps me healthy, hopefully reduces stress, and keeps my mood up more than it would be otherwise. I also enjoy fitting into some jeans I had packed away. Sometimes when nothing seems to be going right, remembering where I was a year ago just with running gives me some hope. And sometimes that's just enough to keep me going.

Tired and Hungry

2009-07-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks of work have been totally crazy. I've been trying to be good about eating at home, but I've had some set-backs with food going bad in the fridge. I actually just looked at my fridge temperature and for some reason it was set at the least cold setting - no idea how that happened, but that explains things, I think. My brain is so fried from work that I apparently put out my trash and recycling yesterday even though today was trash day, brought in my trash and recycling after work yesterday, and didn't even notice until this morning that everything was still in there. It still took a couple minutes for it to register what had happened.

I made up an easy and tasty supper tonight, though. Sometimes, it's better to just give up and be simple.

Creamy Basil Tomato Soup

- One can tomato soup
- 1 tsp. basil pesto
- 1/2 oz. white cheddar
- dash balsamic vinegar.

Mmmmmm mmmmm good. Even in the summer. Well, it's up early tomorrow to head to Boulder for a hearing . . . and I really need to wash my dishes before I go to bed.

Progress

2009-07-15T19:42:00.001-07:00

I'm making more progress on the kitchen cabinets. I actually have a little bit more done at the moment, but I'm feeling too lazy to take more pictures and upload them. They really are looking nice, and I'm happy with the result so far!

Summer Project

2009-06-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

To keep myself busy (haha!) this summer, I have decided to take on a big project - painting and fixing up my kitchen cabinets!

Here is the "before picture" - they don't look too bad from a distance, but up close, they are pretty worn and gross:

It's a slow process. I started with the cabinets on the island since they don't face out (in case I totally screwed things up!):

The doors are almost done. I started with white primer on this section, and it took four coats of paint to cover it. I've now switched to tinted primer, and it looks like it will save me at least one coat. Here are the drawers with the handles:

Now I'm moving on to the other side of the kitchen. My kitchen and garage are both work zones, i.e. disaster zones!

Pitbull vs. Bichon

2009-04-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

After reading this article in the paper, I am horrified about the possibility of my sweet baby Penny being attacked by some viscious pit bull that comes running out of nowhere. Pitbull owners and homes where pitbulls reside should be marked like sex offenders so that people with small dogs, cats, children, or even females can be aware of where they might be. I have never seen a pit bull in my neighborhood, fortunately.

People responding to the article about the bichon being attacked seemed to blame the owner of the bichon for not having her dog on his leash. Seriously, which would you be more concerned about being on a leash?

Pit bulls and all of their ilk are just plain mean, nasty dogs that attack for no reason. Poor Tasha, our family bichon growing up, was literally dragged from her partially closed crate at the groomers' by staffordshire terriers and nearly killed when they attacked her throat. She did nothing to provoke them beyond being a small, innocent creature.

Okay, enough of my ranting. Grrrrr.

Before and After

2009-03-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

Penny had to get a haircut on Monday and she probably lots 2 pounds in fur! Here is the before:

And the "after:"

Her fur is very short because she was so matted in certain places, like the back of her legs. I'm thinking that the few baths I gave her might have made matters worse. But she still looks really cute!

Here's another random and pointless piece of information - I just saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to Geico! Seriously.

I also documented a rare occasion the other night - all of my dishes were cleaned before I went to bed (gasp!). Yes, it was a rare sight.

Finally, here is my new favorite breakfast! Who knew oatmeal could be so versatile and delicious?

After being sick for almost 2 weeks, I am trying to get back into my training schedule for the half-marathon on May 3. But I did do something I haven't done before tonight - run a whole mile in 10 minutes! That's pretty slow by most runner standards, but pretty fast for me!

Anyway, that's the haps!

Quick Comment on Stimulus Plan

2009-02-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know there are a lot of opinions out there about whether the economic stimulus plan is good or bad. But here's just a thought - feel free to disagree: Yes, some people have made bad choices about getting mortgages that are more than they can afford, or taken out seconds, thirds or HELOCS they can't afford. And yes, other people have been careful and have not overextended themselves. BUT isn't there some responsibility in general for the desire everyone has had to make the most money on their houses as possible? Isn't part of the reason that we're in this mess is that house prices got higher and higher by people making money off of each other? This is just a thought and me playing a little devils' advocate.

Another thought: In the Old Testament, every 7 years was a year of Jubilee in which everyone's debts were forgiven. My conclusion? God probably doesn't look down on filing bankruptcy!!

New Penny Pics

2009-02-18T18:31:00.001-08:00

"I'm so cute!"

"Hee hee"

"I'm proud of my chicken"

Copycat

2009-02-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am copying Kath of katheats.com and posting a recipe and picture of a dish I made the other night. I've never been one to come up with my own recipes - I like to follow one that has been highly-rated online. :P But it's not as hard as I thought. I decided to try to make something similar to the "Penne Rosa" at Noodles, and it turned out pretty well!

Ingredients:

Barilla Plus spaghetti
Classico Spicy Tomato Sauce
Fresh spinach
Cooked shrimp
Red pepper flakes
Feta cheese

I cooked the spaghetti, drained it, then added the tomato sauce. I warmed the sauce through, then wilted in the spinach. In a separate pan, I seared the shrimp with some salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, then added them to the pasta. I served the pasta into a bowl, and added crumbled feta cheese on top.

It was very delicious!! I was also pleasantly surprised by how many shrimp are in a half-pound and how far that goes for one person!

Healthy Eats

2009-02-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

I was turned on to this blog recently and it is awesome! I have tried some fun things with oatmeal after being inspired by Kath's recipes and her Lemon Chickpea Salad with couscous - yum-o!!

Just thought I'd pass it along . . . www.katheats.com

Running Playlist

2009-01-18T21:23:00.001-08:00

I'm going to try a 5-mile run tomorrow. Here's my playlist for my iPod:

- If I Were A Boy - Beyonce
- Rehab - Rihanna
- Circus - Britney Spears
- Hot N' Cold - Katy Perry
- Dynamite - Christina Aguilera
- Give It 2 Me - Madonna
- Just Dance - Lady GaGa
- I Kissed a Girl - Katy Perry
- Hey Mama - Blackeyed Peas
- Disturbia - Rihanna
- I Don't Care - Fallout Boys
- Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna
- Gimme More - Britney Spears
- Cupid's Chokehold - Gym Class Heroes
- Crush - David Archuleta

I've been reading a running book, and of course it advised against running outside while wearing headphones, but it also talked about running to music at various tempos. I just want to enjoy the nice weather and some fun music. We'll see it goes, especially after doing the crazy "Resolution Rampage" at the gym yesterday!

Reflections on an Old and New Year

2009-01-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well, goodbye 2008. I can't say I want to repeat it, but I feel that I can look back on it and be happy, thankful and proud about a lot of things.

- I made it through 2008 (that's a big one!)
- I have a wonderful family who is always there for me (especially when I want to give my new puppy back because she's bouncing around and biting me)
- I have an adorable, sweet dog who has taught me about love and lots of patience
- I have wonderful girl friends in my life
- I have a challenging, interesting job that keeps my mind busy and gives me an income
- I have lost over 10 pounds and can run at least four miles without dying

I have numerous goals for 2009, which include running a half-marathon. Hopefully my new treadmill will help with that goal!

2008 was a tough year in many respects, with a lot of changes: becoming single again, moving, changing jobs, getting a puppy. But it was a year where I learned a lot about myself and who I really am. There's a long way to go, but I don't feel as sad and fearful of my future. For 2009, I'm going to try to remember Pastor Dary's message - "Do not be afraid!"

2008-12-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

I just have to say that I am having a very hard time with my blog. I'm trying to use these cute backgrounds, but then my text is really light and I don't know how to fix that! Argh.

Taxes and Politics

2008-09-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article about the proposed tax policies of the two presidential candidates:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/11/news/economy/candidates_taxproposals_tpc/

2008-09-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Touch a Bichon and you have touched a bit of heaven...
Hold a Bichon and you
have held the world...
Love a Bichon and you
will love life forever...
- Author Unknown

Mystery of the White Puppy

2008-09-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

My five-month old puppy is supposedly an AKC full-bred bichon. However, I keep hearing that she's awfully small for a bichon and her fur isn't curly enough. So I started wondering if maybe she's part maltese. For anyone who is interested, here are some pictures I found online:

Maltese puppies:

Here are some pictures of bichon puppies:

Here are some pictures of my little Penny:

Who knows?? All I know is that she's very cute, and definitely has at least a little bichon in her. :)