Stairs, Rain & Cliffs

Am I the only one who thinks we need an "oh my!" after that?  It was definitely an "oh my" kind of day.  I was all excited about the whole posting from my phone and then guess what?  My phone completely breaks.  Apparently I need a new SIM card.  Well then...  Fast forward to mid-day.  We went out to Cinque Terre today.  I had been there several years before but was not able to hike all five towns.  So I was determined to do it this time.  When we arrived, we found out the trail was closed.  Which meant it was basically at your own risk.  We started off on the first trail.  The sun was shining and the views were gorgeous!  The trail was a lot of ups and downs.  Fast forward again and yes it definitely was at your own risk and I found out the hard way as I fell.  My guardian angels were working overtime as I ended up with a wrenched, pulled, strained knee (take your pick) and a few scratches.  I think now I have fallen (or just about fallen) in pretty much every country I have visited.  I am just that talented (or clumsy).  It could have been much worse.  My first thought was - how is this going to impact my Princess Half Marathon training??  We'll just have to play it by ear and see.  But for now I'm taking it easy.

In other more exciting news, after a full day of no margherita pizza I had mushroom pizza for lunch and margherita pizza for dinner.  Yum!!

Tomorrow it is off to Siena.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Day 23: Something you wish you had done in your life

I was just talking about this wish the other day.  When I look back over my years so far, this is the one thing that really stands out that I wish I had done.  I wish that after my first company went kaput that I had taken time off to travel.  I really thought about it, I did.  Taking six months to a year to go hither and yon before trying to find a new job.  I even went so far as to price out one of the "around the world" airline tickets.  But security won out in the end.  This had been my first job and I worried that I would have trouble finding another job.  And I was worried how a gap would look on my resume.  So I looked for a new job and when the right opportunity came, I left my first job and went directly to my second job.  It’s probably my biggest what if thought.  What if I had taken that time to explore the world?  I still think about it and my dream is to someday take a leave of absence and buy that around the world ticket.  One of these days....

From In the Violet Hour's 30 Days of Truth.

Under the Testing Sun

So I'm going to see if this works!! Italy has been great so far with lots of pizza and gelato. We left Venice behind and are now in Florence.

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Procrastination

At what point did I become such a packing procrastinator?  I'm someone who is generally in bed at a decent (some, actually most, would say early) hour.  Yet, night before a trip I am up packing and re-packing, sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.  Case in point would be tonight (or technically last night since it is now after midnight).  I didn't make a list for this trip (note to self - next time make a list).  I mean I have my generic in my head list, but it doesn't always translate to well into my suitcase.  Did I over pack?  Oh, you betcha!  Question is, did I over pack the right stuff?  Guess I'll find out!  But my suitcase & carry-on are finally zipped up and I'm about to call it a night.  After I look through my suitcase one last time.  Toiletries?  Check.  Underwear?  Check.  Pajamas?  Check.  Clothes?  Check.  Books?  Check.  Guidebook?  Check.  Camera?  Check.  Yup, I bought a new camera (still point and shoot, but with a bigger zoom - still hoping to get a DSLR one of these days but it was not meant to be for this trip).  Passport?  Check.  Okay, I think I'm good.  Eh, and if I'm missing something it just means a chance to go shopping!  Right?

See you in a week or so.  And in the meantime - Happy Thanksgiving!

Gruyere & Chives Flatbread

While we are knocking things off lists, let's go for trying a new recipe for November!  I wasn't feeling too adventurous, and scrolling through my recipes that I have collected I found one that seemed fairly simple from The Kitchen Sink Recipes.  And it was made even more simple by the fact I picked up pizza dough from Whole Foods, instead of actually making the pizza dough myself.  I overdid the olive oil, probably could have used a few more chives and I'm still not sure what exact shape my pizza was, but other than that it went smoothly and was quite yummy!  Now that I have found the goodness that is Whole Foods pizza dough, I'm excited to try more pizza recipes! 

Snoqualmie Ridge Turkey Trot 5K

In my what now seems to be a never ending quest to run in a 5K every month, I woke up on the early side Saturday morning and drove out to Snoqualmie for the Snoqualmie Ridge Turkey Trot 5K.  The start line was right outside an elementary school and so we were able to wait inside until the race started!  Yay!  Especially since it was cold outside and it meant we could use real bathrooms!! 

I love the start of a race - the excitement is so contagious!  And this start line was in the shadow of what I think was Mt. Si.  It was a beautiful view!  I started off too fast, which I'm blaming on the fact that we started off going downhill! :)  Right after the downhill?  Yes, you guessed it - an uphill!  There were several uphills and downhills throughout the course, but not very dramatic hills.  Except when you add in that I've run - oh, about zero hills in the last month or so.  Apparently I need to work on hills!  I walked more than I wanted to on this course but sometimes that happens.  And I'm just that much closer to running 12 5Ks! 

Winner!!

And the winner is.....comment #3!  Congrats Jessica!  I hope you enjoy your coin purse.  Thanks to those who entered.

Five Senses Friday

Last chance to enter my giveaway!

Seeing

• A family of raccoons - Meeko is a cute raccoon, real raccoons are scary.

Feeling

• Okay, this is probably TMI, so fair warning you may want to skip this one!  I'm continually feeling the hair on my legs - I'm going in to have them sugared (similar to waxing, but less painful) and I'm just hoping it's enough to be sugared!

Hearing

• The news that Dave Niehaus passed away.  My Oh My!!  Mariners baseball will never be the same.

Smelling

• Not much, still suffering from what I thought was a cold but turned out to be a sinus infection

Tasting

• Pizza with olives & pineapples - yum! 

Want more Five Senses?  Check out Mandi or Abby Try Again!  Happy Weekend!

Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on

I seem to get a lot of compliments on the color of my hair.  Being a redhead definitely has its advantages – you are easy to pick out in a crowd!  The downside being fair-skinned with freckles and prone to sunburns (although this is not just a redhead thing).  And maybe a temper? J  I happen to embrace my red hair (could be why I love Anne of Green Gables, although it took her a lot longer to embrace her red hair).  And as my mom has told me many, many times - my hair is red, not orange.

From In the Violet Hour's 30 Days of Truth.  

Day 10: Someone you need to let go or wish you didn’t know

First off, don't forget to enter in my giveaway if you haven't already! :)

I'm not going to go into too many specifics on this but there is a relationship that I need to let go.  I mean I have let go, but actually what I need to do is be okay with the fact it failed.  But failed is such a negative word.  Be okay with the fact that we aren't friends anymore.  For awhile, we were close.  However, I did not have a lot of self esteem and I felt that my role was to be a yes man.  Eventually I was being suffocated, but I didn't know how express myself or to stop being a yes man.  I wanted to be my own person.  Relationships are a two-way street and I wish I could have found a way to explain how I was feeling instead of slowly withdrawing.  I knew that for myself, I had to stop being a yes man.  But I didn't know how to put that in words.  I would like to be able to look back at this for the good things.  In a lot of ways this relationship helped set me free and showed me I could stand up for myself. 

From In the Violet Hour's 30 Days of Truth.

Day 9 : Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted

Oops - I thought I had set this to auto post.  Guess not!  I'm chiming back in on 30 Days of Truth.

I am a firm believer in the fact that certain people come in to your life at a certain time or season and then sometimes they leave. They aren't meant to be permanent in your life.  It doesn't lessen their loss.

Realizing that there have been people that have drifted out of my life makes me grateful when I look around and see the relationships that haven't drifted, especially with distance and time.  And I am thankful to those friends who haven't let me drift, when I easily could have drifted out of their lives.

From In the Violet Hour's 30 Days of Truth.

My First Giveaway!

It never seems to fail, I walk into Laura Bee with a list of what I need to make, but always end up making extras! It is so hard to choose between the colors and ribbons and in the end if I can’t choose, I make one of each! I know, add this to my list of decision making issues! :)

I went in there a few weeks ago to make a few presents (Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat) and one for myself and as usual, ended up with an extra coin purse (or I am admitting to ending up with only one extra coin purse). While I can put it in my box of extra wallets and such, I thought wouldn’t it be fun to have a giveaway? And my first ever giveaway at that! So I’m giving away this lovely coin purse, designed by me and made by the fabulous people at Laura Bee. It easily fits credits cards, cash and lip gloss. I love to take mine when I travel.

The rules are simple – leave a comment on this post by 6 PM on November 12th and you will be entered into a drawing to be held on November 12th at 6:01 PM.  Or thereabouts. :) One winner will be chosen by a random number generator. I imagine your chances at winning will be quite good as I’m not expecting a huge response.

Fine print - this is in no way associated with Laura Bee.  I have a hard time limiting myself to only one item when I go in there and therefore have a surplus of coin purses.

Sunny Sunday

A sunny Sunday in Seattle in November??  And an extra hour of sleep?  Sign me up!!

• What does vacation in a few weeks mean?  Shopping!!  I think I might be close to being done.  What do I still need?  A carry-on suitcase with wheels, maybe a new pair of shoes, and maybe a new camera.  Do I need a new camera?  Eh, debatable.  But I WANT a new camera! :)
• A bulk of my shopping was done at the outlet mall.  As I was shopping I passed by a girl and could not think where I knew her from.  I was looking at her intently (to try to figure out where I knew her from) and I think she started looking at me intently (probably thinking if I was trying to place her, maybe she knew me).  A few seconds after she passed by, it hit me!!  I read her blog.  That's why she looked familiar!  I didn't bother chasing her down to explain. 
• Also spied during my shopping outing?  A giant Christmas tree!!  Okay people, I love Christmas.  I more than love Christmas!  I can't wait until Christmas decorations are up and Christmas music is playing, but Christmas decorations should not be put up until after Thanksgiving!  It is too early for Christmas trees.
• Am I the only person who wears running clothes to church?  I might be.  But my church is so close to the park, it just makes sense.  Well, makes sense to me. 
• There were lots and lots of lovely crunchy leaves on the trail this morning.  There is something about walking and running through fallen leaves.
• The great debate this morning was whether or not to wear a jacket on my run.  I ended up not wearing one, and it was the right choice.  There was only a few times I really wished I had a jacket, most of the time I was glad I didn't.   
• What would have been a good thing to take on my run was sunglasses!  Especially when the wind picked up.  My eyes were watering for most of the run back to the car.
• I really like my new running shirt with the thumb holes.  What a great invention!!

Ode to My Red Starbucks Cup

Oh, my red Starbucks cup

I have missed you so

The ever darker, shorter days are made brighter with your red cheeriness

One look at you makes me happy

You tell me Christmas is coming

I can’t wait until you are filled to the top with eggnog latte goodness

Reduced fat of course & sprinkled with nutmeg

But not until after Thanksgiving please

When eggnog season truly begins
I will still enjoy your red cheeriness until then

Reminding me of the joyful holiday season coming my way

Day 2: Something you love about yourself

Of course, as soon as I hit post yesterday, I thought of better things that I wish to change about myself (such as my needing validation, my inability to express myself emotionally, etc.).  But what is done is done.

I'd have to say one thing I love about myself is being able to laugh in all sorts of different situations as well as at myself.  You know the saying you can either laugh or cry?  I like to think most times I will choose laughter.  But don't get me wrong - sometimes a good cry can work wonders.  I try to keep positive in stressful situations and just laugh.

From In the Violet Hour's 30 Days of Truth.

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself

Happy November!  I don't know where this year has gone.  Or where October went for that matter.  I learned that November is national blog posting month (or NaBloPoMo), which is just like it sounds - posting every day for a month.  In that vein, In the Violet Hour is doing a 30 Days of Truth, I don't know if challenge is exactly the right word, but it's what I'm going with.  While I won't be posting every day, I might join in on a few prompts.  Like today's prompt!

Okay, something I hate about myself.  This could get really negative, really fast, because there are lots of things I don't like about myself.  So I'm going to copy Mandi's idea and instead focus on something I would change about myself.

I wish I wasn't so critical of myself.  And I don't need to compare myself to anyone else.  Everyone is different, and they have taken different paths.  It doesn't mean their path is the right one (just as my path isn't necessarily right for someone else).  If I try my best at something, I don't need to compare it to someone else to see if I measure up.  Their fill-in-the-blank is so much better than mine.  No - if I did my best, and as long as I know I did what I could, it is okay.  Even if it isn't perfect.  It is okay to be me.