Ah, Venice

I am feeling slightly overwhelmed with writing up my entire trip so I thought I would piecemeal it, starting with Venice.

It is interesting to reflect back on a trip once it is over. All the planning and anticipation compressed into a short time span. So let's reflect, shall we?

Jessica & I flew out very early Thursday morning (Nilufer was staying a few extra days and so was flying a different airline). I once again found myself in the position of needed a few more miles to earn elite status on Continental so Jessica & I flew US Airways due to their partnership with Continental.  (Sound familiar?  Yup - I will be elite on both Continental & Alaska next year.  Woohoo!!) Slight mistake. I have a new rule for myself - only fly non-US based airlines to Europe. Seriously you are going to charge $5 for a headset to watch movies on a trans-atlantic flight? And no socks or toothbrush? Besides my complaining about the airline itself, our flights were fine, if a little bumpy.  I don't like it when it's really bumpy on the big planes, but we landed safely! (On a complete side note, I don't think the United / Continental merger will be good. The little things that made Continental stand out in my mind are starting to slowly go by the wayside.)

We met up with Nilufer at the Venice airport (our flights landed within 30 minutes of each other) and it was time for vacation to start! A ride on a bus, followed by a ride on a water bus and then we were at our hotel. We checked in, freshened up a little and were off to explore. It had been a long flight and a long couple of days leading up to vacation so it ended up being an early night.  But not before gelato!  Gelato flavors: tiramisu, hazelnut, pistachio

We woke up and headed over to the main hotel (we were staying in the annex) for breakfast. Yum! Fresh baked rolls & croissants and delicious cappuccinos! With our tummies full we set off to catch the vaperetto (water bus) to cruise the Venetian lagoon. First stop was Torcello, reputedly the birthplace of Venice but now mostly uninhabited. We walked along the canal to see the church and amazing mosaics!!

Our next stop was Burano, known for its colorful houses and lace. We didn't end up seeing much lace, but we had fun with all the colorful houses. There was a lace store with the name Emilia, so of course I had to go in there! We had lunch at a little restaurant, my first pizza margherita of the trip. After lunch we caught the boat to Murano, known for its blown glass. It was getting dark by the time we arrived, but we still had plenty of time to shop and shop we did. We took the boat back to our hotel and dropped off our packages before heading out to find dinner.  Dinner was a Rick recommendation (after the first Rick recommendation had no availability).  Lasagna - can you believe it?  Well, their pizza cook called in sick so pizza wasn't even an option.  Gelato flavors: coffee & hazelnut

Today, it was time to explore Venice. Sirens had gone off in the morning, which we found out meant there was flooding. Flooding added another element to our (my) navigation. One wrong turn and detour and we finally made it to Ca' Rezzonico, a former palace, but now a museum. The ballroom was beautiful!! After the museum, we took the boat around Venice. It was definitely a rainy & windy boat ride, but finally we arrived at St. Mark's Square. We were hungry and Jessica & Nilufer saw Ristarante Principessa (with pink decorations) and thought we should eat there.  After all, it was a restaurant for Princesses, right?  Besides, we were cold & wet.  It was going to be iffy given it's location but thought it wouldn't be that bad. Well, it was. But at least we had a respite from the rain.

I love St. Mark's, it is one of my favorite churches. I really like the Byzantine influence. We walked up to the roof and tried to avoid the rain drops.  I really enjoyed the view, gazing out of St. Mark's Square.  Next was the Doge's Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs was open!  Last time I was there it was closed for renovations.  We walked over the Bridge of Sighs to see the prisons.  But unlike the prisoners, we were able to walk back across the bridge.  Whew!  One of these days I am going to do the Secret Itineraries tour at the Doge's Palace!  The palace is beautiful by itself, but walking through the secret passageways and hidden doors would be so cool I think.

It was growing dark so we walked around and did some shopping.  Dinner was at a restaurant near the hotel, which was quite good!  I wish we had found it earlier.  Gelato flavors: hazelnut, tiramisu, strawberry, banana, pistachio.  Um, yes that would be 5 flavors, but not at all at once.  We went to a gelato place more than once today.  Hello, my name is Emily & I love gelato.  Besides, it's vacation, right?

Our last morning in Venice - we were up early and finished packing in record time.  Which meant we were able to walk back over to the Rialto Bridge one last time before eating one last breakfast at our hotel and catching the water bus to the train station.

Farewell Venice!  On to Florence...

Day Tripping to San Fran

Once upon a time, I was super close to achieving "elite" status on Continental so I flew to NYC for the day.  Yes, the day.  Guess what?  This time it was super close to achieving "MVP" status on Alaska.  So off to San Fran it was.  The best part about being an MVP?  No baggage fees!

I hopped the BART into downtown.  And then, being in San Fran, what else could I do but ride the cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf.  My plan for eating a nice, big steaming bowl of clam chowder somehow transformed into taking an open top bus tour around the city.  Boy were there a lot of people dressed up in Santa outfits!!  Everywhere you looked there were Santas!  Top the day off with some meandering along the waterfront and walking up and down a few hills before back to the airport and home. 

What's the recipe for lemonade?

Remember how I said I fell while in Italy?  Here's a little more of the story.  We were hiking (on a path that had been closed early for the winter due to excessive rain) in the Cinque Terre.  We had decided to start with the most difficult part of the trail first and there was a lot of ups and downs, but the trail was in decent shape.  The next town was coming up quickly when we came across a portion of the path that had been washed out.  On one side, there was a rock wall.  On the other side was a somewhat unstable handrail and a drop.  Jessica gingerly made her way across, walking sideways and using the handrail.  Nilfuer went across similarly.  And then it was my turn.  The little voice in my head was saying sit down on your bottom and scoot across.  I did not listen to the voice.  I grabbed the rock wall with one hand and the handrail with the other.  One step, two steps, and SNAP!  The handrail gave way and I went with it.  Thank goodness for the tree that I was able to grab a hold of (or maybe it grabbed a hold of me?) and I stopped tumbling.  Jessica, Nilufer, and the two other hikers coming the other way were asking if I was okay and all I could say was "I'm just going to sit here for a minute."

I climbed back up to the trail and assessed the damage.  Lots of scrapes and my pants were caked with mud.  I could tell something was wrong with my knee, but I could walk on it.  The rest of the trip I was moving at a very different speed, but I tried not to let my knee slow me down too much.

Makes for a great story, doesn't it? :)  Remember that one time I fell off a cliff in Italy?      

When I got home, I visited my doctor.  Bruised was the diagnosis.  No running for the next month.  And when I asked about the half in February, my doctor said no.  Talk about a balloon deflating.  I had started to suspect this might be the case, but to hear it in no uncertain terms was a blow. 

The next day I had an appointment with my chiropractor.  (Side note: when did I become a person with a chiropractor?  But she really does keep my body tuned up!)  Surprisingly, she didn't nix the half marathon right away.  Instead, she recommended we wait until my next appointment and see how the knee is progressing with ice and rest. 

So that's where I'm at right now.  Waiting.  And icing.  Part of me wants to just let it go and catch the race in 2012.  But another part of me is not quite ready to give it up.  Why is this such a big deal to me?  I really don't know.  It is just a race.  There are many other races - NYC Half (although that one is probably out too), Seattle Rock n' Roll, Disneyland Half, etc.  But it is a race I signed up for, and had (barely) started training for so I think it is the commitment factor.  I had committed to this race (even though this is out of my control).  My knee will heal.  There will be many other races.  It is not a bad injury, it could have been much worse.  I mean, Mandi fractured her knee cap. 

Okay, I'm just about done with my pity party.  And then it'll be time to make some stinking lemonade with this lemon.

Five Senses Friday

I'm slowly getting back to real life.  I think I need a vacation from my vacation!  I'm working through my 1,400+ pictures.  And the knee you ask?  According to the doctor, it is bruised.  I'm taking it easy and icing a lot.  More on the knee later.

Seeing

• It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Hearing

• Husky & Cougar jokes - it must be Apple Cup time

Smelling

• The anti-inflammatory lotion I am using has a bit of a mint flavor

Tasting

• Eggnog lattes!  Tis the season, after all.

Feeling

• The effects of all the pizza and gelato consumed in Italy.  But it was oh so worth it! :)

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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Sent using BlackBerry

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.

Pumpkin Galore

Have I mentioned I like pumpkins?  And this weekend has turned into a pumpkin weekend!  Friday it was pumpkin gelato (yum!!), Saturday was pumpkin frozen yogurt (from red mango) and pumpkin curry (double yum!), Sunday was pumpkin latte and a pumpkin smoothie made by yours truly.  Seriously, I might turn into a pumpkin at this point.  Or at least some shade of orange.  True story - my first baby picture (shortly after my entrance into this world) had a little bit of my red hair sticking up which looked like a stem.  My first nickname?  What else - pumpkin.  Since it is October 31st and I haven't made any "new" recipes (per my 33 Things list) this month what else should I do but stick with the pumpkin theme and make a pumpkin smoothie?  Originally I had thought to make an exciting squash recipe or something else fall-ish but time got away from me so pumpkin smoothie it is.  Cop out?  Eh, maybe but since it is my list and my rules, I'm counting it.  I have no idea where I got this recipe but basically pumpkin, banana and yogurt thrown together with some spices and blend.  It turned out good!  And no, I don't normally have a doily, but it was there and I thought it dressed up the pumpkin! :)

Speaking of my 33 Things list, we need a 5K for October don't we?  I had planned on doing the Pumpkin Push 5K but as with the recipe, things didn't quite go according to plan.  With my cold settling in my chest, I decided to pass on the 5K.  I had done a 5K earlier in the month, but it didn't have a cool name like Pumpkin Push so I wasn't going to officially count it.  But now I am.  I don't remember much about the race except it was super cold - as in I saw my breath.  Brr! 

And now I'm spending some quality time with my DVR.  I'm thinking I'm going to give up on Survivor this season.  I haven't watched a single episode this season and I've got lots of other shows piling up.  I'm sorry Survivor, my DVR has spoken and it is time for you to go.

Look Mom, It's Snow White & Cinderella!

It’s been what, about a month and a half since my last Disney trip? Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Obviously it is time for another one! I do realize I have a problem, but what a problem to have! :) Plus since Jana got married this year, it is much easier to plan a long weekend in the states, rather than a trip to Europe. And Disneyland is just about the same distance for us to fly (a little shorter for me). There was also the little matter of it being Halloween and so we could dress up for Mickey’s Halloween Party!

We met at the hotel Thursday night and ventured over to Downtown Disney for dinner. Not much was open so we ended up at the ESPN Zone before heading to bed.

Friday morning we were ready to go! First up was breakfast at La Brea Bakery. We discovered this place last time and boy, is their food yummy! I already knew what I wanted. A big plate of pancakes, heaped high with strawberries & bananas. Oh so yummy! I also had a cappuccino, my first coffee drink in probably two weeks. It was also quite delicious. Mmm, coffee – I have missed you so! And then it was off to California Adventures where the gate attendant immediately recognized us (Good Morning Princess). That’s right, I am a Princess! :)  California Screamin’ is to Jana as Tower of Terror is to me. They just do not go together. Jana wanted to give it another try so try we did. And failed, miserably. But at least she tried it again! It probably didn’t help we had just eaten breakfast. Once again, one of the highlights (for me anyway) was the Aladdin show, where the Genie even had updated jokes! We finished up the day at California Adventures and headed back to the hotel to change into our costumes for Mickey’s Halloween Party!

I was Snow White (sans hair as black as ebony) and Jana was Cinderella. I had gotten some “Really Red” lipstick, and it lived up to the hype! I have never worn that red of lipstick. Walking back towards the park, you could hear the little girls pointing us out. “Mommy, Snow White!” “Look, it’s Cinderella & Snow White”. We decided to have dinner in Downtown Disney before going to the park (hindsight – should have gone in and gotten pictures taken in front of the castle prior to dinner. Oh well. Next time!). Seriously, I felt a little like a celebrity with all the little girls looking at us with wide eyes. They didn’t see a fat girl. They just saw a princess. It did a lot for my self esteem! Dinner seemed to take forever but finally the bill was settled and it was time to for the Halloween Party!

It was dark by this time and even though we searched high and low there were no PhotoPass photographers to be seen in the vicinity of the castle. And trust me, we looked many times. Oh well. We got to Fantasyland at a good time and basically didn’t wait in any lines (except for Alice in Wonderland). The candy lines were ridiculous so we probably didn’t get as much candy as we could have since we would only wait in the lines with very few people. We watched the parade (in hopes of a headless horseman like at DisneyWorld, but he was not there) and rode more rides and finally decided to call it a night. Haunted Mansion was probably the highlight – it was redecorated for The Nightmare Before Christmas and so much fun!! While overall Mickey’s Halloween Party was fun, I would have loved a few more PhotoPass photographers and I would have loved a few less people since it was super crowded.

First on the agenda Saturday morning (even before breakfast!) was obtaining a fastpass for World of Color, the new light show at California Adventures. Success! We had a quick breakfast before heading across to Disneyland. We met up with Jana’s cousin and her three kids for lunch at Rainforest Cafe. It was my first visit to Rainforest. That restaurant is a sensory overload! Lunch was fun! Jana’s cousin has her hands full with three boys! :) But they were super cute kids and did really well. We said goodbye and rode the monorail back to the park.

At one point there was a lot of official people standing around so you knew something was going on. Or at least I suspected something was going on. And there was! Mandy Moore & Zach Levi were there (voices for the new Rapunzel movie) doing an interview. We weren’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but watched them from the carousel.

Before we knew it, it was getting close to time to head back over to California Adventures for World of Color. We knew we wanted corn dogs for dinner. They had turned that area of California Adventures into a dance club, or so it seemed. Club music was playing and lights were flashing – it was a promotion for the new Tron movie. We ate our corn dogs (with no french fries –what is up with that?) and then walked over to get our spot for World of Color. I don’t have adjectives enough to describe World of Color – it was AMAZING!! Probably my favorite thing we did this trip.

After the show we still had time so it was back to Disneyland (love those park hopper tickets!). It was almost time for the park to close so we knew we had to prioritize. We decided on Haunted Mansion (we had a fastpass) and It’s a Small World. We rode Small World and then walked over to Haunted Mansion to use our fast pass. But Haunted Mansion was closed so they gave us a super cool fast pass, the only catch being we only had 15 minutes to use it. I turned to leave but then Jana reminded me we could use it on Space Mountain since we hadn’t yet been on that! Yes! So we took the super cool fast pass and hightailed it over to Space Mountain. And then it was time to leave.  Too bad it wasn't extra magic hours because we could have gone for another hour or so... We did a little shopping before walking back to the hotel.

Last days are always so sad. We didn’t have a lot of time Sunday morning, but we did have time for breakfast at La Brea! This time I had a croissant sandwich. But no cappuccino, since their machine was broken. But Haunted Mansion wasn’t broken so we were able to ride on that as well as Mr. Toad before doing a little shopping and just like that it was time to say goodbye.

Until next time!

Five Senses Friday

Seeing

• Jana at Disneyland

Hearing

• Rain pelting against the windows and howling winds - ah, fall storms

Tasting

• Halloween candy (but I must go in search of candy corns, I haven't had any yet)

Feeling

• Crummy, but I think I am almost over my cold

Smelling

• White Flour oil (to help with my cold)

Here We Go

I'm just back from Disneyland!  And when I say just back, I mean I've been back for several days but I caught a cold on the way home and so have been somewhat out of commission.  Pictures & recap to come (hopefully soon!)...  In the meantime, I have realized I am about 4 months away from the Princess Half.  While it seems like I've still got time, factor in vacation & holidays and it'll be here before you know it.  Not to mention I haven't done anything the past few weeks between work, being out of town & now a cold.  So it is probably time to start getting serious about training.  I sat down with my calendar and attempted to plan something out leading up to February 27, 2011.  Loosely, each week will look something like this:

Monday: Hot Yoga
Tuesday: Treadmill (3 - 5 miles)
Wednesday: Free Choice (hot yoga, elliptical, weights, swim etc.)
Thursday: Treadmill (3 - 5 miles)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Kickboxing/hot yoga
Sunday: Long Run

There is wiggle room built in.  The schedule isn't set in stone (although I did write in pen!) and I can always shift things around.  And I have the very important fact that I have done this before.  And I finished!! 

More importantly this means I only have 4 months to sort out a costume.  Yikes!!  Better get my thinking cap on!

33 Things: UW vs OSU

It has been a long, long time since I've been to a Husky game, hence the reason it is on my 33 Things list!  I went to the game with Nikki.  We met up at the Park & Ride, along with Kristi & James who were also going to the game (but sitting in a different section).  And can I say Park & Ride is definitely the way to get to the game!  No need to worry about driving or parking!

We got to the stadium, picked up kettle corn & a pretzel and started the long climb up to the tip top of the stadium.  For as high up as we were, the view was still good.  We were on top of all the action. 

Holy cow!!  What a game!!  Double overtime.  I had forgotten how loud Husky Stadium can get!  Wow!  No one was leaving early (well except the people sitting at the end of our row).  After a few plays it became clear every OSU third down we were standing and making noise.  By the time we got to the second overtime we were on our feet, hollering, stomping, clapping for all we were worth.  After one false ending in second overtime (wiped out due to a penalty), the game ended in a Husky victory.  I turned to Nikki to celebrate and she kept asking if it was real.  This time it was!!  Hooray!!

Even though he doesn't play for us, let me just say Jacquizz Rodgers is fast!!

And today, well my voice is still recovering.  But it was so much fun!!  Go Dawgs!!

Five Senses Friday

Seeing

• red & yellow leaves - fall is really here

Hearing

• I can't get Katy Perry's California Gurls out of my head

Tasting

• grilled chicken

Smelling

• someone brought in top pot donuts, yum!  and then an open container of red licorice was emitting some very enticing smells

Feeling

• sore!!  I had a trial session with a personal trainer and my arms are feeling it today!

More Five Senses?  Check out Mandi's or Abby Try Again.

List #13 Random Things about Me

The cleanse is over!!  Hooray!  Now comes the hard part of incorporating all that clean living into my daily life and enjoying treats in moderation.  It's all about balance and not being too hard of myself when I slip up because it'll happen.

I don't really have much else to say at the moment so we'll fall back to a list of random tidbits about yours truly. 

1. One of my dreams as a kid was to find a historical artifact.
2. I love listening to old time radio shows. Richard Diamond, The Shadow, Boston Blackie, Our Miss Brooks – I could go on.
3. I read romance novels. And I love romantic comedies.  I'm sure no one is shocked by this.  Sometimes you just need a fluffy boy meets girl story.
4. I failed my Driver’s Test, twice.
5. I got my first C ever my first quarter of college. And I got 2. I’m pretty sure those were the only ones I ever got though.
6. I watch too much TV. But it is so darn hard to turn off sometimes!
7. When I talk to myself, I sometimes will use hand gestures to get a point across – to myself.
8. I am not a night person. I don’t know that I would necessarily call myself a morning person anymore (I used to be more of a morning person), but I am definitely not a night person. I turn into a pumpkin if I am out too late.
9. I am the person who is jamming out in her car at a red light.
10. I want to get married in a castle.
11. I used to hate (with a passion) the color pink when I was younger, but now I have embraced the color (it isn't my favorite, but it's in the top 5).
12. I don't like to cook.  At all.
13. I probably drink on average 3 to 4 liters of water a day.

List #12 My 5K Playlist

Okay, so no Five Senses Friday today because really it would be all food, or the lack thereof. Feeling – hungry, tasting – lemon juice/maple syrup and cinnamon gum, hearing – the crunch of potato chips that I can’t eat, smelling – oh so many wonderful food smells, seeing – candy bars everywhere I look! Okay, never mind. A short & sweet Five Senses! :) I’m not normally a salty person but I have been craving a lot more salt lately. Probably to offset the maple syrup sweet. If you were to place a bowl of chips next to a bowl of M&Ms, 9 times out of 10 I go for the M&Ms. Unless of course I was at Azul and the chips were accompanied by some roasted corn avocado dip. Yum!! Or Chuy’s with some creamy jalapeno sauce. Oh, Chuy’s, I miss you! Where was I? Oh, yes so if the rest of the cleanse goes as the last one did, while I’m still craving not as healthy things on the cleanse, once I’m off, I usually do much better! For awhile anyway....

Am I the only one super excited for Kona on Saturday?! I am in awe of the Ironman athletes. While I would one day love to do a half Ironman, I am pretty realistic about the fact I will never, ever, ever in a million years do a full. (Exaggerate much? Yes, yes I do.) A full would require a marathon and I have also sworn to never do a marathon (the guy died when he reached Marathon after all!). I will be checking in on the progress of the race throughout the day.

I'm still aiming to make my goal of running 12 5K's, or one 5K a month.  I was really hoping to do the Dawg Dash in October but I'll be out of town. Darn. But I think I now have a few viable 5K options for October. November has been harder because I'll be out of town for most of the Turkey Trots. I'm still looking though.

All these 5Ks have me thinking - one of these days I am going to run a 5K sans iPod.  You know what? I think I'm going to have to put that on my 34 Things list!  But until then, when my feet hit the pavement (or treadmill as the case may be) I will be accompanied by my iPod.  But what tunes have been motivating me through these 5Ks?  I think it’s time for a list!

1. All that Matters (Addison Road)
2. What About Us? (Brandy)
3. Sexy! No No No... (Girls Aloud)
4. Let it Rock (Kevin Rudolph)
5. Speed of Light (Corbin Bleu)
6. Burnin’ Up (Jonas Brothers)
7. Naturally (Selena Gomez & the Scene)
8. Evacuate the Dancefloor (Cascada)
9. Scream (Zac Efron / “Troy”)
10. I am Free (Newsboys)
11. Just Dance (Lady Gaga)
12. Something Kinda Ooooh (Girls Aloud)
13. Devastated (Ballas Hough Band)
14. Party in the USA (Miley Cyrus)
15. A Little Less Conversation (Elvis Presley)

Fruit or Vegetable

Okay, so I promise not to bore you with too many cleanse details over the next few days.  Or too many I'm really hungry statements.  After all, I brought this on myself.  I knew what I was getting into.  And you'd think after going through it the first time, I might have learned to think more about what I eat.  To some extent I did, for awhile anyway.  But then life got busy, which isn't a real excuse.  Anyways...

I think I have developed a pack a day habit.  Pack of gum that is.  What can I say, it keeps my mouth happy.  Another day is almost at a close.  Goodbye fruits & veggies, hello lemon juice.  While I had an array of different fruits, my veggies were carrots.  And avocados - are avocados really considered a vegetable?  I'm claiming them as a vegetable, and a green one at that!  Oh snap.  They aren't a vegetable, they are a fruit.  So yeah, my only veggie has been carrots.  Probably should work on that for the end of the cleanse when I'm back on fruits & veggies. 

I'm having weird cravings (and dreams too but that is another story).  Popcorn sounded so good to me today.  And normally I am not a huge popcorn person.  I was also craving a big glass of cold milk.  And what would I need to have with my milk?  Why cookies of course.  I could go for a pumpkin cookie right about now.  I did spend a few minutes looking up recipes for when the week is over.  Oh my, there are some yummy recipes out there.  With pictures!!  Not much longer now.

Time to go eat another orange!   

Cleanse, Orange You Glad Day 1 is Over?

Oh, cleanse. How I have not missed you. Nope, not in the least. I was definitely more prepared this time and I made it through Day 1 relatively unscathed.  Hello quinoa & avocados. A little more filling that just plain old fruit & veggies. A little more exciting too. Thank you sugar free gum, which I have been chewing just about non-stop. The chocolates sitting out didn’t even phase me. Well.........there might have been a moment or two (or five) where I was seriously tempted. I even survived the day without coffee. I like to think I can do just fine without coffee, but the reality is I am *slightly* addicted.  And maybe a bit more than *slightly*.

Our grocery cart was very interesting with the array of fruits & veggies, lemon juice, pure maple syrup and distilled water.  The cashier remarked we must have been on a mission to which we responded we were trying a new health kick.  Hopefully the contents of our cart weren't the weirdest she had ever seen.

My Day 1 pills have been taken, fruits & veggies eaten, and now it is time to head for home and my bed where I can dream of food.  Only 6 more days to go!

Sunday Musings

Well here we are on Sunday night and just a few thoughts from the weekend.  Next week is looking to be a doozy between work and the cleanse.  Hm, what's on my mind lately?  Oh yeah that would be the cleanse.  Do I really want to do this again?  I don't think I have a choice at this point.  Fruits, veggies & lemon juice oh my! 

• I went to my second Sounders game and they won!  Yay!  We sat in the rowdy section and I came to the realization that I am not a rowdy section person.  It was distracting and the flags were blocking my view of the pitch.  I enjoyed the game, but that was my first and last time sitting in the rowdy section.
• Oh my word!!  Second year in a row the Huskies beat USC on a last second field goal!!  Holy cow!
• First weekend in awhile no race!  So instead I hit the trail for 6 miles.  My goal is to keep up a base of around 6 miles.  I was running and my mind was wandering all over the place.  It ended up back at the Princess Half, which is the reason I was out running so quite fitting.  And then it hit me.  Due to my last 10K I now had "proof" that I could finish in under 2:45 minutes.  Barely finish and that is assuming no bathroom or picture breaks, which let's face it, isn't going to happen.  But still, the realization that my 10K time may potentially qualify me to move up a corral made my day!  If this gives me a chance to move up my starting time, I'll take it.  You'd better believe when I got home I emailed the Disney peeps to let them know I had proof of time!
• I had garlic last night, which I didn't think would be too bad, until I got home and realized I had some serious garlic breath.  But okay, no vampires and no mosquitoes, right?  But does that mean no Edward?  And then I remembered I had a massage scheduled the next day (or today).  Hopefully the garlic smell wasn't too bad!!
• With the cleanse looming, I had a few last goodies to eat, a last meal of sorts.  I suppose last minute goodies somewhat defeat the purpose of the cleanse.  But a baby pumpkin cupcake was delicious!!  As was the pumpkin spice latte and the pumpkin muffin.  I am sensing a theme!  Have I mentioned I love pumpkins?  And since it is prime pumpkin season, I wanted to get my fill of pumpkin before I went for a week without real food.
• The new TV season has begun and I am finally now caught up on Dancing With the Stars,  but all other shows are building up on my DVR.  My early favorites are Kyle & Kurt, with Jennifer close behind.  I would like Jennifer more but she is paired with Derek, who isn't my favorite and won last season. 

Five Senses Friday

Seeing

• Lots of spiders!! Ew! And rumor has it the over abundance of spiders means it will be a hard winter.
• Bananas – there is a pile of very ripe bananas on the table near my desk. We are trying to convince a co-worker that he wants to make us banana bread!

Hearing

• Sirens - I was waiting a light last night when one, two, three, four cop cars turned on their lights & sirens and went speeding that-a-way

Tasting

• Pizza, goldfish, and mini chocolate bars.  Oh my!  

Feeling

• Tired

Smelling

• I don't have a good one for this...  But I was driving behind someone and their exhaust was stinky.

My tasting will be quite different next week as I am once again attempting to cleanse.  Wish me luck!  I blame Jessica.  Her other sister is getting married so great time for another cleanse and it is definitely easier to do it with someone else (I think anyway) so I'm along for the ride.  I don't know that our co-workers will be so thrilled to be working with us, but oh well! 

33 Things Update

I was just not feeling the treadmill tonight.  Hello elliptical!!  I had forgotten how much I like the elliptical.  It is nice not having a big race looming.  Although I'll need to sit down at some point and plan out my half marathon training now that I'm officially signed up for the Princess Half.  But let's see what I've been up to!

1.  Cook once a month - well I don't know if I'm making the once a month goal or not.  I should clarify that what I meant by this goal was to try a new recipe once a month...  Although it is probably about how often I cook! :)  But I did make Portabello Pizzas the other day.  And when I say the other day, it probably means several weeks ago...  Let's see, I think I snagged this recipe from Angela of Oh She Glows via Mushrooms Canada.  It called for vegan cheese, but I went for the real thing.

Easy Stuffed Portabella Pizza in a Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10-12 minutes.
Ingredients:

• 8 Portabella mushrooms
• 2 cups pizza sauce
• Vegan Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce (substituted mozzarella)
• 1/3 cup of each: red, green, orange pepper, diced
• 1/3 cup sweet onion, diced
• 2-3 large basil leaves, finely diced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions: Preheat oven by setting the broiler on low. Take a baking sheet and cover with a silicone non-stick baking mat or parchment paper for easy clean up. Make your Vegan Cashew Basil cheese sauce by using the recipe below. Set aside. Remove stems of Portabellas and gently rub Portabellas with a wet cloth to clean. Place Portabellas ‘belly’ side up on the baking sheet. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce into each Portabella. Now spoon about 2 teaspoons of Vegan Cashew basil Cheese Sauce on top of the pizza sauce.  Grab a cutting board and knife and chop the onion and pepper and then sprinkle onto Portabellas. Finally, shake on some red pepper flakes and sprinkle finely diced basil on top. Broil in the oven on the lowest temperature setting on the middle rack for about 10-12 minutes, watching closely as broiler temperatures vary. Serve immediately and enjoy! Serves 3-4.

10.  Go to a Sounders game - I like soccer (or football) generally.  But I love it during World Cup!!  I was excited when Seattle finally got an MLS team but never made it to a game.  Until now!  Jessica, Nilufer & I went to watch the Sounders against Real Salt Lake.  The game ended in a tie, but it was really fun.  And we've already got tickets to another game.

23.  Buy a Mac Book - my laptop died.  But instead of a PC, I made the switch to Mac!  We'll see how I like it.  Right now it is still in the box...

30.  Convince myself to try broccoli - All I remember about broccoli is hating it as a kid.  I would eat it first and quickly so I could move on to something else.  And while I've learned to like all sorts of other vegetables, broccoli is one that I just couldn't convince myself to give another shot.  Until now!  I went out with a couple of co-workers with the purpose of trying broccoli.  We went to Black Bottle so I could try their Broccoli Blasted dish.  And I must say I survived, and even liked it.  Broccoli probably will never be my favorite veggie, but I am no longer scared of it.

Dear Humidity

Hot yoga & I have an interesting relationship.  I wouldn't say I hate it, or actually maybe I would.  Yes, yes I would.  I do hate it.  Well, I hate it, but I love it.  And I keep going back.  And back.  And then back for even more.  The thing about hot yoga is it is never the same.  It can be good, bad, or just be.  And sometimes, like tonight, it is a combination of all three.  It started off great.  I had some trouble with dancer, but after I fell out and then almost fell, I got right back into it.  In fact, I was doing great through triangle (which is not my favorite pose).  Usually if I make it to triangle, I know I'm going to make it!  Tonight I made it through triangle and then pretty much melted into a puddle.  Although melted is maybe too nice of a word.  Splattered maybe?  It is interesting the talks I have with myself when I know I'm having a rough time.  The teacher was fairly good about opening the door (and I had my usual spot near the door).  Each time she opened the door, it was as if the slight breath of air was tangible and I was reaching out to snatch it from the sky and lather it on my body.  Finally we reached the end of class and I wrung out myself and my towel and stepped out of the hot room, expecting the cool evening air to rush up and greet me.  But as I stepped outside all I felt was the humidity hanging in the air.  No relief at all!  Just stickiness.  Hurry up & rain, why don't you?  But thank goodness for A/C! :)  My drive home was nice & cool!

You Go Girl 10K

This race snuck up on me.  I picked up my packet on Saturday and woke up to rain on Sunday morning.  Isn't this reminiscent of last week?  I drove down to the start, parked, and used the bathroom before lining up in the starting chute.  They had pacers for those running the half, so I lined up close to the 2:40 pacer (as I have been running around a 12 minute mile lately).  Being a primarily girl race, there was lots of pink, sparkly headbands, and skirts.  I saw a dad running with his daughters.  A big cheer went up and we were off.  I must say, either I seeded myself too high, or people seeded themselves well because I really didn't need to dodge too many people and I don't think too many people had to run around me.

The race started out flat and then started to climb gradually, but not so gradually you didn't realize it was a hill.  Oh no, you knew it was a hill.  Towards the top someone said that this was the only hill and the rest of the course was fairly flat.  I liked hearing that!

But the joy over a fairly flat course only lasted so long.  In fact it lasted until the next hill.  So much for being flat!  I put my head down and focused on running up the hill, knowing there was a water stop at the top.  I walked through the water stop and then started up the next hill, turned the corner, and started up the next hill.  This is the opposite of a flat course!  I almost made it up this hill before I stopped to walk.  And I continued walking up the next hill. 

The seemingly unending hills finally ended and it was through a (by now) very muddy path in a park.  The path slowly dipped downward as we ran the perimeter of the park.  And what goes down, must come up.  It was a short, small hill when the 2:40 Pacer caught up to me.  I knew she was going to catch up to me at some point, but I was hoping it would have been a bit closer to the finish.  Now I just needed to keep her in sight.

After all those uphills, it was finally time for some downhills!!  The rest of course was basically downhill with a few flats thrown in.   

I finally caught back up to the 2:40 Pacer just before the 10K/Half split.  I told her "thank you" before heading down the 10K chute to the finish line!  Yay!!  I grabbed my post-race bagel & banana.  They had chocolate milk but it appeared to be only for those who ran the Half.  Now I am really craving chocolate milk!  I signed up for the complimentary massage and waited for my turn.  Even though it was a bit of a wait, it was worth it. 

And then it was time to head back to the car.  100+ stairs and a hill later, I reached my car.  Let me just say that was my least favorite part about this race.  My legs were crying by the time I reached the top of the stairs.  But on the bright side, it probably helped loosen me up!

Oh, my time!!  Thanks goes to the pacer!!  Keeping her in sight kept me motivated and I managed another PR - 1:14:42!  Woohoo!!

Friday FAIL

A 33 Things update will be along shortly, but in the meantime, a funny.  And yes you can laugh!  As long as you are laughing with me and not at me! :)  I got up this morning and went to the gym to swim.  It had been a late-ish night at work previously (so I haven't yet watched Greys!) but I was fairly sure I had packed everything I needed in my gym bag.  (Cue the foreboding music.) 

My swim was fantastic!  I was feeling strong as I sliced through the water.  I finished and was in the shower when the thought crept into my mind.  I forgot to pack a bra, didn't I?  Oh snap!  I got back to my locker and checked the contents of my gym bag.  Nope, no bra.  It could have been worse, I could have forgotten pants (as I overheard someone else at the gym who had made the discovery she had forgotten pants).  Fortunately the gym is quite close to a Target and fortunately I had a coat with me.  And, even better, the first bra I looked at was my size.  Whew!!  Moral of the story - double check your gym bag before leaving the house, especially if you packed it when you were tired.

Five Senses Friday

Welcome back Five Senses!  It's been a little while.

Seeing

• Burn the Floor - it was like watching Dancing with the Stars....LIVE

Hearing

• My new Disney CD

Tasting

• Gardein Marinara - it's like a tofu/quinoa pizza pocket.  I'm excited to try their other products.

Feeling

• SORE!!  I can't tell you the last time I felt this sore.  Suffice it to say, it has been awhile...

Smelling

• Fresh waters lotion

Want more Five Senses?  Check out Abby Try Again!

Oh, and to try and knock off an item off of my 33 Things list, I will be attempting to taste broccoli tonight (hopefully, depending on if work cooperates and if I chicken out or not).  Speaking of which, it is probably time for a 33 Things update....

Groovy, baby!

Here I am, at the end of what turned out to be a longer than expected triathlon season.  I am happily saying goodbye to my bike for several months.  Shortly I will be turning my attention to Princess training!  I have officially signed up to once again run the Princess Half Marathon (February 27th!!!).

Before I get ahead of myself, how did my last triathlon go?  It went well!  There was cold, rain, and a course that was familiar, but not. 

Friday night it absolutely poured rain.  Oh boy...  Saturday morning brought gray clouds and a few sprinkles but then it burned off to reveal a pleasant day (except for the fact the Huskies got absolutely trounced, but we won't relive that).  That was until it started to absolutely pour once again.  My first thought Sunday morning as I awoke was, do I hear rain?  And I did, but once again it was sprinkles.  I was hopeful the weather would be similar to Saturday and it would burn off.  But not too much, just enough that the rain would go away!

This race is at the same site as the Seattle Danskin I did a few weeks ago.  However, on a much smaller scale.  Parking ended up being a bit of a cluster but I found parking and walked over to the transition area.  I set up my area and made my way down to the swim start (and was able to use the real bathroom!  I had forgotten there was one).  I was in wave #8 of 10.  As soon as I found out my wave was again towards the back, I immediately tried to quash the worries of being last.  After all it wasn't that long ago I started in the second to last wave and finished in no danger of being last. 

Brr, I slowly waded into the practice area for the swim.  It was cold!!  While there were a lot of wetsuits, there was a decent number of girls without wetsuits.  And just like that it was time!  We got our magic word of "groovy" and were off!  With the clouds, sighting was much easier this time.  It took a few strokes before I found my "groovy" rhythm.  I kept chasing different pairs of feet and tried to pass them one by one.

Out of the swim and on to the bike!  Note to self: don't go to kickboxing the day before a triathlon and do lots of lunges and squats.  My legs were not at their happiest.  I kept going hoping that once I settled in it would get a little easier and it did.  My personal nemesis on this course, the hill up to the freeway, loomed in front of me.  I dropped down into a lower gear and a lower gear and a lower gear until I was in the lowest gear possible and I still wasn't all the way up the hill.  I gritted my teeth and hung on to the top!  Woohoo!!  That is a first!  There was a huge smile on my face!

Once I hit the bike turn-around, I knew I was shortly going to see where I stood in the race.  I started counting people as we passed.  It wasn't until the middle of the bridge deck when I finally saw the police escort for the last biker.  I felt much better at that point that I wasn't going to finish last!

Run time!  I had my same goal of running the entire course and walking through the water stops.  I went through the first water stop and was soon praying for another water stop.  It came finally, after the 1 mile sign.  I kept plodding along, one foot after the other.  And then came the turn back into the park.  The finish line was a lot further up (than where it is for the Danskin) and we circled around before finally the finish line was in sight!  Yay!!

I had barely finished when the skies opened up and the rain started coming down.  I was so thankful I had made it before the rain started.

And there you have it.

Oh yes, my time.  Well I did improve slightly, again mainly due to a much smaller transition area.  But I'll take it!  Minute by minute, second by second I keep chipping away at my time.  Official time was 1:58:06.

Thanks for reading along through my summer of triathlons!

Mambo Italiano

Tonight was my last bike ride before my last triathlon of the summer.  It took a little bit of convincing but I kept telling myself it was the LAST one!  And after Sunday I can put my bike away (and my goggles) until next year!  I knew I was I was cutting the daylight close, but I thought I might make it by the skin of my teeth.  So yeah, it was not the best bike outing I have ever had.  I was passed on a hill by a guy running.  Yes, I was huffing & puffing on a low gear and he ran by me like it was nothing.  I'm sure I'm made his day.  He's probably blogging about the fact he totally passed some chick on a bike!  Ha!  I did eventually pass him back but I kept expecting him to repass me at any point.  And then I rode through a swarm of bugs and I'm sure swallowed a few.  Bugs are good protein, right?  Ick!  I got to the other side of the bridge and realized I could see the moon and could barely see the setting sun.  Okay, this was going to be extremely close.  I made it back to my car on the wrong side of the sunset by a few minutes.  Done!

So what does this have to do with Italy?  Absolutely nothing...  But my upcoming trip to Italy is finally starting to take shape.  We'll be visiting the "Big Three" or Venice, Florence & Rome.  I love, love, love both Florence & Rome but I just tolerate Venice.  I think for a lot of people Venice is a place you either love or hate and for a long time I hated Venice.  All I remembered was the smell and the heat.  However I also remembered how much I really did love St. Mark's.  And then I did go back and realized as long as I didn't go in the summer, Venice is tolerable.  So now I'm going back again.  Jessica has never been & Nilufer has been once (about 10 years ago).  So we'll be doing a lot of the typical touristy stuff - Forum, Colosseum, David, Bridge of Sighs, etc.  We're starting to get more into the planning phase, which I love.  One of the days in Florence I'm hopeful we will take a side trip to Siena, which has been on my list of places to visit for awhile now.  If anyone has any tips or favorite places for Italy, please share! :) 

I will be dreaming of margherita pizza & gelato until we leave!  Someone once pointed out to me that margherita pizza is just cheese pizza, but it is oh so good.  Maybe it's being in Italy?  I don't know.  But I will be eating more than my fair share! :) 

And with that, I'm off to bed!

Cottage Lake Triathlon & Iron Girl 5K

Do you ever have those moments and wonder just what on earth you were thinking?  This was one of those weekends where somehow I found myself once again signed up for 2 different events and wondering just how that happened. 

First up was Cottage Lake Tri on Saturday.  This was a super sprint distance, so not quite as long as what I normally do (which is a sprint distance).  My thinking was since I was going to go out and do a brick (bike/run) in preparation for next weekend's triathlon, might as well do a race.  Makes sense, right?  Well it did until my alarm went off.  Ugh!  I won't do a full on race report, just a few thoughts:

• I started getting a little nervous when I realized pretty much everyone else was wearing a wetsuit.  The water was cold!!  I might need to think about getting a wetsuit...
• I got off course on the swim but one of the course officials got me back on track.
• The bike kicked my a$$!!  Lots of steep hills.  I lost it on one because I wasn't able to down shift quick enough.  On the second loop, I just barely hung on.
• Best comment?  As we were running into transition after the bike, a woman turned to me and said "This is where we wish we had signed up as part of a relay!"  So true, so true!  Ha!  I had a smile on my face going into the run even though...
• I was worn out by the run between the cold swim & the rough bike.  I had a stern talk with myself as I passed out of sight of the spectators (the perfect time to walk) - you just did this a week ago in brutal hot weather, you can keep running!
• They had the best post race food ever - bread with nutella!!  I love nutella!  And a medal!  I love medals!

Next up was the Iron Girl 5K on Sunday.  I had wanted to do this race for several years but for whatever reason, it hasn't worked out until this year.  It was another early morning, which is currently taking its toll as I'm rushing through this before my eyes close.

• I liked how they gave you a bag and let you pick out your own "swag".  I grabbed some tea, lotion and ointment.
• There were 3,000 ish participants and even though they seeded us, I still had to run around and through (but hopefully not over) a lot of people.  It took a while to thin out, but it did.
• I loved seeing the little girls running along side their moms.  And I was envious of one girl (maybe 7 or 8) who would run a few steps then do a cartwheel.  Oh to have that kind of energy! 
• The medal was super cool!! 
• After I picked up my bag from gear check, I turned around to see a familiar face.  But why was it familiar?  And then it hit me!  It was Zoe from Run Zoe Run!  I don't know when or how I started reading her blog.  So I went up to her and I think I introduced myself or I might have just babbled on...
• I got home and the race emailed me my time!  And drum roll....36:20!  Another PR!

Nothing Can Stop Me, #409

As the days came ever closer to my WDW trip, I began to rethink the decision. Did I really want to go by myself? It is going to be so stinking hot, do I really want to race? Maybe I should have just bought tickets to Hawaii... But I had paid my money and I had put the training time in, so off I went!

I was on the “early” flight down, which meant I got in to Orlando in the early evening, enough time to head over to Epcot for some extra magic hours. I meandered my way over to the new Italian pizza restaurant, but they were full for the evening. So instead I rode a few rides and headed back to the hotel.

I took advantage of the early magic hours at Hollywood in hopes of reaching Toy Story before the line was outrageously long. Alas, that was not meant to be. I ended up fastpassing it for later in the afternoon (in the event I did end up back at Hollywood). Instead I headed over to Rockin’ Rollercoaster and discovered I am not so brave by myself, and definitely not brave when there aren’t other screamers on the ride. After some HSM, it was time to go check in for the race.

Race check-in went very smooth, I picked up my rental bike, got my chip and racked my bike. And since my race number was 409, I had the Beach Boys song stuck in my head most of the weekend. And I found out there were only 6 waves and I was in wave #5. Well if there was ever a race I was going to be last, it was going to be this one. Deep breath. Bring it on. Mickey can console me afterwards, along with Mickey ice cream. And, at least I will get over my irrational fear of being last. It isn’t being last per se, it is the fact that people will have to wait for me to finish last.

It seems as if there is always one aspect I am worrying about more than others. This time it was how to get to the race in the morning. I wasn’t staying at the host hotel, and supposedly there were no buses from the hotel I was staying at. Okay then, I will take a taxi. On my way back to my hotel to drop off my race packet, I noticed another girl with a race bag. In a very un-Emily like move, I went up to her and asked how she was getting the race site. Her husband was going to drop her off and just like that she asked if I wanted a ride. Yes, I would thank you very much. Yay!! We exchanged information and made a plan to meet up the next morning.

And then it was off to Animal Kingdom! I was having doubts about the Yeti, after the experience with Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Hmm... But then somehow I was in line. This time I was on with a lot of teenage girls, which meant a lot of screaming!! Whew! That made the ride a little less scary. If there is ever a good time to go on Kali River Rapids and get soaked, it would be this trip. It was H-O-T!!! Have I mentioned I don’t do heat? I was not the only one who had this idea and so I never did end up on the ride. The park was about to close and I walked toward the exit, trying to decide if I really wanted to go back to Hollywood to use my Toy Story fastpass, or if it was time to go back to the hotel. The hotel won out. The heat and humidity had taken its toll on me and I was ready to be done for the day. Besides, I had a race the next day!

There was a German family standing behind me in line for the bus back to the hotel. And I’m happy to say I could understand every couple of words! And their conversation was peppered with my favorite German word, genau. They were discussing where to eat breakfast – at the hotel or at Hollywood so they could fast pass Toy Story. And for those wondering how to say fastpass Toy Story in German? Fastpass Toy Story.

Early, early the next morning I awoke and got ready. I met my new friend Kimberly & her husband and we drove over to the race site. I prepared my transition area, made a few mental notes of where my bike was, used the real bathroom and then headed down to the water. I found a group of “royal” blue swim caps and stuck to them. They noticed me and welcomed me into their circle as we tried to calm our collective butterflies.

It was then our turn to head into the water. Our word? Sexy! That’s right, I am a sexy triathlete! The swim started off with the normal jockeying and jostling for position and soon I was in a rhythm. It wasn’t long before I felt like I was all by myself. Was I at the back of the pack already? Nope, not quite. The course is in the shape of a big semi-circle and I kept getting off course. And there were several times I felt I must be way off course and all by myself, but then a swimmer would pass by me. I was never so happy to have someone pass me! The shore came into sight and the swim was done.

I found my bike, threw on my gear and took off for what turned out to be an interesting bike ride, due to the bike I rented. My thought was, if I have to rent a bike, why not rent a bike I might want to get in the future? With that I forgot the cardinal rule of never try something new on race day (although I break this rule often since I like to wear new outfits). I ordered a road bike and the guy told me it was basically a triathlon bike. It was a nice bike, it just took me some time to figure out shifting – I figured out how to shift up pretty quick, but had trouble shifting down so I just stayed in that higher gear for a lot of the race until I did finally figure out the down shift. And the handlebars... I’m not sure I’m a fan of the aero position. And the seat was a normal seat, not my nice gel seat, so saying it was slightly uncomfortable is probably an understatement. Other than that, the bike went great! The course is basically flat and I was flying at times!

I wasn’t sure what to expect for the run with the heat. I gave myself permission to walk as much as I needed to. Not too far out of transition was the first water stop. Oh, thank the Lord!! I continually talked to myself (or the heat) throughout the run. Just around this corner, just around the next corner, how about to the first turnaround? Dear Humidity, I hate your guts! Fortunately the first part was fairly shaded, and I heard the sounds of a water station, but it was on the way back. I kept plodding along until I realized I didn’t have much further until the water station. One to drink, and one to pour over my head. Oh wow, that feels good. The next stretch had basically no shade and went on forever!! You can do this. Soon you will be eating Mickey ice cream. Not much longer now! I made it to the next water station and same routine – one to drink and one to pour on the back of my neck. I knew at this point I had less than a mile left. Boy, was it hard to start running again after that water stop. Just one more cone! Okay, go! Finally I was back in the shade, and even better there were people yelling and cheering! I can’t explain how much I feed off of the cheers. It is such an uplifting feeling! The finish line was in sight! Done!

It’s the little things that get me through a race – a “you go girl” from a passing racer, the kids blowing bubbles & cheering as I rode by, volunteers shouting encouragement and handing out water, the cold water dripping down the back of my neck, the cheering spectators lining the finish line, and the kids giving you a high five as you barrel past.

My times? I did actually better my overall time by about a minute, but I picked up most of my time in transition. This is a much smaller race and therefore a much smaller transition area. I lost 3 minutes in the swim, picked up 2 minutes in the bike (surprise!), lost 1 minute in the run, and picked up 3 minutes in transition. I was pleasantly surprised by the pick up in the bike and was happy I only lost a minute in the run considering how stinking hot it was!

With the race over it was time to get my Mickey on! I saw Kimberly and she offered me a ride back to the hotel, which I gratefully accepted. But before I got my Mickey on, I decided to try the Italian restaurant at Epcot. I got in no problem. And yum! The pizza was good. As was the strawberry drink I had. And then I caught the monorail and headed over to Magic Kingdom and pretty much spent most of my time in Fantasyland. I love the cartoon rides! One of the coolest moments was when I was sitting on a bench (to take some ibuprofen) and lightening flashed right above the castle. It was super cool! I didn't quite close down the park (it was extra magic) but I came close until I realized how tired I was and went back to my room and crashed.

Overheard at the Magic Kingdom: Does Cinderella live in the castle with the Beast?  I don't know why that cracked me up, but it did!

And there you have it! Three triathlons down, one to go (plus a little one, but that is for another post)!!