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!