Roma, Venezia, Firenze, & London

Day 0/1
Wow! November 14th already? Diane met me at my house and my mom drove us down to SeaTac. I had used miles to upgrade to business (so worth it on long flights!) and so we enjoyed the amenities of the lounge while waiting for our flight. British Airways is in the process of upgrading their cabins and we were on one of upgraded planes. It was nice!! The beds fully reclined, we had a library of movies to choose from, and a warm comfy blanket. The flight was fairly uneventful. After landing, we walked around Heathrow to pass the time until our next flight to Rome. I ended up with the dreaded middle seat, but I was so tired I was still able to fall asleep. It wasn't long and we had landed in Rome and I got the first stamp in my new passport! We arrived at the train station just in time for the next train into Rome. Because we were both tired and I wasn't sure exactly where our hotel was we decided the easiest way would be to take a taxi from the train station to our hotel. Before this I can say I've never really worried too much about a taxi ripping me off - I always make sure to get an official taxi and I've never had problems. We got into the official taxi line and took the next official taxi, or at least the next "official-looking" taxi. We got to our hotel, well across the street and down a little from our hotel and the driver said the cost was €20! I was expecting €10 not €20!! But I was tired and I hate confrontation so I didn't say anything and we paid him. I looked up taxis in Rick's book and sure enough, it should have been around €10. Oh well - it's only money.

The hotel was located on the second floor and the elevator looked a little intimidating (at least to me) so we drug our suitcases up the two flights of stairs. The hotel room was large, and directly off the reception desk. The bathroom, the shower in particular, was tiny! But it was clean and in a good area. We rested for a little bit before deciding to explore. Our hotel wasn’t too far from the Colosseum so we walked towards the Colosseum before continuing on to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain where we threw our coins in the fountain to ensure our return to Rome. We were hungry by this point and tired so we walked back toward our hotel. We ate at a restaurant I'd eaten at before. Their margherita pizza was just as good as I remembered! At this point we were exhausted and so went back to the hotel.

Day 2
During the night I discovered the beds at the hotel were heat-sucking beds! It's as if the bed sucks all the heat from your body into the mattress then radiates it back - the mattress gets really warm. Heat-sucking bed aside, the rest of the night passed peacefully and before I knew it was time to get up. The tiny shower proved interesting but mangeable. Breakfast was served in our room and consisted of various rolls, yogurt, and a cappuccino. We finished breakfast and stepped outside to discover it was raining. We made our way to the Colosseum. It really is amazing to me how much of that structure is still intact. Next was Palatine Hill. We walked around looking at the ruins and avoiding the puddles that were quickly forming. At the back of the Palatine Hill area we were able to see Circus Maximus in the distance. There is really only a well worn track left of what used to be an impressive arena that held chariot races. We made our way back to the Forum and walked through what used to be the center of Roman living. We visited the Mamertine prison, where legend has it both St. Peter & St. Paul were held prisoners. It was really interesting to visit, plus it was indoors which allowed us to get out of the rain. The rain was really coming down so we ran up the stairs through the back entrance to the top of the Victor Emmanuel monument and stopped in the café to take a break from the rain and rethink the plan for the day. Granted, we are two Seattle girls and should be used to the rain but it was coming down pretty hard at this point and with the wind an umbrella would be useless. Where was the guy selling ponchos? The rain had abated when we finished our drinks and we decided to head back to the hotel to dry off. When we left the hotel the rain was still at a little drizzle so we decided to keep with our original plan, with a slight deviation. St. Peter in Chains was fairly close to our hotel so we walked up the stairs to the church. As we are walking up we were saying we’ve done pretty well avoiding the puddles. And with excellent timing we step into a huge puddle!! Oh no. So much for avoiding puddles. We reach the top of the stairs only to find the church was closed for lunch. We continued on to the Pantheon where I was happy to discover there was no construction. The last few times I’ve been there scaffolding has been up. We went over to Piazza Navona before stopping for gelato! Yum! It was on to the Trevi Fountain where we again threw a coin in to the fountain. We walked up to the Spanish Steps and debated walking up to the top, in case we decided to come back at night. We decided to walk halfway up the stairs. We walked up to the Piazza del Popolo. From there we took the metro over to Santa Maria della Vittoria to see Bernini’s sculpture of St. Teresa in Ecstasy. We then took the metro back over to St. Peter in Chains which was open this time! There was a mass going on in the corner while we were there. It’s funny but it took me a second to realize it was in English (as opposed to Italian or Latin). We walked back over to the Spanish Steps and this time climbed all the way to the top (135 stairs). It was when we paused to take in the view we realized exactly how tired we were. We took the metro back to our hotel and had dinner at the restaurant near our hotel. We topped it off with gelato (yes, that would be the second time we had gelato today – I’m on vacation!!).

Stair count: 60+ x 2 up to St. Peter in Chains and 135 up to top of Spanish Steps (not to mention climbing halfway up earlier in the day)

Day 3
It was still on the chilly side today, but at least no rain! First stop was the Vatican Museums. I figured there would be a line, but as it was in the middle of November, I didn't expect a long line. Boy was I wrong! When we joined the line it was almost back to the entrance to St. Peter's! Guides were offering tours which would let us bypass the line and were warning that at this point the line was around 2 hours long. We decided to stick it out in line and fortunately the line moved along. We only ended up being in line for a little over an hour. We were probably about halfway through the line when this couple cut in line in front of us! As previously mentioned, I hate confrontation, but I also hate "cheating" which is basically what they were trying to do. What to do? I'm also passive aggressive, which showed when I told Diane to follow me and we basically cut in line in front of them. So while they did cut - at least it wasn't in front of us!

Finally inside we got in line to buy tickets. Diane was in front of me and the cashier asked if she was a student. She said no, but he replied yes and gave her the discounted student rate. I step up thinking he might do the same for me. Yeah, no. I paid full price. We made our way through the museum until finally we reached the Sistine Chapel. Stepping inside, it takes a minute for the grandness of it all to sink in. We stand around gazing up before taking the "secret" exit which opens out right near the actual entrance to St. Peter's instead of winding your way back through the museum and then walking all the way back to St. Peter's.

Stepping inside of St. Peter’s I am overwhelmed at the sheer grandness of the basilica. We toured the basilica before sitting down to rest. Feeling rested, we began the climb up to the top of the dome, taking the elevator to the base. The climb wasn’t actually too bad, I think partly because there were so many people in front of us it was slow going with frequent stops. We reached the top and were trying to take a Diane & Emily self portrait when a guy comes up to us and says he’ll take our picture. Diane gives him her camera and he decides where we are isn’t going to make a good shot so he starts walking back and climbs up on a post to get a better angle. He has us move around until he is satisfied with the shot and finally takes the picture. We thank him and then look at the picture. I’m not sure what he was looking at when he took the picture but he just barely got us in the picture. Oh well!

Not sure what to do after St. Peter’s we decide to make our way to Ostia Antica (ancient Ostia). Ostia was a port city which was abandoned when Rome fell and was covered up over time by mud and silt. I really enjoyed Ostia because you can really explore and climb all over and imagine what life would have been like once upon a time. We were almost through to the end when the guides told us it was closing and we had to leave. We turned around and headed back to the entrance, stopping off at the theater to “take a bow”.

Back in Rome, we decided to try a restaurant in Diane’s book. We took the metro over to Piazza del Popolo and found the restaurant. Unfortunately it was closed. We walked over to the metro near the Spanish Steps and went back to the hotel. We walked around and found a restaurant nearby. There was only one other couple there when we got there which was a little worrisome but by the end it had filled up. The food was good! We finished up the day with a gelato.

Stair count: 323 to the top of St. Peter’s

Day 4
It was our last morning in Rome. After breakfast we took the metro to the train station and picked up our tickets to Venice. A little background on Venice, or my feelings on Venice: I don’t like Venice. The last and only time I was there it was super hot and crowded. While that wasn’t fun, it wasn’t enough to turn me off Venice. What did that was the smell and the garbage. Venice is very smelly and dirty. Diane really wanted to go to Venice and I decided to give it another chance. When we got there I was happy to find it wasn’t as dirty or as smelly as I remembered it. We took the water bus to our hotel, which was down the tiniest street! We were shown up to our hotel room, which was very red. We got a map and directions from the hotel clerk and started off towards the Rialto Bridge. Venice is very picturesque with all the canals and bridges. We found our way to Rialto Bridge, doing a little shopping on the way. We twisted and turned along the little streets over to St. Mark’s Square. After doing a little more shopping we wandered back over to the Rialto Bridge and had dinner outside along the Grand Canal. Yes, outside even though it was really cold! We had tiramisu for dessert (instead of gelato). We started off back to the hotel and got lost. Backtracking we ran into a couple who was also lost. A couple streets down we found where we had made the wrong turn and continued on to our hotel. We ran into the lost couple again – it looked as if they were still lost. We finally reached our hotel. It was so hot in our room! We couldn’t get the air conditioning to work and I broke down and opened the window. But thankfully it wasn’t too smelly! It was after I had been in bed for a little while I realized my skin was still so cold! The side of my body that had been closest to the water at dinner was the coldest. Where is the heat sucking bed when you need it?

Day 5
When we first had looked around the hotel room, we had noticed we didn’t have a traditional hair dryer but we figured it would work. It did work – sort of. It was more of a hair blower than a hair dryer but it was better than nothing.

Stepping out of our hotel room we could smell breakfast wafting up the stairs! They had rolls and yogurt, but also fruit and cereal. After breakfast we checked out and left our bags and started walking towards St. Mark’s Square. The basilica was first on our list. I really like the Byzantine influence evident in St. Mark’s. From there we went to the Doge’s Palace, a very interesting mix of Gothic and Eastern styles. Unfortunately the Bridge of Sighs and the prisons were closed for renovations so we weren’t able to see them. Next up was the Campanile, which had an elevator. Hooray! No stairs! The ticket we bought for the Doge’s Palace allowed us to visit the Correr Museum, across the square. This museum has a lot of Venetian history and art. The exciting moment came when Diane leant a little too close to a sculpture and set off the alarm! Oh no! She stepped back and the alarm shut off. We took a makeshift “tour” of Venice via the water bus from St. Mark’s Square to the Rialto Bridge. We stopped for gelato and then for a late lunch. A little backwards to have dessert before lunch but again I’m on vacation! We did a little more shopping before heading back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and head to the train station to catch a train to Florence.

My verdict on Venice? I would visit again, always in the off-season! It’s not in my top 10 and it’ll probably be awhile before I would visit again but I would visit again. And I’d definitely stay in the hotel again! It was my favorite of this trip.

We arrived in Florence and walked to the hotel. It was late by this point so we called it a day.

Day 6
Our breakfasts continued to get better. This morning we had the normal rolls, yogurt, fruit & cereal, plus meats and cheeses! After breakfast we started off towards the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. Every time I see David, I get a little ga-ga. I’m so impressed with all the details, especially the hands! The Duomo was next and then we climbed the bell tower, instead of the dome. It was 50 steps shorter, less crowded and gave us a great view of the dome. About halfway up the bells rang which was pretty cool and very loud! We continued on to Santa Croche and then on to Palazzo Vecchio, once home to the powerful Medici family. The original David used to stand outside this palace but now there is a fake David in its place. The next stop was Ponte Vecchio which was not Diane’s favorite ponte! I really like Ponte Vecchio (it is one of my favorite pontes) so it became a joke that Diane was not as impressed with it. After doing a bit more shopping we took the bus up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a view of the city and a view of another fake David. I’m always nervous about taking a bus but I feel so accomplished when I arrive at my destination. I don’t know what it is about a bus that makes it different than the metro. We got back down and found a restaurant near our hotel, recommended by Rick. We realized after a bit they stuck us in the back with all the other tourists. The food was good and the cappuccino had a heart in the foam. According to Rick, Florence has the best gelato in Italy so after dinner we started hunting for gelato. We finally found a spot open which was more expensive but it was our last night in Italy and we had to have gelato!! And what’s better than gelato and tiramisu? Tiramisu flavored gelato!!

Stair count: 414 up to the top of the Bell Tower

Day 7
We had breakfast before heading over to the train station to catch the train to the Pisa Airport where we caught a plane to London. We took the train into London and got a taxi over to our hotel. We relaxed and watched television for a bit before heading out to find a pub for dinner. We got directions from the concierge but didn’t find the one he directed us to but found another one. I had fish and chips and split a stick toffee pudding with custard for dessert. It was really yummy! We realized after we had started eating it we hadn’t taken a picture of the dessert. It had started pouring outside so we ran for it. We reached our hotel and called it a night.

Day 8
We took the train out to Leeds Castle. On the train we noticed the weather was fairly gloomy and it looked as if it could rain. We got to the castle and in the gift shop they were selling ponchos. Knowing if we bought one we probably wouldn’t need it, but if we didn’t we probably would, we erred on the side of buying the poncho. We walked up to the castle, which is extremely picturesque. We toured the castle which is still in use today. We had lunch at the castle restaurant. Diane had pork & apple cutlet with potatoes and I had a lamb & apricot dish, also with potatoes. Halfway through our meal we realized today was Thanksgiving and both of our dishes were appropriate with the side of potatoes! Unfortunately I didn't think about taking a picture of our food until after we had already eaten.

The castle also had a maze. We did okay at the beginning but then got off track. Who knows how long we would have wandered around in there if we hadn’t overheard the guide telling someone else the secret of the maze? We didn’t quite hear the whole secret so instead we followed the ones that had heard the secret and soon we were at the middle!

We made it back to London and took the tube over to Westminster Abbey thinking it would still be open but it wasn’t. We walked across the bridge and went on the London Eye. Before we bought our ticket we used the restroom at the London Eye - they have the coolest hand dryers ever! You put your hands all the way in and slowly draw them out and your hands are completely dry! They need more of these hand dryers!! We were the only people in line and a pod was coming up so we thought for a second we'd get a pod to ourselves but they wouldn't let us on saying they needed at least three people. So the pod went by - empty. A few more people came and we were able to get on the next one. I love the view from the London Eye – it reminds me of Peter Pan.

When we finished at the London Eye, we took the tube over to Harrods to do a little shopping.

Day 9
Last February, when Jana and I were in London, we found this cute little restaurant near our hotel - The Muffin Man. I think we ended up eating there just about everyday! Some point later in time (I forget when) I was reading Something Blue by Emily Giffin and to my surprise she also mentions The Muffin Man and from what I could tell it was the same restaurant. How does this all tie in? Well, our hotel this time was in the same neighborhood (and by in the neighborhood I mean a brisk 10 minute walk down the road). I had talked it up to Diane and so we trekked over there for breakfast. I remembered they had great paninis but wasn't sure about having one for breakfast. But one of the other customers was having a panini when we arrived so I figured I should go ahead and have one as well. And my excuse? I'm on vacation, of course! Good choice - it was yummy!

After breakfast, we took the tube to Westminster Abbey so we could actually go inside this time! Touring the Abbey we saw the oldest door in Britain, dating back to the time of Edward the Confessor. Making my way through the church I overheard two kids complaining that they couldn’t read anything because it was all in Latin. Part of me completely sympathized with them, but part of me was thinking your parents took you to England – enjoy it! Later I overheard another kid (different family) talking about what he was seeing. Two very different attitudes – I’d like to think I would have been more like the second kid but I’m not so sure.

We walked over to Buckingham Palace just in time for the changing of the guards. We took the tube over to St. Paul’s. There was a teacher there with her class touring the church. She was really good! Her explanations were really interesting and entertaining. We wanted to join her group! We thought about doing the stairs at St. Paul’s but decided against it. We took the tube over to the Tower of London where we found out we had just missed the last Yeoman warder tour so we decided to wait and do the Tower of London the next morning before we had to leave. We took the tube over to Piccadilly Circus where we did some shopping and had our first eggnog latte of the season. We were going to try and find a different pub for dinner but couldn’t so we ended up at the pub we ate at the first night.

Our friend Jamie had been in Barcelona for work and was spending a few days in London and we met up with her and a few of her co-workers and their friends for a drink at a pub just a few streets over. It was on the other side of the street where we had been looking! I guess we should have looked on the other side of the street!

Day 10
Last day! We ended up deciding to see how we felt in the morning whether or not we wanted to hike over to the Tower of London or not. It ended up being not. We finished packing and checked and made our way over to The Muffin Man for our last breakfast on vacation.

In a lot of ways the best part about a vacation, for me anyway, is the planning and the anticipation. The vacation itself is always great but once it starts I know it will end. Which is probably why I take so many trips! :) I need something else to look forward to! So until next time….

Ciao!!

Training - 2 weeks to go!

This isn't my trip report. But it is coming!!

A few weeks ago I signed up for the 12Ks of Christmas race. My training started on a good note but then I went to Europe and my training was derailed. I've been to the gym a few times but my plan was to go out and do 5 miles this morning and then it started snowing last night. It was still precipitating this morning - snow mixed with rain. I thought about just getting on the treadmill but, for me anyway, there is a huge difference between being outside and being inside on a treadmill. I like to at least do one or two workouts in a week outside, especially when I am training for a specific event. So I bundled up but decided to cut it down to 3 miles. I didn't notice the cold too much until I stopped. And can I say I love my heated seats!!

Bogota Blackberry

I've been on a quest this year to be nicer to myself - getting regular massages, treating myself to manicures, among other things. If you know me, you know I like to fade into the background, I don't like to stand out. So when I treat myself to a manicure I usually go for an understated color. I'm not sure what happened this time - maybe it's the fact I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow - but I chose a burgundy color (Bogota Blackberry). When she applied the first coat, I panicked a little and started doubting my choice. It was really bright!! But it turned out nice, if I do say so myself. It'll be fun (I think) while it lasts.

Training - Week 1

A quick update on my progress for my upcoming 12K. Saturday morning I walked with a couple of friends - approx. 4 to 4 1/2 miles. We never seem to remember to bring a pedometer! Today I did around 4 1/2 to 5 miles, alternating between walking one song and jogging one song. It's a start!

Pictures

I am finally getting around to uploading pictures from the last couple of weeks so I thought I'd post a few. Most of them are feet pictures! :)

My feet at the Seahawks game

One of the jugglers at the Renaissance Fair

My feet at the Renaissance Fair (on the giant swing)

My feet & my co-worker's feet at our bowling offsite

The Space Needle

My feet at the Sonics game

Kevin Durant being introduced (the whole reason I wanted to go to the game)

Houston Weekend

I went to Houston this past weekend. It was great to visit and catch up with good friends. On the one hand it feels as if I never left, but on the other it feels like everything has changed. Time never stands still. Sonia picked me up at the airport on Friday and we spent the night putting together goody bags for the party the next day. Saturday I started the day on balloon duty, blowing up the balloons for the party. The party was a lot of fun! I said goodbye to Sonia and left with Michelle. Michelle, Jason, Christian & I had dinner at Lupe Tortilla. Yum! I do miss good Mexican food!! Sunday Michelle, Khrissy & I went to the Renaissance Fair. It was great weather and a lot of fun. The best part of the Renaissance Fair? The food! I ate my way through starting with empanadas and ending with a ice cream sandwich with a few things in between. Michelle dropped me off at the airport Monday morning. It was a great trip, too quick as usual.

$1.47?!

I am leaving for Italy in less than a week now. I knew the dollar was tanking but when I saw the NY Times.com headline this morning about the sinking dollar I started getting a little concerned. And then I checked the exchange rate - how did we get to $1.47 for the euro!? Granted, I'm about to sound like my dad but I remember when the euro was 88 cents!! This was way back in 2000 - 2001 when I was living in London but still! Of course I am just venting. Is a weak dollar going to stop me from travelling? No. I will still go to Europe at least twice next year. Will I stay in hostels to cut down on cost? No. I am way to Princess in the Pea now about hotels. I will spend the extra money for a little nicer hotel. Of course now it'll probably be a less nicer hotel and a 2 star or 3 star instead of 4 star and I'll probably use my airline miles to buy my tickets instead of using my airline miles to upgrade but I will still go. So nothing is changing - I'll just complain more! :) Ugh! I just can't believe it's $1.47!!

Found

I have been feeling lost in several different areas of my life. One area in particular would be that of exercise. Without anything to train for it has been easy to say "I don't feel like working out tonight" and going home after work, bypassing the gym. Of course, then I feel bad (usually) that I didn't work out and the cycle continues. Today I decided to take a couple of steps to re-focus at least this aspect of my life. I met my friend this morning for what used to be our Saturday morning constitutional. This was the first time we've met for a walk in several months. It was also 36 degrees outside! Brr!! Note to self: next time remember a hat to keep my ears warm. I also bought myself a new pair of tennis shoes. And the pièce de résistance, I signed up for the 12Ks of Christmas Run which, let's face it, will be more of a walk for me. I have about 7 weeks to train. I like the 12K distance (approximately 7.4 miles) and it is just long enough that you do need to do some training for it. The reason why I'm posting all this is to keep myself honest. By putting out the goal of doing this run, it will help motivate me!

It is a truth universally acknowledged...

My recent Jane Austen kick probably started when my college roommate introduced me to a Jane Austen website with a section for fans to write their take on a Jane Austen novel. I can't get enough of the stories! Even though I know the probable ending (every once in awhile one will surprise you), I still find myself wondering will Elizabeth change her opinion of Mr. Darcy or will Captain Wentworth forgive Anne? It's all so very exciting!! And so very time consuming! I can spend hours reading one story after the other.

What I Love about Fall

The glorious array of color on the trees

Orange, yellow, red, brown

Crunching through the fallen leaves

Waiting for the last few to fall

Leaving the window open a crack at night

Snuggling deeper under the covers to keep warm
Pumpkin Spice Lattes with a little nutmeg sprinkled on the foam

The roar of a crowd at a football game

You'd Have to See it to Believe it!

I was driving home today, waiting for the light to turn green when I spy a convertible driving by with the top down. Not anything out of the ordinary, until I saw what was in the backseat! A Saint Bernard!! The dog barely fit in the backseat but he looked like he was having a great time. I wish I had a camera!!

Where to next?

It always seems to happen. I get really busy at work and all I can think about is vacation! Even though I'm leaving in a month for Italy, I'm already itching to plan the next one! The short list for next year's annual vacation in November is:

Vienna & Zurich
Budapest & Warsaw
Stockholm & Oslo

For fun I've added a poll asking for input on where I should go! It's located to the left under the about me section.

Other places on my long "in my lifetime" list are (in no particular order):
Fall Leaves in New England
Macchu Piccu (Peru)
Christ the Reedemer statue (Brazil)
The family house in Germany (on my dad's side)
Great Wall of China
Pyramids
Hawaii
Australia
New Zealand
Tokyo (and of course Tokyo Disney!)

I Need A Hat!

I'm back from Cabo! I avoided Hurricane (and later downgraded to Tropical Storm) Ivo, got some sun, played in the water and spent time with some super fun girls! While this is not my "normal" vacation fare it was a lot of fun!

Wednesday, September 19th
Whose idea was it to catch a 6 a.m. flight? Oh, right, that would be me. It was the flight with the shortest travel time and with a good price so I had booked it. I had learned last time that I had arrived 2 hours early for an "international" flight that had a stop in the US that I could treat it as a domestic flight and arrive an hour early which is what I did. So that gave me at least another hour of sleep! I really don't remember much about the flight, because I was in and out of sleep for most of it, until the end when we were just about to land at SFO and one of the passengers rang their call button. She wasn't feeling well and the flight attendants and another passenger (who was a nurse) gave her oxygen. She seemed to be doing better and turned out not to be serious. After landing the paramedics came on board and helped her off. We deplaned after the paramedics were safely off. The flight from SFO to Cabo was completely uneventful. Stepping off the plane in Cabo, I immediately felt the humidity. Wait - Cabo is supposed to have dry heat. Apparently, most of the year Cabo has dry heat, but during hurricane season, there is a lot more humidity in the air. I tried to weave my way through all the timeshare vendors but I was not successful. After listening to my first pitch I declined and tried to make it outside to my shuttle. I was once again accosted but after listening for two seconds and realizing he was not from the shuttle service I quickly walked outside. Arriving at the hotel, I checked in and made my way up to the room. I texted Diane I had arrived (everyone else flew in on Monday) and went out on the balcony to read my Cabo book. Instead of reading my eyes closed and I dozed off. The one thing that would have made the balcony better would have been hammock!! I woke up a little later and Diane had texted to let me know they were at the pool. I was about ready to venture out to the pool when Diane & Jamie came up to make sure I had found the room okay. We went back down to the pool and after saying greeting the other girls (Nikki & Kristi) we went over to the beach. The hotel was on the Sea of Cortez side (as opposed to the Pacific) which meant while the waves and the current were strong, you could still go in to the water. The waves were a force to be reckoned with! They knocked me flat a few times! The salt water stung my eyes and I had sand everywhere. It was so much fun!! We left a little while later and went back up to the room to change for dinner. Kristi wasn't feeling well and she decided to make it an early night. Dinner was at the hotel overlooking the beach. I splurged (since it was my first night) and had the lobster - it was yummy! After dinner we went into town to El Squid Roe for some drinks & dancing.

Thursday, September 20th
I woke up first and opened the curtains to a beautiful sunny day. I made massage appointments for us and after waking up Kristi I walked down to the beach. It was really calm and peaceful. I went back up to the room and hung out until it was time for our massages. The massage was great - really relaxing!! We came back and got our things ready and headed over to one of the sister hotels (Sunset) which was on the Pacific side. You could not swim here! We found chairs by the pool and dropped our stuff off and then headed to the pool bar. There were tables and chairs in the pool! I discovered my new favorite drink - a Miami Vice - which is half pina colada and half strawberry daiquiri. We sat at the pool bar for awhile before going to our lounge chairs. I read for awhile before getting in the pool. It was a little different being in the pool (or the ocean for that matter) and not be doing laps!! I had read in my Cabo book that the best place to watch sunsets were near the hotel we were at and so I wanted to stay and watch the sun go down. Diane stayed with me and we walked down to the beach thinking that would be the best vantage point. At the beach we realized there would be a huge rock in our way so we took one of the golf carts up to the Sky Pool which overlooked the ocean. The view was pretty amazing but the sunset was not. It was nice, but I've seen better. I think there were too many clouds. We went back to our hotel to see what the plan was for dinner. We found a restaurant in my Cabo book but when we got there it was closed. The proprietors were on vacation until October. We wandered around and came across The Shrimp Factory. After dinner we went back to the hotel and grabbed snacks and drinks and headed down to the beach and listened to the waves and the sea lions. I was getting bit by mosquitoes (not to mention I was tired) so I went back up to the hotel after a bit and went to sleep.

Friday, September 21st
I was again the first out of bed and again went down to the beach (are we sensing a pattern?) and finished my book. It was pretty hot already and I headed back up to the room. Kristi was awake and was going to head down to the pool. It appeared as if everyone else would be sleeping for awhile. By this time I was a little ancy from spending time by the pool and decided to walk into town. I found a little church and a museum. The best part about the museum - it was air conditioned!!! I did a little shopping before heading back to the hotel. Everyone was up by this time and at the pool. I joined them at the pool where I found my new favorite drink (forget the Miami Vice!). This one was a Sunset – half strawberry daiquiri and half mango daiquiri. Yummy!! After awhile a couple of us decided to go to the ocean. I finally figured out that the farther out I got the less intense the waves were and the less chance of being knocked over by the waves. I also figured out the pattern so I could get out of the water easier - I would go with the wave as it came up on the beach, but as it started to go back out again I stopped and braced myself instead of fighting against the wave. It seemed to work and I didn't get quite as sandy. Back at the pool, Nikki & I explored the other end and found this low wall that was a perfect bench that ran the width the pool. As we were sitting there David & Dustin (aka Derek) saw us and came over to chat with us. David & Dustin are brothers whom the girls had meet earlier in the week. Kristi had thought for sure Dustin's name was actually Derek and convinced the rest of us that was his name. When Nikki & I found out his name really was Dustin, it became a joke to call him Derek, so much so by the end I wasn't completely sure if his name was Derek or Dustin! We mentioned to them we were planning on going to Cabo Wabo that night and they were as well and would look for us when they got there. They also mentioned it was a good idea to get there early if we wanted a table and also they served good food. And we had our plan for the night! Realizing it was getting close to evening we got out of the pool and made our way up to the room. It was after I got out of the water I realized my back was hot. I asked Diane if I had gotten sunburned and she said I had. And I had tried to be so careful! Oh well - it could have been worse (on my face or shoulders), it could have been earlier in the week, and I have had worse sunburns (although not by much). Kristi had some really great ointment and put it on my back. We got to Cabo Wabo fairly early in the evening and had our pick of tables. They had live music for part of the night - the band was a cover band but they were really good. We ended up shutting down Cabo Wabo - they had to kick us out! Our next stop was El Squid Roe. By this time I was exhausted! Kristi and I left not to long after we got to El Squid Roe and went back to the hotel to get some sleep. This was the most fun night of the trip!

Saturday, September 22nd
This morning was a little different than the previous ones. I was again the first one out of bed but instead of going down the beach I stayed where I was. I went out on the balcony for a bit but didn't stay too long as my sunburn was bothering me. I stayed in the air conditioned room and read until everyone else got up. One of the things I really wanted to do in Cabo was see El Arco, a natural rock arch. We decided to take a sunset cruise that went past the arch. We still had awhile until we had to be at the marina and so went down to the pool. I didn't stay too long as it was really hot which was bothering my sunburn. We stopped at the ATM which was boarded up in anticipation of the hurricane. Rumors had been circulating that Hurricane Ivo was going to hit Cabo on Sunday. The latest rumor was Ivo had been downgraded to a tropical storm and was hitting further north. On the boat the waves were really wavy! We sailed past El Arco, also known as the window to the Pacific as this is where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. It was pretty incredible, especially with the waves crashing on the rocks! We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Café. After dinner we ventured over the Giggling Marlin but when we saw they were pulling people out of the audience and on to the stage, we decided it might be too stressful and went across the street to Cabo Wabo. There was a little bit of a déjà vu feeling as the band was playing the exact same set as the night before. We only stayed for a little bit before heading over to one more place, The Zoo, which was nice but did not have any air conditioning. Deciding to call it a night we went back to the hotel, put on our pjs and headed down to the beach. The waves were becoming quite ferocious (due to the storm). Tomorrow being the day we had planned to go to brunch early (because I was leaving that day) we went back up to the room to try and get some sleep.

Sunday, September 23rd
Earlier in the week the girls had seen an advertisement for a brunch at the sister hotel (Sunset). Because of the timing of my shuttle to the airport, we had to wake up early and take a taxi over instead of using the shuttle service. The brunch was really good - it had all sorts of yummy food! I finished up and left to catch a golf cart back up to the main hotel to catch the shuttle. There were several people waiting for the golf cart in front of me and after a minute of hesitation and no sign of a golf cart I decided to walk up to the main lobby. I ran up the first flight of stairs and then found the next set of stairs. I realized at this point I was committed to this course as it would take too much time to go back down and wait for a golf cart. And here I was thinking this was going to be a vacation with no stairs!! I ran up the next set, stopping about half-way to catch my breath. Finally I was at the top. As I was getting my ticket from the concierge desk, the shuttle pulled up. How's that for timing? At the hotel I took one last look around before heading downstairs to wait for the shuttle. Airport security in Mexico is something else! My checked luggage was hand searched before I checked in, my carry-on luggage was hand-searched before going through the X-ray machine. But finally I made it through security. Both flights were uneventful and before I knew it I was back in Seattle.

I hadn't thought I was going to write too much for this trip, but there you have it!! You can view more pictures at: http://emily77.shutterfly.com/

Cabo Bound!

And my year of travel continues... I am leaving for Cabo in a matter of hours!! It will be my maiden voyage with my new passport. This will be a different sort of vacation than my normal go here, see this vacations so we will see how I do. I'm planning on reading several books (all fluff!), sleeping in, getting a little sun (not a lot, I do burn), and just relaxing! Bon Voyage! (can I say that to myself?)

Feet Week

Once again I'm joining in a little late on a photo week. But when I saw on http://mecozy.blogspot.com/ (via The Glass Doorknob) it was feet week I just had to join! These are a few of my favorite feet pictures I've accumulated over the years.

One of my first feet pictures - Valley of Fire (Nevada)

At the Forum (Rome)

At the Prime Meridian Line, standing in both the Eastern & Western Hemisphere (Greenwich)

On Main Street, USA (Disneyworld)

At Caba da Roca (the most western point in Europe)

9/9/07 Triathlon Pictures

A few pictures from the triathlon! The good weather and the fact it was a lot smaller made for good pictures.

Waiting for the swim to start

Starting the runCrossing the finish line
Yay! I finished!

9/9 Triathlon Report

Here we go again! I drove down to Federal Way on Saturday for the triathlon expo to get my number, start time, etc. It was my first time at the actual course. I drove the bike course, which was described as "rolling". Even in my car I noticed it was more "hilly" than "rolling". This should be interesting! Especially considering in the three weeks since my last triathlon I rode my bike twice, swam once, did one brick and a few treadmill sessions!

I woke up early Sunday morning and headed back to Federal Way. I often suffer from what I now call "Second Guess Thursday" (courtesy of Hoops & Yoyo from Hallmark). Getting into my car I wasn't sure if I had remembered my timing chip & race number (I had). Pulling out of my driveway I wasn't sure I had put my bike helmet in the car (I pulled over to check and it was there). Walking my bike to the race area I wasn't sure if I had locked my car door (I walked back and re-locked my car). Oh brother!

I set up my transition area and walked down to the beach area. Stepping in to the water to check the temperature I was happy to find the water on the warm side! I watched the waves before me until my wave was finally called I huddled with my fellow pink swim caps before we made our way to the start line. We started in the water, which meant we had to jump in. I haven't jumped in the water in a long time! Unlike the little girls in front of me who jumped in, I sat down before gingerly sliding in. After treading water for 45 seconds we were off! The sun was really bright and it was hard to see at times. First I complain about the rain and now I'm complaining about the sun? :) I made it out of the swim and made my way back to my transition area.

I was trying not to compare this triathlon to my last but the one thing I really did miss was a transition area on grass. The transition area was in a parking lot so a little hard to walk on with bare feet! Walking my bike to the start area my sunglasses broke. You've got to be kidding me! I hopped on my bike and started off. Right at the beginning of the bike course was a massive hill. As I started down it my first thought was "Wheee!! This is a fun hill" immediately followed by "Oh crap!! I am going to have to ride back up this hill!" Most of the hills were downhill on the way out, which meant mainly uphill on the way back. I would have preferred it the other way - mainly uphill on the way out and downhill on the way in! I powered through until that last hill. Shifting down to my lowest gear I was almost at the top two things happened. One, the girl in front of my stopped and two, I was passed on the left leaving me little to no room. I fought to hold on but finally gave up and got off my bike and walked up the rest of the way. I was a little down on myself for walking but the important thing was I made it up the hill.

The run course was also hilly! I tried to keep with my pattern of running 10 cones and walking 5. I reached the home stretch and ran the rest of the way. And there was the finish line!!

I was actually a little disappointed in my times - 1 hour 36 minutes. I had really wanted to finish between 1 hour and 20 minutes and 1 hour and 30 minutes. But again, I hadn't kept up with my training. More importantly- I finished!! Despite my complaining I had a good time and I am glad I did it! The feeling of crossing the finish line is exhilarating!

Thanks to everyone who supported me in this process!!

I Don't Dance

I never really went through what I call the "12 year old girl" phase when I was 12 which is probably why I'm going through it now at 30. Case in point - last year Read Madrid came to Seattle to play DC United and I bought tickets as soon as possible to see not only David Beckham (whom I love!!) but also Ruud Van Nistelrooy (who is another favorite of mine). At the game I went and stood by the tunnel waiting for Real Madrid to walk out so I could be 20 feet from David Beckham and take lots of pictures. Of course the pictures ended up being of his back. Another case in point, the last two cds I got - Aly & AJ and Ashley Tisdale. And one more, not only have I watched High School Musical & High School Musical 2 (and own both soundtracks & the HSM DVD), but I am getting ready to watch HSM2 again - and this time the dance-a-long version. And I will be dancing along! :)

ETA: And this is why when I lent my HSM2 soundtrack to my boss for her daughter, her daughter asks "Do Emily's kids like HSM too?" I chose to laugh at this comment!

Natural Elements

I first saw this on Mandi's blog. Shari at the The Glass Doorknob did a natural elements photo week. I'm very late on this but thought I would join in anyway because I thought it was a fun idea.

WaterCopenhagen - reflection

Snoqualmie Falls

EarthTulip Field - Skagit Valley

Air
Valley of Fire

Fire

Fireworks at Sleeping Beauty's Castle - Disneyworld

Metal

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco

25th of April Bridge - Lisbon

Remodeling

The doors for the upstairs of the garage (we've been remodeling for going on two years now) came in this weekend. The doors need to be sanded, painted, etc. before they can be hung. My dad came up with an idea to create a sort of painter's easel for the doors to help with the painting. I helped him cobble it together. It's not much to look at but it does the job!

What was I thinking?

It's hard to believe it was just last Sunday I was doing my triathlon. It's funny - all this hard work and training and then it's all over with - a bit anticlimactic. I was a little stiff the day after - especially in my shoulders. Yesterday I went for my massage - my reward for finishing. Just what I needed!!

In the glow of finishing of feeling impressed with myself I signed up for another one!! I had been toying with the idea of signing up for it and after once again experiencing that great feeling of crossing the finish line I went ahead and signed up. Besides I've already trained and it's now only 2 weeks away. I decided to do the supersprint category this time which is shorter - 1/4 mile swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run. Now, I am not athletically inclined at all so for me to do not one, but two triathlons in the space of a couple weeks is amazing!!

Of course, this morning when I had to actually get back on a bike I was rethinking my whole decision to do this second triathlon. 12 miles later they were really wondering why we were doing it again!! But as they say no pain, no gain!

Triathlon Report

Saturday was beautiful! I picked up my race material and racked my bike. As I drove by the swim area and saw the buoys doubt started creeping in - could I really swim that far? Have I trained enough? And what about those hills? Yes, I told myself, I did it last year - I can do it again this year. And it seems like all I've done for the past weeks is train - I am ready.

I didn't sleep too well Saturday night and was basically awake from 3 a.m. on listening to the rain. Rain? What is this? Why didn't we get Saturday's weather? The weather report said showers in the evening, not the morning. I tried to go back to sleep but finally gave it up and got out of bed. My dad dropped me off at Qwest Field and I caught the shuttle (school bus) to Genesee Park. I laid out my transition area and then put everything into the Target bag I had brought to try and protect my shirt and towel from the rain.

I made my way down to the swim start. The butterflies were pretty strong by this point. I huddled together with my fellow pink swim caps and then it was time. We made our way into the water. The best part about the weather being yucky was that it made the water seem warm. Well, maybe not warm, but not freezing! Sally Edwards came out and pumped us up and gave us our "magic" word to get us through. My group was "brilliant"! Before I knew it they were counting us down. 3 - 2 -1 - GO! I hung back a little and let everyone else get ahead before I started out. The swim went a lot better than last year. I was able to swim crawl stroke most of the way switching to breaststroke a few times, mainly when another group of swimmers was passing me as I felt I could see better this way. Towards the end of the swim I had to fight a few pieces of lake grass. I got out of water and headed to my bike.

By the time I got on my bike the rain started coming down harder, torrential at times. I played leapfrog with a few people, they would pass me on the way down a hill, I would pass them on the way back up. I was surprised at the number of people I passed going up a hill as I don't think of myself as a good hill person. The bike route is on the freeway express lanes and the tunnels we rode through were a great break from the rain, however it was like a sauna in there. The rain drops at times were pelting and stung my face. I was really happy to reach the end of the bike. It was absolutely miserable with the rain. But the important part is that I did it.

The rain had eased up into a more recognizable Seattle-style mist when I started off on the run. I got into a pattern - run 10 cones, walk 5 and kept it up. My shoes were so waterlogged by that time I could feel the water sloshing around when I stepped down. Seriously, the driest part of the entire race was probably the swim! And I'm not kidding! I made it up the really bad hill and started down the other side towards the finish line. And I broke from my pattern of running followed by walking and ended up running the rest of the way. I was so focused on the finish line I barely saw anything else. And then I was there at the finish line! My second triathlon complete.

It was when I finished and stopped moving I realized exactly how cold I was and how wet. I got home and took an extremely hot shower. Tomorrow I will be calling to set up a massage appointment.

So now for the really important part - my times. Before last week I was hoping to improve on my times, but I hadn't put a number to it. And then I caught a cold and all hopes of improving my time went out the window. I was going to be happy to finsh. I knew if nothing else I would improve my swim time if only because they shortened the course! Ha! :) I was surprised and really pleased when I saw my times - last year I finished in 2 hours 26 minutes and this year I finished in 2 hours 8 minutes!!! I improved the most on the swim - almost 10 minutes (again some of this was due to the course being shortened). In fact, the only times I did not improve were my transition times! But I blame that on the rain.

Thanks to everyone who encouraged me through this process! I couldn't have done it without your support!!

Argh!!

The shoe store near my work has been advertising 20% off already reduced prices. I've been looking for a new pair of shoes but I haven't been quite sure exactly what I wanted. And tonight I found the pair of shoes I wanted! Unfortunately they were out of my size. Isn't that how it goes?

Training Update - In the Home Stretch

So a recap of all my training this week - Tuesday was a short bike/walk brick, Wednesday was a swim day (but in the pool), and Friday was a swim day (in Lake Washington) which brings us to today which was going to be a swim/bike brick. And then I woke up this morning with a sore throat, which usually means I am getting sick so I've been drinking tea, OJ and sucking on cough drops to ward off the cold. I ended up still doing a brick, but a really short one. My main goal for the brick this morning was one, to transition at least once from swimming to biking, and two, to ride up a couple of the hills that I will need to on the actual triathlon. Mission accomplished!

Now I'll be taking some Sudafed and then it's off to beddy-bye.

Training Update - Almost there!

Tuesday I did my first brick. In triathlon training a “brick” is doing two activities in the same workout. Generally it refers to a bike/run which is what I did, well in my case when I say run what I mean is walk with an occasional burst of jogging. I started off on my bike and when I got to my turn around, my front brake came loose so I rode all the way back with only the back brake intact. For the most part the trail is is gently rolling so I wasn’t too worried about riding with only the back brake operational. I got off my bike and put it back in my car and started back on my walk/jog. The first few steps were hard. My legs felt like bricks (pun intended!). But I pushed through and that feeling passed and then I was done!

Friday was another swim in Lake Washington. I woke up to another gray, rainy morning. The whole Blue Angels flying overhead on Thursday should have clued me in to the fact Seafair was in full swing (for those not from familiar with Seafair - http://www.seafair.com/) which meant Lake Washington was probably not the best place to swim. However, I didn’t put two and two together until I was at Lake Washington and my normal swim place was blocked off. Still determined to get a swim workout in, I found another place further down. Seafair also means a ton of boats in the water which translated into very rough waters!

Not training related, but I drove my mom’s car on Saturday. Wow – what a difference! Even though I’ve only had my car for about a month I’ve gotten used to sitting up higher. I felt as if I was sinking into the ground. I can finally say without reservation, I really like my new car!

Sunday was another brick day. Transitioning from pedaling to walking is hard. The first 100 yards or so are brutal as my legs feel like lead. But it wears off. I have been trying to do more jogging when I walk and this time I was able to walk for one song and then jog for one song. I kept up that pattern until I finished. And in keeping with the animal theme from last week, this time it was a snake that crossed my path as I was jogging. Yuck! I do not like creepy, crawley animals.

Finally, we got sad news about my Uncle Kobe this past week. He was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Please keep him and my Aunt Linda in your prayers.

Training Update

Another rainy training day. Rain while swimming doesn't matter as much because I'm wet no matter what, but rain while bike riding means a very wet Emily. When my bike & I hit the trail, it was just a fine mist but by the end it had esclated into full blown rain. The trail wasn't as crowded as normal but there were still a fair number of people out.

The ride went well. It was close to my turn-around point when a slower song came on. It's amazing what a song can do for your energy. I immediately felt myself slooooooow down. I turned around and skipped to the next song and my energy immediately picked back up.

I finished up my 13 miles, soaked, but that much closer to being ready for the triathlon. Only four (oops!! I mean three!!! Where has the time gone?) weeks left until T-Day!!

Turtles, Fish & Ducks - Oh My!

Every once in awhile there are training workouts that just don't go so well. If last Friday was a great experience swimming in the lake, today's was the complete opposite. It started off with better weather. Instead of rainy and gray it was sunny with clear blue skies. The water was just as cold though. The roped off area had changed and the length was longer than last week. I hadn't thought it was that much shorter (than last year) but this week with the ropes changed and swimming the longer length, I realized it was a lot longer than last week which was the first hiccup. The second was the wind. There were a lot more waves today which makes swimming a little more difficult. The third was the turtle. Yes, I said turtle. I know I'm in a lake, and there are animals living in the lake, but I did not expect a turtle to swim across my path!! It freaked me out when I saw it. I burst out of the water sputtering. It was probably a pretty funny scene to someone watching. I calmed down a minute or two later and continued on keeping my eye out for the turtle. I didn't see the turtle again but I did see a duck. Fortunately for him, he stayed away from me. I finished up my swim in a lot longer time than I anticipated, which at this point with the wind and the turtle and everything else was expected. I tried not to be too disappointed in my time as it wasn't too far off my time from last year. I made my way to the shore looking carefully for the turtle and was surprised to see what looked like a fish go darting past me. Once more I shot up out of the water, this time with a shriek. I don't do well with animals in the water. Well, at least I've got my bad training workout of the way!

Trivia Night

So tonight was Trivia Night (trivia is every Tuesday at Redhook Brewery, my friend Diane & I go every fourth Tuesday of the month). I was feeling pretty good considering this weekend at my friend Kathy's baby shower I won all 3 games (which I never win!). If there ever was a time I was going to win, it was tonight! And then the first category was Harry Potter (which I rocked!) but it pretty much went downhill from there. The other categories included such gems as Famous Dogs, Prisons, & the Hardest Trivia Questions Ever. We finished with 19/40 - not even 50%! Oh well, we had a fun time!

Speaking of Harry Potter, I finished Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. For those who haven't read it, I won't say anything except there were parts where I cried & I managed to read it without skipping ahead to read the end. And believe me, I was extremely tempted!!!

Swimming in the Rain

I woke up this morning ready for my first swim in Lake Washington. And what do I wake up to? Rain! Yuck!! Guess that's what you have to expect living in Seattle. My mom came with me and sat on a bench in her raincoat to watch me "just in case". Where I swim isn't too deep, but it's still nice to know she's there. The lake was so cold! I inched my way into the lake before finally taking the plunge, literally, and submerging my body up to my chin. I couldn't quite put my head in yet. I did the first two laps without putting my head in - one on my back and one doing a modified breaststroke. This way I could continue to get my body used to the cold temperature. Although I think the first time I put my neck in the cold water is the worst - once I've done that it's a piece of cake. But finally I worked up enough nerve to put my head all the way in and was off. It's so funny - I know the cold won't be so bad once I just get in the water but it still takes me forever to just get in the water! In fact at the end it's the opposite - I inch my way out of the water because it's so much colder out of the water! I'm that way with a lot of things - I know it'll be okay once I do it, but it still takes me awhile to actually do it.

For the most part the water was clear, but on one end there was this dark area where there was lake grass. I have a hard time swimming in a straight line without lane lines and I knew I was getting far off when I headed into the dark spot. I really hate lake grass - it just feels slimy and yucky and it grabs at you. I finished up my 20 lengths faster than I anticipated (what I've estimated the triathlon length to be) and so continued on for another 10 lengths. For most of the time the water was really smooth but towards the end it started getting a little choppy, which in a way is good because on race day the water definitely will not be smooth! I felt good at the end of it which means I might be in a better position for the swim than I was thinking!

One of the good things about the rain was I got to try out the back windshield wiper on my new car! It really does not take much to amuse me - case in point, using the back windshield wiper. It was just fun that I had a back windshield wiper to use!

Harry Potter #7

The last Harry Potter book comes out this week!! I have been waiting for this since I finished Harry Potter #6. Although I am extremely excited to find out what happens, a part of me is sad to see the series come to an end. And I do have to say, I think I will be more upset if Ron or Hermione dies than if Harry dies. I love Harry, and really hope he survives, but my favorite characters are Ron & Hermione. I identified with Hermione from the beginning and Ron - well I think he became my other favorite after watching the first movie. My perfect ending would be if Harry & Ginny get married, Ron & Hermione get married (yes, even though they are probably all of 18 - after all this is pretend), and Neville ends up happy too. Maybe with Luna? And, I really want to find out about Snape - I am in the camp that thinks he is still on the side of good.

I have a habit, I won't say it's necessarily a bad habit - just a quirk of mine, of reading the end of a book first so I can find out what happens and not worry about what will happen in the end while I'm reading it. Apparently this is a family trait as my grandma did it, my mom does it, and now my brother does it. For Harry Potter #6, I was really trying not to read the end of the book first when my brother read the end of it first and had to tell me what happened. So this time he is under a gag order and I am really, really, really going to try to read the whole book through, without skipping to the end. We shall see how it goes!

Training Update

Only 5 weeks left until the triathlon!! And really only 4 weekends left to train. I'm feeling okay about where I am - walking I've kept up with, I've been swimming for about a month now (usually twice a week), and I've now been on a few bike rides. Last year I was most nervous about swimming but this year I'm nervous about the bike ride as I'm behind. But with my new car I should be able to load up my bike and ride after work. And Friday will be my first swim in Lake Washington!

Visiting

My sister and her fiance came over this weekend with their dogs, two British bulldogs, Jensen and Samson. Chloe wasn't sure what to make of these creatures invading her territory. She was very standoffish for most of the visit, to the chagrin of Samson especially who just wanted to play. However, at the end of the visit, Chloe seemed sad to see them leave. Perhaps next time she will remember them and be more inclined to play!

Miscellaneous

I haven't posted anything in awhile so I thought I'd post a few random things while I wait for a report to run.

My new car has automatic headlights - so when do you suppose I'm going to really believe they are going to turn off without me watching? Right now I walk away slowly and keep turning back to make sure they do turn off.

The Spice Girls have reunited to do a tour!!! Yes, I realize it is the Spice Girls, but really their music was just so fun!!

I'm allergic to green beans. A random thing to be allergic to, but I was recently reminded of the fact as my eye swelled up just like it used to when I had green beans. It wasn't green beans this time so apparently I'm allergic to something else.

This was the first year in recent memory it hasn't rained on the Fourth of July. It was absolutely beautiful!! Unfortunately I was at work and not able to enjoy the weather…

Something that annoys me - people who wait until after the cashier has told them their total to start writing out their check. I mean come on - is the date going to change? Well maybe considering how long it is taking you to write the check! Is your name going to change? No, I don't think so. Is the store going to change? It especially annoys me when I'm in the express lane at Target and the lady in front of me has more than the 20 item limit, asks for a price check, and then pulls out her checkbook after she has been given the total!

Well, I think my report has run so back to work.

New Car

After months and months of thinking about buying a new car I finally did it!! I am now the new owner of a 2007 Nissan Murano. I hadn't planned on actually buying the car this weekend, just test driving, but several hours in a dealership, a couple of mix-ups leading to a good deal, and .7% interest rate and I bought a car! My dad and my brother went with me, mainly because my dad is a great negotiator. We started off with a very new salesperson but soon were passed on to the senior salesperson given what I said about my dad and negotiating. The first hiccup came when they didn't have the car in the color I wanted with the options I wanted in the entire state. So we went out to look to see if there was a similar one in another color. There was one but it was fully loaded. I wasn't quite ready to go up to that level yet and the salesperson wasn't ready for me to walk out the door yet so they got the dealer car, which was in the color I wanted and not as many options. Unfortunately, the guy who had been driving it had smoked in the car and I have a pretty bad allergy to smoke and after driving it around the block I knew I couldn't buy it. They still weren't ready for me to leave so they made another deal on the one with all the options and I went for it! It has heated leather seats, a navigational system, and HID headlights (I'm not sure what those are but my brother assures me it's a good thing). It wasn't too long after I started driving home in my new car that I began to have buyer's remorse. I don't do well with change. It'll just take me a bit to get used to it! But it definitely is fun to drive.

As a P.S. The whole reason I wanted to get an SUV was to be able to more easily cart around my bike and I'm happy to say that this morning I was able to load up my bike in my new car. Of course in all my excitement over my new car I forgot to check the tire pressure on my bike and so my bike ride wasn't the greatest - but that's another story!