I saw this meme on Mandi's blog and thought it was interesting.
why did you start a blog?
I like to travel and the past several years I have been traveling a lot! After each trip I'd often send out several emails to different people telling them about my trip. Then I started writing up a narrative of my trip and emailing that out. Blogs had started to intrigue me and it seemed like a natural platform for my trip reports. It has continued to evolve from just travel narratives to more of what is going on in my life.
how did you come up with your blog name?
As my original intention was for this to be for my travel narratives, I wanted travel or journey or adventure (something that reflected travel) and lo and behold I settled on travel with emily.
do your friends and family know about your blog?
Yes. I have friends and family all over the country and this is an easy way for people to see what I'm up to as I am not always the best correspondent and I am not the biggest fan of the phone. I don't know what it is about the phone, but I would prefer to either email/text or talk to someone face to face. I am not a good phone person.
how do you write your posts?
I come up with all sorts of ideas for what I will write when I'm running or driving or traveling but then when I actually get to my computer (or to a pad & paper) to write it down, it never seems to come out the same. And then of course at some later point I do remember what it was I had wanted to say, in the way I had wanted to say it. Sometimes I go back and edit, but usually I let it go because it is never as clever or witty as I had first thought.
have you ever had a troll or had to delete unkind comments?
Just once have I had to delete comments from a troll.
do you check your stats? do you care how many people read your blog? if you do care, how do you increase traffic?
It hasn't really crossed my mind to check. It could be interesting though.
what kind of blogs/posts interest you?
I like glimpses into other people's lives. I like artistic posts. I love looking at other people's pictures, both of places I have been and places I haven't been. I am a very visual person.
what do you like and dislike about blogging?
I have always liked to write and this gives me a forum to write. It also can let me be creative, or at least try. Plus it is basically a record of my life.
The part I don't always like is the time involved. It can be a time-sucker!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Training - Week 1
I signed up for the Orlando Danskin triathlon and was all excited to start training and then I went on vacation. Back in the real world it has been a little hard to motivate myself. And then I looked at the calendar! Yikes! Only seven weekends to go (well, really 6 since the first weekend in April will be spent at work as it is the end of the quarter). Saturday I made it to the pool and started off easy - 10 laps. Jumping into a heated pool is much different than a lake or ocean! I was planning to ride my bike on Sunday and woke up to rain. Six weeks, six weeks, I kept telling myself and so after church I headed to the park. I started off thinking I could go 12 miles but soon revised that down 10. It wasn't long before I revised that down to 9 and then 8. I rationalized this decision with the purpose of today's bike ride was to get out there and start using the muscles I hadn't used since last year. As I passed the 3.5 mile marker I was feeling better so I ended up going to the 4.5 mile marker before turning (so 9 miles in total). A good start!
P.S. It must seem like I complain A LOT. Yes, I am a complainer. I don't mean anything by my complaints, it is just my way of getting it out of my system. I usually feel better after I complain.
P.S. It must seem like I complain A LOT. Yes, I am a complainer. I don't mean anything by my complaints, it is just my way of getting it out of my system. I usually feel better after I complain.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
I'm too excited to sleep!
Monday, March 17th
When we last saw our heroines, they had just gotten off the shuttle at the airport. I had been pleasantly surprised when Jana suggested we add on a couple of days to the end of the cruise and visit Disneyworld. So here we were about to board the Magical Express that would take us to the Happiest Place on Earth! We found out we had to catch the express in Terminal B so we decided to grab something to eat at the food court since we hadn't eaten breakfast. We ran into the other girls at the food court so enjoyed one last meal with them before saying goodbye again. The Magical Express dropped us off at our hotel, Coronado Springs, where we dropped off our luggage before catching the bus to Animal Kingdom!
Our first stop in the Animal Kingdom was to try and get a fast pass for Kilimanjaro Safaris but all the fastpasses had been distributed so we decided to come back later and headed for Expedition 
Everest. Standing in line a kid came over and asked if anyone wanted 2 fastpasses. Jana & I were a little slow in saying "Yes, I want them" so the people in line behind us got them and we waited. Fortunately the line kept moving and before we knew it we were boarding a train that would take us to the top of Mt. Everest. I'm a little chicken when it comes to roller coasters - especially ones that drop far or flip you upside down but afterwards I'm always glad I did it. We get off the roller coaster and Jana tells me she is on a roller coaster high and loves Disney!! After a lunch at Restaurantosaurus we went on the Kilimanjaro Safari, Pangani Forest Trail, and the Maharajah Jungle Trek before saying goodbye to Animal Kingdom and headed to Hollywood Studios (aka MGM - not sure when the name change occurred).
Everest. Standing in line a kid came over and asked if anyone wanted 2 fastpasses. Jana & I were a little slow in saying "Yes, I want them" so the people in line behind us got them and we waited. Fortunately the line kept moving and before we knew it we were boarding a train that would take us to the top of Mt. Everest. I'm a little chicken when it comes to roller coasters - especially ones that drop far or flip you upside down but afterwards I'm always glad I did it. We get off the roller coaster and Jana tells me she is on a roller coaster high and loves Disney!! After a lunch at Restaurantosaurus we went on the Kilimanjaro Safari, Pangani Forest Trail, and the Maharajah Jungle Trek before saying goodbye to Animal Kingdom and headed to Hollywood Studios (aka MGM - not sure when the name change occurred). At Hollywood Studios, we headed straight for Rock 'n' Rollercoaster to check out the fastpass situation. As they had been all distributed and the single rider line was not open and the wait time was 100 minutes we decided to skip it this time. After all, there is always next time. And 
again, a little to my surprise, Jana was excited about making a return trip. As Michelle says, sometimes people don't get Disney until they actually go. Next was the Great Movie Ride where the "second" ride operator scared Jana as he walked by to steal the treasure and yelled at her. She jumped about a foot in the air. We walked through the Streets of America and took a journey to Endor on Star Tours. We ate dinner at the Prime Time Diner and did a little shopping before watching Fantasmic, which is one of my favorite shows at Disney. And then it was time to head back our hotel. In our hotel room Jana tells me she is "too excited to sleep" just like the Disney commercial.
again, a little to my surprise, Jana was excited about making a return trip. As Michelle says, sometimes people don't get Disney until they actually go. Next was the Great Movie Ride where the "second" ride operator scared Jana as he walked by to steal the treasure and yelled at her. She jumped about a foot in the air. We walked through the Streets of America and took a journey to Endor on Star Tours. We ate dinner at the Prime Time Diner and did a little shopping before watching Fantasmic, which is one of my favorite shows at Disney. And then it was time to head back our hotel. In our hotel room Jana tells me she is "too excited to sleep" just like the Disney commercial.Tuesday, March 18th
We woke up ready for a full day and got on the bus for Epcot. First stop was to get a fastpass for 
Soarin'. After grabbing some breakfast, we went on Living with the Land, a boat ride through greenhouses where they grow all sorts of vegetables and fruits, some of which are used in the different restaurants at Epcot. We then took a ride in a clamobile to find Nemo. We then headed for the World Showcase, taking a boat ride in both Mexico and Norway. We had lunch in where else 
but Italy. I looked for margherita pizza, of course, but it was not on the menu. Instead I had penne caprese which is basically margherita pizza without the dough and instead with pasta. It was good. After lunch we finished touring the world, stopping in France to get our picture taken where the photographer kept asking if I had a cell phone I wanted to sell him. We didn't get it until he pointed out the logo on my shirt, which was my employer's logo. Oh, that's why he was asking! We headed back to Soarin' and had just gotten in line with our fastpasses when they closed the ride due to mechanical issues. Oh well, another thing to do next time. We headed for the monorail and were on our way to the Magic Kingdom!
Soarin'. After grabbing some breakfast, we went on Living with the Land, a boat ride through greenhouses where they grow all sorts of vegetables and fruits, some of which are used in the different restaurants at Epcot. We then took a ride in a clamobile to find Nemo. We then headed for the World Showcase, taking a boat ride in both Mexico and Norway. We had lunch in where else 
but Italy. I looked for margherita pizza, of course, but it was not on the menu. Instead I had penne caprese which is basically margherita pizza without the dough and instead with pasta. It was good. After lunch we finished touring the world, stopping in France to get our picture taken where the photographer kept asking if I had a cell phone I wanted to sell him. We didn't get it until he pointed out the logo on my shirt, which was my employer's logo. Oh, that's why he was asking! We headed back to Soarin' and had just gotten in line with our fastpasses when they closed the ride due to mechanical issues. Oh well, another thing to do next time. We headed for the monorail and were on our way to the Magic Kingdom!We arrived at the Magic Kingdom just in time to catch the end of the 
Dreams Come True parade. We headed over to Space Mountain to check out the fastpass situation. Once again all the fastpasses were distributed and the line was fairly long so we decided to check back later and see if the line was more reasonable. Next was the teacups (or coffee cups as Sydney calls them). Ever since Jana saw the Jon & Kate plus 8 episode where they went to Disneyworld and rode the Dumbo ride she was excited to ride the Dumbo ride so that is where we headed next. Snow White's Scary Adventures was next followed by getting fastpasses for Big Thunder. We then headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean (one of my all time favorite rides), Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World, and then got a fastpass for Peter Pan. Last time I found a new favorite, Mickey's PhilharMagic which ended up being a favorite of Jana's as well. We had dinner before heading back over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to use our fastpass. When we got off of Big Thunder we saw the wait time was only 20 minutes so decided to ride it again. We chose the right time! We breezed our way through and they let us into the fastpass line again. It was time to head to the castle for the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular. Disney definitely knows how to do fireworks! We headed over to 
ToonTown and rode Barnstormer before touring Minnie's house, followed by Mickey's house. We waited in line for a bit to meet Mickey but the line was long and not moving so we decided to leave (we really tried Michelle!). We survived the Pooh ride (the ride operator greeted us with "Welcome back, you survived the Pooh ride" which both of us found hilarious). It was still another hour or so before we could use our fastpass for Peter Pan and both of us were tired and sore so we decided to see what the line was like for Peter Pan. The wait time said 60 minutes, but the line didn't look that long. We asked and they told us the it was more like 40 minutes so we decided to go ahead and get in line. It ended up being only about 20 minutes. With that, we decided to call it a trip. We got on our bus and where our bus driver entertained us with trivia questions such as: How many cast members play Mickey? Answer: zero, Mickey is real! Getting off the bus I basically fell apart. The shoes I had worn the day before had given me blisters which had been further aggravated today. At the Magic Kingdom I could power through the pain because after all we were at the Magic Kingdom!! But off the bus there was no more magic left. I debated taking off my shoes, thinking my feet couldn't hurt any worse, but decided against that and ended up walking on the grass as much as I could. I was so happy to get back to our hotel room so I could take off my shoes!
Dreams Come True parade. We headed over to Space Mountain to check out the fastpass situation. Once again all the fastpasses were distributed and the line was fairly long so we decided to check back later and see if the line was more reasonable. Next was the teacups (or coffee cups as Sydney calls them). Ever since Jana saw the Jon & Kate plus 8 episode where they went to Disneyworld and rode the Dumbo ride she was excited to ride the Dumbo ride so that is where we headed next. Snow White's Scary Adventures was next followed by getting fastpasses for Big Thunder. We then headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean (one of my all time favorite rides), Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World, and then got a fastpass for Peter Pan. Last time I found a new favorite, Mickey's PhilharMagic which ended up being a favorite of Jana's as well. We had dinner before heading back over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to use our fastpass. When we got off of Big Thunder we saw the wait time was only 20 minutes so decided to ride it again. We chose the right time! We breezed our way through and they let us into the fastpass line again. It was time to head to the castle for the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular. Disney definitely knows how to do fireworks! We headed over to 
ToonTown and rode Barnstormer before touring Minnie's house, followed by Mickey's house. We waited in line for a bit to meet Mickey but the line was long and not moving so we decided to leave (we really tried Michelle!). We survived the Pooh ride (the ride operator greeted us with "Welcome back, you survived the Pooh ride" which both of us found hilarious). It was still another hour or so before we could use our fastpass for Peter Pan and both of us were tired and sore so we decided to see what the line was like for Peter Pan. The wait time said 60 minutes, but the line didn't look that long. We asked and they told us the it was more like 40 minutes so we decided to go ahead and get in line. It ended up being only about 20 minutes. With that, we decided to call it a trip. We got on our bus and where our bus driver entertained us with trivia questions such as: How many cast members play Mickey? Answer: zero, Mickey is real! Getting off the bus I basically fell apart. The shoes I had worn the day before had given me blisters which had been further aggravated today. At the Magic Kingdom I could power through the pain because after all we were at the Magic Kingdom!! But off the bus there was no more magic left. I debated taking off my shoes, thinking my feet couldn't hurt any worse, but decided against that and ended up walking on the grass as much as I could. I was so happy to get back to our hotel room so I could take off my shoes!Wednesday, March 19th
We woke up, packed and checked out. We still had time before the our Magical Express would leave for the airport so we took the bus over to Downtown Disney for lunch and shopping. I had 
discovered Earl of Sandwich last time and was excited to eat there again. But the line was long and so we decided to eat at Captain Jack's instead. It was good! After doing some shopping we got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel to catch the Magical Express. We said goodbye at the airport. My flight was late getting in and then further delayed due to weather issues but finally we arrived back in Seattle. Walking towards baggage I ran into a lot of people standing around. Turned out there was some sort of security issue and all the exits were locked. I was so tired and sore that all I wanted to do was go home and here I was standing, waiting for the security issue to be resolved. Finally they let us through and my trip was over.
discovered Earl of Sandwich last time and was excited to eat there again. But the line was long and so we decided to eat at Captain Jack's instead. It was good! After doing some shopping we got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel to catch the Magical Express. We said goodbye at the airport. My flight was late getting in and then further delayed due to weather issues but finally we arrived back in Seattle. Walking towards baggage I ran into a lot of people standing around. Turned out there was some sort of security issue and all the exits were locked. I was so tired and sore that all I wanted to do was go home and here I was standing, waiting for the security issue to be resolved. Finally they let us through and my trip was over.Until next time!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Is it Fruity Drink O'Clock yet?
Taking a cruise had never really crossed my mind until my friend Michelle told me what a great time she had on a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas. So when she sent out the invite for the girl's cruise this year I was on board (pun intended!). There ended up being six of us that went - Michelle, Kathy, Renee, Stacy, Jana & myself.
Thursday, March 13th/Friday, March 14th
Who thought taking a red-eye would be a good idea? It was a good idea until I was at the airport waiting for an 11 p.m. flight instead of home in my bed. As I was walking towards my gate I ran into my friend Kristi, who was coming home from a business trip to Vegas. You never know who you will run into at the airport!! It was fun to see her. My flight took off late, but we must have made up time in the air. I didn't get much sleep so I was a bit out of it on Friday. After landing, I met up with Kathy at Starbucks. I really could have used a Starbucks! Only two more weeks of Lent... Michelle, Kathy, Renee & Stacy had flown in the day before and had gotten a hotel room at the airport. Kathy & I went upstairs where I was able to take a shower which made me feel a little more human. Jana's plane arrived and we met her at baggage and boarded the shuttle for Port Canaveral. After boarding the ship, we headed for the spa to make our appointments. Before the ship could sail, we had to do an emergency drill which involved us putting on our life jackets and evacuating to the 7th floor. To make it more interesting as we were about to
evacuate we noticed there was standing water in our bathroom. After the drill was over, we called maintenance to check out our bathroom. With the drill over, the ship set sail and it was time for a fruity drink on the top deck! We made our first visit to Johnny Rockets (one of several) where Michelle & Kathy danced with the waiters. And then it time for a nap before dinner. Normally I am not a good napper but I was so tired it was not hard to take a nap. Before dinner, we went to a comedy show. After dinner we played bingo where Michelle was the big winner!! It wasn't much later after that I went to bed as it had been a long couple of days.
Saturday, March 15th
Jana & I had massages scheduled for 9:15 a.m. so we requested breakfast to be delivered to our room between 8 and 8:30 that morning. The phone rang at 7:44 a.m., waking us up, to tell us our breakfast was on the way. Jana & I both jumped out of bed to answer the phone and ran into each other in sort of a 3 Stooge
s moment. Gotta love the small rooms! The massage was good. We met up with the rest of the girls at Johnny Rockets for lunch. After lunch we left the ship to explore Nassau. Jana & I went to the Pirate Museum before heading to the beach while Michelle, Kathy, Renee & Stacy headed to Senor Frogs and then the pool deck. Jana & I went to the Captain's reception before meeting up with the other girls for dinner. The ship was to set sail around 12:30 a.m. and I didn't think I was going to make it that late but when I realized it was just about that time and we were still sitting in the bar chatting. Michelle & I headed up top to watch the ship pull away from Nassau before heading to bed.
Sunday, March 16th
We did not order breakfast for this morning so we were not woken up early! Instead we slept in. We took the little boat (tender) out to the island of Coco Cay (the island's real name is Little Stirrup Cay). Coco Cay is the cruise line's private island and we did nothing but enjoy the beach.
The floating mats were fun! My last trip to a more "tropical" location (Cabo) resulted in me getting extremely sunburned. I learned my lesson and continually reapplied sunblock, but I still got sunburned. Not as bad as Cabo, but still painful. Jana & I headed back to the ship a little earlier than everyone else because we had massage appointments at 3 p.m. I had a hot stone massage. The massage was not as relaxing as it could have been due to the fact the spa was located directly underneath the basketball court. Whose genius idea that was I'm not sure. It also would have been more relaxing had the attendant not tried to sell me all sorts of products. Jana & I grabbed a slice of pizza afterwards and ate on the deck. We should have realized a storm was potentially brewing when a piece of pepperoni blew off of Jana's pizza. We watched the farewell show before heading to the dining room for our last dinner. We had all gotten sunburned and were all in some degree of pain by that time which is probably why several of us ended up getting two desserts. Yes, two desserts - I'm on vacation! :) It was not the best tiramisu I have had but the warm chocolate cake was good (I ate the middle). Renee & Michelle were not having 
dessert and left to do a little duty free shopping. After we finished with our desserts, Stacy left to do some shopping as well. Kathy, Jana & I went up to the 14th deck because I wanted see what was up there. I had thought maybe we would be able to go outside, but it was enclosed. We walked back across the top deck, almost getting blown overboard! Okay, I exaggerate just a bit. But it was very windy. In fact not long after we went inside to Johnny Rockets they closed off the outside deck. Michelle & Renee were already there enjoying a milkshake for their dessert. Stacy joined us after finishing up her shopping and we sat chatting for awhile. We had to have our non carry-on luggage packed and outside our rooms by midnight and me being the rule follower I am was determined to do that so I headed back to my room to frantically pack (it was a little after 11 at this time). Jana and I packed while glancing out our little window at the massive waves. Hm, our ship is in Bermuda Triangle in the midst of a storm. If this was movie, it would be the scary part. I finished my packing with minutes to spare and put my suitcase out in the hall. I went to bed and listened the waves crashing before falling asleep.
Monday, March 17th
We had been given a departure time of 8 a.m. which meant another early morning wake up. Being the good Irish girl I am, I had deliberately packed a green shirt realizing that I would be gone for St. Patrick's Day. Looking around at the people in line at customs, I was not the who planned ahead. Finally through customs we collected our bags and boarded the shuttle back to the airport. We said our goodbyes as Jana & I were headed for Disneyworld, but that is another story.
Thursday, March 13th/Friday, March 14th
Who thought taking a red-eye would be a good idea? It was a good idea until I was at the airport waiting for an 11 p.m. flight instead of home in my bed. As I was walking towards my gate I ran into my friend Kristi, who was coming home from a business trip to Vegas. You never know who you will run into at the airport!! It was fun to see her. My flight took off late, but we must have made up time in the air. I didn't get much sleep so I was a bit out of it on Friday. After landing, I met up with Kathy at Starbucks. I really could have used a Starbucks! Only two more weeks of Lent... Michelle, Kathy, Renee & Stacy had flown in the day before and had gotten a hotel room at the airport. Kathy & I went upstairs where I was able to take a shower which made me feel a little more human. Jana's plane arrived and we met her at baggage and boarded the shuttle for Port Canaveral. After boarding the ship, we headed for the spa to make our appointments. Before the ship could sail, we had to do an emergency drill which involved us putting on our life jackets and evacuating to the 7th floor. To make it more interesting as we were about to
evacuate we noticed there was standing water in our bathroom. After the drill was over, we called maintenance to check out our bathroom. With the drill over, the ship set sail and it was time for a fruity drink on the top deck! We made our first visit to Johnny Rockets (one of several) where Michelle & Kathy danced with the waiters. And then it time for a nap before dinner. Normally I am not a good napper but I was so tired it was not hard to take a nap. Before dinner, we went to a comedy show. After dinner we played bingo where Michelle was the big winner!! It wasn't much later after that I went to bed as it had been a long couple of days.Saturday, March 15th
Jana & I had massages scheduled for 9:15 a.m. so we requested breakfast to be delivered to our room between 8 and 8:30 that morning. The phone rang at 7:44 a.m., waking us up, to tell us our breakfast was on the way. Jana & I both jumped out of bed to answer the phone and ran into each other in sort of a 3 Stooge
s moment. Gotta love the small rooms! The massage was good. We met up with the rest of the girls at Johnny Rockets for lunch. After lunch we left the ship to explore Nassau. Jana & I went to the Pirate Museum before heading to the beach while Michelle, Kathy, Renee & Stacy headed to Senor Frogs and then the pool deck. Jana & I went to the Captain's reception before meeting up with the other girls for dinner. The ship was to set sail around 12:30 a.m. and I didn't think I was going to make it that late but when I realized it was just about that time and we were still sitting in the bar chatting. Michelle & I headed up top to watch the ship pull away from Nassau before heading to bed.Sunday, March 16th
We did not order breakfast for this morning so we were not woken up early! Instead we slept in. We took the little boat (tender) out to the island of Coco Cay (the island's real name is Little Stirrup Cay). Coco Cay is the cruise line's private island and we did nothing but enjoy the beach.
The floating mats were fun! My last trip to a more "tropical" location (Cabo) resulted in me getting extremely sunburned. I learned my lesson and continually reapplied sunblock, but I still got sunburned. Not as bad as Cabo, but still painful. Jana & I headed back to the ship a little earlier than everyone else because we had massage appointments at 3 p.m. I had a hot stone massage. The massage was not as relaxing as it could have been due to the fact the spa was located directly underneath the basketball court. Whose genius idea that was I'm not sure. It also would have been more relaxing had the attendant not tried to sell me all sorts of products. Jana & I grabbed a slice of pizza afterwards and ate on the deck. We should have realized a storm was potentially brewing when a piece of pepperoni blew off of Jana's pizza. We watched the farewell show before heading to the dining room for our last dinner. We had all gotten sunburned and were all in some degree of pain by that time which is probably why several of us ended up getting two desserts. Yes, two desserts - I'm on vacation! :) It was not the best tiramisu I have had but the warm chocolate cake was good (I ate the middle). Renee & Michelle were not having 
dessert and left to do a little duty free shopping. After we finished with our desserts, Stacy left to do some shopping as well. Kathy, Jana & I went up to the 14th deck because I wanted see what was up there. I had thought maybe we would be able to go outside, but it was enclosed. We walked back across the top deck, almost getting blown overboard! Okay, I exaggerate just a bit. But it was very windy. In fact not long after we went inside to Johnny Rockets they closed off the outside deck. Michelle & Renee were already there enjoying a milkshake for their dessert. Stacy joined us after finishing up her shopping and we sat chatting for awhile. We had to have our non carry-on luggage packed and outside our rooms by midnight and me being the rule follower I am was determined to do that so I headed back to my room to frantically pack (it was a little after 11 at this time). Jana and I packed while glancing out our little window at the massive waves. Hm, our ship is in Bermuda Triangle in the midst of a storm. If this was movie, it would be the scary part. I finished my packing with minutes to spare and put my suitcase out in the hall. I went to bed and listened the waves crashing before falling asleep.Monday, March 17th
We had been given a departure time of 8 a.m. which meant another early morning wake up. Being the good Irish girl I am, I had deliberately packed a green shirt realizing that I would be gone for St. Patrick's Day. Looking around at the people in line at customs, I was not the who planned ahead. Finally through customs we collected our bags and boarded the shuttle back to the airport. We said our goodbyes as Jana & I were headed for Disneyworld, but that is another story.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
The decision
I am now signed up for the Orlando Danskin Triathlon so be prepared for several posts about how my training is going. Especially considering the triathlon is in May and coming up fast!!
In other news, I did the 10K (approx. 6.2 miles) portion of the Mercer Island Half Marathon. My time goal was to finish in under an hour and a half - I finished in 1 hour 20 minutes which equates to right around 13 minutes a mile, a slight improvement on my per mile time from December's 12K race.
And in yet another change in subject, the countdown is on for my next mini-vacation. I leave at midnight on Thursday for Orlando where I will be boarding my first ever cruise. I can almost taste the fruity umbrella drinks now!!!
In other news, I did the 10K (approx. 6.2 miles) portion of the Mercer Island Half Marathon. My time goal was to finish in under an hour and a half - I finished in 1 hour 20 minutes which equates to right around 13 minutes a mile, a slight improvement on my per mile time from December's 12K race.
And in yet another change in subject, the countdown is on for my next mini-vacation. I leave at midnight on Thursday for Orlando where I will be boarding my first ever cruise. I can almost taste the fruity umbrella drinks now!!!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
What to do?
The last two years I have done the Seattle Danskin Triathlon. I have been watching their website to sign up for the 2008 race as the Seattle race sells out fast. Registration opened for Seattle and I signed up with no doubts that I wouldn't be able do it. This was a week or so ago. And today the light bulb turned on. I am potentially going to be gone on a work thing (which I can't really talk about yet) right when the triathlon takes place. I felt instantly deflated when the dates clicked and I realized it most likely will not be possible for me to do it. I have been contingency planning to find another triathlon to do this year as I did not want to not do one at all. And I did find one that would work with my time frame. But I am still feeling a little sad at not doing the Danskin. So I can't do the Seattle Danskin, but the thought came to me - can I do a different one? I've been thinking about the Orlando Danskin for awhile and had finally decided to do it next year (2009). But with this new development, do I do the Orlando Danskin this year as well? Hm, this will take some thinking...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
It is NOT 10 degrees!!!!
Ah, London... I get off the plane and I feel like I'm home. A little explanation regarding the title of this post. Sometimes the hardest part for me will be coming up with a unique title. I had several thoughts but landed on this one. One of Jana's colleagues had been in London the week before and told her the weather was 10 degrees Celsius (approx. 50 degrees Fahrenheit). As we were walking through the park on the first day, shivering, we emphatically agreed there was no way it was 10 degrees out!!
February 13th/14th
British Airways has always been my airline of choice when flying to Europe but they have been slipping recently in my estimation. I usually still fly with them since they are the only option for a direct flight from Seattle to London. Rumor has it Northwest will soon have a direct Seattle to London option so I might be flying BA less and less (not to mention I would get Continental miles from Northwest!). My vendetta against BA started with their new policy of having to check-in online to get your seat assignment and you can only check-in starting 24 hours prior to your flight. It was further compounded by the fact the on-demand entertainment system was not working. I probably spent more time trying to make it work! And then when I couldn't I tried to join the programs already in progress but couldn't get into them since I had missed the beginning. There were a few other things, having to do with the food choices, but I won't bore you with them. Poor Jana, she had to listen to them all! In fact when I got to the hotel room, after saying hi, I told her she was going to have to listen to all my complaints. Her response was to tell me she expected that - I usually start off our trips complaining about the plane ride! I guess there is something about being on a plane that puts me in a complaining mood! The plane ride was not the smoothest I've had - it was extremely turbulent at times, which I don't particularly care for. The passport line was extremely long - but the good thing about that is by the time I got to baggage my suitcase was waiting for me! I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington and debated briefly about getting on the tube before deciding to get in line for a taxi. The taxi took me a different way than I have gone before, through near Hyde Park. I knew the hotel was close to the park, I just didn't realize how close. Jana had emailed me and let me know she had checked us in and we were in room 1042. I committed room 1024 to memory and after arriving at the hotel I went up to room 1024 and knocked on the door. As I was knocking on the door I thought to myself "hm, was it 1024 or 1042?" Fortunately nobody answered my
knock at 1024 and I made my way to 1042. We were both starving by this time so we went to our favorite little cafe right near the hotel, The Muffin Man. One of the reasons we ended up staying here was because we liked the area and we knew of good restaurants! After lunch we walked over to the park and meandered over to the Albert Memorial. We were both freezing at this point, not to mention jetlagged, and it was getting dark so we decided to find a coffee shop. We sat at the shop and drank coffee until it was time for dinner. It was a very lazy afternoon!! We didn't walk far before we came across an Italian restaurant and decided it was as good as any. The food wasn't the best, and the restaurant was across the street from a church (St. Mary Abbotts) whose bells were ringing incessantly the entire time we were there! We made our way back to the hotel for an early night.
February 15th
As we ha
d both been to London before, we didn't really set a schedule. We had a leisurely breakfast at the Muffin Man before heading to the Tower of London. We arrived just in time for a Yeoman warder (or beefeater) tour. We admired the crown jewels (I really like Queen Victoria's small diamond crown) and looked through the other parts of the castle. We were there for awhile and ended up getting kicked out because they were closing. Our next stop was All Hallows church before making our way over to the Hung, Drawn & Quartered pub where we shared a basket of chips (fries). The chips came with ketchup, vinegar and mayonnaise. I was just happy we got an actual bottle of ketchup!!
It was late night at the Victoria & Albert Museum so that was our next stop. I love late night at the museum - it's usually really quiet and there aren't a lot of people. It reminds me a bit of
Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller and also the Sesame Street episode where Big Bird gets locked in the museum. Although I'm not sure if that is an actual episode or something I made up as I haven't found anyone who remembers it. We started off in the Renaissance but the room with David was closed!! I could see his head through the top of the door but that was it. We looked around for a bit more and by then we were ready for dinner! Last time we were in London we had found this great Italian restaurant and we were excited to go back. But we were in for a disappointment. The restaurant was no more. Maybe it was a good thing - maybe we had hyped it up to much in our minds and we would have been disappointed when it wasn't as good as we had remembered it being... Still, that didn't help us because at that moment we were hungry and cold. Jana knew of another Italian restaurant so we got back on the tube. Seriously, if we worked for Rick Steves, we would have a section on the best Italian restaurants. Il Borgo looked like a hole in the wall but the food was very good.
Looking at the map before heading home, we decided if we cut up through a few streets we could reach our hotel faster than going up and around. And we were right, except for the fact there was a big wall blocking our way!!! The even more frustrating part was we could see our hotel, but had no way to get to it. We tried to circumnavigate around the wall but alas, we could not. We ended up walking in a giant circle back to the restaurant and then we had to walk up and around back to the hotel. It wouldn't have been so bad except for two things - it was really cold, and I really had to use the bathroom. Guess you should always listen to mom's advice and go before you leave!!
P.S. We later did a little Wiki-research and found there really was a Sesame Street episode where they got locked in the museum.
February 16th
Last time we stayed at this hotel we had a few issues with the TV turning on randomly during the night. We didn't have any issues the first night. But at 5 a.m. this morning the TV started turning itself on. After turning it off with the remote a couple of times I gave up the fight and got up and turned it off completely. I really do like this hotel, except for the odd wiring of the TVs!
After the TV issue, I fell back asleep. Again, as we were not on a schedule, we spent another leisurely morning, with a late breakfast at the Muffin Man. We tubed it over to Paddington Station and caught the train for Windsor. When we got to Windsor Castle we were greeted with a line to get in to the castle! But with it being such a nice day, and Saturday as well, it should have been expected. We ended up waiting in line for probably about 30 or 40 minutes which wasn't too bad. Sitting for a minute in the church we noticed the grave of Henry VIII and one of his wives - the one that died before he could find something wrong with her.
We had lunch at an Irish bar not too far from the castle and then decided to walk to down to Eton, where Prince William went to school. By the time we got to the school it was closed so we took a picture and walked back to the train station.
It was late night at the Tate Modern so we took the tube over to St. Paul's and walked over the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern. The Tate Modern was interesting. It was good to go, but I probably don't ever need to go back. You can say I'm shallow when it comes to art - I like it simple and pretty. Modern art really doesn't do it for me. Although I do have to say, they had an exhibit on art from the Congo that was very thought-provoking. Enjoy is probably the wrong word to use, but I appreciated that exhibit. The Tate Modern did have one Monet but it was not my favorite of his paintings.
We weren't feeling very adventurous when we left the Tate Modern and so we ended up back at Il Borgos for dinner. We had just placed our order when some American college kids were seated next to us. They were very loud and very obnoxious!! Kids!! It wasn't long after we had gotten our dinner (pizza margherita for me - no surprise there!) that I smelled something burning. The candle had gotten too close to the bread basket and had burned a whole in the bread basket!! Oops! Guess the kids weren't the only obnoxious Americans at the restaurant that night. We took the long way home, not bothering to even try to figure out a shorter way back to the hotel.
Our quick vacation was over. Jana's plane left earlier than mine so we said goodbye and I ate breakfast at the hotel. I still had some time before I needed to go to the airport so I walked over to the park to visit the Peter Pan statue. I walked back to the hotel and gathered up my suitcase and headed to Paddington station to catch the Heathrow Express. The on-demand entertainment worked and the plane ride home was very smooth.
February 13th/14th
British Airways has always been my airline of choice when flying to Europe but they have been slipping recently in my estimation. I usually still fly with them since they are the only option for a direct flight from Seattle to London. Rumor has it Northwest will soon have a direct Seattle to London option so I might be flying BA less and less (not to mention I would get Continental miles from Northwest!). My vendetta against BA started with their new policy of having to check-in online to get your seat assignment and you can only check-in starting 24 hours prior to your flight. It was further compounded by the fact the on-demand entertainment system was not working. I probably spent more time trying to make it work! And then when I couldn't I tried to join the programs already in progress but couldn't get into them since I had missed the beginning. There were a few other things, having to do with the food choices, but I won't bore you with them. Poor Jana, she had to listen to them all! In fact when I got to the hotel room, after saying hi, I told her she was going to have to listen to all my complaints. Her response was to tell me she expected that - I usually start off our trips complaining about the plane ride! I guess there is something about being on a plane that puts me in a complaining mood! The plane ride was not the smoothest I've had - it was extremely turbulent at times, which I don't particularly care for. The passport line was extremely long - but the good thing about that is by the time I got to baggage my suitcase was waiting for me! I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington and debated briefly about getting on the tube before deciding to get in line for a taxi. The taxi took me a different way than I have gone before, through near Hyde Park. I knew the hotel was close to the park, I just didn't realize how close. Jana had emailed me and let me know she had checked us in and we were in room 1042. I committed room 1024 to memory and after arriving at the hotel I went up to room 1024 and knocked on the door. As I was knocking on the door I thought to myself "hm, was it 1024 or 1042?" Fortunately nobody answered my
knock at 1024 and I made my way to 1042. We were both starving by this time so we went to our favorite little cafe right near the hotel, The Muffin Man. One of the reasons we ended up staying here was because we liked the area and we knew of good restaurants! After lunch we walked over to the park and meandered over to the Albert Memorial. We were both freezing at this point, not to mention jetlagged, and it was getting dark so we decided to find a coffee shop. We sat at the shop and drank coffee until it was time for dinner. It was a very lazy afternoon!! We didn't walk far before we came across an Italian restaurant and decided it was as good as any. The food wasn't the best, and the restaurant was across the street from a church (St. Mary Abbotts) whose bells were ringing incessantly the entire time we were there! We made our way back to the hotel for an early night.February 15th
As we ha
d both been to London before, we didn't really set a schedule. We had a leisurely breakfast at the Muffin Man before heading to the Tower of London. We arrived just in time for a Yeoman warder (or beefeater) tour. We admired the crown jewels (I really like Queen Victoria's small diamond crown) and looked through the other parts of the castle. We were there for awhile and ended up getting kicked out because they were closing. Our next stop was All Hallows church before making our way over to the Hung, Drawn & Quartered pub where we shared a basket of chips (fries). The chips came with ketchup, vinegar and mayonnaise. I was just happy we got an actual bottle of ketchup!!It was late night at the Victoria & Albert Museum so that was our next stop. I love late night at the museum - it's usually really quiet and there aren't a lot of people. It reminds me a bit of
Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller and also the Sesame Street episode where Big Bird gets locked in the museum. Although I'm not sure if that is an actual episode or something I made up as I haven't found anyone who remembers it. We started off in the Renaissance but the room with David was closed!! I could see his head through the top of the door but that was it. We looked around for a bit more and by then we were ready for dinner! Last time we were in London we had found this great Italian restaurant and we were excited to go back. But we were in for a disappointment. The restaurant was no more. Maybe it was a good thing - maybe we had hyped it up to much in our minds and we would have been disappointed when it wasn't as good as we had remembered it being... Still, that didn't help us because at that moment we were hungry and cold. Jana knew of another Italian restaurant so we got back on the tube. Seriously, if we worked for Rick Steves, we would have a section on the best Italian restaurants. Il Borgo looked like a hole in the wall but the food was very good.Looking at the map before heading home, we decided if we cut up through a few streets we could reach our hotel faster than going up and around. And we were right, except for the fact there was a big wall blocking our way!!! The even more frustrating part was we could see our hotel, but had no way to get to it. We tried to circumnavigate around the wall but alas, we could not. We ended up walking in a giant circle back to the restaurant and then we had to walk up and around back to the hotel. It wouldn't have been so bad except for two things - it was really cold, and I really had to use the bathroom. Guess you should always listen to mom's advice and go before you leave!!
P.S. We later did a little Wiki-research and found there really was a Sesame Street episode where they got locked in the museum.
February 16th
Last time we stayed at this hotel we had a few issues with the TV turning on randomly during the night. We didn't have any issues the first night. But at 5 a.m. this morning the TV started turning itself on. After turning it off with the remote a couple of times I gave up the fight and got up and turned it off completely. I really do like this hotel, except for the odd wiring of the TVs!
After the TV issue, I fell back asleep. Again, as we were not on a schedule, we spent another leisurely morning, with a late breakfast at the Muffin Man. We tubed it over to Paddington Station and caught the train for Windsor. When we got to Windsor Castle we were greeted with a line to get in to the castle! But with it being such a nice day, and Saturday as well, it should have been expected. We ended up waiting in line for probably about 30 or 40 minutes which wasn't too bad. Sitting for a minute in the church we noticed the grave of Henry VIII and one of his wives - the one that died before he could find something wrong with her.We had lunch at an Irish bar not too far from the castle and then decided to walk to down to Eton, where Prince William went to school. By the time we got to the school it was closed so we took a picture and walked back to the train station.
It was late night at the Tate Modern so we took the tube over to St. Paul's and walked over the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern. The Tate Modern was interesting. It was good to go, but I probably don't ever need to go back. You can say I'm shallow when it comes to art - I like it simple and pretty. Modern art really doesn't do it for me. Although I do have to say, they had an exhibit on art from the Congo that was very thought-provoking. Enjoy is probably the wrong word to use, but I appreciated that exhibit. The Tate Modern did have one Monet but it was not my favorite of his paintings.
We weren't feeling very adventurous when we left the Tate Modern and so we ended up back at Il Borgos for dinner. We had just placed our order when some American college kids were seated next to us. They were very loud and very obnoxious!! Kids!! It wasn't long after we had gotten our dinner (pizza margherita for me - no surprise there!) that I smelled something burning. The candle had gotten too close to the bread basket and had burned a whole in the bread basket!! Oops! Guess the kids weren't the only obnoxious Americans at the restaurant that night. We took the long way home, not bothering to even try to figure out a shorter way back to the hotel.
February 17th
Another lazy morning, another breakfast at the Muffin Man. Neither of us had been to Kensington Palace before and since it was so close we walked over there. They had
a special exhibition on Diana. This was her home after she married Prince Charles until her death. She was a beautiful woman. After touring the palace we walked through the park looking for the Peter Pan statue. We couldn't find it so we gave up and headed towards Apsley House (nicknamed Number One, London), where the first Duke of Wellington lived. Part of the house is a museum, the rest is still used by the current Duke of Wellington. As we continued walking towards Apsley House we saw a map of the park and saw where the Peter Pan statue was - we had been so close when we had decided to give up! We decided we would stop and look for it on our way back. Inside the museum we were greeted by an 11 foot statue of a basically naked Napoleon (he had a fig leaf). The story goes that Napoleon commissioned the statue but didn't like how it turned out so it was put into the basement of the Louvre until the British government bought it and 
presented it to Wellington. Next we walked over to Harrods and spent some time exploring the store. After Harrods we walked back to the park to find the Peter Pan statue. We stopped by the water to take some pictures of a swan who was totally posing for us. We found the statue but it was dark and so the pictures didn't turn out too well. We high-tailed it out of the park because it was getting really dark by this time. We stopped by an internet cafe next so I could check in online and get my seat. Stupid new BA policy! But at least I got a window seat. We went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. No, you didn't read that wrong - I did say Indian. You thought I was going to say Italian! It was quite good.
a special exhibition on Diana. This was her home after she married Prince Charles until her death. She was a beautiful woman. After touring the palace we walked through the park looking for the Peter Pan statue. We couldn't find it so we gave up and headed towards Apsley House (nicknamed Number One, London), where the first Duke of Wellington lived. Part of the house is a museum, the rest is still used by the current Duke of Wellington. As we continued walking towards Apsley House we saw a map of the park and saw where the Peter Pan statue was - we had been so close when we had decided to give up! We decided we would stop and look for it on our way back. Inside the museum we were greeted by an 11 foot statue of a basically naked Napoleon (he had a fig leaf). The story goes that Napoleon commissioned the statue but didn't like how it turned out so it was put into the basement of the Louvre until the British government bought it and 
presented it to Wellington. Next we walked over to Harrods and spent some time exploring the store. After Harrods we walked back to the park to find the Peter Pan statue. We stopped by the water to take some pictures of a swan who was totally posing for us. We found the statue but it was dark and so the pictures didn't turn out too well. We high-tailed it out of the park because it was getting really dark by this time. We stopped by an internet cafe next so I could check in online and get my seat. Stupid new BA policy! But at least I got a window seat. We went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. No, you didn't read that wrong - I did say Indian. You thought I was going to say Italian! It was quite good. The TV did its thing except Jana and I were still awake. For whatever reason, neither of us could sleep so we had stayed awake chatting. I still didn't want to get out of my warm bed to completely turn off the TV though but I did finally. I fell asleep not too long after that.
February 18th
Our quick vacation was over. Jana's plane left earlier than mine so we said goodbye and I ate breakfast at the hotel. I still had some time before I needed to go to the airport so I walked over to the park to visit the Peter Pan statue. I walked back to the hotel and gathered up my suitcase and headed to Paddington station to catch the Heathrow Express. The on-demand entertainment worked and the plane ride home was very smooth. Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Cheerio!
I'm off to London tomorrow to enjoy a long weekend, keeping up my streak of going to London at least once a year since either 2000 or 2003 (I can't remember if I went in 2002 or not). As to what I'm looking forward to most is just being there - that and eating at the restaurant Jana & I found the last time we were there! :) Watch this space for pictures and a trip report...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
This, that and the other
I was trying to figure out what I should give up for Lent. Dessert was too easy or too hard, depending on how you look at it with the potential of completely undermining all my willpower. I ended up with giving up Starbucks. I realize that is a little nebulous but I figured it was something I would miss. However, it doesn't mean I can go to Tully's or Seattle's Best instead, but if it is free latte day at work I can partake. Part of the reason I'm giving up Starbucks is now that they have raised their prices, my cinnamon dolce latte is expensive!! I really missed it this weekend! I can go to Starbucks on any given weekend 4 or 5 times, usually as my reward after a walk at the park. But I made it - 5 days down, 35 to go.
Speaking of walking at the park, I started off around Greenlake this morning and ran into close to 2,000 people coming towards me!! It was the annual Valentine's Day dash. I stayed off to the side and managed to navigate my way through the horde of people.
I've been really bored at the gym lately. That combined with being fairly susceptible to peer pressure has me signing up for boot camp and kickboxing. Several of my co-workers signed up for boot camp and convinced me to try it. After the first class I signed up but I'm only doing boot camp once a week, instead of the 3 times a week it is offered. Getting up once a week for a 6 a.m. class in the cold is enough for me! And if that wasn't enough they also convinced me to try kickboxing and now I'm taking kickboxing classes. But it is cutting down on my gym boredom!
My poor car - after having the passenger side window smashed, it now has a noise (which the mechanic assured me was a normal noise), and Saturday I got a chip in the windshield!
I think that's the update from my world...
Speaking of walking at the park, I started off around Greenlake this morning and ran into close to 2,000 people coming towards me!! It was the annual Valentine's Day dash. I stayed off to the side and managed to navigate my way through the horde of people.
I've been really bored at the gym lately. That combined with being fairly susceptible to peer pressure has me signing up for boot camp and kickboxing. Several of my co-workers signed up for boot camp and convinced me to try it. After the first class I signed up but I'm only doing boot camp once a week, instead of the 3 times a week it is offered. Getting up once a week for a 6 a.m. class in the cold is enough for me! And if that wasn't enough they also convinced me to try kickboxing and now I'm taking kickboxing classes. But it is cutting down on my gym boredom!
My poor car - after having the passenger side window smashed, it now has a noise (which the mechanic assured me was a normal noise), and Saturday I got a chip in the windshield!
I think that's the update from my world...
Saturday, February 09, 2008
A fun game of tag!
I saw this on Stacy's blog. I love these things so I thought I'd play along!
5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Uh, this is harder than I thought. Finishing up my junior year in college.
2. So if I remember right this would be the year we were having roommate drama. Long story short, we had a roommate who who was very needy and just made our living situation somewhat miserable.
3. Going to London for the first time to visit my freshman year roommate who was studying over there. Who knew that visit would start my love affair wth London?
4. Buying MY first car, a little red Mazda MX-6. My first vehicle was a Ford Escort which I shared with my sister and she drove it more than I did so I don't count that and my second was a 1978 Ford Truck which was really my dad's but he let me use it. So that's why I consider the little red car my first car.
5. Yeah, I have no idea, that was a long time ago.
5 Things I was doing 5 years ago:
1. Living in Houston
2. Trying to decide what to do - stay with Enron or find a new job.
3. That's about all I remember... I'm not sure why 5 years ago was harder than 10 years ago...
5 Things I did today:
1. Went to kickboxing
2. Went to Target
3. This is more something that happened - my poor car got a rock chip in the windshield. Seriously, what is going on with my car?!
4. Watched Duke beat Boston College
5. Did not go to Starbucks (more about this later in another post)
5 Products I can't live without:
1. Hm, not sure about this...
2. Lately, Crystal Light on the go packets
3. The little bottles of Purell hand sanitizer
4. My Coach purse
5. My ipod
5 Things I would do if I won a billion dollars:
1. Give to charity
2. Quit my job!!!!!! And then take a year to travel the whole world.
3. Buy a house (or two or three). One of them in Italy.
4. Buy my parents a house and my dad a car. Probably buy my brother a car as well.
5. Buy myself a car!! I can finally get my BMW!!!
5 Places I have lived:
1. Newcastle, WA
2. Bellingham, WA
3. Houston, TX
4. London, England
5. Newcastle, WA
5 Jobs I have had:
1. Babysitter
2. McDonalds crew person
3. Gift wrapper at a toy store during Christmas (they didn't want to train me to use the cash register so they had me wrap presents)
4. Office Manager for a tradeshow company
5. Tax Accountant
5 Things you may or may not know about me:
1. Since it is college basketball season and all, my favorite basketball team (and probably my favorite team of all) is Duke and one of the thing I would absolutely love to do is at least visit Cameron Indoor Stadium. How'd a Seattle girl end up a Duke fan? Well it all goes back to Quin Snyder (also from Seattle) who went to play for Duke. My dad loves watching local kids so we would watch Quin playing for Duke. It also helped Duke was on TV a lot! :)
2. I once won a writing contest in 6th grade and got to go to a writing camp.
3. Speaking of things I won - I actually won the award for Best Actress in high school. Yes, me, one of the shyest, quietest people around was an actress (at least in high school). There is something about not being me, but being a character, that I enjoy.
4. I love The Mummy and The Mummy Returns movies - yes I know they are silly but they always make me laugh!!
5. I finally passed the last section of the CPA exam on my 5th try. Yikes!!!
6. Oh, and I thought I'd add one more - I'm leaving for London on Wednesday (Feb. 13th) for a long weekend.
TAG - you're it!! Feel free to join in on the fun if you'd like!
5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Uh, this is harder than I thought. Finishing up my junior year in college.
2. So if I remember right this would be the year we were having roommate drama. Long story short, we had a roommate who who was very needy and just made our living situation somewhat miserable.
3. Going to London for the first time to visit my freshman year roommate who was studying over there. Who knew that visit would start my love affair wth London?
4. Buying MY first car, a little red Mazda MX-6. My first vehicle was a Ford Escort which I shared with my sister and she drove it more than I did so I don't count that and my second was a 1978 Ford Truck which was really my dad's but he let me use it. So that's why I consider the little red car my first car.
5. Yeah, I have no idea, that was a long time ago.
5 Things I was doing 5 years ago:
1. Living in Houston
2. Trying to decide what to do - stay with Enron or find a new job.
3. That's about all I remember... I'm not sure why 5 years ago was harder than 10 years ago...
5 Things I did today:
1. Went to kickboxing
2. Went to Target
3. This is more something that happened - my poor car got a rock chip in the windshield. Seriously, what is going on with my car?!
4. Watched Duke beat Boston College
5. Did not go to Starbucks (more about this later in another post)
5 Products I can't live without:
1. Hm, not sure about this...
2. Lately, Crystal Light on the go packets
3. The little bottles of Purell hand sanitizer
4. My Coach purse
5. My ipod
5 Things I would do if I won a billion dollars:
1. Give to charity
2. Quit my job!!!!!! And then take a year to travel the whole world.
3. Buy a house (or two or three). One of them in Italy.
4. Buy my parents a house and my dad a car. Probably buy my brother a car as well.
5. Buy myself a car!! I can finally get my BMW!!!
5 Places I have lived:
1. Newcastle, WA
2. Bellingham, WA
3. Houston, TX
4. London, England
5. Newcastle, WA
5 Jobs I have had:
1. Babysitter
2. McDonalds crew person
3. Gift wrapper at a toy store during Christmas (they didn't want to train me to use the cash register so they had me wrap presents)
4. Office Manager for a tradeshow company
5. Tax Accountant
5 Things you may or may not know about me:
1. Since it is college basketball season and all, my favorite basketball team (and probably my favorite team of all) is Duke and one of the thing I would absolutely love to do is at least visit Cameron Indoor Stadium. How'd a Seattle girl end up a Duke fan? Well it all goes back to Quin Snyder (also from Seattle) who went to play for Duke. My dad loves watching local kids so we would watch Quin playing for Duke. It also helped Duke was on TV a lot! :)
2. I once won a writing contest in 6th grade and got to go to a writing camp.
3. Speaking of things I won - I actually won the award for Best Actress in high school. Yes, me, one of the shyest, quietest people around was an actress (at least in high school). There is something about not being me, but being a character, that I enjoy.
4. I love The Mummy and The Mummy Returns movies - yes I know they are silly but they always make me laugh!!
5. I finally passed the last section of the CPA exam on my 5th try. Yikes!!!
6. Oh, and I thought I'd add one more - I'm leaving for London on Wednesday (Feb. 13th) for a long weekend.
TAG - you're it!! Feel free to join in on the fun if you'd like!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Photo Contest
Photoworks has been setting up various photo communities where people can post their pictures for whatever category their pictures fit in - Storms, Pets, Travel, etc. They have also been running a photo contest each month for each of the categories. I entered a picture in the European Travel January contest and I won!! The winning photo:
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Dracula Who Loved Pizzas
I was going through some old boxes and found a notebook where I had written stories. I was always writing stories when I was younger. I have no idea when I wrote this - I'm thinking around second grade. Anyway, hopefully you will get a laugh out of this. Apparently I was in a pizza mood or something... Happy reading!!
Once there was a Count Dracula who lived next door to the Croft family.
One day Mrs. Croft brought home some pizzas from Safeway. Count Dracula loved the smell of pizzas but didn't know what they were.
So Count Dracula went over to the Croft's house and said "I vant to have vhatever smells so good." Mrs Croft said "It's pizza." And she gave him a piece of pizza.
The Count loved the pizza so much he asked if he could stay for dinner.
Mrs. Croft said "That would be fine." Katie Croft gave The Count the numbers of Dominos, Godfathers, Pizza Hut, Pizza Haven, and Pieatros and more.
So The Count and the Croft family lived happily ever after.
So if you are ever near The Count's house and you're hungry for pizza just ask and The Count will invite you in and have dinner with you and it will always be pizza.
The End
Once there was a Count Dracula who lived next door to the Croft family.
One day Mrs. Croft brought home some pizzas from Safeway. Count Dracula loved the smell of pizzas but didn't know what they were.
So Count Dracula went over to the Croft's house and said "I vant to have vhatever smells so good." Mrs Croft said "It's pizza." And she gave him a piece of pizza.
The Count loved the pizza so much he asked if he could stay for dinner.
Mrs. Croft said "That would be fine." Katie Croft gave The Count the numbers of Dominos, Godfathers, Pizza Hut, Pizza Haven, and Pieatros and more.
So The Count and the Croft family lived happily ever after.
So if you are ever near The Count's house and you're hungry for pizza just ask and The Count will invite you in and have dinner with you and it will always be pizza.
The End
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Kitchen Adventures
So lately I've been in a cooking mood so when I saw Mandi had tried a recipe for kung pao from Everybody Likes Sandwiches I thought I would also give it a try! I modified it just a bit to remove the broccoli because let's face it, Emily does not like broccoli. I also added in chicken. Since it isn't often I actually try and cook, I ended up buying most of the ingredients, but at least they'll be on hand if I decide to make it again. I think it turned out okay, for the most part. I had a problem with the tofu - it ended up being more of the consistency of scrambled eggs as opposed to cubed. I'll have to work on that for the next time.
kung pao vegetables (+ tofu + udon) - broccoli + chicken
1 t sesame oil
1 T canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, broken into florets (or leave it out!)
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 rib of celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 small packet of prepared udon noodles
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1/4 c peanuts, chopped
sauce:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 T cider vinegar
1 T ginger, minced
1 T chili paste or asian hot sauce (the one with the rooster on the bottle)
1 T brown sugar
1 T bottled peanut sauce
1 T cornstarch
1. Mix sauce ingredients in and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and broccoli and stirfry until crisp-tender. Add the sauce and the udon noodles and combine well so everything gets saucy.
3. In a separate pan, fry up tofu in a bit of oil until brown on all sides. Add tofu and peanuts to the vegetable mixture, stirring gently to coat with sauce. Serve in deep bowls.
kung pao vegetables (+ tofu + udon) - broccoli + chicken
1 t sesame oil
1 T canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, broken into florets (or leave it out!)
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 rib of celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 small packet of prepared udon noodles
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1/4 c peanuts, chopped
sauce:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 T cider vinegar
1 T ginger, minced
1 T chili paste or asian hot sauce (the one with the rooster on the bottle)
1 T brown sugar
1 T bottled peanut sauce
1 T cornstarch
1. Mix sauce ingredients in and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and broccoli and stirfry until crisp-tender. Add the sauce and the udon noodles and combine well so everything gets saucy.
3. In a separate pan, fry up tofu in a bit of oil until brown on all sides. Add tofu and peanuts to the vegetable mixture, stirring gently to coat with sauce. Serve in deep bowls.
Before
After
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Woohoo!!!
This doesn't happen a lot - "my" team won the Amazing Race!!!
YAY TK & Rachel!!
Also YAY NY Giants & NE Patriots!
I'll worry about which one I want to win the Super Bowl later...
YAY TK & Rachel!!
Also YAY NY Giants & NE Patriots!
I'll worry about which one I want to win the Super Bowl later...
Friday, January 18, 2008
Persuasion
I just finished watching the newest version of Persuasion for the second time. PBS is doing a Jane Austen series and I happened across it and I am now looking forward to the rest of the series after seeing how well Persuasion was done.
Persuasion is probably my favorite story by Jane Austen. Something about the unrequited love and being reunited after so many years struck a chord in me the first time I read it. Even when I read my "mushy" romance novels the ones I enjoy most are those where the main characters are reunited after years of separation and overcome whatever it was that drove them apart all those years ago.
I really enjoyed the movie version of Persuasion that came out several years ago and wasn't sure if I would like the this new version. But I was quickly "persuaded" this new version was very likable! It didn't focus as much on the subplots, instead concentrated on the main story between Anne & Frederick, including the subplots only when necessary to move the main story forward.
Persuasion is probably my favorite story by Jane Austen. Something about the unrequited love and being reunited after so many years struck a chord in me the first time I read it. Even when I read my "mushy" romance novels the ones I enjoy most are those where the main characters are reunited after years of separation and overcome whatever it was that drove them apart all those years ago.
I really enjoyed the movie version of Persuasion that came out several years ago and wasn't sure if I would like the this new version. But I was quickly "persuaded" this new version was very likable! It didn't focus as much on the subplots, instead concentrated on the main story between Anne & Frederick, including the subplots only when necessary to move the main story forward.
If I could have lived in any time, I would have loved to live in the Jane Austen time period. Probably because I have seen the romanticized versions in books, movies, TV and of course I have romanticized it in my imagination. I love the dresses, the manners, the balls and Mr. Darcy. Well, any of Jane Austen's heros really, but Mr. Darcy in particular! Okay, so given my family history (mainly peasants, farmers, etc.) if I had lived in that time period I would not be wearing the nice dresses and going to balls and meeting eligible gentleman such as Mr. Darcy and Captain Wentworth. No, I would have either been in the country on a farm, or if I made it to city, I would have been a maid or something along those lines. But that is what my imagination is for - to imagine myself in the dress, at the ball, meeting Lord Sebastian Woodhurst! As I read that back I realize it sounds a little Clue-ish: Colonel Mustard, in the library, with the pipe. And for those wondering, Lord Sebastian Woodhurst is a figment of my imagination. Or maybe he'll become the hero in the book I'm eventually going to write.
I do realize that as much as I would have wanted to live in the late 1700's, early 1800's, I would have wanted to live with lots of modern conveniences - what would I do without my cell phone or my computer or my car? Not to mention hot water heaters, running water, hair dryers or microwaves!! So it is probably best I live now and read about the Regency time period.Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A Final 3 I Can Live With
Is it already the middle of January? I would say where has the time gone but I know exactly where it has gone!! Gotta love the end of the year as an accountant! But things are looking much brighter now, and I think this time it really is the light at the end of the tunnel instead of a freight train barrelling towards us.
Last night I made it to the gym (first time in forever!). Leaving the gym I got a phone call from work and headed back to the office. When I finished I came back out to my car only to find a half inch of snow!! Snow is definitely a four letter word in Seattle. It had stopped snowing by then and was fairly slushy. By morning however, the slush had turned to ice. Yikes! It wasn't too bad until I got the hill leading up to work. All the entrances were closed except one and it was backed up. It took me 30 minutes to finally pull into the parking garage. I used to like snow much better when I didn't have to drive in it. I really wanted a snow day!!
I'm finally caught up on the Amazing Race and all I can say is YIPPEEE!!!! Nate & Jen are NOT, I repeat NOT, in the final 3 and there is no way they can win the race. Nate & Jen were the Squabbly McBickersons of the race and while it makes for good television, it makes for a completely unsatisfying ending if they end up winning. Which, their story arc seemed to predict. I am actually okay with any of the remaining teams winning. The Amazing Race is probably my favorite television show. I was hooked from the first season when I was randomly flipping through channels and saw the Eiffel Tower. I stopped, intrigued and have been watching ever since. It is not often that my team wins, which is why I am so happy to know that Nate & Jen will NOT win this season!
I realize this is probably an all over, rambling post - it makes sense in my mind, but that may be the only place it makes sense. I haven't slept much since January 2nd.
Last night I made it to the gym (first time in forever!). Leaving the gym I got a phone call from work and headed back to the office. When I finished I came back out to my car only to find a half inch of snow!! Snow is definitely a four letter word in Seattle. It had stopped snowing by then and was fairly slushy. By morning however, the slush had turned to ice. Yikes! It wasn't too bad until I got the hill leading up to work. All the entrances were closed except one and it was backed up. It took me 30 minutes to finally pull into the parking garage. I used to like snow much better when I didn't have to drive in it. I really wanted a snow day!!
I'm finally caught up on the Amazing Race and all I can say is YIPPEEE!!!! Nate & Jen are NOT, I repeat NOT, in the final 3 and there is no way they can win the race. Nate & Jen were the Squabbly McBickersons of the race and while it makes for good television, it makes for a completely unsatisfying ending if they end up winning. Which, their story arc seemed to predict. I am actually okay with any of the remaining teams winning. The Amazing Race is probably my favorite television show. I was hooked from the first season when I was randomly flipping through channels and saw the Eiffel Tower. I stopped, intrigued and have been watching ever since. It is not often that my team wins, which is why I am so happy to know that Nate & Jen will NOT win this season!
I realize this is probably an all over, rambling post - it makes sense in my mind, but that may be the only place it makes sense. I haven't slept much since January 2nd.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
2007 In Pictures
Once again I am copying Mandi with a review of 2007 in pictures. I did have a picture from every month, the hard part was choosing which picture to use!
From left to right, starting on the top row:
1. Snow! 2. View of the Houses of Parliament from the London Eye (reminds me of Peter Pan). 3. Me, Diane & Stacy in front of Cinderella's Castle. 4. Tulips (Skagit Valley Tulip Festival). 5. Roman Acqueduct (Segovia, Spain). 6. New Car. 7. Siblings. 8. Bike Start (Danskin Triathlon). 9. Footprints in the Sand (Cabo). 10. Seahawks game (not a lot of pictures from October). 11. Chili Bouquets (Venice). 12. Holly.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
It's not that bad
This morning started off fairly normal. I woke up to Chloe howling, putzed around, took a shower and set off for the park. I hadn't been to Seward Park in awhile so decided to go there instead of Marymoor Park. I started off on the path. I've slowly been working up to running 2 songs, walking 1 and was able to keep up the pattern for the entire 3 miles. I started back towards my car and the first thing I noticed was there was a lot of broken glass on the ground on the passenger side of my car. My first thought was I don't remember that glass being there when I parked. I wouldn't have parked there. My trepidation increased as I got closer to my car. The passenger side window on my car was completely shattered. My heart dropped. My entire life was in my car. I got in and thankfully the only thing missing was my gym bag. It was at that point I started bawling. From what I can tell what must have happened in a matter of seconds - smashing my window and grabbing the gym bag. So a smash and grab job. It wasn't like this was a deserted place, there were several cars and people all around. A woman came over to me as I was sobbing and gave me a hug and told me the same thing happened to her daughter the previous month. She advised me to call the police. I did and made my report. The funny part of the story was when the police operator asks how much the gym bag was worth. The bag was an old Enron bag so I made a quip about did he want the actual value or the eBay value. He laughed and I laughed. With it reported, the next step was getting my car fixed. Of course since it was Saturday not a lot of repair shops were open. Aside from the window being shattered, there was some slight damage to the window frame which meant the one glass place I found that was open couldn't fix it and the one body shop I found that was open couldn't fix it either. However, I did find a glass & body shop recommended by my insurance which I will be calling first thing Monday morning.
Honestly - was it really worth it? All you got was a pair of sneakers, workout clothes, shampoo, maybe 50 cents, a hair band and a few other sundry items.
I debated whether or not to post this as in the grand scheme of things, it is so insignificant. It is an annoyance, I do feel violated, but I'm safe, I still have my car and most of my possessions. My car is insured. I need to go buy a new pair of shoes and some toiletries and a new gym bag. I think about my former co-worker who just lost her 8 week-old son, my aunt & my cousins who are preparing to say goodbye to my uncle, and a broken car window is not that bad. I wrote this to get my feelings out and process what happened and I decided to post it as this blog has evolved from a place for me to write about my trips to more of a chronicle of the events in my life. It really wasn't that bad now that I have processed it and when I figure out the lesson I should learn from this, I will let you know!
Honestly - was it really worth it? All you got was a pair of sneakers, workout clothes, shampoo, maybe 50 cents, a hair band and a few other sundry items.
I debated whether or not to post this as in the grand scheme of things, it is so insignificant. It is an annoyance, I do feel violated, but I'm safe, I still have my car and most of my possessions. My car is insured. I need to go buy a new pair of shoes and some toiletries and a new gym bag. I think about my former co-worker who just lost her 8 week-old son, my aunt & my cousins who are preparing to say goodbye to my uncle, and a broken car window is not that bad. I wrote this to get my feelings out and process what happened and I decided to post it as this blog has evolved from a place for me to write about my trips to more of a chronicle of the events in my life. It really wasn't that bad now that I have processed it and when I figure out the lesson I should learn from this, I will let you know!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
White Christmas!!
Over the hills and through the woods to Aunt Patty's house we went for Christmas Eve. Charlotte (my cousin Gale's daughter) brought over her early Christmas gift, a Hannah Montana signed poster! My Aunt Patty told me I would have liked Hannah Montana had I been Charlotte's age. Sorry to ruin the illusion you have of me as a sophisticated adult Aunt Patty, but not only do I know who Hannah Montana is, I have a couple of her songs on my ipod. It was a fun evening, with a few more people than normal as my sister & Kris joined us.
My brother can be quite creative when he wants to be. Several years ago he began creating duct tape bows for presents. They have become quite elaborate over the years and this year were even multi-coloured! 
Christmas morning came early, but fortunately not as early in years past. We opened presents at the respectable hour of 7 am, mainly watching Chloe playing with her toys. I'm not sure when the tradition of going to the movies on Christmas day started for our family, but it has been going on for years now. This year's movie was The Great Debaters. As we left for the movie theater, it had started to rain, but there was a little snow mixed in! There was a huge crowd waiting for the elevator to the movie theater so we decided to take the stairs (yes I counted - 101, give or take a few). The lobby of the movie theater was jammed!! The line was snaking all the way around and back. My dad and my brother are not the most patient people so we decided to forgo the movie this year. As it turned out, Chloe's guardian angel convinced us to go home as the burner had been left inadvertently on. Who knows what would have happened had we not decided to come home early!! 
On our way home from the movies it started to snow - big, fat flakes - and started to stick just a bit to the ground. Seattle style White Christmas! The snow did not last long, but Chloe & I enjoyed it while it did.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Christmas is my favorite time of year. I've been having a problem this year getting into a more "Christmas-y" mood. I've been playing my Christmas music, enjoying the Christmas decorations and lights but I still haven't gotten excited it is Christmas. And here it is the weekend before Christmas.
Something I have wanted to do for awhile is buy the person's coffee in line behind me. So today, sitting in my car at the Starbuck's drive through I realize what better time to commit my random act of kindness than a couple of days before Christmas. I pull up to the window and tell the barista I will pay for the order behind me. That simple and small act has done more to put me in the Christmas spirit than anything else - it was a great feeling! And hopefully I made someone else's day, but really the joy I got from doing it was enough for me.
Something I have wanted to do for awhile is buy the person's coffee in line behind me. So today, sitting in my car at the Starbuck's drive through I realize what better time to commit my random act of kindness than a couple of days before Christmas. I pull up to the window and tell the barista I will pay for the order behind me. That simple and small act has done more to put me in the Christmas spirit than anything else - it was a great feeling! And hopefully I made someone else's day, but really the joy I got from doing it was enough for me.
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