Summer Travels & Updates

Well the summer is half way over. Here are some updates and lots of travel pics.

I haven't really been running. Maybe once or twice a month since end of March. I'm working on turning that back around this month. Wish me luck!

Since our Santa Barbara trip, Andy and I:

Ran like horses in the Santa Anita Derby Day 5k on April 5th.




I went horseback riding with my sisters through Griffith Park on a horse named "Mouse" ("Tsst, tsst...Let's go, Mouse, let's go!...WHOA, MOUSE!") April 23rd. (Unfortunately, no pictures.)






Andy & I visited his brother Jeff in Monterey before he ran the Big Sur Marathon. Apparently, I have no photos of the four of us (Andy, me, Jeff and his girl Jane) but please enjoy this very cute photo of Jeff & Jane in Monterey (or Big Sur...one cannot be too sure). April 26th.










I went to an off-site for work in San Diego. April 27th. I took the train back to LA for only $29! That is something Andy & I need to do. Birds can also be found in San Diego.




My good friend Robyn came to visit and we drove up to Santa Ynez and Solvang for some wine tasting. May 24th. Andy very sweetly drove so Robyn and I could get our fill of wine. Lion's Peak was my favorite. And, even though it would be possible, I'm not just saying this because it's named after my favorite animal. Promise. If it helps - Fess Parker was my second favorite. (That probably doesn't help...considering the "Fess" bit, eh? WELL, I know it won't help if I tell you third on my list is Longoria...because you'll just say "that's because Evan Longoria is the #1 hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays" Well, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it - that these are very good wines regardless of the label. Geesh, such a doubter.)














June 14th we went to Hanover, New Hampshire for Andy's college reunion. Beautiful campus. Made me want to get back to the East Coast. There's so much grit and history in the East.












The very next weekend we took a quick trip to Seattle, WA for Andy's friend's wedding. June 21st. At first I didn't understand where all the grunge came from...but then we strolled around downtown for long enough, you start to see the influence. I'm still not quite sure how it happened - such a gorgeous, mostly rural State. Teenage angst? rebellion, I suppose? I should look that up on Wikipedia. Maybe someone knows the root of Grunge. Kayaking before the rehearsal dinner was recommended.








Finally, over the July 4th weekend, two major events happen. I actually visit my dear friend Kellie, whom I've known sine 2nd grade, at her house in Nevada. AND Andy & I visit Las Vegas for the first time EVER.















July 25th finds us in San Francisco or rather Berkeley for a Stone Temple Pilots concert. Our friend, Nat, decided we should go in style so we all piled in a Limo. Too bad I don't have pictures, since I was afraid to loose my camera at the concert. Here's a picture of the weekend in Cupertino after the STP concert. We didn't sleep much.









As soon as we got back to LA, we went to the Hollywood Bowl to see Gnarls Barkley on July 27th. Another FIRST - Andy and I had never been to the Bowl before. I now see what all the fuss is about. We'll be back.











Then it's back to Vegas with our friends Julie and Noah. This time we stayed on the strip at the MGM Grand and played quite a bit of slots. Next time we go to Vegas we will practice our cards first so we're not so intimidated by the tables. ;)















Finally, to round out the summer, we took a trip to Massachusetts and I spent the weekend with Andy's family at their long time vacation spot in Gurnet Point (near Duxbury Beach). His Mom owns a little house there with no running water, no electricity, no phone and only a sun shower where you bathe in your swimsuit. It was the most beautiful vacation I have taken in a long time. It motivated me to get up and take a walk in the mornings before work. It motivated me to appreciate my surroundings once again - like the gorgeous mountain view from my apartment. I'm learning to take just a little longer with these moments. They don't last forever and they sure do energize me as well as calm me. I guess you could say those moments tend to set me straight. I think I'm becoming more of a morning person because of that trip. Andy stayed a bit longer. I envy him.









I learned a lot from my travels*. Major take aways are (1) exercise before you travel - run, swim, hike...whatever you do. Burn off some energy so you are more prepared to deal with the unexpected (like delayed planes and lecturing stewardesses) and (2) make the most of it - sleep only when you need it, eat well and don't blink. When I take my own advice, I am rewarded twice - once on vacation and then again when I return home. I view my daily life with new eyes and am allowed a fresh start in my routine.

Summer is winding down and we don't have any more travel plans at the moment - except our drive across country. But that's a couple months and a whole season off. Hopefully I'll write again before then. No promises, though. My hands may be too busy packing and drafting resume after resume. ;)

*this could also read "I learned a lot from Andy."

Santa Barbara treats

Andy & I went to Santa Barbara this past weekend to celebrate our three year anniversary. It was a quick, last minute trip and it was absolutely gorgeous!

What we did:
Amongst other things, we ate delicious meals, did our fair share of wine tasting and took a walk on the beach.

What we learned:
Wine tasting and rock tasting do not produce the same satisfying result.



Here is where we stayed:



We also bought Farylrobin shoes; ate at Freebirds; bought a hoodie with bird designs all over; and received Ravenwood wine from a close friend. Needless to say,this anniversary was a soaring success! (cheap pun intended)

Runnin' Runnin' and Runnin' Runnin' ...

and then she stopped.


I ran my first race ever on March 2, 2008. Coogan's 5k in New York. HOORAY!!!!
And then I didn't run for two weeks. Boo. Sadness.

Yes, I said New York. I know, strange that my first ever race would be on the other side of the country in 30 degree weather (21 with wind chill), rather than in Sunny California where I live.

I think this actually may have been to my advantage. Cold air makes you run faster. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to run 3 straight miles outdoors, with hills (this was in Washington Heights) and freezing temperatures. I thought, "I haven't trained properly. I'll have to stop and stretch half way through." I thought I would give up on the hills. I thought (this was my biggest fear) that I wouldn't be able to breathe properly with all the cold air hitting my wind pipes.

End result? I ran my best time ever. Only slowed once going uphill and quickly realized that was a stupid move as I started to cramp up and almost immediately got back on pace. The weather didn't even bother me all that much. My hands and face were a little cold in the beginning, but that was it. After the first mile, I was warm and toasty. (Well, basically.)

Worst part of Coogan's 5k? I learned that my Nike+ sensor was totally off. I had never calibrated it. So, Nike told me I ran an 8'50"/mile pace. New York Road Runner's, however, told me it was a 9'45"/mile pace. Still, not too bad for my first race ever. Sadly, It will be a loooong time before I ever beat my "best mile" with Nike+, if ever.

I think vacation plus mis-calibrated Nike+ sensor led to lack of gym excursions for two weeks.

I finally got back to the gym this weekend. Calibrated my sensor. And now I know just how slow I am. Heehee.

This is the course:
http://www.nyrr.org/races/2008/pdf/coogans_map.pdf

Hint, Hint

Expressionery.com

AddicTiON!

I admit it. I'm totally addicted to

1. Popcorn (but you knew that)
2. Lions (up there with popcorn)
   
3. Nikeplus.com (you've guessed that if you talk to me on any kind of regular basis)
   
4. Crazy japanese stationery
   
5. Beautiful unique stationery
6. Fun and festive stationery
7. Lion stationery (if I could ever find some!)
   
8. Tactile stationery
9. Handmade stationery (okay, i admit i would normally just say "Handmade cards", but you sense the theme, don't you?)
10. Stickers to decorate stationery
    
11. Did I mention stationery?

Seriously, I think I may have a teeny problem. Even though I went to the store with the express purpose of buying new jeans, I didn't come out with jeans and I also didn't come out with the cash I had.

I did find a good pair of jeans, but they were pretty expensive and I wasn't ready to make the commitment. (You know - running, eating healthy...makes you trim up and then my jeans wouldn't fit the same in a couple of months.) They were around $100, and the most I've spent on jeans to date has been $60.

Instead, I browsed every stationery store that there was in the mall and spent about as much as I would on the difference between normal jeans and expensive jeans. But instead of jeans, I now own a lot more stickers and stationery.

And to think I scold my brother for buying things for himself right before his birthday. Well, friends and family, if you are looking for gifts to get me for my birthday and currently tsking your tongue at me.. NEVER FEAR...as you can see (a) I can't get enough stationery and (b) I didn't buy those lovely jeans that I so wanted. (wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean, know what I mean)


---Update---
Well, well, well. Who knew the immense powers of blogging? THANK YOU, Family, for my awesome new jeans!! I LOVE them! They look great and feel soooo comfy! I'm so excited!!! I'm doing a little dance.

Great in 2008!

This is shaping up to be a pretty good year so far...

First, I actually completed my resolution last year! Which was something to celebrate when the clock struck midnight. Then I took it further and added to it this year!! Last year I minimized my intake of mixed beverages (hard alcohol) to 2 mixed drinks per Quarter. This year I've limited myself to 4 beers and 2 mixed drinks max per Quarter, with unlimited wine. yum! (Next year is going to be tough if I decide to continue this little trend.)

Second, my brother and his girlfriend gave me the Nike+iPod system for Christmas. At first I was intimidated at the idea of having to workout in order to use this very thoughtful gift. I hadn't worked out in at least 6 months. I was terrified. But also dying to get back in shape since I no longer walk everywhere like I did in New York. Well, turns out this was exactly what I needed to get back on track. I started running (jogging) on January 6th and have kept pretty steady ever since. I'm totally psyched about working out now. I even throw a Yoga workout in there every so often. The Nikeplus website allows you to set a 2008 resolution and then set monthly goals to attain your resolution. My resolution is "If I don't run 3 times or 6 miles a week in 2008, I will give up popcorn." (Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep this running thing up.)

And of course, when you workout, you start eating a bit better. I've started making dinners at home again. I mean actual, balanced meals. Not just quesadillas from the quesadilla-maker (super delicious, don't get me wrong). I've even started taking leftovers into work the next day for lunch. So much better than the slim pickin's from our cafeteria where I usually order an Egg Salad sandwich or Quesadilla because the salad bar makes me sick. That's also a $$ saver!

Lastly, my sister reminded me that I have a blog. And you know what - I'm going to try to start writing again.

And THAT is a pretty darn good start to being "Great in 2008!"

2/9/08 - Oh yeah, and towards the end of 2007, I started cutting back on my coffee intake. I now drink only half caffeinated and half decaf coffee and am down to about one cup a day of the half-half mix. If I have two cups, I make the second one decaf. Fun!