As I sit here and type tonight I can barely breathe through my nose and haven't tasted anything in 48 hours. Maybe I have my kiddos to thank or maybe it was just my time to get a spring time cold. Needless to say, much of my weekend was spent on the couch watching reruns of bad reality television. The sun did make an appearance and stuffed nose or not, I still had a training schedule to stick to. Yesterday I went for a walk and ended up wandering the downtown stores. How nice to combine exercise with one of my favorite past times. En route to downtown I stopped at the bank. I had to catch myself from staring at the customer in front of me. He (or she depending on how you look at it) was dressed in a short trench coat, a really bad wig, and knee high patent leather boots. He/She whipped out a large stack of bills and asked in a very feminine voice how to make the bills smaller. At this point I'm wondering if I'm in the presence of a transvestite hooker and it only got worse as I waited behind her(him?) and noticed that she(he?) was in a desperate need of a good leg shaving. Gross! The rest of my afternoon allowed me to bear witness to protests, a group of teenagers wearing Elmo birthday hats on the corner by Macy's and the filming of a movie. I don't think this movie is something that will hit theaters but there was a small crew and video cameras. For a moment I thought maybe I was bearing witness to the Japanese film that is being shot here which follows the story of the rise of Japanese immigrants and their subsequent fall out of Seattle. I then realized that my where abouts didn't really provide any good backdrop to history with the Lesbian bar on the corner and the homeless guy selling newspapers across the street. Instead I probably just saw students filming something for class. Again the thoughts in my head were creating much more entertaining stories than the reality of what I was seeing.
Despite my stuffiness I got my 3 mile run in today followed by more bad television. It seemed for every hour that I was up and functioning, I needed another hour on the couch. Thank goodness I wasn't scheduled for a long run this weekend as I probably would have keeled over somewhere. Hoping this cold leaves me quickly..............

Well the good news is that I'm able to sit here and type so I must have survived my 8 mile run today :-) It was a beautiful day here and I was in good company with many bikers and joggers this morning as I began my run. I chose a portion of a trail and I've seen signs for time and again but never really knew what it was. The beautiful thing about trails is that are mostly flat and something that I can handle. I started out along the water at Lake Union and wove around the outskirts of the University of Washington and then back behind a neighborhood I never knew existed but was quite pretty. With the sunshine and fresh air as my motivators (that and the little voice in my head that would not allow me to stop) I finished 8 miles in just under an hour and a half. I felt great afterwards and might just have learned what it means to get a "running high." Of course my toes hurt, I gained a blister, and there was some pain in one leg but other than that it was a triumphant experience! I must admit that this part of my weekly schedule came after my "easy walk" on Fridays as my trainer (Lauren) calls. Just to be funny I sometimes will send her "Dear Trainer" e-mails about something I did or failed to do. My e-mail to her on Friday went something like this...."Dear Trainer- Does it count as an easy walk if I'm wandering around Capitol Hill trying to find a bar with an open seat to enjoy a glass of wine and a few bites of dessert? Her response included the words "drop and give me twenty for the dessert." She's a tough one but keeps me on track!
We continued the nice weather day with brunch at a cafe that sits back in one of the neighborhoods. It's ranked as one of the top 10 brunch places and is known for its scones and cinnamon buns as well as its ambiance. It is a converted old Victorian home complete with the old fashion claw foot tub in the bathroom. We've found that with the good places you always have to wait; filling your mind (and stomachs) of the anticipation of what's to come. This place did not disappoint! I had probably the best raspberry scone I've ever tasted. A nice reward after my run. Our day continued with a walk through the Fremont market and sitting on the bank of the canal watching the boats go by.
I've been doing pretty good with trying new recipes throughout the week but I was defeated by a mango this past Thursday which left me a bit derailed off course. I was trying a recipe for Mango salsa and bought the mango on Sunday thinking that 4 days would be plenty of time to ripen. As I went to cut into the mango I wondered if there was a pit, or seeds, or something else hard that kept my knife from cutting through. The middle still remains a mystery to me as I never did get to the inside. The outside was soft enough to cut (and I use this term loosely as it was more like rip apart) the exterior. The recipe called for me to "dice" the mango. What does dice really mean? Dice or chop, to me they mean to cut without taking off your finger. I'm sure chefs everywhere would be insulted by my statement but at the end of the day there is the trusty food processor to refer to in your time of need.

Thank you Amanda for pointing out my 3 week absence. :-) After my trip out east and then settling in last week I completely forgot to update last night. Luckily I'm now back on track. I really enjoyed my Spring Break visiting with friends, getting my baby fix, and of course seeing so much of my family. Miss you guys! With the exception of the unexpected snowstorm I drove through (is Mother Nature trying to tell me something?) it was a wonderful trip. As I waited at Newark Airport for my return flight I sat looking out the window staring at the New York City skyline and felt nostalgic for Broadway musicals and roasted peanuts from the street vendor. I made friends with the girl sitting next to me who is from Washington and just spent her first time in NYC on a solo trip. I was eager to hear what she did and so she got out her map and took me through her week. I gave her credit for spending the whole week alone in New York. After my celebrity sighting in Chicago (Rick Fox from the Lakers) I was hoping to double my luck and spot someone in Newark. No such luck.
My week brought routine again (and some pretty bad jet lag on Monday). We had an unexpected weather surprise on Thursday- a hail storm like I have never seen! It just kept coming. The preschoolers were in awe and thought it was snow. It's neat to see young minds discovering things for the first time. Luckily the sun made a grand appearance this weekend. I got a nice run in along Green Lake Sunday morning before Joe and I wandered downtown. Of course the nice weather brings out the Seattle spring/summer fashion. There really is nothing like it.
Trying to get through the busy week and prepare for my 8 mile run on the weekend.....the longest so far. Hope I can make it

Joe and I got to have a "date day" on Saturday and we made the best of it with the beautiful sunshine. It's very rare for Joe to have a Saturday off so we decided to do something that we haven't done yet while living here. We went kayaking out on the lake. We boarded our kayaks down on the water near the University of Washington and had our choice of going north to Lake Union or east to Lake Washington. We chose east not knowing that all of the big boats on the water would be headed in the same direction. These kayaks took some getting used to as they were touring kayaks. I knew that they looked different as they were longer than the ones I'm used to. When I got in and had my foot pedals adjusted I thought I was good to go but as we got going I kept bumping into Joe and I didn't know why. He then instructed me to push on the pedals to change direction. And here I thought they were just foot rests! We headed in our intended direction and it was easy going for a while. That was until we hit the area that narrowed like a canal. Trying to make our way down the same path as the big boats proved to be challenging. The waves definitely proved to be an obstacle and left me feeling frustrated and wet. I should mention here that when I got dressed in the morning I was trying to put together something that was light weight but would keep me warm from the wind on the water. Why I thought a denim jacket fit the bill is beyond me. My sleeves were soaking wet and heavy with the first boat that went by. I learned my lesson in kayaking attire.
We continued our day with lunch near campus and then reading in the park. We did all we could to get our vitamin D.
Today brought rain and then sunshine and then rain again. Unfortunately I had to get in a 5 mile run in the very unpredictable day. I've been using a website where people have mapped their running routes and it has been helpful for me to get an idea of mileage. I was familiar with most of the area that I was going to run and knew that I would encounter a "few" hills. Well a "few" turned out to be an understatement. This was a route for the advanced runner which I am far from. My route went along Lake Washington and into a neighborhood with some really nice and very expensive houses. If it wasn't for my huffing and puffing maybe I could have enjoyed the scenery a bit. An hour and a half later I was left with aching legs and 2 battle scars in the form of blisters on the bottom and top of my feet. I've spent the rest of the afternoon moving in slow motion.

A Week of Firsts

This was a week of firsts for me in two ways......On Thursday night I went to my first "Living Room Concert Series." It was through a friend of a friend that I came to understand what this was. A few years ago a group here in Seattle decided to open up their living rooms to Singer/Songwriters. I guess it's gathered quite the following and I had the opportunity to listen to some truly talented musicians in the comfort of someone's living room. It was great to be so "up close and personal" with these musicians; hearing their stories and finding where the inspiration of each song came from. I again received an affirmation on why I develop crushes on guys and their guitars. (Insert eye roll from Joe here :-)
Saturday night brought a new first for both Joe and I. We went to our first "Female Impersonator" (aka Drag Show). There is this place called Julia's on Broadway and we have probably walked by it at least a dozen times and have always said how fun it would be to see their show. Last night we gathered with another couple to witness first hand the marvel of guys in drag. This show was a tribute to the diva's in the music industry. From Madonna to Beyonce to Britney Spears to Liza Minnelli, all of these artists were represented in true artistic form. From the makeup to the costumes to the backup dancers, we heard a medley of their music with the dancing and performances onstage. Joe was lucky enough to have an aisle seat and this allowed him to have Liza Minnelli to sit on his lap and another "woman" to stroke his chin and ruffle his hair. Needless to say we were left with a lot of laughs but also a lot of questions. These men looked truly feminine with nothing to show for their male physique. How do they do that? We were left asking ourselves this very questions as we left the show last night.
I like to try these new things. The drag show topic has always been accompanied by "Only in Seattle......" would we see men dressed as Whitney Houston looking better than half of the women walking down the street. Another piece of authenticity and another reason why we love this city.

Elvis In Seattle

We saw Elvis this weekend. Bet that sentence catches your attention. :-) I guess what I should have said is that we saw Elvis impersonators running down the street- followed by mimes, cowboys, and a group dressed up in capes. The nice weather on Saturday brought everyone out; and I mean everyone. Joe's friend Matt and his wife Brianna were visiting this weekend as they had a wedding to attend here in Seattle and stayed with us. Yesterday was so nice that we went out for a walk earlier in the day and found ourselves sitting outside a coffee shop enjoying the sunshine. That was when Elvis crossed our path. At first we just laughed as we have seen just about everything on Capitol Hill. It was when the mimes ran by afterwards that we figured out that there was a scavenger hunt going on and we helped out just a little bit as the groups were having difficulty finding a little cafe around the corner. I happen to love the crepes there and were happy to point them in the right direction.
I also completed my first week of training. Thanks to Lauren, the schedule was very doable. After Tuesdays' run I definitely felt it in my legs. By Friday I was ready for my "easy walk" (as described on my schedule). I was down in Tacoma for the day attending a workshop on Stuttering and knew that I might not make it back in time for daylight. I improvised by walking around the mall in heels for 45 minutes. That's gotta count for something right? I think my trainer mentioned that I get extra point for the heels. :-) And I happened to pick up a cute skirt on my walk so I consider that multi-tasking at its best. :-)

Sitting here on the eve of March first wondering where the last 2 months have gone? I think that time moves faster the older that we get. When we're younger it's always about looking ahead to being old enough to do the next thing whether it be riding your bike with friends in the neighborhood, driving out of town for the first time, and going away to college. My 18 year old self was always looking ahead to the next thing that I had placed on my "list of things to do before I'm 30." I never made a hard copy of this but was always cognisent of what I had planned next. I've been able to check a number of things off, have added new things along the way, and did things that my 18 year old self had never thought of. My type A personality and my incessant need for plans, lists, and post-it notes have gotten me far (along with a VERY supportive family system) and in many ways I feel content with my accomplishments thus far as I look ahead to the magic number of 30. (Yes I know I still have to hit #29, but really at this point it may as well be 30 as that is all I can think about). I do wish that my 18 year old self (yes there is a part of her that I still carry with me) could be accepting of not doing EVERYTHING on her list by the time she is 30. That might give the almost 29 year old version of myself a better piece of mind. I'm finding that my thoughts and feelings float from those of my 18 year old self, through my twenties, up until present time and wonder how the decade has gone by. I find myself nostalgic for the college years and the time in my 20's where I was still trying to figure life out-post student. The 18 year old me thought that she would feel adult and grown-up with all the answers by the time she was 30. The 28 year old me would like to tell miss 18 year old how naieve she is. As I spend the next 2 months hitting the breaks on time and turning 29 and then spending the next year in denial that yes I will turn that magic number 30, I hope to work on acceptance of the here and now and the understanding that lists should be made in pencil with opportunities to erase and spaces to add on to. I've added something to one of my empty spaces- I'm going to be running my first half marathon at the end of June. Yes I know that I am not the runner in the family, and although I do enjoy physical activity, running is not my strong suit. Thanks to my wonderful sister, she not only gave me the idea to run but also created a personal training schedule for me. Starting tomorrow for 17 weeks I will be working on bettering the almost 29 year old version of myself physically and mentally and hopefully giving myself piece of mind for the final year before reaching that magic number.