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NYC!!!!

Image by Alaskan Dude via Flickr

i, unfortunately, have a husband that doesn't like to travel.  this wouldn't really be an issue, other than his job requires him to do so.  while it's not a lot, any travel is a LOT of travel if you are someone who doesn't like doing it. 

he got word the other day that he has to go to NYC for a training thing there.  just for the day, basically.  he was bummed.  so was i, for him. 

then, i happened to have the most ingenious husbnad ever...and he suggested i go with.  not only is he taking me to one of my favorite places ever, even if it is only for 24 hours, but he is getting a travel companion (maybe that's a good thing), and he's letting me see one person that i may not get to see years otherwise...juni. 

juni is my bloggy/inperson friend, that i met from years back...good god, it's almost been 6 or 7 years now. i trust her implicitly...i don't know if this is because of the method that i met her (online) or just that she's one cool chick with a good head on her shoulders.  i like to think that we'd be friends regardless of where we lived and i think we would....really.  anyway....i texted last night and gave her the date that i'd be there....and voila.  we're going to try to make this a thing! 

cannot wait. 

i love me a deal....

i was reading a blog of another hapa, Kelly, and read of her magical land of saving money.  now you KNOW, i love a deal.  So, i signed up for this thing called swagbucks that she had recommended on her page.  i thought it may work, it may not, but she's a deal seeker, just the same as me....and it is EASY folks, i mean, really easy, to "save" money.  o.k., i guess it's more along the lines of "getting things for free, rather than saving", but you get my drift.  If you go to the site, decide that it's something you'd like to try, here's a referral code from my page:  http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/ckane

the hunter....

Image by StrudelMonkey via Flickr

we have a friend that is male and single.  he is actively looking for someone and for lack of a better reason, he just hasn't found the right person yet.  he is on dating sites and has not been at all bashful, like many people, about going out on dates.  he comes up with creative ideas for his dates, is up to date on current events, etc. 

the other day, he was explaining to t that he may have finally "figured things out" with women.  he said that it was something his mom had said a while ago, and he should have listened.  he then said this....

"women like to be hunted"

there may have been a "dude" or something of that nature thrown into the mix...but you get the gist. 

i wanted to get some opinion on this.  because i guess i don't reckon a time when i felt like being "hunted". 

girls?  do you like being "hunted" by men, if you are single?  and if you aren't single, do you miss being "hunted" by men? 

little ditty....

my mom and i were at lunch the other day having a conversation about someone, whose life just had turned out so poorly, it made us both really want to cry for that person.  it was absolutely the choices that this person had made and the way that they were raised that are the cause of this.  this person tries to act happy with what is going around them, however, there is just no human way possible to be happy in that mess....

then we were both getting up to leave and i said, "do you know anyone who life really turned out the way that they thought it would?" 

we sat back down... apparently, i had just unlocked pandora's box in my mom's head. 

i personally don't know a single soul on earth whose life has turned out exactly the way they pictured it when they were young, when they were 16, or heck, even maybe what they pictured life to be 5 years ago.  and i guess it depends on what situation you are in, that determines whether or not that is a good thing.  the woman that is being beaten by her boyfriend most certainly didn't see herself there.  and by a simliar token, many people find themselves married, who never thought they would be. 

there is not a single sector in my life that i could have seen playing out the way that it did....and all for the good. 

what about you?  Did you see yourself where you are? 

i call her "killer"

Image via Wikipedia

so, my personal trainer....i think she is good.

she has me working out quite consistently. two times a week with her, so that means no slacking off at all because I'm paying for it. then the rest of the time, she gave a laxidaisical "oh, just work out for 60 minutes each day".

o.keeeeeee then....so, i have not had a week when i've worked out 60 minutes a day, EVERY DAY. i mean, come on...but the closest i had was last week. i had worked out Monday through Thursday and come thursday, i didn't know if i could take it. i got my mind involved and ready to go, but my body...well, my body just wouldn't do it.   she had a hard session set for  us and i did tell her in the beginning how tired i was.  and instead of letting up a bit...she dug in.  she had me doing the hardest exercises i've done.  my face was purple (it usually is when i work out, but that's a different story), remniscent of veruca salt.  finally, i just stopped...said i was done doing those and just like that, she said, "i think we've been overtraining you". 

we went and got on the elliptical machines and honest to god, that was a struggle.  I took all weekend off.  i'm glad i did, because now i'm ready again.  i did a 65 minute workout last night and have enough to go again tonight. 

i'm still trying to get used to the nutritional piece.  i'll admit, i'm a bit resistant to it, but figure, i'm paying for it, i might as well do it.  it's not big changes at all...i'm not the person that goes through a bag of potato chips in one sitting, but it's change, nonetheless.

she ADDED calories to my diet.  yes, added.  apparently, on most days, i was intaking about 1,100 calories.  she calculated that days that i was working out, i was burning upwards of 2,400 a day.  so, i'm adding breakfast and snacks to the day.  this feels weird...but i'll say, the first week, i lost 7 pounds. obviously a testament to the fact that what i had been doing was, oh so wrong...but it's still weird.

where to go and what to do???

Image by Travelin' Librarian via Flickr

i'm trying to organize myself and my things that we have to do this year. it's a weird year in terms of our marathons and such.

We usually do about 4 skating marathons a year. in the past year, however, this has changed. the one that we do in st. paul was reduced to a half-marathon, that has both skating and running. we decided it just wasn't worth it to travel all the way out there for that. we usually do Austin too, but it's not shaping up to be a very promising thought, as most of our team is not going. unfortunately, we bought tickets to Austin already...but we'll see.

Right now, the only definite trip is to Duluth. That is in september. other than that, the world is WIDE open. My mom and I have some tickets to go to San Fran with that we need to use by the end of the summer this year. I'm going to AZ for 4 days in March. I need to have a trip to TX, probably in April or May to see a new baby best friend and my old school buddies.

we started thinking, what about doing the chicagoland marathon? 1. I've not been to chicago. 2. we've never done this marathon and, as i found out today, it's the 2nd largest inline marathon in the country. 3. it's someplace NEW and maybe just maybe would be able to meet up with some blogger friends as well.

hmmmm, this year could fill up quite fast!

what the repercussions were....

Image via Wikipedia

my ma-in-law was in this weekend.  we really do get along well....and not to mention, i really like her a lot.  we differ on many things, actually on most things, but i can respect her.

 

she is a guru when it comes to all things corporate and business.   she asked me the strangest question and it wouldn't have been so strange, but it had never occurred to me.

we were talking about me quitting school.  something, i'm sure, that she wouldn't have done.  she asked me what the repercussions were for quitting the program.   but for the life of me, i couldn't think of any.  i guess those are the decisions that you know were right. 

i would love to detail the things that went on this weekend, but it was a blur of eating and snow. 

way back when

dad pulled these pictures out from i have no idea where.  they were taken of my grandparents, in japan, for a rotary convention, the year i was born.  i just love them. 

grandma on left, grandpa (duh) on right

fantastic giveaway!

just a little FYI about me, I love me some good jewelry.  i come by it naturally, as my mom is a fiend...in the nicest way possible.  i worked at Nordstrom in the jewelry department and loved every second of it, except for my boss that felt the need to mow everyone out of the way when she was "comin' through". 

that being said, usually, i'm all for glitz and glam, but i found this company a few years ago when t and i were at whole foods.  it's called tarma, and they do very simple jewelry, that is simply great.  it's very nature centered with lot of charms for running, nature, yoga, etc.  check them out.  But, while you're at it, go check out this great giveaway at ilaxSTUDIO for a piece of Tarma jewelry. 

before and after

this is the project my mom and i embarked on at a local pottery painting store.  we had no clue what we were doing, however, the results were fantastic, i thought. 

BEFORE

AFTER!!!!!

basically, all we did was cut glass and lay it out in patterns.  the store people fired it, in our desired shapes and voila!!! 

well, and there is this....

this was my nice birthday present from t, that he picked out and we picked up, last night.  don't look at my dry skin....but the ring...i love it!!!

when there aren't words

now, THAT is a funny title.  it sounds like some beginning to a Hallmark card for lovers.  and so NOT what this is going to be about.

i just can't put a finger on what i'm feeling.  i've gone over it in my head, "are you depressed?  NO.  are you sad?  NO.  are you confused?  NO.  o.k, maybe i'm confused."

it has to do with a couple things.  first, the incident with the trainer.  it was funny, yes, it was actually hilarious.  but in the meantime, it started solidifying an idea in my head, that had been floating around for some time.  secondly, another incident happened, that compounded that idea. 

when i was with bonehead, we i owned a jeep.  i sold it to a couple that came over and we found out we had so much in common with.  they were SO fun and awesome.  we stayed friends, even throughout the breakup.  i just kept quiet about all that had gone on with us, letting them find out bits and pieces on their own, until they got the full-force idea of who bonehead really was.  we went to dinner a while ago, maybe a year or so.  since that time, i've emailed like crazy to them.  my phone blew up in november, so i sent out repeated emails stating that it had done so, and please send me their phone number.  facebook, email, nothing.  i got a call from her the other day.  i about fell over and was so excited.  i wasn't able to call right then, and then....i got another call from her, that same day!  i talked to her on the phone and instead of talking about what had been going on, it became apparent that she was on a mission.  you see, the call wasn't a call to catch up, it was a "favor" call.  and on top of that, after the favor was asked, it was even more apparent that all she wanted to do was to get off the phone.  writing that last line makes me feel a tightness in my throat.  anyway, we got off the phone and from that point on, each day, i've been getting a call from her, asking if i have an answer to my favor. 

i get this way every once in a while, i think.  i think of it as my, "i'm losing faith in all humanity when all i want is to have it." phase.  I realize how dangerous this phase is, especially when all i've wanted to do is counsel kids. it's that phase in between "you can do anything you want!!" and "you're screwed!". 

i want to have friends that want to be my friend.  i want to have people in my life that i can say, without a doubt, "they are there for me through anything".  i want to have people that i could talk to every day, if i wanted.  i think i've lost many friends through the natural progression of kid-land.  this is when your friends have kids and you don't and it's not that you don't have anything in common anymore, but mostly that well, they are busy doing what they should be doing....taking care of their kid. 

these times are when i cling tightly to blog-world too.  for some reason, it feels safer than the world that is around me right now, and i think that is ultimately what i'm wanting.  the safety that there are people in my life that are a given.  they will always be there and want to be there and the shocker of it all, is that that is just not reality and for some reason, in a span of a week, it's just being shown in 3D to me.

i will say that my friend who had her cute little bundle of joy last week has thoroughly been a great exception.  she has updated me along the way and has kept me in the loop of it all through thick and thin....i think this is why we've been friends for so long and will likely continue to, even though she is in kid-land now.....

all this to say, i'm feeling a little disenchanted by things right now. 

wow, that was hell

Image via Wikipedia

we went to the beer and chocolate pairing.  i walked into it, without t, because he was on the phone for the time being, and walked into, what i thought, was a meat market.  wasn't i at my gym?  i looked around me and what i saw, was remniscent of my single days, prowling around denver with lots of people, looking for love.  hmmm, this isn't what i was thinking i was going to.

so, i walked up to my trainer, who was talking to someone, and she said hi, then proceeded to literally turn her back on me and keep talking to the person. 

well, I thought, maybe they were in something deep.  t walked in and looked around with the funniest expression on his face and stated, "well, THIS isn't us".  i started laughing so hard. 

we then proceeded to stand there, really just soaking it all in, not doing anything, for the next hour.  there was a girl that was making eyes at t...and by making eyes, that is an understatement.  she had large bulgy eyes and when she was flirting, apparently thougt that the best way to do this, was to make them look like they were popping out of her head. 

we watched drunkish people checking each other out, stood by more than a couple people that had insanely bad BO, then made our way back around to my trainer.  she finally started talking to us....after about 4 minutes or so, her friend came up, and quite literally stopped our conversation with a "HI EVERYONE, i have made some new friends that you need to meet".  she pushed us, out of the "circle of friends" and then it was the two of us again.  it was really quite ridiculous. 

we decided to leave and when we did, t walked out. i went up to the trainer to say bye and to ask a question.  it took me, literally grabbing her arm three times and physically turning her around to say good-bye.  then she did something that is so totally girl, i almost laughed. 

for some reason, as girls, in certain situations, we play with people's hair.  i don't know what it is....but in most cases, it's when we are feeling badly about something.  like, we did something wrong and don't really have the words to say about it.   well, that is what she did.  started playing with my hair and then as an afterthought, as if it would make the last 2 hours of our night not a waste, she said, "you look really pretty". 

so really, what happened in a summary, was we got invited to go to this thing with my trainer, i think, because she didn't have anyone to go with.   she found some people she knew there that she obviously rather would have talked to, and therefore we were cast aside. 

we left there, thanking god for each other.  not really that we were with each other, so much, but more thankful that we were who we were and we happened to fit together really well.  i obviously realize how important it is to find someone that is great for you and that you match up with.  but really, i don't think i realized HOW important it was until that night.  i would much rather be single and good in my own skin, than to be with someone that wasn't my best friend. 

V-DAY!!!

Image by Esparta via Flickr

Apparently, i have very awesome bloggy friends when it comes to things like Valentine's Day...because for the most part, when i've read posts from people about it, people seem pretty chilled out about it.  for the most part, i've heard nothing about having expectations about the day or about what you are going to receive in honor of a made up holiday. 

i like this...maybe there is a group of bloggers that read their posts and all they hear about is what each other are getting for valentine's day and how much their significant other can show up the rest of them....but i'll say this, i'm glad I'm not a part of that group.

i'm not a big fan of the day.  it's not that i MIND presents and such on the day, but really, it just seems like a day that makes people feel like crap, whether they are single or with someone.  when you are single,  you are positive that if you were with someone, that person would be buying you 645 dozen roses...when in reality, that wouldn't happen anyway.  if you are with someone, valentine's day is, in my opinion, just a way to make your significant other feel inadequate for not doing something, or even enough. 

that being said, it's just not my thing. 

so, when we woke up this morning, we were watching the news and they had some people on there that were reading their valentine's day notes to their others.  it was all cheesy stuff, you know, the typical, "my husband is so great, he is the perfect father and does everything 140% right all the time".  t says, "mine would be, 'happy valentine's day, i'm on call the whole damn weekend, driving around morons the whole time and dealing with jackass people'. 

we both agreed that it was good his didn't get on the air. 

the training

Image by E. A. Sanabria via Flickr

my personal trainer/nutritionist is great.  I really like her, think she is already doing great things with me.  what i like most about her, is the fact that she is introducing me to moderation...and because of that, we are going to a beer and chocolate tasting tonight.  HA HA!!!!

no, just kidding, i think she just wanted to go, just because, but t and I are joining her there for it.  really, not for any reason...i don't think either one of us are into beer and chocolate and i guarantee you i'm not into them together.....but what the heck

these are interesting times

what a week...it's been busy at work, i've been dealing with someone who is very persistant, and on top of it, seems to have memory problems.  so, he forgets that he has been persistant, and then 10 minutes later,  calls and is persistant again.  that's all i'll say about it, other than, it's annoying.  i've threatened my dad with the thought of me buying this person a one-way ticket to where my dad is and letting him deal with this person.

secondly, one of my closest friends from college had a baby.  there are some beautiful pictures that i have, but of course, won't post them due to her privacy...but HOLY COW, she is a cute baby.  i'm so happy for these two parents.  this wasn't necessarily an expected timing for the pregnancy, but they both really stepped up and did amazingly well at taking things in stride and really, made it look easy. 

i was so happy for them, loved hearing my friend's voice, still groggy sounding from the c-section.  i got teary when i heard that when the hospital staff told her to bring something homey to the hospital to make her feel better, she chose to bring the blanket i crocheted her.  then, i lost it when i saw the picture of the baby wrapped in the blanket.  i remember when i started on the blanket (adult sized), t asked if any one could really appreciate all of the work that goes into that...i told him that this friend would....i was sure of it. 

this also struck a chord with me this week, and i found myself really feeling "inward", if that makes any sense.  i didn't know what it was...and then it hit me.  this was the last of my long-time friends (more than 15 years), that didn't have a baby, that now does.  do i think that this means that i want a kid now?  no.  but it really is a lonely feeling in some ways. 

we don't know what we are going to do about kids.   i think, more times than not, that it is something that i want...but just not in the situation that we are in now.  t is busy with work, it doesn't look like that is going to slow down, and really, it would be a matter of me being a single parent, in all reality.  i look back and think of what i thought when i was single and not planning on being married again....i think that i seriously thought in my head that i would adopt at some point and be a single parent.  who knows how feasible that was, but i'm all about options.  i hate it when options are cut out of my life....it's not necessarily that i would chose a certain decision...but i like for the opportunity to be there.  the other issue is that i'm somewhat Type A.  i like lists, piles, organizing my life.  i should know by now that things don't turn out the way that you usually think they will, especially with your life.  but as anyone that knows me knows....i do not like unknowns. 

maybe in the next few years there will be a hypo allergenic cat that comes out....i'm kidding...i don't want to get hate mail about how i compared a child to a cat.  really...i was kidding. 

unsolicited product review

Don't you just hate bad underarm skin?  o.k., yeah, me either.  who the heck cares what kind of underarm skin they have?  I certainly hadn't noticed mine before.  i always thought those Dove commercials were kind of weird when they talked about you getting better underarm skin if you use their deoderant. 

about a year ago, i went coupon crazy...i bought lots of items that i planned on not using for many, many years....but when i needed them, i would have them.  for instance, i have about 20 deoderants, 20 toothpastes, and 40 bottles of shampoo and conditioner.  i happened to grab the Dove Deoderant when i was out last time, and therefore have been using it for the past couple months. 

i'll be dammed if my armpit skin isn't changed though.  i'm not kidding.  so much so, that i wish i had done a before and after picture.  i ALMOST don't want to switch to one of the other 19 brands that i have stockpiled in my stash. It's that good.

week 3 of the food challenge

we are still on target...for the most part.  we had discussed, that whatever we did, we wouldn't let this food spending challenge infringe on our social lives, which we haven't.  after an unfortunate incident with the ham that was mentioned before in a previous post (don't ask...just take my word for it, dont' eat 2 year old ham...ever, ever, ever) we were more determined than ever to continue.  we had a night out on Friday with Glenn here that t paid for dinner that night.  we had a $3.00 stint at Qdoba with a buy one get one free burrito on Sunday and then went shopping again last night.

we pretty much bought all we needed for the week.  t made a double batch of chili and we bought some of the products at WalMart, yes, WalMart is our new friend.  everything there was $21.00, and we bought stuff for superbowl eating too.  it was quite the moment.  Then we bought another $18.00 at the other store where we got the meat.  we have enough for the rest of the week, PLUS we have plenty of soup that we can make as well. 

AMAZING

pink things, coffee, and football

that is the summary of the weekend.  we had one hell of a weekend, let me tell you.  it wasn't wild and crazy, but just hectic. 

Friday night, t picked up a skate caster, named Glenn at the airport.  we happen to think that he is the best on the planet.  he was coming because some fellow speed weasels were needing skates and Glenn seemed eager to come for a certain amount of people.  we had the magic number and lo and behold, Glenn showed up.  meanwhile at the same time, t's dad was in town for a couple days as well.  we all went out to dinner, then came back, where a short track, ice skater came to our house and got a casting done at around 9pm. 

Image via Wikipedia

the next day was early, with no other request from people at our house...other than coffee.  this is when we realized...we don't even have a coffee pot in our house.  i did some thinking and realized, i have a coffee mug that has a built in french press.  went to whole foods, spent as much as we do in a week on food, for some coffee, fruit and pasteries, and had a grand old time. 

we had team member after team member funnel through the house and at some point, i don't know when...it was decided that my foot would look great in some pink custom bont skates.  just kidding.  it was just decided that i have an awesome husband that wants me to be comfortable and do the best i can with skating.  he got me PINK bont skates.  i know you want some.  here is me through part of the casting process. 

after Glenn left, we did some random things, went skeet shooting, went to dinner again, with t's dad.  the next day, we had some down time, t made chili, watched some football....what a great weekend!!!!!  how was yours?

carter

this is going to be a doozy, or maybe a short one with a lot of links, but most likely a doozy.  this wonderful baby is Carter.  he is the creation of my friends from college, sean and chelle, whom i care for and love very dearly, to this day. 

they had carter and from the beginning had trials and tribulations.  i cannot begin to do those any justice, so read here.  Carter was born with severe problems and they, as the wonderful parents they are, gave everything to make it better.  they have moved from Dallas to Boston to Dallas again.  Carter had a 5, yes 5 organ transplant.  this kid is a fighter and that, i mean, in the most literal sense possible. 

in the midst of this, sean lost his job in the economic downturn.  they moved back to Dallas and literally, their lives have been a constant blur of hospital visits and news that would turn anyone else into a mess. 

i don't know what i can do for them, but i just want to do something.  i'd love to do a "skate for carter" at one of the marathons...but i know they need help now.  on their home page, one of their friends is running the Boston Marathon for Carter and other kids at the Boston hospital. 

i just thought i'd share this with you.  this is an amazing couple with an amazing kid, and just the most adversity i've seen.  i'm trying to get some ideas together....maybe something for the upcoming Texas Road Rash Marathon....i don't know. 

but just to let you know what is on my mind a lot of the time. 

nancy drew and the mystery of the humping dogs

so, some posts back, i wrote to see if anyone knew about this bumper sticker that was of humping dogs. 

it really was a source of debate in my family.  but when i posted it on here, i was sure that would get an answer.  you guys really disappointed me....BUT it was all for a good reason!  YOU HAVE CLASS!!!!

i found the sticker today and took a picture and posted it on facebook.  here it is: 

see, two dogs humping.  what i found out it was, within seconds of my posting, was a sticker for a "head shop" in the town that i work in. 

what lies ahead....

on the eating note, we had a ham last night that someone had given us two years ago for christmas.  just FYI, it was still good.  i was a bit skeptical, but Harry and David did a wonderful job preserving it for us.  dinner last night was mashed potates for t and rice for me, along with the ham. 

Image via Wikipedia

lest it seems like i have a slight addiction and you are wondering if i can go a day without eating rice, yes, i probably can.  but i'm so much happier when i don't have to.  it must be a comfort food thing.  i had it for every dinner growing up.  we rarely had potatoes or other starches at my house, you know, the japanese thing and all. 

tonight is day two of my personal trainer.  i have, since i saw her on wednesday of last week, done cardio four times and then the crossfit class as well. due to that last piece of information, i'm also not "walking normally" today.  i know, i know, walking normally is overrated, but i like to do it and i'm just not able to today. 

crossfit really rocked my world.  i think, in a good way.  but i have tried everything to get the burning in my inner and rear thighs to go away, to no avail.  it makes me nuts, because i want to give this training thing everything i have, i mean, i am paying for it.  but tonight....it may be a challenge.