A Week Ago Today

We watched two great friends get married in Hawaii. What a joyful day. Thanks for having us there N&D.

Aloha

Locks of Love

Finally! I did it - 10 inches to Locks of Love! What a great souvenir of Hawaii.

Morning

I've been thinking 'how can we move here?' a lot since landing.

Here

Aloha Hawaii! We've landed, found our way to our awesome condo, and snorkeled already. We have a watched a very orange sunset and enjoyed warm evening breeze. I could get used to this!

Aloha

Off to Hawaii!

Motivation

The girls at the Cabin

Earlier this year I talked about completing a sprint distance triathlon.  Moving and a lack of motivation and training derailed that a bit - but I still hosted a triathlon weekend in May at the Bass Lake cabin for a couple of my girlfriends for their first triathlon and ran the 5K sister race.  I was a bit disappointed that I didn't accomplish my goal, but, it was a good reality check.  

How does one go from a run or two a week to a triathlon in a couple of months?  Especially when one is totally freaked out by the idea of riding a bike anywhere with even the remote chance of sharing the route with a car?  Conclusion - triathlons, while I am amazed by my husband and friends that even dare to cross the starting line - are just not for me.  

So what is for me?  Sticking to a normal exercise schedule - instead of 3 months on 6 months off - would be a good start.  The 5K I ran that weekend was faster than my first ever 5K, and with only a couple of runs as training in the month before hand, I was actually kind of pleased.  I also loved seeing my two girlfriends transition from their swim to their bikes, waving and screaming like mad to motivate them on their out and back run, and toasting their first triathlon with Gatorade mimosas on the dock.  

Since then?  I've started slowly with more walking and some exercise classes.  In the past few weeks I've increased my frequency and am feeling stronger with more Dailey Method Classes, walking, hiking, and yoga.  Up next, adding in my running again and looking towards more 5 & 10K races as goals.  

Triathlons?  Still not for me.

Missing in Action

Home Sweet Home

We did move, and have been swept up in settling in and getting our bearings for the past few months.  Dusty is with us and we are learning the new balance of our lives.  We have been busy, working and schooling, and learning a new town.  We've had family visits, two with my mom, one with my grandmother and father, and several visits with Chris's family in SLO.  We've been planning an upcoming trip to Hawaii and have spent two wonderful weekends at the lake.  I suppose I have been on strike with this space while I've been adjusting.  I'll try to catch you up on the highlights with a few posts to come, but plan to post on some of my new favorite things, current reads, and treats as well.  Until then.

Knock on Wood

Dusty hopped in the car trunk a couple of years ago, I think he might like our news!

Well, we went to see the duplex.  It was lovely.  Two bedrooms, wood floors, great windows and light, a garage/work shop for Chris, a laundry room with extra storage, a separate dining room and living room, and the owners allow dogs.  The neighbors are a German tech couple - really friendly and nice.  The place ticked off all our wants, except no dishwasher, and the location and price were way too good to pass up.  Luckily the landlords are very picky and they liked us!  
So.... it's ours.  We'll be meeting to sign the lease next weekend and moving in over the next month.  Can't wait to have dusty come live with us finally - Mountain View here we come!

Hunting

Chris started the apt/house hunt again - I randomly got craigslist posts e-mailed to me by him earlier this week.  We talked and I agreed that we do need to move for Chris to have some work space for school projects and his new radio repair shop.  We have been off and on hunting for the past three years and each time I have obsessed over craigslist, gotten way too emotional, and then given up in disappointment.  Chris and I made a deal earlier this week, I requested that I be banned from craigslist and any other real-easate rental sites - but that I would happily go look at his finds.  It's worked pretty well this week, except for my stress out tonight over dinner - bless my patient, caring husband.  We have a dog friendly duplex to look at on Saturday - wish us luck (and me sanity).  

9 Years

9 years ago tonight I was getting ready to go to my roommates birthday party in SF.  I must have known something big would happen that night because I just couldn't choose between two outfits - I switched back and forth about 20x before deciding.  I walked into the restaurant, sat down at the opposite end of the table as Chris, and my life changed forever.  He is my sweetheart, my soul mate, my best friend.  I love you Chris!  

Cloudy

The clouds and rain made me want to head home and curl under the blankets, but luckily I brought my gym bag to work, changed at work and headed to the gym for a great spin class.  Triathlon training starts next Monday.  Happy Leap Day everyone!

Bliss

Sometimes bliss is coming home to a clean kitchen, running out to stock your fridge, then sitting down with your feet up to the sound of a running dishwasher.

You're Home?!

Got home from work and Chris was already home.  This almost never happens and it was so great to see him before the normal 7:30 - 10 pm arrival time.  We are waiting for dinner to bake in the oven and are about to start a streaming Netflix show (Love).  We are both totally whipped from yesterday so are likely going to bed early - can't wait.  

Oscar

The 84th Academy Awards

We met friends B&C for dinner and the Oscars on our way home last night.  It was so fun to watch the arrivals with all the dresses, the clips of the movies (none of which I've seen... eek), and compare opinions and place bets on winners.  Thanks B&C for a great night.

Lazy Saturday

Looking up at the palms

We made it to SLO safe and sound and slept in today.  Had a late breakfast then went out for coffee at our traditional SLO coffee house with Chris's dad.  Sitting outside on the patio with my coffee I looked up at the palm trees above me, felt the breeze, and listened to Chris and his dad talk electronics and had this amazing moment of absolute and pure bliss.  Life really is good.

SLO Bound

Headed south for the weekend.

Yum

Mmm... dinner

A long day deserves a good dinner.  We are still on the low carb lifestyle change (1+ year) so I made a lasagna with eggplant instead of pasta.  I used to hate eggplant until I learned how to prepare it. Simply peel, slice, salt the h**l out of it in a colander in the kitchen sink for 30 min, rinse, blot dry, then oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 min.  Then assemble your normal lasagna with the eggplant instead of noodles and bake.  A little labor intensive and messy - but delicious.  

Ugh! Dishes! (But so worth it)

Potential for Disaster

This cosy indigo sweatshirt was waiting on my doorstep when I got home.

There was potential for disaster today with little sleep, a late wake up, and the timer on the coffee pot failing to brew this morning - but somehow everything else went super once I got out the door. A boring work meeting was cancelled, I escaped to a fresh hot lunch with friends, snuck in some fruit and frozen yogurt for dessert, had some breakthroughs with my students, and had a package waiting on the doorstep when I got home.  Crisis averted.

Addiction

Yarn shopping spree... Yikes!  At least most of it was on sale.

Todays text message conversation with Chris:
me: 'Ok - um, so...'
me: [sent copy of picture above] 'I may have gone a bit crazy...'
Chris: 'The first step is acceptance...'[!]

Nice meeting you

3 more baby hats from the cabin weekend for our friends new addition, that black one on the left is my all-time favorite!

Came down from the mountains early to meet some friends from Portland for dinner.  Had a fantastic night catching up, eating glorious carne asada, and meeting their charming 4 month old baby girl.  Thanks M&M!

Scoping out the Course

Planning on my first triathlon

Walked the run section of our planned triathlon today.  It is beautiful!  Kept picturing myself here in June running the course and finishing my first triathlon.  Exciting.

Knitting

Two hats for family friends, one for a soon to be newborn girl, one for a soon to be big brother (1.5).

Spent the day sleeping in, watching Harry Potter movies, and knitting (both of us).  We learned to use a 'Knit Quick' loom and make hat brims and pompoms.

Chris's first and second hat.  Matchy, matchy for us.

Cabin Fever

Midnight fire lighting.

Spontaneous escape to the lake cabin.

Overachiever

Full day at work, ran errands, and hit up the 'Dailey Method' for a workout - feeling organized and accomplished!

Valentine's Day

A sweet Valentine from a couple of friends at work

Chris and I mark today as 7 1/2 years of marriage.  He is in Grad school classes all night tonight, but I still felt the love with some sweet small gestures from him and some of my friends.

Sentences

I came across an idea in a magazine of a journal which consisted of a daily entry of only one sentence every day - as a memory keeper.  I love the idea and want to give it a try here. Sometimes the thought of sitting down to write a whole entry just seems so overwhelming.  I always end up pressuring myself to complete the entry perfectly with good writing and photography and it just seems like it will take forever. A minimum one sentence entry every day, sometimes with a picture - sometimes not, seems like an approachable and doable feat.  

Here are some of the sentences that should have been posted on this blog in the past couple of months:

December 21, 2011: 

Got a call, Chris's dad has been diagnosed with prostate cancer - this is so scary!

December 22, 2011:

Skipping the annual Solstice party and heading south to San Luis Obispo so we can set eyes on Doug and see if he's okay.

December 23, 2011:

Arrived last night to see Doug and Debbie, give them great big hugs and get the status update. Cancer doesn't appear to have spread and surgery is pending next month or two - time to decorate the Christmas tree and pray.

Doug makes traditional breakfast sausage for Christmas Morning

December 24, 2011:
A boozy and tearful Christmas Eve but so thankful for our family.


December 25, 2011:
More stressful than usual but still good to see everyone.

Chris stares at me with amused tolerance as I work on my New Year's resolution -  more photography of people I love.

January 1, 2012:

Weird new years feelings today - feel worried and lucky all at once.

January 11, 2012:

Surgery today.

January 14, 2012:

Set eyes on Doug again, he is sore but healing well.  Spent the day steaming 30 year old wallpaper off his office walls - remolding is coping for some.

January 15, 2012:

Escape to craft store, friend encouraged me to get started on something new, Crotchet?

January 16, 2012:

Holiday spend crocheting a 'neck warmer' scarf, wrapped and dropped of at encouraging friends home before heading north. 

January 28, 2012:

Girls lunch of salad at Sprouts Cafe, mani / pedi birthday party for Ms. N - so relaxing!

January 30, 2012:

Doug got his latest test results, he is cancer free, phew!

February 8, 2012:

May be crazy but have decided to complete my first Triathlon in June - got to get to work!

February 9, 2012:

Bass Lake Sprint Triathlon June 2nd, 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run, here I come!

Happy New Year's!

Grandpa lights the candles for his granddaughter's 10th birthday

Chris and I headed up the hill last night to join some friends for a new year's / 10th birthday celebration.  We had a great time chatting with our friends, sipping champagne, and watching the array of fireworks over the bay and across town from our perch on the deck.  Thanks C&R for inviting us!  Happy 2012 everyone!