Skinny

I really don’t feel like going to work today.  I’m tired.  And I think I want another day off just so I can continue working on scrapbook stuff, which is all over the living room now.  I don’t understand my need to look at every option and touch everything I have before I can start creating a page.  

The good news is that I found some photos to work on so that I didn’t have to go to Target to order prints.  Tucked back in a closet I found a box of goodies.  Photos of D.C., my Disney half marathon, Moxon’s arrival, and a Disneyworld trip...all of which are on my lifelong To Scrapbook list.

So with a spark of motivation that it’s possible to knock projects of my listen and just maybe, be one of those responsible adults who is organized and exactly up to to date with everything that needs done, I started working away on Washington D.C. pictures from September 2006.

Let me say this, I found motivation to keep running while flipping through those pictures.  I was skinny!!  SKINNY!  For some odd reason, I made double prints so I now have a picture of SKINNY me by my computer to remind me to keep doing what I’m doing.

Most of the pictures are of buildings.  I can definitely tell by subject matter that the trip was in my pre-scrapbooking days.  Now I know better - people photos make for great scrapbooks!!  I have dozens upon dozens of photos of monuments and museums.

I think my strategy will be to go from old event to newer event to keep myself motivated.  I have a mighty big task ahead of me.  At least I’ll have some time on my hands!

I have been browsing scrapbook room ideas on Scrapbook.com and Flickr.  Someday I’ll have a room dedicated as an office, photography studio, and craft room.  First observation...people have a lot of junk.  While I know this first hand, I am no where near as bad as most people!!  Second observation...I like brighter colors, like white shelving and desks and bright lighting.  The cave, cove, or dungeon effect doesn’t make me want to be creative.  I need to see what I’m doing!

Anywho, I need to go start picking up my mess and packing for a quick scrap day with the girls on Sunday!  

Sweet Sunday

I can tell the students are back in town.  My weeks fly right by and it’s all I can do to escape each one with only a handful of things to follow-up on the next week.  It’s a nice change of pace.  I’ve struggled with 365 lately - missed a few more days.  Blah.  I usually just go straight to bed when I get home.  At least it makes the weekends come around a lot faster. 

The first day of my weekend has been a lazy one.  After sleeping in and playing on the computer for a while, Brink and I knocked out a 1.8 miles of running.  Then a clipped some coupons and got my stuff in order to head to town.  With the head’s up from my Heidi, I scored a great deal on Ocean Spray drink pouches at Albertson’s.  While there I also found a unbelievable deal on Luna bars.  2 for $1 is unheard of...I think I may go back for more!!

I’m working on some Homestyle parmesan mac and cheese for dinner.  Brink and I are flying solo for the next week.  Everything is official and Brent is off to start his career with Big Red!!  He’s doing a week of new hire training in Casper all this week.  It’s great to see Brent excited about something work related!!  The crew on the homefront wish him the best.  We’ll miss him while he’s gone!

I have lots to keep myself entertained while I’m home alone.  I’m so behind in scrapbooking that I’ve completely lost track of where I left off and what lies ahead.  While Brent is gone, the living room is going to be turned into a scrapbooking room.

And speaking of scrapbooking, that’s what I’m off to do.  It’s time to sort through stuff and see just how badly I’ve fallen behind! 

Tuesday Tidbits

•   According to iWeb, this is my 10th Tuesday Tidbits.  I’m not sure if there’s anything significant about that but there ya go.  

•   Yesterday I did some deep cleaning.  Scrubbed the entryway, including baseboards and drywall.  Shoe scuffs are a pain in the arse to get off the wall!  But it’s beautiful for the moment.  I also shampooed the carpet which is always a hefty task.  The carpet looks good, not beautiful.  It’s well warn and some spots are past the help of a carpet cleaner.  

•   I am so very close to being done painting the shed up at my Mom and Dad’s house.  I have a few touch-ups to do next time I’m there and it’s done!  It went from gray with white trim to tan with green trim so that it matches the house better.  Hopefully whomever buys the place down the road will appreciate my hard work!!

•   Jujitsu was fun tonight!  I get to work with different people now that I’m a yellow belt.  I like all of the people that I have class with but it’s nice to mix it up and work with people who are easier to throw around!!

•   Fall is coming.  The mornings are starting to feel more and more like fall.  I’ve seen a few leaves taking on a bit more of a yellow look.  I started scoping out the Martha Stewart website for Halloween decor...and Moxon projects.  I’m looking forward to decorating for my favorite time of year.  I can’t wait to have a house!!  Oh, the things I will do!

Kruger Rock

Brent and I decided to head up to Hermit Park Open Space just outside of Estes Park for our weekly adventure.  It’s a county open space so we had to pay the $6 daily pass to get in.  Again, damn you, national parks!  The county is friendly to dogs and allows them in the parks as long as they’re leashed!

Hermit Park is beautiful! It was originally ranch land that was purchased by Hewlett Packard in the 1960s.  It was used as an employee retreat, complete with a large pavilion, cabins, and tent/rv campgrounds.  The county purchased the park in 2008.  

Brent actually visited the park back in the Hewlett Packard days when his dad worked there.  He went there every summer.  And every summer he ate like a dozen ice cream sandwiches from the Robinson Dairy vendor booth.  This doesn’t surprise me.  I’d say Brent’s love for marshmallows and ice cream match or surpass his love for me.

There are only two trailheads in Hermit Park - Kruger Rock Trail and the Homestead Meadows Connector Trail.  We decided on the Kruger Rock Trail, which was 2 miles one-way.  The park brochure lists the trail as moderate to difficult.  In comparison to Horsetooth Rock and Greyrock, I’d say the trail is easy to moderate.

It took us about two hours round trip.  We started off the hike with dark clouds looming overhead and thunder rumbling all around us.  About half way up there is  an overlook to Estes which is pretty cool.  Knowing the view from the top would also include a view of Longs Peak we kept on trekking.  The trail followed the ridge line for a majority of the trail, which was surrounded by lots of big boulders with neat shapes.  It was definitely mountain lion country!

The rain started about the 1.5 mark.  It never came down hard enough to really make us wet.  The rumbling skies had hesitant to continue but it looked like the skies cleared to the west so we gave it a shot hoping the cloud above would continue to move past us.  We lucked out!!  By the time we reached the top, the thunder stopped and we were able to do the final scramble up the rocks to very top!

We had to go up in turns because Brinkley certainly couldn’t scramble up.  The view from the top was awesome!  We could see Hermit Park, Estes Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park.  Longs Peak looked pretty awesome!!  Maybe someday I’ll get try climbing it but I’ll put a lot more miles on my hiking boots before I make a decision.  

The whole trip to Hermit Park was a lot of fun.  We scoped out camping spots and cabins.  We’re thinking we’ll rent a cabin later this year and try out the Homestead Meadows Trail which goes into the national forest.  It has twelve miles of trails that go from one old homestead site to another!!  I’m looking forward to it!

Ummm, Thursday Tidbits

•   For lunch on Tuesday I ate a bowl of grapes, a salad the size of my head, and a baked sweet potato.  It was delicious.  I think it fueled me properly for my marathon of Wii frisbee golf that I played all of Tuesday afternoon.  I’m beginning to think I should try disc golf in real life.

•   I had a few errands to run in Old Town on Tuesday.  Well, I only had one really.  I dropped off my HOA payment.  Every time I do this, I walk across the street to Wagz to get Mr. Miles some doggie treats.  I also browsed through the Perennial Gardener.  I loved most everything in the store but the prices were outrageously high.  That made me sad.

•   Nine boxes of crayons are peeled and ready for the next Moxon Monday.  I made it through two boxes before Brent showed me up by slicing down the side of each crayon with his pocket knife.  He tracked down an exacto knife for me and we made much quicker time (still hours) in unwrapping crayons.  The things we’ll do for my nephew.

•   I have no desire to run today (Thursday).  I ran 2.5 miles yesterday and 1.5 on Tuesday.  I was thinking I would do 1.5 today...that was until I woke up.  Maybe I just need a swig or two of coffee to give me the energy/focus.  Or maybe I need another hour of sleep.  Hmmm.

•   Mrs. Butterworth (yes, the syrup) posted a thing on Facebook about missing troll dolls.  I do miss troll dolls.  Moxon and his obsession with his “guys” would probably like a troll doll come back.  He tried to sweet talk me out of my hunter troll with orange hair the last time he was here.  Auntie Worm wouldn’t budge.  I’m not sure I would want the trolls to come back.  Nothing is ever as cool as it was when I was a kid so they shouldn’t screw with trolls!

•  The morning run didn’t happen.  I rode my recumbent bike for a change.  I did 8 miles and then attempted some abs work.  Abs work kills me.  I’ve never ever been one for anything beyond the typical crunches so we shall see if it gets any easier with time.

•   I’m already daydreaming about my upcoming weekend.  What to do, what to do?  I think I want to go hiking, but where to go?  Personal gripe ... I think it’s absolute rubbish that dogs are not allowed in the national parks.  I understand it’s that way because a few stupid owners can’t follow leash and waste rules and ruin it for everyone else.  It sucks for those that actually are responsible dog owners.  Humph!  

•   Brent’s parents brought home a box of canned items from Ohio when they went out there a few weeks ago.  In addition to the green beans and apple sauce, there were two jars of Amish made apple butter.  I have no idea how I managed to survive the first 30 years of my life without apple butter. SOOOOO good!!  Amazingly good!  I envision yellow leaves, orange pumpkins, and the perfectly chilled fall day each time I take a bite.  I’m not joking.  I may spend all of my Ohio money on apple butter.  It’s even low in calories and sugar.  Say what?!  I may become rich on the apple butter diet.  Stay tuned.

Sweet Weekend

This has been one exhausting week for me.  I managed jujitsu, three runs, and work days that ran me ragged.  The crashes were stellar this week.  I had injury crashes that required diagrams (yes, plural) and walked into one hell of quagmire on a parking complaint.  Some people shouldn’t be neighbors, it’s as simple as that.  I don’t do well with immature and petty adults.

I’m relieved my weekend has finally arrived.  I have no plans for the weekend beyond sleeping in.  I could list a dozen things that need done around here but I don’t really want to think about the To Do list right now.

Mr. Miles has spent his week recovering from the hike and trying to keep up with me on my runs.  We had three decent runs this week.  I credit the cooler mornings - hallelujah.  My legs are pain free.  My shoulder and left arm is a whole separate issue.  Wednesday and Thursday I felt like I was carrying around a log, I couldn’t use it without a shooting pain deep in my upper arm and shoulder.  The pain has slowly eased up.  It’s not gone but I can at least function without wanting to break out in tears like a little girl who had her popsicle knocked out of her hands. 

We’re still in waiting-mode as to if Brent’s headed to Alaska.  An offer has been made but the i’s are not dotted and the t’s not crossed just yet.  A vacation four weeks away doesn’t help the issue.  Four weeks!!  FOUR - seriously might pee myself I’m so excited.  I love traveling.  Bring on the new sights, new sounds, new adventure!!

Brent’s cooking up a scrumptious Saturday morning brunch.  It’s been a lazy day so far.  We shall see what all gets accomplished.  Probably not much.  I’m thinking a nap may be in order!

Tuesday Tidbits

•   My streak has ended.  I didn’t take a photo of any kind yesterday.  I simply forgot.  Which is just plain crazy considering my day included Moxon.  I realized it almost as soon as I woke up this morning.  And I can’t reverse time!  I will carry on though.  And hope that it’s my only missed day.  

•   I’m getting more excited for fall to arrive.  I’m ready for new shows of Castle and NCIS.  And I’m ready long sleeve and hoodie weather.  Mother Nature, if you’re listening, there is a fine line between hoodie weather and Winter.  Don’t jump the gun on the whole Winter thing, okay??

•   Big changes are coming to the homefront for Me, Brinkley, and Milo.  We’re all waiting to hear final word on if Brent has a new job, which will take him to the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska.  Two weeks in Deadhorse, two weeks home.  Cautious and nervous optimism would best describe the air around here.  More to come on this!

•   I polished up my work boots today.  I don’t do this as often as I should.  It’s a big pain in the arse and it never lasts as long as it should.  Supposedly, if I do it more often, it lasts longer.  I just need an airport nearby so I can walk through and get my boots shined every once in a while.  This makes me think of Johnny Cash and “Get Rhythm.”  Actually, I won’t lie, I think of Joaquin Phoenix.  I have no rhythm when it comes to shining shoes.

•   I finally tracked down my mini-car cake pan.  I’ve searched multiple stores for it, but leave it to the devil store, Walmart to have it.  I found it on Walmart.com so I’ll check the local Walmart stores before I go ordering it.  Why?  I have a crayon car project for Mr. Moxon the next time he hangs out with Auntie Worm.  It’s been delayed by the pan search.  And Moxon informed me yesterday that he’s been waiting along time to make crayon cars.  I told him about the project at the beginning of summer.  The kid has a memory like a steel trap!!

•   I’m not quite ready for my work week.  I’m going to do my best to start it off right with a morning run with Brink.  I think we’ll do a two mile run down the bike path and back.  Brink has slept for two days straight and I’m hydrating so hopefully it will be a great run!

For Heidi, who requested a mean looking photo.  I guess I need to work on looking mean.

Redemption

Before I begin, let me recap.  Back in January, Brent, Brinkley, and I went for a hike on Greyrock trail.  We hiked with me trailing Brink and Brent with much huffing and puffing.  My legs burned and stung so badly that I hated almost every minute of the hike.  I failed miserably and we turned around at maybe the 1.5 mile mark.

I cursed myself on the way down that mountain and told myself never again.  Since then I’ve been eating better and have moved from walking a mile to running three miles!  We’ve hiked Horsetooth Rock and Horsetooth Falls.  And I managed to go from a white belt to a yellow belt in jujitsu.

Last week I told Brent I wanted to trying hiking Greyrock again.  I wanted to redeem myself and prove that while the scale hasn’t moved much lately, I have become fitter and healthier than I was on that cold and dreary winter day. 

So, with slightly smaller pants, new hiking boots, and a large dose of determination we hit the trail on Sunday morning.  I was surprised the amount of pep in my step.  We trudged up the trail and passed the point of where we turned around in January.  We were on a steady incline and my legs were not burning or fatigued at all.  It was freakishly awesome!!  I kept telling myself this was too good to be true.  

Brent was struggling more than I was, which has NEVER happened.  He’s usually like a mountain goat and just climbs and climbs.  On Sunday, I was the mountain goat.  It was a great feeling.  The only thing that slowed me down was the really rocky parts towards the top of the hike, which required more contemplation and higher stepping.

We reached the bottom of the summit trail and I was a little taken aback by the size of the mountain we had left to climb.  The actual Greyrock still awaited us.  This is where is got really rocky and we had to take our time getting up ourselves and helping Brinkley up over some of the rocks.  Brink worked his tail off!! He carried water in his pack and had to jump from rock to rock.

Near the top of the huge rock we reached a meadow.  And more rocks to scale.  And then we reached the water!  Yes, water!  At the very top there is a nice sized spring.  It makes the long, rocky hike worth it!  It was very pretty up at that top.  A nice breeze helped to cool us off.  We took off our boots and peeled off our socks to dip our feet in the water, which was pretty darn cold!!  

Brinkley enjoyed a nice plunge in the water to cool off and some gulps of water.  We ate some snacks and let the breeze dry our feet off.  

Once we got our boots back on we scaled up the rocks a little higher.  We went as high as we could go with Mr. Miles.  We did it!! I DID IT!  We made it to the top of the mountain which had haunted me since January.  My legs still felt fresh and I was only slightly tired.  It was a complete turn around from my previous experience and I’m very proud of myself!!  And Brent and Brink for sticking with me!

It took another two hours or so for us to get back down to the car.  We were getting low on water and had to use it sparingly.  I was motivated by the thought of an ice cold root beer as a reward for my work.  Every so often I would say “ice cold root beer, ice cold root beer.”  I was eventually told to stop saying it.  Every time I would say it, Brent would think of ice cold root beer and not the rocky trail in front of him and he would trip or stumble.

We did get some ice cold root beer once we reached civilization again!  And it was delicious!!!  We also indulged in some of our favorite pizza (Justine’s Pizza) for dinner.  It was one large greasy, cheesy, and meaty pizza.  Scrumptious ... and well deserved!

Now I just have to decide where I want to hike next!!  

Running

Yesterday Brinkley and I ran 3.22 miles.  This was a mighty big accomplishment for the two of us.  Not only was it the farthest we have ever run, but that’s a tenth of mile farther than a 5k.  So we can run a 5k, even if it is at our turtle pace!!

Lately we’ve been running down the bike trail past the pond and the golf course.  There’s a conveniently located shelter on the golf course right around mile one that has ice cold water for golfers...and runners and their dogs who are smart enough to jump off the trail!!  It’s quite handy.  Paper cups are provided so Brink has a mini bowl.  We slurp up a quick drink and head on our way!

Running is definitely getting easier but I have to continue to remind myself to go slow and steady as to not injure myself.  As much as I wanted to go running this morning, my calves were screaming at me from the longer run yesterday.  So, I listened to them.  Brink and I took a nice headphone free stroll through the neighbor.  I’m hoping that was enough to get the lactic acid moving and not enough to make things more sore!

I’ve got ideas to keep me running.  I think I may take on the Colorado Run 5k on Labor Day.  The Colorado Run was the first ever 5k I ran back in 2005.  I’m not out to make any improvement.  My goal would be just to finish.  And Mr. Miles is joining me.

My friend Bryn and I are taking on a Race for the Cure 5k in the beginning of October!!  Again, just looking to finish!!  It should be a blast!!

I’m debating whether or not to sign up for a The Colorado Marathon - half marathon in May.  I’ve had my eye on this race for years.  It starts in the Poudre Canyon and ends in Old Town.  The best part is that it’s local and they allow five hours to finish, meaning I could make it a run/walk if I had to.  It’s far enough away that I could slowly build up to it - much slower than I built up to my Disney half marathon.  Entry fee is $75.  We shall see - I’m still tossing the idea around.  Thoughts?  Anyone want to join me?

I think a May half marathon would be great motivation through the winter.  And it will help me prepare for my Disney World 2013 Full Marathon, which is going to rock!  Bryn said she would run/walk it with me!!  And Heidi and Jason may do the half marathon!!  And we’re going to do the fundraising route for NF.  More on this later, but if you can’t wait, check it out here. 

Ok, enough rambling about running, I’m off to get ready for work.

Long-winded

It’s Tuesday yet again.  How much can I get done today in order to make my weekend feel productive?

Sunday we took our motorcycles out for a spin and hit up the library and Jax.  I picked up a few books and Brent picked out a new backpack for our upcoming vacation.  We’re getting excited and working out all of the details!  

Our hotel in Chicago is booked - Monaco Chicago.  It will be a very quick stay but we’re hoping to see the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower), John Hancock Center, Navy Pier, and hopefully take a boat ride and do a Segway tour.

In Ohio we’re going to Cedar Point, Lehman’s, and Tree Frog Canopy Tours!!  Covered bridges, lighthouses, orchards, and Amish country will also be scattered throughout the trip.  It should be lots of fun!  And it’s only five and half weeks away!

I enjoyed some Moxon entertainment yesterday.  Monty wanted to go fishing so I got Moxon!!  We hit up the pool before the clouds rolled in.  Then zombie like from the fun in the pool, Moxon watched Ben Ten, Tom & Jerry, and Looney Tunes.  Moxon also found entertainment in a box of canned goods.  He emptied out all of the packing peanuts.  And then of course had to line up the jars.  And separate the whole peanuts from the broken peanuts.  He’s a kid of order.  Everything has to be lined up and sorted!!  Cheap entertainment, even if messy.  By the time Monty picked him up my place looked the inside of a snow globe!

I was quite domestic for dinner last night.  I used the Sante Fe Philadelphia Cooking Creme and sort of made up my own recipe based on what I had on hand.  It turned out delicious.  I posted the recipe in the recipe section (imagine that).  

I also made a delicious chocolate bundt cake with peppermint chocolate chips!  I surprised myself by how yummy it was!  As much as I could have eaten the whole entire thing I only had one piece!  It was so moist that it didn’t even need frosting!! 

Upon cleaning my video cabinet this afternoon I’ve come to the realization that it’s about time I start converting some of my older VHS tapes to DVD, selectively.  My TV DVD collection is bigger than anything else.  Lots of TV shows on DVD.  It will be great some day when I don’t have cable!

This just in... I earned my yellow belt tonight in jujitsu!!!! WOOHOO!! It was hard earned.  And imagine that - I do have more confidence then when I started this whole charade!  Awesomeness!  I got my certificate tonight.  The belt will come next week - as will a picture!!

I was rewarded by a lower number on the scale before my evening shower!  Hallelujah.  This lazy day turned out to be a great one!  I’m off to watch some The West Wing and enjoy some yummy leftovers!!