Seriously? Seriously!

Team "Seriously" (Deanna and I) completed the 3M Half-Marathon relay this last weekend with flying colors and minimal soreness! In preparation, we carb-loaded with pasta, bought matching singlets (vitally important for us gals), and compared the contents of our race packets (TONS of 3M products like those nifty wristlet tape dispensers, Post-Its, and various kinds of tape). After a 5 a.m. wakeup call, Deanna, Rafi, and I ate some bagels and were out the door.

Talk about some chilly weather! Deanna, being from Minnesota, seemed like a fish in water, whereas Rafi and I felt like we were going to lose our toes from frostbite. The start was a bit uneventful as the sound system was down, but still Deanna took off with her own theme song coming through her earphones and her special daisy socks on her feet. From there Rafi and I walked to the two mile marker to cheer her on. She looked great and smiled the whole time!

Afterwards, Rafi and I made the long trek back to the car and downtown to the relay exchange point. I was getting paranoid that I would miss it, so I ended up jogging some to the meeting place because we had to park so far away. This is probably not a recommended thing to do - you know, run before you run... But I made it with plenty of time for Deanna to slap the wristband on me and send me on my way.

My half of the run was somewhat uneventful though enjoyable. Several cool bands (surf rock, mariachi, carribean, and "guy with harmonica") were my entertainment. Aside from the slight 4 mile slump I usually get, my run was good, sun-shiny weather and all. The ending was even better as it meant I could stop! HA! As I ran through the chute I could hear Rafi and Deanna above everyone yelling out my name. Our team finished with 2:10:51, but accomodating for the extra time to get through the starting gate means our time was closer to 2:09 or so. And most impressive, we got medals! And yes, we did wear them. :)

Other stats according to Deanna:
Team average pace: 9:59/mile
Place - Relay "Open Female": 17 out of 25
Place - Relay Overall: 69 out of 98

By the way, if you are interested in the origin of our team name, watch Grey's Anatomy! :) Seriously!

3M Half-Marathon Relay

Go, Team, Go!! If you happen to be in Austin and are interested in cheering on my team "Seriously!" (consisting of Deanna and myself) on this Sunday, January 29th, check out this website: 3M Half-Marathon Relay. It would be great to see some familiar faces. We haven't exactly trained much for this one, so it'll be on more of a "let's finish" basis, but surely we won't be last, right? :) Deanna is getting us a headstart and I'm bringing it home. After this one's over, we'll make a decision about running the full upcoming Freescale Half-Marathon in February. (If you will recall, the Freescale Marathon is what I ran last year.)
So wish us luck!!

The air up there...

Today I saw my first Quidditch, er, I mean UT basketball game. Since we were exactly one row from the very top, one can understand how initially I thought I was headed to cheer on Harry Potter. At first I was full of "altitude" jokes - Quidditch matches are held this high, the Rudy's blimp is lower than we are, we're so high the players are in slow motion, etc. - but soon I was rooting the Longhorns on to victory against OSU along with everyone else. Go Horns! Half-time showcased a 5-time four-legged frisbee champion - a spectacular show! The Erwin Center was PACKED, and Rafi and I had a great time endulging in cheeseburgers, fries, and, my personal fave, cotton candy. The treadmill will definitely be calling my name. Thanks to my husband for showing me, the school-spiritless, some serious school spirit!

Happy birthday to me!

"The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left."

Folks, I think I've made it into that category. Gasp!! With that said, I had a darn good time on my birthday. My good friend and neighbor Deanna and I shopped for most of the day after enjoying a great lunch. Oh, can we girls shop! The Harold's Outlet here is the best, though DSW Shoes (super discounts on great shoe brands like Coach, Cole Haan, Vanelli, and my favorite Circa Joan & David) is my personal fave. Shoe stores make me happy!

Twelve of my good friends all celebrated with me at Doña Emilia's in downtown Austin to eat, drink, and be merry. Let's just say that my first mojito made me go "wheeee!!!" Post dinner (here comes the "knob to the left part") we went back to the house to play games instead of hitting the bars downtown. But in our defense there were booze available back home. So the rest of the evening was spent with Guitar Hero tournaments (some competitors... ahem, Tina.... were more competitive than others), Taboo, and LOTS of talking.

So how did I make out you ask? Well, I got a fabulous ESQ Swiss watch from Rafi, The Notebook on CD from Tina and Greg, fun balloons from Garrett, Cara, and Ed, and Deanna gave me Sephora Eye Dews. It was a great day! So far, 28 feels pretty okay.

2005 Recap

Okay, so as you may have noticed there's been some slacking going on regarding our website updates. I can give a lot of excuses, but frankly most of it is due to laziness. So for the sake of keeping YOU informed and ME informative, hehe, I have installed this (very informal) blog. Now for a quick recap of 2005.

Last year was pretty tough for my side of the family. We lost my dear, sweet, funny, friend-to-everyone granddad. It feels false to even write it now, almost 7 months after the fact. This has been the biggest reason for the loss of updates (aside from the afore mentioned laziness) as I couldn't seem to make my fingers type the words. It was and still is a devastating loss for all of us. I miss him so much every day, but I feel him around me constantly. He was the best human being I ever knew and is missed by all those whose lives he touched. I like to think he can now easily play every musical instrument he ever wanted. :)

I had a career change. I am a teacher! The world of software chewed me up and spit me out. Frankly, I'm glad to be gone, though I will always have my little projects. Anyhow, I've finished my schooling and my testing in December and now work for Round Rock ISD. I'm still amazed that I now come home after work actually smiling. :)

In July my mom came with Rafi and I to visit Panamá for the first time. It was close quarters all of us staying with Rafi's parents, but we managed just fine and had great experiences. Who would have thought that our parents would all do a zipline in the tropical forest canopy?! Well, we all did it and have the pictures to prove it! Mom had a good time sight seeing and enjoying piña coladas at a resort, although not such a good time discovering a food allergy. I would venture to guess, though, that she'd love to come back again. I know for a fact she loved the food!

December led Rafi and I back to Panamá. Strangely this trip we saw the beach for all of two hours, but we did have one major accomplishment - we climbed an active volcano! It was TOUGH and the high altitude didn't make it any easier, but the view was incredible.Volcán Barú is located in a small town in the interior close to the Costa Rica border. If you ever decide to do this, take plenty of water, Pascual lemon cookies, and bug spray. We didn't think about the latter and paid for it later. Oh, and expect to hardly move the next morning.

That about wraps up 2005. I'm sure I left all sorts of details out, but I'm ready to move on to 2006!

Archive: List of 5

Uncommon things I've eaten this month.

1. Alpaca.
2. Guinea pig.
3. Cow heart.
4. Dehydrated crab.
5. Huacatay.
   

Unforgettable books.

1. Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin.
2. 1984, by George Orwell.
3. Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl.
   
4. Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.
   
5. The Queen's Confession, by Victoria Holt.
   

Goals for 2010.

1. Spend less. Self explanatory.
2. Explore culinarily. Not sure if "culinarily" is a word, but I want to explore new types of food.
3. Practice moderation. I'm usually all or nothing, so I'd like to practice some moderation, especially where diet is concerned.
4. Make a plan. For our vacation home, that is.
5. Say no. A "stuckee" assumes a duty when no one else wanted to do it. I don't want to be a stuckee anymore.

Favorite Christmas memories.

1. Red typewriter. My brother dismantled it the very next day, but for a good 12 hours I typed my heart out rewriting Hansel and Gretel.
   
2. Trampoline. Jumping up and down in full-on winter gear with a box of Kleenex was thrilling.
3. Granddad. He always fell asleep after eating Christmas lunch. His belly was a great pillow for your own little snooze.
4. Potatoes. Bowls of mashed potatoes for dessert. Mmmm....
5. Conan the Barbarian. Not sure why we watched it one Christmas, but quickly our candy canes became swords.
   

Jobs I've held.

1. Janitor at JCPenney.
2. Accounting and finance grader at TSU.
3. Software lackey, I mean engineer.
4. Science teacher.
5. Mom - which despite the nonexistent salary has been the best one.

Things that never fail to cheer me up.

1. Mateo. That one was obvious.
2. Girlfriend dates.
3. Fancy restaurants.
4. Pedicures.
5. Organizing something.

Things I Need on a Deserted Island

1. My new iPhone.
2. Fresh water filter.
3. Nail file.
4. Sneakers.
5. Duct tape.

Things Always Found on my Desk

1. Water glass.
2. Camera.
3. Lists, lists, lists.
4. Random stack of papers.
5. Turtle ashtray.

Musicians from Childhood I Still Love

1. Def Leppard
2. Bonnie Tyler
3. James Taylor
4. The Turtles
5. Journey
   

Archive: 3 Favorite Things.

Inca Kola
Looks like Mountain Dew; tastes like Big Red.
Neck pillow
When you need to nap on a plane, this is the ticket.
Home
'Cause it's always good to come back home.


Carnations.
A friend gave me some for my birthday, and they last forever!
Elfa shelving.
We installed it in the laundry room. Oh glory day!
Grilled cheese sandwiches.
Swiss, colby jack, sharp cheddar, and garlic. Mmmm....


My new eyeglasses.
I can read for much longer now.
How To Build an A.
Santa brought this to Mateo, and he really really loves it.
A large humidifier.
A must have if you get heater-induced headaches like me.


Crochet supplies.
My new hobby!
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Nail Polish.
The wide tapered brush makes for few mistakes, and it dries in one minute!
Thomas and Friends.
Thomas the Tank Engine is like crack for little boys. He loves it, so I love it.


Trying new things.
Even if things don't turn out how you expect, it's still worth doing something new.
Standard time.
An extra hour of sleep? I'll take it! The question is will Mateo?
Candy corn.
It's a love-hate relationship.


AllRecipes.Com
A super great resource for trying something new or tweaking an old favorite.
Dinners with friends.
Especially when your spouse is out of town.
Wurdle.
An iPhone application that lets me play Boggle at any time and any place!


Target's $1 Bins
Where else could you find 72 neon-light bracelets for $6?
Spiral Notebooks
Long before the iPhone, spirals have been keeping our notes safe and sound.
iPhone
'Cause spiral notebooks don't fit in your pocket.


Weight Loss Hypnosis MP3
Not sure about the weight loss part, but it makes this light sleeper fall asleep in 5 minutes flat!
Virgil's Diet Root Beer
No artificial sweeteners, no preservatives, and no caffeine.
Watermelon
'Cause it's dribble-down-your-chin good.

Oakley Sunglasses
Toddler-proof detachable parts.
Real wood pencils
The sharper the better.
Sidewalk chalk
Keeps kids and parents entertained.