The Wonder Years

taking a break

2009-09-14T07:12:00.001-06:00

not much to say for a while. Getting my life in order. Sending good energy out to the world including certain people who may or may not be still reading this blog.
Peace

Les Fleurs Sont Magnifique!!!!

2009-08-23T20:48:00.000-06:00

Beautiful flowers from Kevin!

sore legs

2009-08-23T12:58:00.002-06:00

Bike 90 mins - check
run 6 miles - well, 5, and I certainly didnt run all that.... - check
paint most of my office - check
Epsom salt bath coming up - check!

looking forward to my taper week....

monday - off and massage!
tues- bike 25mins
wed - run 2-4 miles
thurs - swim 400
fri - bike 30
sat - off
sunday - RACE!

Tough training this week

2009-08-22T15:51:00.002-06:00

whew. almost done. I've been trying to complete the workouts in their entirety but I have shortened a few of them. Yesterday I had 45min bike and 3mile run to do - which turned into 45min bike(yah!) and .8 mile run. not so yeah, but really, the 10K on wednesday did me in, and all my training experience told me that 3miles the next day was not in any way going to help me if I was sore from the day before. So i did a 1/3, and got in the run after the bike which was really the purpose of the workout anyway.
Today I did swim and bike - but only 1650 yards (race distance) instead of 1760 (1 mile). I was feeling tired and my arms felt like tree limbs. Then I rode my bike and the first 15miles were pretty tough. I was supposed to do "race pace" but instead I kept it at a good tempo cause I wanted to finish the mileage and not blow up.
Anyway, tomorrow will be tough. 90 min bike and 10K run. hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

This weeks workouts...

2009-08-20T11:44:00.000-06:00

Tues: swim 1800 yds
Wed: bike 50mins, run 2miles
Thurs: run 6.2 miles
Fri: bike 45mins, run 3 miles
Sat: swim 1 mile, bike 35miles
Sun: bike 90mins, run 6.2miles
monday - OFF :))))

Rattlesnake Sprint Triathlon Race Report

2009-08-16T21:55:00.004-06:00

**Warning: this post contains frightening images***

Today I completed the Rattlesnake Sprint Triathlon in Aurora , Colorado (southeast Denver ).

Distances: swim 500Meters; Bike: 12 miles, Run: 5K

I was using this race as a practice race for my Olympic race in 2 weeks. The main thing I got out of it was that I need to keep on training… :(

Overall the race was ok, but I expected to be faster and not as tired as I was.

(editing note: somehow I've made this blog double spaced.... crap!)

(Note: yesterday on my “rest” day, I spent most of it on my feet literally – doing chores, standing in the AT&T store for 1.5 hrs, standing at the Melissa Etheridge concert for 45mins, running around town picking up my wetsuit, etc. My quads were literally aching at bedtime last night! This is not a good example of how to spend a rest day).

Weather: forecast was for the 70’s. Which is about 20 degrees cooler than normal for Aurora in August (They don’t call it Saudi Aurora for nothing)

Rise and Shine!!

I got up at 3:30AM. That is just horrible! However, even more horrible was that I had set my alarm for 3:50am but I slept so badly that I finally decided to stop lying there and get up early. Had a bit of cereal and OJ and lots of water. Had a quick hot shower to warm up my muscles, grabbed my bag and bike and was out the door by 4:20AM. Its still amazing to me that there are other people out at that hour.

Driving…

I made record time to the race site at 1 hour and 15 mins - :)

The moon was brilliant in its quarter state and I could see plenty of stars, while I played Madonna REALLY LOUDLY. (ummm, did I mention it was early?)

Transition area/car parking

This race allowed us to park in the parking lot that the race was being held in and I managed to score a parking space about 50 feet from the bike exit! Amazing! I could literally go back and forth to my car as much as I wanted before the race. This is unheard of. Usually you are a fair distance away and have to walk/ride to the transition area. I especially appreciated it this morning as I sat in the car for a while to keep warm while I was waiting ( I got there pretty early – arriving at the transition area at 6am)

(the words human sausage come to mind)

Special Note about the Port O Potties: I have seen the next generation of the potty and I love it! They look like normal potties from the outside (that lovely boxy green shape) but inside, you are not confronted with the view of excrement! Its now like a bathroom you would have in a camper. It looks like a closed toilet, and you do your business, but then there is a foot pedal/button on the floor that you step on, and it drops the bottom part of the toilet down and pumps blue fluid in to wash the business out. Awesome! They certainly smelled better too (potties at a race are a special treat).

pre-race calm

Swim

Time Trial Start! This was a first for me and I loved it. Takes away the whole mass start madness, and it’s a very pleasant entrance into the water. And we didn’t even have to be in exact order of our numbers. They just recorded your number and punched into the computer and your start time and off you went. Awesome! The resevoir was relatively warm at 68 degrees. I was wearing my full length wetsuit so I could practice swimming with it, getting it on and off, etc. The distance was only 550 yards, but it was a fairly tough swim (even with the time trial start). The sun was rising along the sight lines for the buoys, so it was hard to see on the outbound, and the wind was making some waves in our faces as well. Several times I found myself stuck behind a blockade of slow swimmers – too much effort to go around and cant pass otherwise. Argghhhhhh. I also found myself breathing harder than normal for that kind of distance – the wetsuit was definitely a factor – tight and also changing my position in the water was probably messing up my regular breathing.

Wetsuit Strippers! Before you get any bad ideas, let me explain – these are volunteers who strip wetsuits off racers. I have actually done that job at a triathlon and its lots of fun.

I decided to give it a try on the other end this time –and its awesome! You have get it down past your hips first and then plunk down on the ground and they rip it off your legs. I had the added benefit of being dragged up to my feet again by the 2 fine gentlemen doing this. When you are breathing hard from the swim and trying to get your land legs back under yourself, trying to get up from the ground can be rather taxing.

I had forgotten to get my shirt out of my pack so I had to rustle around to find it so lost a bit of time there as well. Duh. Next time I’ll take everything out of my pack to make sure I don’t forget something.

(notice the position of the flags...)

Bike

We paid for the cool weather with wind. A strong wind, blowing east to west, which served to make our journey east over the BIG HILLS even more enjoyable…..

The hills are surprisingly big out in Aurora . Technically they are called rollers, but they are pretty big rollers. I did have to reach into my 3^rd chain ring a few times. Despite my best intentions of keeping my heart rate low on the bike, it just didn’t happen. Going uphill into the wind caused me to breathe pretty hard. (And I just cant help myself – I like passing people on the bike – cause it certainly wont happen on the run). And just when you think you could catch a break on the way back, the final 2 miles back to the lake are uphill. I also managed to drop my chain going up a hill trying to downshift. So I lost a bit of time putting my chain back on and made my fingers black as well.

Pee Break! I’ve never had to take a potty break before. Weird. I basically had to pee the whole time on the bike, so once I got my running gear on, I exited T2 and ran straight over to the port-o-potties…

Run

The temperature was great for running! The wind was not that great for running. The cramp in my side was definitely not good for my running. Well, even with all that, and a pee break added in, I still managed an ok time (for me). I even had a smile on my face as I ran down the finishing chute. Of concern is the pain I was getting in my left heel in mile 3. I have been fighting some mild plantar faciitis lately but this is the first time I’ve been affected during a run. Not sure what this means for my next 2 weeks of training. I’m hoping it all goes away….

Apres party

Bagels with sandwich meat, cheese, and fixins’! beer, pop, Gatorade, chips and cookies! Wohoooooooo

Swag: no t-shirt at this one but something seemingly more expensive: a black gym bag with the Rattlesnake Tri logo on the side – its great!

Summary: as usual, I do alright on the swim and the bike (middle of the packer!) and do horribly on the run comparatively. Need to work on that running bit.

Final Times:

Swim: 12:24 355/589 60%

T1: 2:13

Bike: 47:33 348/589 59%

Bike Avg 15.1mph (ummm, did I mention there were BIG HILLS?)

T2: 1:43

Run: 38:11 545/589 90% :((((((

Run Avg 12:19

Total: 1:42:01

Training this week

2009-08-13T22:04:00.002-06:00

I've entered into the last 2 weeks of "competitive" training for my Olympic distance Tri on the 30th. Which means more time training than I'm used to - but necessary especially since I basically de-trained in July. This is my last chance to gain any fitness.
Monday: swim 45mins (approx 1600 yards)
Tues: bike 25miles (approx 1.5 hrs)
Wed: run 5 miles (approx 1hr 10mins)
Thurs: swim 45mins (approx 1800 yards)
Fri: bike/run (brick) combo 15miles/2 15miles/2
Sat: off!
Sun: Rattlesnake Sprint Tri!
*all training completed before 8am each day

2009-08-12T20:41:00.003-06:00

Had dinner with my very good friends Kelly and Lori this evening at PFChangs. I am so blessed to have these beautiful women in my life!

Also, yesterday morning at the beginning of my bike ride at 6:25am, I came across a fox on the corner of an intersection. So I slowed down and stopped expecting him/her to run away immediately. But he didnt. Then I saw that he was busy chowing down on some poor rodent or something and had no intention of leaving. So he continued to rip his rodent apart, not caring about the cars going by, or me standing there watching. He was so beautiful! I watched for about 5 mins and then he finished and trotted across the street and into somebodys yard. Normally you see a fox for about 5 seconds before they disappear so this was a wonderful event. And yet another reason why I exercise in the early morning. This Mother Nature stuff doesnt happen at 6pm.

Buh Bye Cancer

2009-08-08T13:51:00.002-06:00

Bye Bye Cancer - dont let the door hit your butt on the way out.

kevins scans have come back clean! yeah!!!! He's going to continue chemo though september and then re-scan. If that comes back ok, he is free to way goodbye to the cancer clinic and embrace a fully healthy life again.!!!
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes during this incredibly hard and difficult journey.

Spur of the moment Tri

2009-08-07T17:35:00.001-06:00

my friend Charlotte emailed this morning with an offer of doing the Rattlesnake Triathlon next weekend for a 40% reduction in price due to her race being cancelled last year and due to her being pregnant this year...
how could I pass that up?!!!?? well, I did pass up the Olympic distance but decided the sprint distance would be a great warmup/practice for my real race at the end of August - get the cobwebs out of my transitions so to speak.
I hope I get a t-shirt with a rattlesnake on it - how cool would that be?

Sadness for a stranger

2009-08-05T21:51:00.003-06:00

Susan died tonight. She was the wife of extremely popular Fat Cyclist (aka Eldon), who has been battling cancer for several years, and whom I started reading about last year.
http://www.fatcyclist.com/
Fatty has been blogging about his weight (he is not fat), cycling and Susan for years, is extremely funny, and has raised 1/2 million dollars for cancer research!!!! Its simply amazing (via getting everyone that reads his blog to donate in various ways, for various prizes given to him from others).
Anyway, I felt like I knew his family and just got sucker punched tonight - she had been quite sick lately but I was hoping she would rally like she has several times. Susan leaves behind 4 children and a loving husband.

more...

2009-08-01T21:03:00.003-06:00

Shelley, Glen and Moi
(congrats to shelley and glen on their 15th wedding anniversary earlier this month)

Monopoly!

Surprise early birthday party for Glen

I was also able to visit my good friend Foziea, and her son Nabeel.
I've known Foz since 1984!!!

Pool Pics!

2009-08-01T08:31:00.004-06:00

Despite the weather, we managed to get in the pool once or twice a day. Keegan and Elise were really great about swimming around this year and were not afraid of the deep end at all. In fact, they did cannonballs non stop one day! I made the mistake of challenging Glen to a 2 lap race and got my butt handed to me. Never compete with a larger, stronger, faster ex-competitive swimmer......even if he is your brother.

Glen and the kids

Dad!

Elise and her goggles

Trying not to sink

Fun times

Shelley staying dry

warming up with cookies

Vacation in London

2009-07-31T22:03:00.003-06:00

This past weekend I spent in London, Ontario with (most of) my family. Mom and Dad, Glen and Shelley and Keegan and Elise. Unfortunately Janet and Chris were not there. It was a lot of fun - the kids are 7 & 4, and are a big ball of energy. We played in the pool, played some mean games of monopoly, checkers, chess and croquenot (sp?). It was great to see Mom up and eating and generally doing pretty well.
I have a lot of pictures so maybe I'll just post a few tonight...

1600 yards!

2009-07-30T07:44:00.001-06:00

woot! I rocked the swim this morning - finally. not in time, thats for sure, but I cranked out 1600 + 100 warmup this morning and felt pretty good doing it. thats about 700 yards more than my last swim... :)

boring...

2009-07-23T21:10:00.001-06:00

hi everyone
sorry I havent had much to say recently. i've been sick, and trying to get some training in this week. swimming is going horribly. biking not that great. I have to say running is probably the best sport going right now. scary!
anyway, i'm off to london to visit the family this weekend. :)

Training? I dont need no stickin' training

2009-07-16T18:33:00.002-06:00

Sadly, my ability to follow a training plan right now is limited. Why? Oh, I dont know.. maybe the 3 weeks in a row of travel which makes swimming and biking impossible and then I try to cram in one session each on the weekend. And then getting sick on my first week back in the state. So now I'm almost at 2 weeks of not swimming, and one week each of not running or biking. This does not make for a good (or happy) triathlete. The race is coming quickly..... Even when I've trained well I'm one of the slowest people on the race course. I imagine I'll be limping along on the run well after the food has been eaten and the beer gone and my bike will be the last one left on the racks.
oh well. :)

Me and MJ

2009-07-08T23:02:00.004-06:00

I took a subway ride to Hollywood to check out MJ's star on the Walk Of Fame. conveniently it is located right outside the Chinese Theatre, and there was a crowd of people around so I didn't even have to look for it. Kind of cool - had to hipcheck my way into the sweet spot facing the star. I think "they" must have been clearing the flowers and stuff off it each night, cause there wasnt much around it today. I think my MJ journey is complete now. (did you notice I'm wearing a MJ t-shirt?) :))))

Michael Jackson Memorial

2009-07-07T22:59:00.003-06:00

I had the extraordinary luck to be working in downtown LA this week, and so was able to participate in the Michael Jackson memorial hoopla. I have to say that my feelings about the whole thing changed drastically from last week to this week. I really didnt care too much (aside from any sadness and shock that a human died) that he passed away. But as I walked around the Staples Center and hung out in the area where MJ fans gathered, I felt more sadness about the whole situation. These were people who loved him as a person and entertainer, and didnt care about his appearance, or other legal issue he might have had. I wandered around, and just was in the moment with everyone, and took some pictures. The big screen by the Staples Center was running pictures of MJ, there were police everywhere, and people just milling about. The night before the area was fairly accessible. The day of the memorial the area was blocked off to the general public. More police. on bikes, in cars, on foot, on horseback, in the air. There really were not that many people dressed up - I'd say half were dressed normally and half had MJ t-shirts (yes, including me!). Unfortunately I had to go work (bummer!) so I had to leave the area around 8:45am. MJ picture here!

I saw Rich People

2009-07-01T23:31:00.004-06:00

Beverly Hills - the very words remind of THAT tv show, Pretty Woman (rodeo drive), nice cars, etc. I saw all that tonight - Betsy and I went to Beverly Hills! Due to L.A traffic, we didnt leave until close to 8pm so we could actual drive there instead of spending hours sitting on the freeway. We drove along Rodeo Drive - VERY nice stores there - Jimmy Choo, Coach, etc. Of course they were all closed by then but beautiful from the outside. Then we prowled around in the car looking at the houses - they were amzing. Big, beautiful, manicured, warm cozy driveway and house lights, very expensive cars parked in circular driveways - most of them gated to some extent. Palm trees lining the streets. everything is so green here! We also drove by Spago! Unfortunately we had some unpleasant encounters with the locals - several times we had very impatient super fast cars behind us who seemed to think they were entitled to go as fast as they wanted down residential streets. Then we had something ridiculous happen - a car that was parked was starting to back out of its spot. Betsy and I put on our blinker to wait to turn in. Then we were flabbergasted to see the car in front of us that had already gone by the parked car BACK UP between us and the parked cars to turn into the spot! amazing - I've never seen anything like it. so rude!
We saw a lotus, and several european racer type cars, and one BMW that was painted a dark matte grey with matching wheels. The BMW symbol was red and black - not the normal blue. It looked like a Batman car -very stealth like. Anyway, it was all very shi shi foo foo and our PT Cruiser stood out like a sore thumb. I think at 9pm at night on a weekday, the only people in that area are the ones that live there.
Earlier this week we went to the ocean at the Santa Monica pier, had some indian food, and watched a really funny street performer. Overall a good week - probably the only time we'll have a car in L.A.

Concerts, Parties and Babies Oh My!

2009-06-28T13:59:00.004-06:00

so its been a busy weekend!
Friday - had a great dinner in Denver and saw David Cook with my good friend Stacey (celebrating her 30th). David Cook was good, but only played an hour! WHAT???!!!!

Saturday- party for Stacey at a friends house! Involved good food, trampolining, doing a hokey dance and watching MJ videos!

Sunday - getting to meet the newest member of the Ruh family - wee Nathanial Julien who is very cute. and I didnt break him :)

Fun Times in San Diego

2009-06-24T23:52:00.003-06:00

Well, here is my checklist of San Diego events:

listening to steroid-injected bicycle taxi-man threatening "tony" with ripping his arms and head off - check
person screaming 'whore' and other fun words on the street at 9pm - check
person preaching about Jesus at the top of their lungs at 12:30pm lunch rush - check
person pissing in the bushes - check
walking by countlesss homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks - check
singing 'Dont Stop Believing' at the top of my lungs with strangers - check
chatting with San Diego Policeman -check

who said business travel was boring? :)))))

San Diego

2009-06-23T21:56:00.004-06:00

hi guys. I'm in San Diego this week and managed to get to Coronado Island and the beautiful beach there. It was a bit of an adventure getting there and back (can we say I have really good ferry karma?) :)
Not much to say today. An old friend of mine from Nova Scotia (elementary school)'s Mom died yesterday from lung cancer. Its very sad and a little similar to my home situation right now. Peace to Tracy and her family. Here are some pics from the beach...

I love ice

2009-06-21T20:17:00.003-06:00

I've been icing my back since yesterday and I am feeling much better. The same back problem is still there - I can feel it - just not at the same intensity. However I feel I will be able to navigate the pitfalls of DIA and plane travel this week without suffering too much. San Diego, here I come!

This sucks

2009-06-20T08:10:00.002-06:00

This is how I've felt since Tuesday morning. One minute I'm sitting happily at work, and the next I'm thinking why does my back hurt? There has been little improvement in 5 days. My chiropractor is concerned. I dont like it when he's concerned. This is the second or third time my back has gone out in a few months. Dr. Koepp is concerned about a disk problem. I iced it this morning and is feeling a bit better. This is certainly putting a damper on exercise. crap!

Cabinets

2009-06-16T21:18:00.004-06:00

I dont think I put up a pic of the finished cabinets.... Here they are in all their white glory

Tired of Tornados

2009-06-15T19:19:00.003-06:00

I'm getting a little tired of storms. Especially ones that carry Tornados in them, like this afternoon. This was the pic from our parking lot at work - not sure the picture does it justice, but it was creepy - weird formation, slightly greenish in spots and opaque from the sky to the ground. Normally you can see under the clouds....
Kindercare kids came over and hid in the basement as a precaution but the storm was Northeast of us. This is the 9th or so day in a row where tornados have been spawned along the Front Range.

Scary Kitty

2009-06-13T05:31:00.002-06:00

2009-06-11T18:57:00.001-06:00

A wonderful dinner with some old friends last night in Fort Collins. Kevin, me, Susan, Stetson and Devon.

Fabulous Bday dinner

2009-06-09T21:16:00.003-06:00

My wonderful friends took me out for a birthday dinner a few weeks ago! We had a great time drinking Mojitos and having pizza at Rustic Oven downtown. Thanks for being such great friends!

Dorinna, Nik, Me, Catharine, Kim

Btw, one of the quirkiest gifts ever received (but awesome -we ate the whole box)

Brant wins

2009-06-07T15:32:00.004-06:00

ok, Brant guessed at my picture so here is the answer:
It is a picture of the ceiling of the subway stop in LA at Hollywood & Vine - the ceiling is entirely covered with these film reels. Its pretty cool. Also in the subway is a 1930s projector used on the Paramount lot...

Jeff & Erika's Ranch

2009-06-05T19:57:00.007-06:00

(first of all, y'all suck since nobody guessed what my picture was in the last post. so I'm not telling)
This is a continuation of our trip to Steamboat. We visited a ranch about 40 mins west of Steamboat - which just happens to be owned by the (ex)President of my company. Jeff and Erika drive up from Fort Collins EVERY weekend - a very long and difficult 4 hour drive. But based on what we saw when we got there, its worth it. They breed registered cattle and sell them. Erika also rides and competes in dressage and jumping. They have a new horse barn, 5 big cattle pastures, a 'cow' barn where they do birthing, etc. and a utility garage where they keep their tractor and other ranch type stuff. I didn't get a picture of their house, but this is the view from the porch:

(yes, thats a wee bird chasing a hawk)

on the driveway inbetween the 2 barns

view to the north

cattle!

view to the southwest and one of their pastures

Erika and I with the cow barn behind

Jeff by the birthing corral

inside the horse barn, facing the indoor riding arena

Erika's horse

Mystery Pic

2009-06-03T08:27:00.001-06:00

Can anyone guess what this is and where it might be located?

War Paint

2009-05-31T20:30:00.003-06:00

Today as I was moseying around Fort Collins enjoying some down time, I stopped in to the new Sephora store. A friend had given me a gift certificate to the store for my bday and I went in to check things out, not having a clue what I would buy. Then I saw a person getting their makeup done by one of the employees. I wanted to get in on that action, since I HAVE NO CLUE how to apply or use makeup. So I slyly asked another employee how I would know what color of foundation to buy, and they hooked me up with the M.A (makeup artist). After she was done, I felt A. pretty. B. like I had a lot of make up on.
However, I came home and had to tell kevin that I had makeup on, since he couldnt tell. That is a very good sign. Anyway, here are some pics - One I like to call "self portrait at arms length" and the other is "self portrait with the timer" LOL

kevin is out!

2009-05-31T09:33:00.003-06:00

PVH (or the Poudre Valley Hilton as we like to call it) relinquished kevin yesterday! Still not sure what is wrong - fluid, why? infection? maybe. taking a wait and see on this again.
Had a great party last night! A little too stressful with kev being in the hospital until the 11th hour, but it was important for us to have it. another fun thing being squished by the Cancer would have been too much.

back to our fave place....

2009-05-29T18:10:00.001-06:00

yes, kevin is in the hospital again. hoping to get out tomorrow. I'm off to watch the Nuggets with him tonight (go Nuggets!)

kevins blog

2009-05-26T21:51:00.002-06:00

ps. kevin has some good photos (posted yesterday) from the trip. one of him moving through the space time continuum is very cool....

2009-05-26T21:16:00.003-06:00

Day Two in Steamboat - another awesome birthday present - Kevin took me horseback riding. Once again we lucked out by being the only 2 people on the ride. It was drizzling/raining and not exactly warm so that might have had something to do with it.
Kevin had a horse named Sunny who spooked and threw kevin off! He wasnt seriously hurt but does have some soreness and scrapes to show for it. My horse spooked from his horse and I ended up in the forest - lucky not to have lost my head in the branches! Anyway the scenery was spectacular and yes, it really was that green.

Coming up over the ridge

There was an amazing hawk in the tree when we rode by

close up

more views

cool cocoon with squirming catepillars

Lovely pic of my car :)

Wildflowers on the way out from a ranch we visited... (tomorrows pics)

Steamboat - Finally!

2009-05-25T20:39:00.007-06:00

After 9.5 years of living in Colorado, I have finally visited Steamboat Springs! Its a destination Ski resort, with a very cute, old Western town and spectacular scenery. It is a 3-3.5 hour drive west of Fort Collins, along a very curvy and slow highway, so you really have to be going there with a purpose to find yourself there. Even being a holiday weekend, there were some parts of the drive that were pretty desolate and devoid of cars, but with beautiful views of the mountains. The weather wasnt great - rainy and cloudy mostly, but we had a great time. We arrived in the "boat"
around lunchtime on Saturday where we tried to eat lunch outside in a park and open my b-day gifts but the rain came and we had to finish in the car!

Empty Road

Presents in the park

Presents in the car... Livestrong T!

Beautiful Waterfall

Girly girl

2009-05-22T20:27:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to Me.... for those who know me from a long time ago - do not be afraid. I have developed some girlish tendencies in my old age. No, still not wearing skirts, but I have been known to indulge in some good old fashioned paint now and then......

Adam Lambert Tribute

2009-05-20T21:46:00.011-06:00

Here is my American Idol. Dont know what people were thinking voting for the other guy, but Adam is 1000 times more talented. Check out these performances and tell me otherwise!
(links working now - yeah A.Idol!)

Whole Lotta Love

Feeling Good

Mad World

A Change is Gonna Come

baby cow!

2009-05-15T07:44:00.003-06:00

This is why I love riding my bike (or anything really) in the early morning. I came across a baby cow and its Mom on my ride this morning, and CoCo (my name for said babycow) was still thinking it was too early to get up. The funniest thing about the scene was that the Mother was eating some yummy new hay, and was eating it right over Coco, so the extra hay was falling on and covering up her baby. Coco didnt seem to mind. (these pics taken with my less-than-stellar cell phone so quality is not the best)

Cabinets

2009-05-12T21:18:00.003-06:00

Overall I think they look great! certainly much much better than the crappy brown doors that were there (scratched, with paint streaks). You can see what the brown looked like on the cutlery drawers, as we still haven't done those yet. The hinges look really ugly now against the white. guess we'll have to change those out too.

Baby Sky

2009-05-11T13:41:00.003-06:00

Found this photo on my work computer this week. Sky was just a baby! and soooo cute.
Update on the cupboards- 2 coats on the doors now. They might need a third tonight though.....almost done

San Diego Padres and Sushi

2009-05-07T07:14:00.003-06:00

no, these are not connected. I had sushi 2 nights but wanted to share a photo cause it was very delicious looking, for about a minute before I devoured it in about a minute.

Last night I went to see a San Diego Padres game - its pretty rare when you are lucky enough to be traveling in a city in the summer, have a ballpark close to the hotel, AND - here is the key- the team is in town and playing on a night you can get away from work and go! Yeah! I missed the Rockies by one night so I saw the Arizona Diamondbacks play (which is the only other team at home I've also seen play that wasnt the rockies or blue jays).

Kevin update

2009-05-05T21:58:00.002-06:00

Kevin finished his official schedule of chemo a few weeks and had another test done to see what state his body was in. Unfortunately the scan was not clear, so Kevin has to continue with treatment for another 3 or 4 rounds. The treatment is slightly different than the past 8 months. Hopefully it will do the trick! We are happy summer is here, and warmth and daylight are helping keep our spirits up.

Kitchen makeover

2009-05-05T21:50:00.002-06:00

Kevin and I are fixing up our kitchen. Our cabinets were old, brown (ugly brown), scratched, and had paint drippings on them. UGLY with a capital U. So we sanded them down, and painted them white. Kevin did a great job of sanding. We finished painting the cabinets on the wall - the doors are coming along this week/weekend.
Unfortunately I didnt get a picture of the cabinets before with the doors up, so it starts with them sanded....

Things you learn at church

2009-04-26T21:03:00.002-06:00

I just got back from church and am pondering some things I "learned" about myself tonight. Tonight was Summit Class #2, where we try to identify our spiritual gifts, and personality traits - so the church can better find a fit for service within the organization. We had to answer several quizzes, one of which had 138 questions! They were all ranking questions - so at the end of the quiz your total would put you into a category, etc.
Seems my gifts are "Helps", Faith, Leadership and Mercy. I was a bit surprised by the leadership but maybe not. I aspire to leadership but I dont have much occasion in my life to do that. Helps is "the divine enablement to accomplish practical and necessary tasks which free-up, support, and meet the needs of others". Mercy is the "divine enablement to cheerfully and practically help those who are suffering or are in need, compassion moved to action". Faith is the "divine enablement to act on Gods promises with confidence and unwavering belife in Gods ability to fulfill His purposes". Seemingly I have more faith than I thought I did. The interesting part of this quiz was that I expected Teaching to one of my gifts but it was actually my second lowest scoring category. I guess I just dont want to teach about God. I'm good at teaching but its not my favourite thing to do, so that is the difference. For interests sake, my lowest scoring categories were Evangelism, Knowledge, (Teaching), and Intersession. No surprises there!
We also did a personality test tonight and I found out I am TASK/UNSTRUCTURED
which means:
-I typically like general guidelines
-I am versatile
-I like to see tangible results
I thought I would end up in the people / unstructured section, but I do lean towards tasks more. That is not to say I dont love people, but I get my energy from a different area.

Love This

2009-04-18T07:25:00.002-06:00

I think everyone who sees her has an immediate judgement that she blows out of the water. Talk about judging a book by its cover. Susan Boyle singing.......

Pool, Shirley. Shirley, Pool

2009-04-16T08:03:00.002-06:00

I just reintroduced myself to the pool last night. Its been about 10 months since I've been swimming now. I gingerly lowered myself into the cool water, adjusted my goggles ever so slightly, and started swimming. Nice and slow, relishing the feeling of being in the medium again. It felt good. and I had no agenda for this swim - just a quiet re-introduction to a sport I let slide.
Coincidence or not, 5430 sports just announced a new race in Windsor at the end of August that I immediately signed up for. I am somewhat lost without a race to train for each summer! Feeling back on track after a long time. :)

One last shot of Cabo - its a dogs life

2009-04-08T20:33:00.002-06:00

Day 3- snorkeling!

2009-04-06T21:09:00.003-06:00

On our last day we went snorkeling on a sailboat! We had a small crowd - only 8 of us plus 2 crew members - all you can drink and some sandwiches provided as well. It was perfect. Kev and I and a couple from Pittsburgh shared the front of the sailboat and a family of 4 stayed in the back for the most part. We put on some shorty wetsuits since the water was a little chilly - we werent in any danger from the sea creatures, but we did have to keep an eye on the Mexican Boat Captains (according to our guide). There is only one place to snorkel, and that is also where the water taxi's bring their people to glide over with their glass bottom boats. So there was always a constant fear of getting run over by a small boat..
I saw a bunch of tropical looking fish, Nemo, some really wild fish that looked like skewers, and a rock fish!

After snorkeling, we hoisted up the sails and went sailing out into the ocean for a while. The wind was really blowing so we picked up a lot of steam. I briefly thought I was going to fall off the boat when it was really steep and I had lost my balanced seating position.

Day 2 - Day of Beaches

2009-04-05T12:23:00.007-06:00

Relaxing

We did 2 things on our second day at Cabo - both involving beaches! wohooo
In the morning we meandered down to the beach to read for a bit in the sun. Since Kevin wasnt really allowed to be in the sun, he slathered on sunblock 100 or so and soaked up some heat. I read my book and went into the water twice to splash around. It was a bit chilly initially, but was pleasant after you got used to it. We found a piece of Beach that wasnt claimed by one of the many resorts. They all had beach cots crammed into small areas - right next to resort restaurants. This did not seem like relaxation to me. Also there are people who wander up and down the beaches trying to sell jewelry to anyone on the beach, definitely not my favourite part of the experience.

In the late afternoon we signed up for a horseback riding tour that promised riding on a beach! This was something I always wanted to do, so I was very excited to go. You can imagine my added excitement when we arrived and discovered we were the only 2 people on the ride! Wow! our own personal horseback ride on the beach. We rode through desert-like areas with the biggest Cactus's I've ever seen - some of them were as tall as big decidous trees. I was using a craapy throw-away camera on the ride, so most of the photos came out blurry.
The beach was magnificant, without anyone on it (mostly). The wind was REALLY blowing, so that was a bit of a nuisance. Otherwise it was just us, the beach and the ocean. The guide had a dog that accompianed us the whole way.

Giant cactus tree

ahhhhh

Scratch this off my Life List

in SD again

2009-04-01T22:06:00.002-06:00

hanging in San Diego so Cabo pics will have to wait for the weekend.
Had dinner under a heatlamp tonight reading a book called "The Last Lecture". Sad, funny, and inspiring all at the same time. The weather is nice - better than Colorado where it is cold and slightly snowy tonight. I'm ready for summer!

Critters Big and Small

2009-03-31T09:53:00.004-06:00

Kev and I went whale watching on the first day, and there was one mother Grey whale and her baby still around that we had a few glimpses of. Most whales have left the area to migrate north for the summer, so it was really great to get a glimpse of them. Sadly our big party boat that we were on was not the fastest ship, so most of the time we were too late to get a good view (those darn whales, not staying in one spot - imagine!). They were definitely not playing and only showed their tails once! Still beautiful though

A stoic male

Fishing boats returning with fish and hungry pelicans

Me on a water taxi

Day One : The Arch

2009-03-29T16:20:00.010-06:00

Cabo has a famous arch that is in every tourist brochure, and all the tours always mention a driveby of the Arch. That is because it is on your way out of the bay from the Marina, and you cant help but go by it. You do have to be in a boat though, as there are no roads to take. Also part of the attraction is a beautiful beach right next to the arch, called Lovers Beach. On the other side of the beach that faces the Pacific ocean is Divorce Beach. You cannot swim there as there are dangerous undercurrents. Lovers Beach faces the Sea of Cortez and has pretty calm waters.
Here is a nice description of Cabo from the internet: "Cabo San Lucas, with its large marina and beautiful bay where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean, is famous for its casual atmosphere and exciting nightlife. Long a favorite for anglers out to land the big one, Cabo San Lucas also has great beaches, lots of shopping and restaurants, and a variety of hotels and resorts for any budget. CS Lucas is also known for its famous stone arch, called El Arco, a magnificent natural rock formation at Land’s End. "

Rock Face

There was one rock with sea lions on it.

This sealion wanted to be king of the mountain, so he climbed
up and made the pelicans vacate quickly.

Shirley on Divorce Beach (took a water taxi to get there)

EL NIDO! our Bed & Breakfast

2009-03-28T10:20:00.010-06:00

Well, I am using an entire blog entry about our Bed & Breakfast. It really was a beautiful oasis of greenery and art in an otherwise dusty city (I think it rains in Cabo about 5x a year).

"El Nido" - was located about a 15 min walk from the Marina, up a big hill, so going back & forth was not really a fun thing to do - we definitely planned some of our decisions around if we had to come back to the B&B or not. :) The whole B&B was surrounded by a wall - and we had to open a door with a very medival looking handle to enter from the street into the grounds. The whole place was filled with plants and several bird cages, and decorations, and tables.

Kevin ready for breakfast

A beautiful dining room that didnt get used

The number of tables to eat at was greater than the potential max of 12 people for the B&B. This place is marketed as a cantina, dinner place but I dont see how that would ever come to pass for random strangers. Maybe you can book it that way? The owners were a family - Mexican mom, & grandMom, Canadian Dad, and son Jose - he was the one we had most interaction with. There was a hot-tub that we jumped in twice, at night with the stars and the wind (did I mention it was windy there?).
Our room was very pretty - Kevin has meshed together shots to give a good view of the room as a whole.

The bed was fabulous - a california King - I didnt even know kevin was in the bed with me, it was so big! I did get 2 mosquito bites on my face before we realized that there were actually some bugs around, even though we didnt notice any. After that we did use the bed net! In the picture above it you can see a lot of open space - which actually had fencing (you cant see it in the pic) to keep the birds out. The wooden partition on the right was placed there by me, when we figured out that anyone could see in our room through the blinds (our patio was right next to the steps coming upstairs to the other rooms)

The other problem with having an open room is the NOISE. Wow - this would have been great if we were not in the city. As it was, we listened to dogs barking all night long, really loud trucks gunning their engines up the hill, all night long, other guests coming home at 3AM, and one night we got to listen to Beyonce sing "put a ring on it" at 3:30am from a party. awesome!

Sunlight on the mosquito net

View from the bed with the morning sun

Sleepy Shirley after a rough nights sleep

Cabo 1st Day

2009-03-25T20:57:00.007-06:00

Cool shot from the airplane over Mexico mainland

Last Thursday Kevin and I flew to Cabo, Mexico - actually we flew to Los Cobos which is a town about 20 miles north - and then had to catch a shuttle to Cabo. Shuttles are interesting - you wait until the driver has found enough people to make it worth his while to drive to town. Its much cheaper than a taxi, but certainly a bit more crowded. AND we had to put up with some obnoxious New Yorker who worked for a high fashion modeling agency and spent the ENTIRE trip (at least 30 mins) talking on his cell phone, trying to make sure one of the models whose hair color they had to change to dark for one shoot got returned to its original 'state' for another shoot, and how Montreal 'hair resources' apparently were JUST NOT the same as LA or New York, and they might have to fly her to nyc before her trip to Russia just for a hairdo. OMG. I was sitting next to him and wanted to rip the phone out of his hand and throw it out the window.
Mexico is very poor. Except for the Resorts and the square mile around the Marina, which have extrodinary wealth. It was like that in the Bahamas, but not as as extreme. We had dinner at Margaritaville and I had a few margs in true Mexican spirit. However, I really truly believe that Tequila and my stomach no longer get along, and I think I have drunk my last marg. Oh, the water is perfectly fine for ingesting. They implemented a system many years ago, so you no longer have to worry about Montezulu's Revenge! Yeah!

There are plenty of mountains in Mexico

We've Arrived!

Plenty of private jets here

our shuttle awaits (we waited 20 mins for other people to come)

View of the Marina (only place to be really)

Dinner at Margarittaville the first day

kevin and I (notice how big the Marg is?)

This is the the wall of our patio in our room. This is where
the 4th wall should have been. More on the "joys" of
having 3 walls tomorrow....

Cabo

2009-03-25T08:03:00.001-06:00

I'll post more about Mexico soon. Here is a picture in the meantime....

Shirleys Night out in San Diego

2009-03-05T22:08:00.005-07:00

Well, sometimes when you are alone and in a big city that is cool like San Diego, you just have to do something interesting. So I found a bar online and went out searching for it. Not that it was hard to find - there are only so many hotels next to the San Diego Padres stadium that have a bar on the roof!.... It overlooks the stadium, and has a great view of the convention center and the harbour. I got there at dusk and it was windy and cool - which makes for a very empty bar... I also prowled around my own hotel - which used to be a BANK! It opened in 1918 originally, and still has a lot of the old architecture and decorations. The floor under the ground floor held the vault - which has been turned into a conference room. The telephone cubicles were kept as is (but have buttons instead of rotary dials). The gym is also on this floor. It is very interesting - have never been in a place like this before!

dinner companions in San Diego

2009-03-03T22:20:00.003-07:00

Here are my companions at dinner tonight in the Gaslamp District in San Diego
Hamid, Kyle, Alan, and Blaine

Does anyone else think this is absolutely ridiculous?

2009-02-26T17:34:00.001-07:00

'Slumdog' kids back in Mumbai slums

Days ago, young Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali were in Hollywood getting celebrity treatment as eight Oscars were awarded to the movie they appeared in, "Slumdog Millionaire." On Thursday night, Azharuddin slept under a plastic sheet in a shantytown in Mumbai, India. Rubina slept with her parents and siblings in a tiny shack beside an open drain.

The director is a zillionaire. somebody paid for them to come to Hollywood. I cannot imagine why anyone who knows these kids would allow them to go back to these conditions. I dont know much about India, but I imagine even a small sum of money could get them into better accomodations. However, my social brain just kicked in, and I suppose that is their life. that is where their family is. And maybe that is better than taking them and their family out of the only social situation they know. I dont know. But it seems like something more should have been done for them.

March 5th - be there

2009-02-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

A Powerful Noise

ONE is working in partnership with CARE, the UN Commission on the Status of Women and NCM Fathom to bring you a one-night nationwide event featuring the acclaimed documentary “A Powerful Noise,” followed by a live town hall discussion with leading humanitarian experts and activists.

Fort Collins Friends: cinemark, 5:30pm

Dinner Out!

2009-02-24T20:37:00.002-07:00

We actually did something normal this weekend - we went out to dinner with our very good friends Rich and Dorinna!

Dinner at chuch in Anaheim

2009-02-16T22:33:00.003-07:00

Tonight we had dinner in a chuch. Seriously. Someone took an 18th C church and turned it into a really great restaurant. And the chairs! Betsy and I took the big King chairs. Had chicken stuffed with pine nuts, spinach, and some awesome sauce!
Below are pics of my coworkers on the Sempra project - I see A LOT of these folks. breakfast, lunch and dinner and all day at work.....

Betsy Rush

Blaine Blaesing

MIA Dave Gallelli

E.T - just when you need it

2009-02-16T19:07:00.002-07:00

I am watching the movie E.T on HBO in my hotel room here in Anaheim. Its cold and wet outside, and snuggly in my room. I dont remember the last time I watched this movie, but its like a old favourite blanket - as soon as it started I felt happy, and comforted. Maybe it brings back feelings of being 12 again, or just that I've seen this movie several times over (who hasnt?), and who cant help but love the little alien and cry many tears at the end? Just what I needed. :)

kevin is home :)

2009-02-11T08:12:00.001-07:00

Update on Kevin

2009-02-08T11:43:00.004-07:00

Kevin has been in the hospital since Tuesday evening with Pancreatitis. His is caused by complications from his surgery. We are hoping he gets out by Wednesday and continues to heal quickly.

What Is Pancreatitis?

The pancreas is a large gland located behind the stomach and next to the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine). The pancreas has two primary functions:

To secrete powerful digestive enzymes into the small intestine to aid the digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat.
To release the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones are involved in blood glucose metabolism, regulating how the body stores and uses food for energy.

Pancreatitis is a disease in which the pancreas becomes inflamed. Pancreatic damage occurs when the digestive enzymes are activated before they are secreted into the duodenum and begin attacking the pancreas.

There are two forms of pancreatitis: acute and chronic.

Acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation that occurs over a short period of time. In the majority of cases, acute pancreatitis is caused by gallstones or heavy alcohol use. Other causes include medications, infections, trauma, metabolic disorders, and surgery. In about 10% to 15% of people with acute pancreatitis, the cause is unknown.

The severity of acute pancreatitis may range from mild abdominal discomfort to a severe, life-threatening illness. However, the majority of people with acute pancreatitis (more than 80%) recover completely after receiving the appropriate treatment.

McDonalds food after 4 years....

2009-02-05T10:18:00.002-07:00

This is truly fascinating in a revolting way. Well worth the watch. I've had my last fry

1975

2009-01-17T15:55:00.002-07:00

Yes, I used to be a blonde. Who knew? :)

Hanging with The Duke

2009-01-09T16:32:00.002-07:00

Here I am standing next to the John Wayne statue in the John Wayne Airport (aka orange County)
in Anaheim, CA
I'll be seeing a lot of this fellow in the coming year....

Goodbye to my trophies...

2009-01-04T08:43:00.006-07:00

In a huge throwing-away spree last week, I parted with many things that I had been keeping around for God-knows-What reason. Over the years, I had thrown out half of my mementos - like half of my trophies, half of my text books, half of my university notes, etc. I thought that I didnt need all of it, but I should keep some old exams and notes on certain subjects around "just in case".
Well, last week it finally really sunk in that I have and WILL NEVER have anything to do with my undergraduate degree (Urban and Regional Planning for those who dont know) and that IT WAS TIME. Time to chuck it all! I think there is a small amount of sadness that 4 years of sweat and tears comes down to the trash, but without that degree, I wouldnt have been able to do my GIS "masters", and wouldnt have the jobs I've had, etc. So I acknowlodged the path my life has taken and stuffed everything into a garbage bag. This mentality also included my remaining old trophies. This is a last hoorah for my old bowling prowness, and my softball trophy as well. (I do miss playing Softball). here's to good memories, but also to realizing when to let them go.

Xmas 2008

2009-01-03T10:43:00.002-07:00

this is what Christmas in the hospital looks like....
different surroundings and different circumstances but the spirit is still there.

Subaru Nation!

2008-12-31T16:47:00.009-07:00

I bought a new car!!!! After 12 years with the mighty Nissan Sentra, I bought a 2009 Subaru Forester. I love it! Although it is taking some getting used to - being up high, 170 Horses instead of 115, a key fob, gas tank on the wrong side.... :)

It didnt seem quite so big yesterday but I'll get used to it. The cool thing is that it has "Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV)" - which makes me feel a bit better about the gas mileage that it gets (which is pretty good for a car that size). ok, Its considered a small SUV, but it feels like a car.

Subaru PZEV vehicles have 90% cleaner emissions than the average new vehicle.
Gasoline vehicles meeting PZEV emissions standards sometimes have even lower emissions than hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles.
Subaru PZEV vehicles achieve such tight pollution controls, and the burning of fuel is so complete that in very smoggy urban areas, exhaust out of the tailpipe can actually be cleaner than the air outside.
Subaru PZEV vehicles are also U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Certified SmartWay™ Vehicles.***
According to the EPA, Outback, Forester, and Legacy are among the cleanest and most fuel-efficient vehicles available in the U.S. based on air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and overall fuel economy.

brrrr

2008-12-15T16:15:00.002-07:00

to my friends in warm climates.... its -19 Celsius (-2F) right now at 4 in the AFTERNOON. I do believe this is the coldest temp I've been in in Fort Collins since I've moved here. especially in the daytime hours. Its probably been close to this at night before but even that I'm not sure about. brrrrrrrrrrrrr

(of course it gets this chilly in the mountains but we dont live there)

Christmas at Kims

2008-12-14T12:16:00.004-07:00

Had a lovely time hanging out at my friend Kims place last night. Homemade pizza (homemade dough even! - thanks Kim), and christmas cookies, tunes, and good company - thats what Christmas is all about.
Catharine,Stacey,Kim, (me)

Its here!

2008-12-09T22:04:00.004-07:00

Its here! Its white! Its cold! Its beautiful! Our new refrigerator!!! It has the fridge part on the TOP! We can see whats inside now! No more pulling back muscles leaning down to find the yogurt. We can put the OJ and milk in the door! The frozen food is on the bottom. YEAH! Our life has just gotten better and easier. We had to break out the coolers on sunday to keep the stuff in our old fridge cold while the new one heated up. Kevin says we are not allowed to put magnets on it though. This makes me somewhat sad, as the magnets were a collection from every place I've been in 9 years. I guess I should have gotten postcards. Anyone have a suggestion on how to display magnets?

(old fridge with magnets)

Telvent Miner & Miner Christmas Picture

2008-12-05T14:35:00.005-07:00

Here is the Christmas Photo our company still sends out to clients. We are just about too big to do this anymore. When I started there was half the number of people you see here. (in case you are looking, I'm in the bottom right with my feet out). We actually took this last January, which is the only time we are together as a group (at our annual meeting - hence all the name tags). Our photo for 2009 will be taken in a month, if we do it at all. This could be the end of an era.

3 days and counting

2008-12-04T19:08:00.002-07:00

3 days until our life changes for the better.
breakin' out the coolers for this one....

Death by Blow Up Santa Claus

2008-12-02T19:37:00.005-07:00

Today was very windy. This evening as I was walking Sky, the approaching storm front brought even stronger winds - the kind that make you think "what the @#@$#% am I doing outside in this?". We were walking down the subdivision street, head slightly bowed, leaning into the wind when I noticed up ahead, a giant blow up Santa Claus on a lawn. It was bending back and forth, around and around in the wind, looking like there was no way it could possible stay in the ground (how do they anchor those things anyway?). And then, it occurred to me: if the Santa did get loose, it was on a direct trajectory right towards me! MY GOD! The very thought scared me half to death - that thing was huge! Had to be 8 feet tall! It would surely kill me. A brief thought of strange and bizarre ways to go crossed my mind and thought that death by an inflatable Santa had to take the cake. And that I didn't want it to happen to me! So I picked up the pace and kept my eyes squarely St. Nick until we were upwind. Who knew walking the dog could be so wrought with danger?

Something big is coming.....

2008-11-30T21:43:00.001-07:00

Something very exciting is happening next week.
Its Big Huge Giant
stay tuned.....

Peameal & Turkey

2008-11-29T21:48:00.003-07:00

Astonishing! Look what I found in Safeway this week! Canadian Bacon (aka Peameal) :)
Will wonders never cease....
Kevin and I spent Thanksgiving at Rich & Dorinna's house this year. We definitely have a lot to be thankful for, and it was lovely to spend time with our good friends. No group picture from my camera, but a few of the cooks....

Pet Peeves Part One

2008-11-23T21:10:00.002-07:00

So a few things drive me crazy - well more than a few, but for now these are the ones that come to mind:
1. People who open their car door while stopped at a stop light and SPIT. I cannot even tell how disgusting this is and I literally feel sick to my stomach. I should really amend this statement to say "Men" who open their door..... because I have never ever seen a woman do this. Why does this happen? The second I see a car door open in front of me in line, I try to avert my eyes but sometimes they are just too quick. YUCK. I have even been spit upon, once in Toronto, by a man coming out of a store, who was in such a hurry to expel his saliva, that he didnt even wait until he got onto the sidewalk, or at least look both ways, to spit. Of course I was walking by the doorway in question, and this dude just let it fly and it landed on my leg. Being in the big city, I had better places to be and better things to do than confront a dude about it. I just said, in my most sarcastic voice EVER, "Thanks a lot" and kept going. I could tell from the ruckus behind me that he was somewhat apalled and his female companion even more so. But I digress. Random accidental spitting is ok - deliberate car door opening heaving is not!

2. De-planing ediquette.
Where does it say that when people are getting off the plane that they should wait for each person in each row in front of them to get out of their seat, retrieve their luggage, and leave before the next row can? This is a completely ineffiecient method of getting off the plane! People who are standing up with their stuff in hand are going to be quick - they just have to walk. If someone is in this position, they should just go when they have a chance - they shouldnt WAIT for some window seat person to scramble out. Just go people - just go! Dont stand on ceremony. Scooch in behind the middle seat people who just go their stuff. Think about it. One line of people leaves. then the middle seat people get up, get their stuff, and go. then the window seat - the same. This would be much faster. of course this wont happen like a machine, but you get the idea. I am a window seat person, and I have sat and watched this ridiculous wait behavior a hundred times and it drives me crazy. I'm not saying dont let people out, but 99% of the time the person standing in the aisle could have walked....

Madge in Denver

2008-11-15T19:08:00.007-07:00

No, this is NOT Madonna. It is a pretty close facsimile of the woman sitting behind us at the concert. She was dressed up as "Like A Virgin" Madonna, complete with head band and black lace gloves. YUCK! Did I say I was at a MADONNA concert? You know, Dancing, Pop Music, Sexy Music Numbers. You would not know it from old party poopers sitting behind us (there was more than one). Kelly and I tried to stand up and dance, and were tapped repeatedly on the shoulder and asked to sit down! OMG. How did we end up with the worst luck having them behind us. People to the right of us were dancing. People to the left of us were dancing. But nooooo, our section contained all the sitters. Maybe we didnt notice TicketMaster advertising these seats as being in the 'fuddy duddy' section. Why were these people even THERE? They were acting like it was Barbra Streisand. Sigh. Anyway, here is a picture of the real Madonna, who put on a great show, and was extrodinarily kickass - her body is amazing!

Beautiful blanket

2008-11-13T21:24:00.002-07:00

My good friend Kelly gave us a an amazing gift yesterday - a beautiful blanket that she crocheted herself! It will definitely keep Kevin warm while he is going through chemo - and I can snuggle right up too as it is big enough for 2!

Obama Wins!

2008-11-04T22:47:00.006-07:00

Obama is the next US president!!!!! I'm thrilled by this. His speech from Chicago tonight gave me chills - truly a moment to be remembered. And I feel very inspired and hopeful right now. The relief that Republicans will not be in the White House in January is indescribable. And the thought just occured to me that I will be able to vote in the next election if I get my citizenship in 2 years.
I am still up and unable to sleep yet - 90% due to the election and 10% due to too many sugar cookies shaped like Democratic Donkeys. (Thanks Dana!)

Breast Cancer Awareness Ride

2008-10-25T22:30:00.005-06:00

On October 11, I rode in the Trek Breast Cancer Awareness Ride. Its a national event, and our regional Trek store did its part in putting together a ride - unfortunately it was really bad weather here on the day of the ride. It hardly ever rains, but that weekend was cold and rainy- maybe 40F. A brave bunch of people showed up to ride, and here is a group shot of us before heading off into the cold and damp (we are very bundled up - I even broke out my booties, which I never have to do here).
(I'm in pink). It was my first ever charity ride - lots of fun, and it felt good supporting such a great cause. Trek gives out great swag, AND I won a very nice bike seat in their raffle! So for a 25 dollar donation I took home about 80 dollars worth of goodies! Sweet!

Bratwurst and the Polka - must be October

2008-10-19T20:05:00.011-06:00

Todays adventure included having lunch in Leavenworth, a tourist town modeled after some German town, and driving up Highway 2, a local highway through the cascades. I found a great restaurant called Gustov's. sat on the upstairs patio, with my beer and Bratwurst! (sorry, it was a corona). I had a great view, and spent some quality time in the sun and reading my newest book "Dewey". The drive up highway 2 had more spectacular trees - Beautiful! and yes, the colors really did look like that.....

thats a lot of sauerkraut!

view from my table

the horse has some Octoberfest spirit

Apples Apples Apples

2008-10-18T21:37:00.006-06:00

Wenatchee is the "APPLE CAPTIAL OF THE WORLD" according to signs on the way into town. I didnt believe it until someone brought in local apples as a snack - and they were the biggest apples i've ever seen. Pesticides you say? Nope - these were organic apples and they were massive. today I drove out of town on a road trip and I finally saw all the orchards that one would expect near the apple capital of the world. Pretty cool. Most of the apples have been picked already, but I did find an orchard with apples still on the trees for a picture.
Otherwise I drove to the northern Cascade mountains and back - the trees are brilliant right now - so many trees and all in glorious yellow!

Cicely Alaska!!! or Roslyn, WA

2008-10-13T21:28:00.002-06:00

I visited the town that the tv show Northern Exposure was filmed in! Its on the way to Wenatchee, Washington, where I'm working this week and next. Its a few miles off the main highway, and very tiny and cute. The mural that was shown in the opening credits is still there, and Joel Fleischman's office is now a gift shop (it was an empty store when the tv show was there). The desk Merilyn sat at in the office now holds a bunch of t-shirts, but its still there.
I loved that show - I cant believe its been OFF THE AIR for 13 years already.

cute family

2008-10-12T19:35:00.003-06:00

This is a picture of my brother Glen and his very cute family in Calgary last month. Shelley, Elise, and Keegen - all blond and blue eyed - what a great photo! Cant wait to see them in November!

Aspen Time!

2008-09-28T18:26:00.003-06:00

Autumn in the Rockies is always spectacular - the Aspen trees turn a brilliant shade of yellow. The weather was perfect for a drive to see some colour...

Garage extension....

2008-09-20T17:32:00.003-06:00

Finally, we have a SHED!!! Kevin did a fine job of assembling our groovy new shed, placed on the west side of our house, whose sole purpose will be to handle garage overflow. I might be able to get out of my car in the winter (inside the garage) without having to inhale and hold until I shimmy around the bumper....

Kevins Garden!

our Backyard, complete with hammock!

Estes Park

2008-09-16T19:25:00.010-06:00

Kevin and I managed to get up to Estes Park for a night last weekend. Its a cute tourist town - the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. We caught the Fine Arts show, saw some Elk, got some sun and had a nice time being away from Fort Collins. The aspen had not yet started to turn yellow, unfortunately.
I personally had a close encounter with a bull Elk. Just outside of our hotel Sunday morning, there was a lot of rustling in a bush - there was a bull thrashing around for a while. So I was taking pictures, kind of standing in the road/shoulder opposite where he was. I started filming and at that moment he came out of the bush and out into the road towards me! I think it was all circumstance - but I backed up pretty quickly!
check out the brief video.....

I also got to go horseback riding for a few hours which was lovely - just what I needed.

McNinch Brothers

2008-08-30T21:49:00.003-06:00

Kevin's brothers Phil & George descended upon Fort Collins this weekend for a visit. It was great to have them here and reconnecting over some beer and a quick hike around Bear Lake in RMNP! Phil was sick, Kevin had chemo, and George is recovering from a broken hip, so they were quite the trio. :)

OUCH

2008-08-24T19:54:00.003-06:00

ok, my sunburn became picture worthy. I think my sunburn may cause a serious lack of sleep and a wearing of a skirt to work tomorrow. I CANNOT fathom pants brushing against my legs when they are this burnt. :(((((((
Sunscreen: good. forgetting sunscreen in Colorado: bad.

89 miles!

2008-08-24T14:50:00.003-06:00

todays training goal of 80 miles was surpassed by 9! 6 of those miles were due to a rescue operation of one Niki kernohan out on highway 14. We (Vyvyan, Niki, myself) were riding west on 14, when Niki flatted her front tire. No problem for such a seasoned bike veteran, so we carried on to McDonalds for a pitstop and awaited her there. time ticked by. still no Niki. Front tire changes should only take 5 minutes, so after 15 mins we decided something was wrong and headed back 3 miles to find Niki walking her bike. 2 of her tubes managed to split at the valve (very rare) but one of mine stayed inflated for her, so we were off again!
Anyway, we had great weather, and overall, a really nice ride. I know I can make 100 in 2 weeks! Cant wait!
oh, and I have TAN LINES! I'm super excited about my cycling short lines across my quads - I've never ridden enough in one summer to have tan lines (and yes, I'm a sunscreen girl, so this is even with sunscreen applications). I will spare you a photo of them. In liu of my legs, I'll post a pic of what my ride looked like last week...

Addendum: my tan lines are BURN lines. :((((
I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs today! I'm kinda pink right now......
aloe on my legs, arms and face. Yeah for aloe!

Home Alone..

2008-08-19T19:07:00.003-06:00

thats right - Kevin is home alone this week! I am in Houston for 5 days, and not loving any of my time here. Kevin has a ton of lasagna and brownies to tide him over - courtesy of our friend Kim, who is one mean cook. meanwhile, back in Houston - I have forgotten my cell phone charger, its humid and raining, and there are no restaurants downtown - in a city of 4 million people!!! Classic downtown planning disaster - everyone clears out at 5pm. I suspect there might be places to eat over by the baseball stadium, but that is a long way from here. I'm right downtown in the big high-rise area, and all the "restaurants" are in the underground tunnel. Sigh. My hotel room is pretty wild - imagine a pie shape if you will. the bed is along the crust side, and literally I have 2 sides of windows that meet in a point. I would post a picture from my cell phone, but I have lost all juice...

We dont like your type 'round here

2008-08-16T12:37:00.003-06:00

So its been raining for about a day and half now. This is making for a bunch of very angry and moody Fort Collins residents. We are a spoiled bunch around here - you know, the 300 days of sunshine a year is easy to get used to. We get very upset when we dont see the sun for 2 days, AND there is constant rain to boot, and its only 55 degrees. Kevin and I have seriously considered turning on the heat - IN AUGUST. That is just wrong. And this weekend is the big NewWestFest, where there are 5 stages with bands playing all day, and generally a really big party weekend. They couldnt have picked a worse weekend unfortunately. All in all a big bummer. RAIN - we dont like your type 'round here....

1st Day of Chemo

2008-08-14T05:49:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Kevins first day of chemotherapy. The facility is in a new building, and the area of treatment has many windows with views of Longs Peak, a small natural area, has hardwood floors, and big comfy recliners. He had to stay for 5.5 hours yesterday but that should whittle down to 3 or 4 soon.

Ready for some bad-ass drugs

View from his recliner...