Weekly Doings

After an entire week of rain, last week it cleared up and was beautiful. And then it was in the 80s and I sweated my booty off. This week's highs are supposed to be in the 70s which is perfect! Spring has sprung for real, I think! I had a great week doing lots of things outdoors!

First, I did some of my favorite things: 

Coupon clipping, reading and coffee drinking in the sun.

You can't get much better than that. 

The book, Train Like a Mother*, was good. It's about running.

You can read my review here.

I went for a run on the trails near my house. 

One bad thing about Spring? 

Poison Oak. 

Leaves of three; don't touch me! 

 

Then I headed up to my parents house for the weekend. 

There is still snow on the mountain tops! 

I love it there! It's so beautiful!

 

I put my Dad to work, trail running with me. 

I even made him leap small buildings logs in a single bound.

Then he put me to work raking, gardening and towing things. 

Touche father, touche.

My parents made homemade cheese! 

I had to taste it to make sure it wasn't poisonous. 

I haven't died, but I still may need to do further testing to be sure.

 

The apple trees are just getting their flowers and the bees are getting busy! 

It only took me 2,361,384 attempted photos to get this one useable one. 

 

Yesterday, on my way back home, we went for a hike. 

The two hats are my Mom and Aunt, sitting mighty close to the edge of that cliff. 

 

No hike would be complete without an attempt at kite flying. 

Notice I said attempt. 

The wind was not cooperating. 

(I heard a man behind me say, "If you have to run, it's not windy enough". Lazy or smart? You decide)

 

I drove home, which takes about 4 hours, and listened to Ape House on the way, which totally makes the time go by fast (I have been doing it while running too. It's awesome).

*I received Train Like a Mother for free from the authors. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a review.

Have you ever read a running related book? Have you ever had poison oak (or ivy)? Have you ever listened to a book on CD?

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Then and Now: March

Looking back on the last year is fun. I like seeing where I was then vs where I am now. Some things are SO different; others are exactly the same. Last year I was traveling around Southeast Asia. I chopped off my hair in Bangkok, I had a few bad days, and I dealt with some money problems. This year I chopped off my hair again, my fire got put out by some hot firemen, and I tried a couple of new things.

Let's take a look at what happened March 2011 vs what happened in March 2012, the Who, the What and the Where.

WHO: 

2011: 

A few monks and a few monkeys

2012: 

Mr. L, Dad, Lucy the dog

WHAT:  

2011 Activities: 

Scuba Diving, Not so much running

2012 Activities: 

Paddle boarding, Running

Running Miles: 

2011: 0 / 2012: 106

March 2011 was a no running month. I did do some hiking and walking, but no running. I am glad that this year I am focusing more on running (as well as still doing some hiking and walking!)

Races: 

2011: 0 / 2012: 6

 Bidwell Classic (Half Marathon)
  Let's Move it Mama's Spring Fever Virtual 10k
Armadillo 10k
Detroit Runner's I Just Felt Like Running Virtual 10k
Spatula Runners Virtual 10k
Diva Dash 5k

2011 Food: 

Fresh Fruit Breakfast and Pad Thai Lunches

2012 Food: 

Veggies!  Oats, fruit, nuts!

Reads:

2011: 8 / 2012: 2

It seems that with an increase in running comes a decrease in reading. I can't say that March's books were all that interesting; maybe that is the reason for less reading. I sometimes try to find other things to do if my book isn't capturing my attention.

WHERE: 

 2011:

Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore

2012:

Oakland, Florida, Kansas City

The verdict? March in both years was pretty good as far as eating and traveling goes, but my activity levels have increased a lot since last March and my reading levels have decreased a lot. I am really having a great month this month visiting lots of friends and family, running and making new meals! I will be happy if April continues along a similar vein.  

What were you doing last March? What things in your life have changed in the last year?

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Sick Leave

My plan this weekend was to drive to my parents and stay the night, since I had a race on Saturday morning in their area. Everything was fine until Thursday, when I felt horrible. I was achy and hot and cold and tired. Remember the yoga and weights I did? I thought maybe I was just sore from that. But it didn't get much better, so I decided to go up to my parent's house early, since I wasn't going to get anything done. Soooo...Road trip!

I arrived Thursday evening and got right on the cozy chair with my blanket. It's so nice having Mom around when you are sick, even if she doesn't do anything. Just her presence is enough. She used to feed me chicken noodle soup and orange juice when I was a kid, but this time I was so hungry! Remember I mentioned that? And the not being motivated feeling? Well, now you have it. I thought it was feed a fever, starve a cold, but I was confused; it's actually starve a fever, feed a cold, so I guess I had a cold? Whichever I had, I ate a TON of food!

There's this place on the drive up that started as a Farmer's Market type store that sold whatever fruit and veggies they had in season. Now they have all that, plus candy and tortillas and nuts and pickled things and dried things.  So I stopped and bought a few of each ($0.99/lb for brussels sprouts) and ate most of a two pound bag of dried apples on the drive. I also stopped for a Frappuccino. Once I got home at ate some coconut peanut brittle, a piece of Mexican bread (Pan Dulce) and then dinner. What the heck! I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I am usually not a fan of sweets. At all. Or bread. But these ones are red!

Pan Dulce -- This one is called a Concha

Friday was spent pretty much the same way and so I was wondering if I would feel well enough to run on Saturday. Luckily by Friday night my temperature was down and I decided to play it by ear the next day, but was leaning toward running the race. I know, I know, I need to take care of myself, but I was feeling fine Friday night and was banking on feeling even better the next day.

Saturday dawned bright and clear.

I felt good, so I decided to run. Race recap will be coming in a few days! 

What was your mom's go-to meal/drink for you when you were sick? Do you have a sweet tooth? Have you ever had Mexican bread?

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Then and Now: February

Maybe because we had an extra day this year, February was a little long for me. It went by fast but it was a weird month motivation-wise, emotion-wise and mentally in general I guess. This is strange, because I had a month filled with family, friends and good food as well as adequate exercise. However, for some reason, I am feeling a little strange this month. Hopefully March will bring a change in seasons and attitude!

Here is my February recap, the Who, the What and the Where, where I compare what I was doing one year ago to what I am up to now.

WHO:

2011: 

Mr Lovely, 

A Vietnamese Butcher and 

a thousand people, chickens and items on motorcycles.

2012: 

K and A and A, 

The parentals and

the Broski.

(as well as many other friends and family who are not pictured).

WHAT:

2011: 

Squid on sticks, 

Dragonfruit and

Pho for breakfast. 

2012: 

Frjtz fries,

Turkish sampler,

Beet salad and

an apple crepe.

Miles Run: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 =111

Lucky number 111! This is good, because I would like to keep up a base of at least 100 miles a month, since I may sign up for a marathon at some point this year and I want be halfway ready at any time!

Races: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 = 3

Thank goodness for virtual races! They are a fun and inexpensive way to supplement your normal racing schedule!

Bay Breeze Half Marathon (Race #2 of 12 in 2012)

Run For Sherry Virtual Race

Grandma Lill's 95th Birthday Virtual Race

Books Read: 

2011 = 3 / 2012 = 5

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford: This book was about a Chinese boy growing up in Seattle during WWII. He has a Japanese friend, and when she gets sent to the concentration camps, he is devastated. Not only that, but he has to deal with his father's hatred of the Japanese.

Tisha -  Robert Specht: This is a true story about a young teacher in the 1920s who gets sent to a small town in Alaska to teach. She learns quickly that the divide between the whites and Indians is deep, but somehow manages to not bend to the white men's prejudices. Her struggle is moving and her courage is inspiring.

You can see the other books HERE.

WHERE: 

2011: 

Cambodia, 

Vietnam and 

Thailand 

 

2012:

San Francisco, 

Home

What I see by looking back is that I am spending way more time with family and friends this year, which is great. I have also traveled this February, but only within the State, whereas last year I traveled much further. But no matter what year it is, the food is always good!

Do you like squid? Are you loving this February more or less than last February?

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Beer Week

The week before last was beer week in The City and I actually just missed it (in case you were wondering, February is still strong beer month. There is still time!)  However, lucky for me, my brother likes to brew up beers of many colors. So I went to visit him last week and together with my broski, we bottled some brewski.

I have never bottled beer before so to me, it was fascinating and fun. Another fun fact is that the beer we were bottling was my favorite kind, Stout. So let's begin shall we? But first, a warning.

Maybe you can't read it. Maybe I had too much beer before taking that picture. But it says: "Drinking may cause memory loss, or worse, memory loss".

Also, the broski schooled me on the rules for bottling. {#1 Rule} When bottling, one must have a beer. One does not drink the beer one is bottling. However, one cannot bottle without a beer in one's hand. {#2 Rule} There is no number two rule.

Before getting started, we went to the beer store. I don't think that is what the actual name of it is, but to me, it is The Beer Store. They had hops, barley, bottles and much, much more. I could have looked around in there for a long time. But broski was in a hurry, so we got our bottles and caps and got out.

Three of many different types of bottles.

Barley and stuff. Isn't it fun!? It's like Whole Foods for beer lovers.

Then we went home, poured ourselves a beer and got started. To bottle, first you move the beer from the keg to a handy 5 gallon bucket. Or two. Before the beer transfer begins, you have to add a little bit of sugar water to the bottom of the bucket in order to get the carbonation process going. Notice the broski hiding behind the bottles? He's shy. Also, note the plastic cup of beer next to the buckets? See? I told you it was a rule.

Bottles at the ready, you siphon the beer into them one by one. I did this, and I managed to get a lot of beer on the floor in the process. After I filled up the bottles, broski put the caps on. To put the caps on, you get to use a cap thingy. That is the actual name of the device: the cap thingy. Go ahead, ask a brewer if you don't believe me.

After being capped with the cap thingy, the bottles were done! We labeled them and now they are ready for drinking.

This growler is mine!

Have you ever made your own beer or bottled beer? What is your favorite kind of beer? Have you ever seen or used the cap thingy before?

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Then and Now: January

Well, January is over already! This year is already going very fast. I must be getting old or something! It's fun to look back a year at all the photos and see what I was up to last year vs whats going on this year. Last year I was traveling, so things are a bit different now! Not to say that any one is better than the other, but they are definitely different! Some things, such as my mileage, have changed drastically. Others, such as the weather, are similar. Here are the comparisons of 2011 vs 2012, the Who, the What and the Where of January.

WHO:

2011

2012

WHAT:

Miles Run: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 = 85

When you look at it this way, it seems like I ran a lot of miles in January, even though January mileage is so much lower than my last 6 months of running. This puts it in perspective though and makes me glad I am running more miles this year than last! 

Races: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 =  1

Coyote Hills Half Marathon - Fremont, CA 

(race recap HERE )

Books Read: 

2011 = 7 / 2012 = 5

The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton:  

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a fun, easy read about a woman who goes searching for her grandmother's ancestors and finds out more than she bargained for.

Still Missing – Chevy Stevens:

This book gets a 4 out of 5 as well. It was good, and it held my attention, but it didn't quite end the way I thought it should. I guess you could say there was a twist. I was kind of dissatisfied by the ending though. 

You can see the other books HERE. 

WHERE: 

2011

2012

How was your January? Did it differ much from last year? How are you doing on your resolutions so far?

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Look What I Found This Week

This week, since the weather has been so un-winterlike, I decided to do a little "spring" cleaning. Since I travel so much, all my stuff (except for my one suitcase that I travel with) is in storage. This week, I went through that storage, to see what I could get rid of. Of course, if you are like me, you know that sometimes going through your storage to "get rid of it" results in a walk down memory lane. So, grab a beer (inspired by Kim) and look what I found this week! In addition, I did do a few other things. They are also included below.

Before I went crazy and started doing a major sorting movement, I had my extended family's Christmas party (in January)! It was great to see all the cousins! 

My Dad (yup, that's a kilt) and cousin

Some of my younger cousins -- pretty in pink

I went running. Only twice! I have been slacking due to the fact that I have had so many other things to do this week! I need to get back on track, so to speak! 

I found a new trail! A little overgrown but FUN!

Instead of running, I have been helping re-roof a house! It is a lot of work! 

I also went to an auction -- not to buy anything, but to see how it worked, in case I want to sell anything. BUT...you can get some darn good deals on things! I saw one 46 piece dish set, a nice one too, go for about 5 dollars! 

Okay, so you have gone through old stuff, right?
I wonder if you keep as strange of things as I do. 

{1} My diary from when I was about 8. Complete with fool proof locking device!

 

 {2} My first medal from my FIRST running race! 1986.

{3} My first digital camera!

 

{4} My "best friends" necklace from Jr. High! Remember those!?

{5} SO MANY books. It is really hard to get rid of them though! 

*in case you can't read, they are "travel/memoir/reference" and "Not Read Yet" *

*These are the "not read yet" books! 

A whole box. I am SO embarrassed! I need to get a move on with my book reading goal!*

But...and you should be very proud, I got rid of FOUR bankers boxes of books! FOUR! I am sad, but happy!! 

And, last but not least, we had a bonfire. To burn the old files I threw away (tell me, WHY did I keep some of them?) as well as....the Christmas tree! How sad. Except I don't know if you can see or not, but my parents were VERY excited about it. 

Okay now, you need to help me. Am I normal? Or do you keep things too? What item is it hardest for you to get rid of? What do you do with your Christmas tree once you take it down?

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Photos!

I am so excited to be sharing with you today old photos of aprons, not just aprons but my relations wearing aprons! I love old pictures, especially when they are of relatives. My sister is the unofficial family historian. She had taken it upon herself to digitize and catalog the family photos. At least once a year she goes to grandma's and gets another batch of photos. So these are freshly discovered!

First of all, here is Great-Grandma Anna. As you can see she has one of her trademark aprons on! She is holding two of her grandchildren. This is only the second picture I have of her is color. It was a very exciting find!

Aunt Margy (wearing a cute half apron with stripes!) with her son and an unknown lady. She is a great aunt on my Dad's father's side or something like that!

My grandma and her sister playing with their new dishes and wearing aprons!

I love this one, too cute.

Great-great Grandparents Andrew and Alma with their son. They were Finnish.

This week has been a little crazy as my car died on Saturday. Not just broke down, laid down and died dead!  So I am in the midst of car shopping, not the most enjoyable thing. I hope everyone's week is going well!

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