Sierra Nevada!!

This post is brought to you by my home town brew, Sierra Nevada. The reason for this is...I am home! In the Sierra Nevadas! (<------- PS if you have never been to the Sierras, click this link and look to see how beautiful they are. And then come and visit. You can stay with my Mom.) 

As you are reading this, I am probably stuffing my face and hanging out with friends. So, kick back, grab a beer and join me for Kim's Grab a Beer and Look What I Did Last Week series. 

source

On Sunday Morning, I got up for a 6 am run.

Man was I glad I did, becuase THIS is a way better temperature for a run. 

(insert obligatory weekly picture of a car thermometer here)

It took this many hair dohickeys to keep my hair out of my face. 

But I ended up having a great run!

See those spikes? They are my water stops. 4 water stops, 4 spikes.

I tried to eat healthy.
This day I did good.

The last farmer's market tomato. Sad.

This day I did not. This was the day of the rodeo and...as much as I would like to blame the funnel cake, you can probably see that I had a few beers. And a glass of wine.  Just those alone were almost as much as the food calories I had that day. Eeek. AND I did not go running. Also, pay no attention to my strange meals. I was trying to clean out the fridge before going home.

Some coworkers and I went to the Current River to go tubing. On the way there we stopped at a gas station/mini mart/fishing tackle store/CASINO? Yes. Casino.

I got the nicest card from my friend which totally made my day. Also she drew this, which I think kind of looks like a butt. Yes, I am twelve. 

The time capsule item got finished (more on that later!) and wrapped and made it to California. 

I went to the rodeo. You can hear more about that HERE. 

I would like to be THAT photographer!

There was also a concert. 

This guy told me to "talk to the hand".
Step off, dude. 
I ain't playin'.

How was your week? Did you have a good one?

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This Ain't My First Rodeo

Oops. 

Actually it was. 

This week I am skipping Wine and Love with Nora (but you can still go and do it!) and giving you...The DOs and DON'Ts of the rodeo. Because now I am an expert.

DO wear a white hat. If it matches the one your significant other has, that's even better. 

If you do not have a white hat, this is an acceptable substitute (in MO). 

DO also wear plaid. Lots of it. A plaid dress. A plaid shirt. Whatever. Also, like the hat, if it matches your partner, you get bonus points. 

The most important trend is this. You can wear it at any age. At least from what I saw, that's what I assume. 

DON'T misbehave or you will wind up like this.

DO find yourself a cute cowboy. Or two. 

 

DO stop random people in the grandstands and make them pose for your photos. 

This girl was awesome.

DO bring binoculars. 

DON'T laugh when people catch you taking pictures of them and give you a mean mug face.

DO get a funnel cake. I got one. It was soooo good. 

(note: if you do not have a white hat, pink is also an option)

DO stay for the Big and Rich concert, even if it means you are going to be a grumpy puss the entire next day. DO cheer loudly to songs you have never heard before. DO ask people, "Is THIS Big and Rich?" DON'T get mad if they look at you funny.

DO find a cowboy in front of a light so you can get a good silhouette photo! 

I just realized I didn't put any photos of the bulls or bareback riding up. 

I guess I was too busy people watching! 

Have you ever been to a rodeo? 

If so, what was your favorite part? If not, would you go to one?

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Week In Review: The iPhone Edition

What a week! I am glad it is Sunday (my one day off!) but it sure does go too fast! Today I have great plans to visit with some friends, watch the Women's World Cup game and maybe even get some hiking and pool time to boot! (no pun intended with the bootheel, boot reference!)

I normally take my big camera out when I want to take nice photo and try to impress you all, but this week, the photos are from my phone, and are grainy, badly lit and "real". So, if you can look past the quality of the photos, you will see what I really did this week!

I was going to go running, but THIS was the temperature and there were heat advisories out (107 heat index!) 

 So I ate some of these instead. I know...burn 300 calories or eat 300 calories...hmmm..

My weakness

 I took a drive through the country...

Silo

Corn Rows

And found THIS. Good one!

Then I tried running again. This time the weather was cooler. 

The running trail.

I found cheap gas. And then realized the station was closed (note the "Happy Holidays" sign)

I bought a PECK of Peaches! I have never bought a peck of anything! 

Saturn Peaches

 I went grocery shopping at a store called SMUCKS. Oh, that's not what it says? 

 

I bought some healthy food. 

Last but not least, yesterday at 6 am I went to Walmart. There were NORMAL people there!!! Buying this: 

Yummy!

I wouldn't be caught dead drinking that. It's BLUE. What kind of flavor is that supposed to be? 

Anyway, that's my week. A lot of running, driving around and buying things to eat. 

This post was inspired by Kimberly at Yep They're All Mine and her Grab a Beer and Look What I Did Last Week series. And is also a part of: 

How was your week? Did you take lots of blurry phone pictures?

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Randoms, A Missouri List

- I work with mostly older guys. You know how your grandpa has stories? That he tells you over and over? Imagine this times 100. It's awesome -- they have great stories! On the other hand, you hear them all over and over and you can't get a word in edgewise. On Saturday we had a meeting (yup, we work 6 days a week!) and this 90 year old guy with suspenders told me that I was going to be his fourth "next ex-wife". I said, "only if you have as much money as Hefner!"

- I asked a local what the little tail on the bottom of Missouri is called. He said it's the "boot heel". Actually with his accent, I thought he said, "boot HILL". But boot heel makes a lot more sense! And that's a cute name! We don't have any heels or handles back home! So....I am currently pretty much in the boot heel. Locals, can I ask, is the rest of the state called the boot?

- I didn't run this weekend. I was completely lazy. Boooo. But I did find out that the town I am in has some running trails and I plan to go and check them out tomorrow!

- Is it just me or does it seem like life is either really busy or kind of lax? I mean, I have a million things to do and then all of a sudden there is an eye in the hurricane and it seems like I am waiting for the next part of the storm to hit with force. Since I got home from my travels, I have been so busy and yesterday I took the day off to relax, but the entire day I was feeling guilty! Like I should be doing something; like there was something I must be forgetting; like I was missing something important. Why does that happen?

- I made a really bad decision the other day -- I went to Walmart at 7 pm. It was packed! And with the most extraordinarily weird people. I mean, I know that there are strange people there normally, but this time they were even weirder than normal. AND there was this horrible screeching noise as I was buying some cottage cheese and I couldn't figure it out until this really old guy came towards me and stopped his cart to look at some yogurt and the noise stopped. I wondered HOW the heck he could NOT hear that...until I really took a good look at him and he was wearing a hearing aid, which I bet he had turned off.

- People in the Midwest are good drivers! When there are two lanes, mostly they stay in the right one and only go into the left when they need to pass someone. People of Louisiana, take note!

- I confess, I am hooked on thisPitbull & Ne-yo song. Grab Somebody Sexy, Tell 'Em HEY! I can't help but sing along.



How was your weekend? Have you ever been to the Boot Heel?

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Hit The Ground Running

This post is not just about "running" in the literal sense. Nope.

On Monday, I got a call in the afternoon from my supervisor; On Tuesday morning I was on a plane to Kansas City. Right now I am in Columbia, MO. I guess what I am trying to say is: I got a job finally. So far it looks like I will be in Columbia for a few more days, and then I will head to the very southeast corner of the state for work. Remember where they blew the levee? I will be around there someplace. Maybe.

Yesterday I googled "running in Columbia" and luckily there were a few good running trails! So today, just like I planned (no excuses!) I went running on the MKT Trail. A few notes from the run.

- The weather was PERFECT. It must have been about 70 with a cool breeze. I mean, obviously a little cooler is ideal but...for mid summer, you couldn't ask for more.

- The trail was great. Gravel/Dirt the entire way, with trees for shade and nice bridges and streams. It's so nice to have such a refreshing place to run, especially after living in New Orleans where running is summer is, literally, hell.

- I am STILL out of shape! However, running in lower elevations is way easier. When I ran last weekend it was at about 6,000 feet and it DOES make a difference! It was warmer here but was definitely easier on the lungs.

- I have a Garmin. I am not sure if I like it or not. On one hand, I can look and see what my pace is and how far I have gone, which is good. On the other hand, I can look and see what my pace is and how far I have gone, which is bad.

GOAL: 2 miles
Actual: 2.5
Pace: 9:33

So, I need to do a few things.

1. Get a training program. I have one that I have used before and it has been successful. However, I have heard that the Hal Higdon is good. Has anybody tried this? What about other programs? 

2. Get in Shape. Oh, it will come with training? Okay.

3. Get my pace up.  My best 1/2 marathon pace was right around 9 minutes/mile. I would like to get back to that. Hopefully.

4. Find and sign up for some races! I have found that this is the most surefire way to stay on track. The plan is to insert a 5k and a 10k into my training program. Then maybe I will take both Lisa and Lucy's advice and sign up for some longer races in the fall.  How do you find races? Runners World? Road Runners? 

One more question! Should I sign up with a running club? (I did it in New Orleans and NEVER once met up with it) Have you tried this? Did it work? Did you like it? 

So, a job and a workout plan. All in one week. So much excitement.

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Road Trip: Day Five (aka Last Day)

Oh the last day of a road trip! You just want to get to your destination, so you don't stop to take photos or go to the Wizard of Oz museum because it is 30 miles off the highway and you don't want to spend another half an hour on the road.

Today's trip: Salina, KS to Des Moines, IA

Have you ever taken a road trip? We used to take them as kids. My dad had a 1970s era motorhome that was orange and white. I remember going to the Grand Canyon. I remember asking him, "how much gas mileage does this thing get?" (I think the answer was about 8 mpg.) I think asked him, "and how much does gas cost?" Then I would figure out how many miles we had to go and how much the entire trip would cost us. That was fun for me.

We would also play the license plate game, which is where you try to find as many different states' license plates as you can. My brother and I had a contest to see who could get the most. I honestly can't tell you who won those games. However, I still play that game, even when I am by myself. I found so many different plates on this drive!

The License Plate Game:
Farthest away plates: Alaska, Maine, Florida
Most common plate (other than states I was in): Minnesota

On this trip, I went through a total of 7 states. California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. 
Here are some of the stats:
Flattest state: Colorado (I did not go through the Rockies in CO)
Snowiest state: California
Coldest state: Nevada
Warmest state: Kansas

I have to say, call me biased, that the most beautiful state of all the states that I went through was, you guessed it, California. I like trees, preferably green ones that smell like pine. And mountains. If you can have both, that is even better. Although all the other states were beautiful in their own way, I still love California the best!

So, I guess what I am trying to say is that no matter how far you roam, "There's no place like home!"

Which state do think is the most beautiful? and why? 

Highway 70, California

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Gateway Arch in St. Louis Missouri

If you are looking for a peaceful, modest city combined with historic charm and elegance, the best place to visit is St. Louis, Missouri. In this place, the Gateway Arch was built as a tribute to the city's history as the “gateway to the West”. It was Ero Saarimen, who designed this world's tallest national monument measuring up to 630 feet high and 630 feet wide at its base.

Visitors can locate the Gateway Arch standing on the bank of Mississippi. It comes with stainless steel that reflects the colors and light of the city skyline and the river. It takes almost 40 plus powerful floodlights wonderfully light up this famous landmark. Thus, it is the best idea to explore this landmark during at night.

This Gateway Arch was finished after two years of construction to honor President Thomas Jefferson for his westward expansion and his vision of a continental United States. It is one of a number of sites that is located on the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. It is a 91 acre park that also includes the Old Courthouse, which decided the Dred Scot case in 1857 as well as the Museum of Westward Expansion. The park's location is near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition which led to the nickname “Gateway to the West”.

Try to imagine you are up in the arch to look for different views, maybe it's totally scary for those who have fear of heights and have been claustrophobic. Don't worry! It has a foundation anchored 60 feet underground, so it is safe to ride to a unique transport system leading to an observation deck at the top at the same time it also contains two emergency stairwells just like a ferris wheel. And this could be a challenge for all even to those who have fear with heights.

If you have tried riding on a ferris wheel? It feels like riding on it while wind blows on you. But of course, once you get there and witness the breathtaking view of St. Louis and the Mississippi River, you will forget your fears and want to stay longer. Though it is quite strange ride, but many people agreed that it is a worthy ride.

Moreover, this Arch is near of the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Visitors can enjoy both the north and south queue. In the north queue guests can enjoy the different display that interprets design and construction of the Gateway Arch while on the south queue area includes displays about St. Louis riverfront during the mid -19th century.

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