Back to the races!!!

Well friends, it was another crazy busy weekend full of friends, fun, and (unfortunately) too much food. Friday was actually relatively low key. After work I spent time packing, making dinner, and then while Andy played a concert, I went grocery shopping. Not exactly a rockin' Friday night, but I knew it would be the only chance I had to get some things done all weekend, so I needed to take advantage of that time.

Saturday was insane! First I weighed in at Fleet Feet (down another 1.4 pounds!!!). Then I worked at Job #2... we were slammed, which at least made the time go by fast. After work I flew around town getting a birthday present for my friend Tara and picking up mine and Andy's race packets for a 5k the following day. Next on the list was a trip to Sarah's parent's to learn the ways of Sassy, their 17 year old cat - I get to take care of her while they are on vacation. :-) Then it was rush home, make a quick dinner, throw on my black and white dress, and head to Tara's 30th birthday bash!!!

The birthday girl!!!

Vinny was there too!! (my trainer)

I had fun celebrating with Tara, but the extra bonus of the night was catching up with her sister Elizabeth. :-) I actually got to know Tara through my friendship with Elizabeth, but now that Elizabeth has two little boys, I don't get to see her as much as I wish I could. Turns out Elizabeth has started running and is training for her first half marathon in September. I sense a future running buddy!!!

Sunday morning started bright and early with the Jungle Jog 5k!!! This was the 4th time in a row that Andy and I have done this race, making it our most run race to date. The course goes through the zoo and the proceeds benefit the zoo - a cause I actually care about, so it's a pretty cool event. Andy agreed to do it too, even though it's not his favorite course, and of course Cheetah Sarah ran too. :-) Newer to the racing scene was Kristin!!! I work with Kristin at Job #2... she has recently decided to run a half marathon next May, so I was really excited that she did this race too. Another new friend to add to my running scrapbook!

It was also extra special as this was my first race since knee surgery. Considering I was only allowed to run 0.06 miles at a time 8 weeks past surgery, I'd say I did a pretty darn good job running a 5k only 5 weeks after that point. I took it nice and slow, but still managed to run the whole thing, which was my goal. According to my watch I finished in 32:35 - just about a 10:30/mile pace. I honestly could not have been happier with how it went. Yes, I'll admit my knee did not feel perfect, but it never hurt to the point where I felt like I should stop. I remember a few nights in bed before my surgery crying because I was worried I'd never be able to run again (I know, very dramatic).... but that, my friends, is not the case! RunnerBabs is BACK!!!

Babs and Andy running again :-)

Sarah, Babs, and Kristin!!!

One of my favorite post-race treats :-)

After the race, Andy and I headed back to our apartment to get showered, and then immediately were out the door to meet his mom and sister (she was visiting from Kentucky) for a picnic. They brought Bailey with them (their dog) so we had fun throwing the frisbee around for her.

The Brown's

The weather was absolutely perfect - a much deserved break from the excruciating heat we had all week long. It was nice to spend some time outside. Before they headed back to Buffalo, we drove them by our soon to be new place - I'm glad Ali got to see it before she heads back out of town.

As soon as we got back to our apartment, Andy whipped up a batch of guacamole and we were back out the door again, this time to a BBQ hosted by some important people at Job #1 at their new house. Their house was beautiful, and once again, with the weather being so nice, it was great to be outside. But I ate WAY too much (felt sick to my stomach) and got home much later than I had planned on... once again, starting the week out feeling not quite as prepared as I would have liked.

But hey, it's Monday and I'm back on track. I was able to turn last weekend's slip ups around and have a successful week, so there's no reason I can't do it again... and I've already made a pact with myself that I am saying NO to activities next weekend. I. need. to. pack. and. clean. all. the. things.

10k Club and Gala Fun

Hello all! A lot has been going on - between work, getting ready to move, and trying to have some summer fun, I've not gotten to my computer as soon as I'd have liked to type this update. Better late than never! Let's back up...

Friday was fun - After work I went to the outdoor Zumba class. Sarah and Maddie were both there which of course made it extra fun. It was still pretty frustrating since I can't do all of the moves yet (stupid knee) but I did notice I could do a little more than the time I went before. At least there's some noticeable improvement.

Saturday was suuuuuper busy. I started the morning off at Fleet Feet for my weekly weigh-in.

My 10k club prize!!

That's right! I had actually lost a total of 8 pounds, which meant I easily made it into the 10k club (you have to have a 6.2 pound weight loss). The first week of the weight loss challenge went really well, I think because it was new and I was excited. The second week was a different story (I gained it all back plus more...), but then I went home to Washington. :-) My parents were so good about helping me get back on track. I lost a lot there, and although it has certainly slowed down since I've gone back to work, I am still slowly but steadily losing. The biggest thing that is helping me?? Taking a picture of everything I eat and sending it to Andy, Anna, Lisa, Bipul, and my mom. I know it sounds wacko, but it's helped me so much knowing I'm being held accountable, and also to hear their support when they comment on my pics. :-)

Anyway, after weighing in I worked Job #2. Then I rushed around running some last minute errands and getting ready for Job #1's 90th Season Gala! It was fun to have an excuse to dress up - plus the free food and drinks didn't hurt either. The best part of the night was dancing with Andy, Anna, Lisa, Ben, and Lydia. It actually made me really excited for my wedding. If we could make a work function fun, then the wedding should be a blast!

Andy and Babs

Babs, Anna, Lisa w/photobombers Ben and Lydia

The Gala turned out to be a pretty late night and the next day I didn't feel so hot (I think I just ate too much the night before), so Sunday morning was pretty lazy. By lunchtime I felt a little better, so Andy and I decided to walk around the Corn Hill Art's Festival, which was pretty cool. While there, Andy got a call from Will and Rose asking if we wanted to go hang out at a lake to go swimming. I didn't go swimming (let's be honest, I just didn't want to wear a bathing suit in front of friends), but it was still nice to be outside. Afterwards we got ice cream - not exactly the healthy rebound I had hoped for after the gala - but that weekend gave me increased motivation to get back on track on Monday.

Andy and Will = man love

Ice cream time!

Monday morning was my return to partner training with Sarah and Vinny! Vinny was so great in modifying things to make sure I wasn't hurting myself without making Sarah's workout too boring (I hope). It is obvious I have lost a LOT of leg strength since my surgery. I have been basically crippled ever since that workout... and I can recognize that it wasn't even a hard workout... I'm just that out of shape. Yikes! But it felt good to get back to it, and was a great way to start off my week.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was another trip to Camp Good Days. It was in the 90s, so I was pretty darn miserable sitting in the barn watching the concert. Of course, by the time I got home late after working Job #2, our air conditioning at our apartment was broken AGAIN for the 4th time in less than a month. Let's just say I did not sleep all too well last night.

Right now I'm at Job #1. We are interviewing people for one of the Vice President positions here so I'm about to sit through another one of those. I will say they are kind of interesting. I'm definitely learning what NOT to do in an interview, haha. Tonight I hope to do some sort of packing and also hopefully some sort of exercise. Hopefully the air conditioning will be fixed and I can get a better night's sleep tonight.

That's all for now! This coming weekend is another busy one - hopefully I can update without tooooo much time going by. :-)

Breakfast with Bips!

I promised a mid-week update so here ya go!

With the exception of today, it has been incredibly hot/humid here... which of course means it's the perfect time for our air conditioner to break. Awesome. Nothing like packing in a hot hot apartment.

My special trick for cooling off...

We've had people in our apartment all week trying to fix it. It's working now, but makes a TERRIBLE noise. Good thing we are moving soon! Speaking of moving... packing is slow going. I've been doing about one box a day, but it's going to be time to pick up the pace. August 1st will be here before I know it.

Job #1 has been revolving around ensembles playing out a different summer camps for kids with cancer.

Woodwind Quintet at Camp Open Arms

String Quartet at Camp Good Days

This Saturday is the big gala, and I know for sure now that Andy and I will get to attend for free. Woohoo! All in all, things at Job #1 are pretty decent right now.

Job #2 on the other hand.... I'll just make it short and say.... if you are ever a COO of a company, don't write a mean email where you refer to "someone" as blondy, because that "someone" will report you. Have fun with HR you a$$hole.

Anyway!!!!! Today was exciting because Bipil was in town for the first time since he's moved to Omaha. I was lucky enough to have breakfast with him, Anna, and Lisa. Yay!!!

Bips is on the other end of the camera :-)

It was so nice to see him again! And the good news is he will be back next month too!

Speaking of out of town friends, I also got to talk to Katie on the phone for awhile last night, which made me very happy. I love Katie! Of course I think it was our conversation that inspired the dream I had last night: Katie and I had to make a top secret trip to Korea (which was located north of Canada, obviously). Then after missing a connecting flight, we wound up in a field of capybaras - but of course we didn't get cell phone reception in the field so we went to a Korean buffet where they gave you a platter and a sword and then you had to go swimming to catch your own fish for them to cook for you. Weeeeiiiirrrrd. If you don't know what a capybara is, google it. I recently learned myself.

I suppose that's all for now. Eating has been going well (with this morning and the gala being my planned "splurges" for the week). I haven't really had much of a chance to exercise, but I'll get that piece back in the puzzle soon. As long as I don't let this morning's breakfast splurge turn into a two day splurge-fest, I think I might actually join the 10k club for the weight loss challenge on Saturday. I will keep you posted!!

Back to the grind

One week ago from today I was getting on a plane. :-( Before heading to the airport, my parents and I had lunch at Panera. Only in Washington do you see this...

Coffee beans as an ashtray

What a good waste of coffee! Anyway, my flights back were perfectly fine. I really enjoyed watching this documentary I downloaded on iTunes called "Weight of the Nation." It's free to download - I'd highly recommend it. I finally got in past midnight, but of course wasn't entirely tired due to the time change... it took me forever to fall asleep. I hate adjusting from West Coast time to East Coast time.

I won't go into all of the details of my week, but I'll just say it was very hard to go back to work, hard to eat healthy (although I did a decent job on the whole), hard to find time to exercise, hard to get things done around the apartment because our apartment is a sauna (our air conditioning is not working). I always have a hard time adjusting back to "normal" life, and this time around really hasn't been any different. I'm excited to move, but I think this next month of living in a torn apart apartment will be challenging too. I need to win the lottery.

Moving on... things of note this last week...

The orchestra played downtown for the 4th of July, so once again I got to go to the VIP reception, which is always fun.

Babs and Sarah - it was so hot and humid

The next night the orchestra played after the baseball game. It was fun to see the "fun facts" I wrote at work projected on the jumbo screen throughout the game.

That's a big logo

The next morning (Saturday) I went to weigh in at Fleet Feet for the Tons of Fun Challenge. I've lost a little over 5 pounds in the first four weeks of the program. Most of that was honestly done while I was in Washington. I haven't managed to lose anything since being back. My goal is to lose enough by next Saturday that I make it into the "10k club" - you have to lose 6.2 pounds for that. It will be hard, but I hope I can do it!

Saturday night Sarah came over and made me dinner (yes you read that right lol). Then we headed out to play mini golf!!

Sarah the super golfer

We ended with a tied game... of course we both cheated too, haha. After that we went down to the lake and got ice cream cones. Sarah and I always go on the best dates. ;-)

Sunday was mostly spent at home. Andy and I went for a slow 4 mile run (with a few walk breaks mixed in). My knee did not feel very good later in the day. :-( I also managed to pack a little, but more impressively... I managed to go through some of my clothes and got rid of a lot of them - and I still have more to go through! It's a slow process, but I'm glad to have a reason to go through everything and get rid of stuff.

And now a new week has started. Coming up this week... 2 trips to summer camps for Job #1, a special outdoor zumba class (yay!), more packing, and most likely a gala on Saturday (it's Job #1's 90th anniversary). It should be a busy week so I'm sure it'll fly by. I'll try to update before the entire week gets past me this time.

Thanks for catching up on my first week back!

Washington Wrap Up

As promised, here is one last update before I get on my plane to head back - of course the weather here is amazing making it even harder to leave. Why couldn't it be cold and rainy??

On Friday morning, my mom and I headed to the track at my old Junior High School to get some exercise and take advantage of the great weather.

Meridian JH Track

I tried running again (very slowly of course) and actually made it two miles almost pain free. Woohoo! I never usually run on a track, but I actually kind of enjoy it - I'll have to do it every once in awhile when I get back. Just a cute side note... this is also where I learned how to ride a bike when I was little. Awwww.

The rest of the day was spent running a few errands - then that night we went to the cheapo movie theater and saw "Identity Thief." My mom and I have both been wanting to see that... it was pretty good! And it was also a great excuse to get in some air conditioning.

Saturday morning started early for the Old Navy $1 flip flop sale. I want to have a bucket of flip flops at my wedding for people to use if their shoes hurt, so this was a good opportunity to stock up on them. The limit was 5 pairs per person. Oh Daaaad!!!!

Dad and Mom, waiting in line FORVER

In order to get 30 pairs we each had to stand in line twice. It took us a total of 90 minutes to get all of them, but we ended up saving $88, so that was worth the wait. Later in the afternoon we made the trek to the Tulalip Casino (it wouldn't be a visit home without making that trip). We played for probably about 3 hours or so, and when all was said and done, we left up $2. Alright!!! Haha.

Something about being in a casino makes me feel like I'm on vacation

Yesterday (Sunday) was my last full day back at home. With the wedding next summer, I'm not sure when the next time I'll get to come back here will be, so I wanted to spend some time in Seattle - mainly at Pike Place Market and the Waterfront.

Before heading into Seattle, my mom and I hit the track again for some exercise. After lunch we headed to REI - I ended up getting a backpack and a helmet for my new bike! I love REI.

The door handles are ice picks :-)

After REI it was time for some Seattle time. First we went to Pike Place Market - it was so hot outside, and with all the people in there...whoa.

Pike Place!

Flying Fish Peeps

It was snack time while we were there - I got a white nectarine that was the juiciest piece of fruit I've ever had. My mom and dad split some raspberries that were also apparently delicious. It's not hard to find some nice looking produce there.

Fruits...

... and veggies!

I also got some artwork for my new apartment. Yay!! With the market crossed off the list it was time to head to the waterfront. There's a ferris wheel on one of the piers that hasn't always been there - my parents and I decided to ride it since none of us had ever done it.

The Great Wheel

The views from inside the gondola were pretty cool. And an added bonus... they were also air conditioned!! (I should mention that even though I said the weather was great, the temperature was 95 degrees, so it was great...but really hot).

A ferry - plus the Olympic Mountains in the background

Small section of downtown

Ship yards, stadiums, and more ferries

All in all, a very fun trip downtown. Back at home it was time to do laundry, pack, and go through more boxes...

Four boxes later it was time for fireworks!!! I can't stand that you can't buy fireworks in NY so I made sure to get a couple to do here before I left. Granted, my choice in fireworks is very lame - I was caught on fire by a firework when I was a little girl, so I'm always cautious to pick fireworks that are predictable (no jumping fireworks). Bring on the pop-its and the sparklers!

Expelliarmus!

Sidenote - it was 10:00 at night and you can see it's still somewhat light outside. The sun comes up a lot earlier and goes down a lot later out here than back on the East Coast.

The grand finale!

So there you have it - the wrap up of my trip home. I don't want to leave, although I'm glad I'll get to see Andy again. Plus I suppose I need to start packing. See you again on the other side!

Washington Update

Only three and a half days left here in Washington. Here's what's been going on since my last post.

First, the bad news.

True

Yep - my phone fell in the toilet that I had just peed in. Somehow the combination of pulling up my underwear while turning around and bending over to flush the toilet caused my phone to fall out of my bathrobe pocket and straight down to the bottom of the bowl. I hesitated for a second, completely grossed out, and then dunked my hand through the pee to rescue it. My phone then lived in a bowl of rice for over a day... after some disinfectant and a trip to the Apple Store for them to clean out the insides, it is finally working! I am amazed!!! That rice saved me $200.

Moving on - Having crossed off a dress for Sheena's wedding, it was time to focus on my own wedding. My mom and I spent an entire day at Ikea (for decorations), JoAnne Fabrics (for table runner ideas), and QFC (for flowers). I had always dreamed of an all white wedding with lots of natural greenery, so that's the feel we were going for...

One idea...

And another idea...

After lots of stress, anxiety, and consultation with Sheena, Nicole, and Sarah... I changed my mind. A white on white wedding would be beautiful on a grand scale. But I don't have a grand budget... so perhaps I need a little color. I've been so afraid to choose a color because what if I get sick of it? What if I change my mind?? White is always safe. Sheena reminded me that I've always like the colors in the coral/salmon family, so with that in mind and reviewing my Pinterest wedding board for the things I liked best.... here is the new scheme!!! Sunset/Desert colors.

Shown next to a plant for greenery haha.

I really like this new scheme, my only concern is having the wedding look too girly. Hopefully I can work with these colors just to make it feel summery and warm rather than super girly.

My other project has been going through old boxes and getting rid of things and figuring out what I really want to keep. Talk about a blast from the past. I found these gems... enjoy.

8th grade band dorks - Sheena and I are facing each other in the middle

Yes, I did pageants and played steel drums

A really weird poem I wrote - like the old-school computer print?

The highlight of everything I went through was a letter I had written to my parents from "horse camp" that I went to for two weeks out of the summer when I was about 10 years old. It was three pages long and very sweet about how I miss them, my dog Phoebe, how I made a bracelet, that my horses name was Cotton.... I signed my name and then wrote, "PS - I also made a basket. Please send money." LOL. Please send money. Classic.

Alright, the sun is finally shining again here, so my mom and I are headed outside to take advantage of the good weather. I'll make sure to update once more before I hop on a plane to head back to the East Coast. I'm actually excited to get back because I will get to start packing to move into our new apartment (yay!!!!) but also really sad because with the wedding next summer and Christmas not really planned for Washington.... it'll probably be over a year before I get to come back. :-( Hopefully I'll be surprised and find myself back here sooner though. We'll see!

Slug Fest and Dress Success

Day five in Washington - time for an update.

The weather here has been typical Pacific Northwest weather... gray, cold, and rainy. But you can't wait for good weather to do something here - otherwise you could wait forever, so on Sunday we grabbed our raincoats and headed out to Northwest Trek.

Northwest Trek is a wildlife park featuring animals that are indigenous to this area. There are some exhibits (kind of like a zoo except they are much larger and completely "natural"). My favorite parts of the exhibits were watching two raccoons play with each other, and also hearing the bears growl and then seeing two of them lumbering around. The main feature of the wildlife park is the tram ride. There are thousands of acres for free roaming herbivores - elk, moose, deer, caribou, bighorn sheep, bison, swans, etc, and the tram takes you through the entire park in hopes that you can spot some of the animals. We actually saw at least one of every animal in the reserve!

Now before we get to the pictures there's one other thing I have to add. To our surprise, Slug Fest was going on at NW Trek the weekend we were there. Slugs are pretty darn common in this area, and the park was making an effort to teach the public about these little guys - showing that big or small, all animals in this area are "interesting." I learned that slugs move at .007 miles an hour. I also learned that if you lick a banana slug, your tongue will go numb. Who in the world ever figured that out... gross.

Time for pictures!

Slug races during Slug Fest

A tram with slug antennae 

A Bighorn Sheep leading the way

This part was actually funny. This bighorn sheep saw us coming and just got in front of the tram and followed the path for awhile veeeeery sloooowly, which meant we had to slow down and just wait for it. It's almost like he did it on purpose. :-)

Can you see the bison?

Moose

Ok you get the gist. Sort of like a forest safari.

Yesterday was bridesmaid dress hunt day two. After maaaaaaany stores, I actually finally found a dress that Sheena had previously suggested as a dress she would like one of us to choose. They only had one left, and thanks to several Nordstrom gift cards I had, I only had to pay $15 out of pocket. Score!!!

Dress for Sheena's wedding!

It's definitely tight, but her wedding isn't until November and I am confident I will be somewhat smaller by then so the fit will be better. I'm so relieved to have that task crossed off my list. I knew my options would be much more limited when I got back so I was determined to take advantage of being in Seattle where there are more places to look.

Operation healthy has also been going well. We've been making a lot of different foods at my parent's house, and I have some new ideas to bring back with me. Last night was shrimp - I like shrimp but never make it myself, and was happy to learn how easy it is to do.

Cilantro/lime shrimp, quinoa w/veggies, and asparagus

And now you're all caught up on my trip! Today my mom and I are headed to Ikea in search for potential wedding decor. Good thing I left my suitcase half empty... I have a feeling we'll be filling it up soon!