Autumn in LA

The summer here was super duper hot. It was often over 95 degrees, with little wind to make it bearable. I spent most of my time hiding in shade or searching out air conditioning. That was when LA was at its most miserable. Now, however, the weather has changed, it's cooler, and almost every day, there's a nice crisp feeling to the air. Amazing how much better this city can be when it's not so blooming hot!

I never posted any photos from our summer activities. I'm still learning how to add photos to the blog so I'm just starting with a few from lovely Jill Rulis' wedding and will add more as I go. Jill and Kyle had a fabulous wedding with a beautiful location, awesome wine, and some of the best wedding food I've ever had. The bride and groom were so happy and everyone had a terrific time. Plus, I got to see some of my much-missed Colorado friends. It was great!

Ah, the joys of being a woman and forgetful at the same time

I haven't posted anything in a very long time. I can blame it on all sorts of things - I've been busy, I've been uninspired, I've been a plain 'ole slacker. But, today, I got a hankering to post something and, voila, life granted me a great opportunity! The men who read this may not understand it at the end. In fact, some of the women who read this may not understand it either. But, here it goes anyway:

I went jogging around the Rose Bowl today and, after I finished, I decided to stop at the grocery store for some fruits, veggies, and yogurt. I visited the broccoli, the yogurt, the grapes, the apples, and then I went to the checkout counter. I had taken my car key off my key ring so that I wouldn't have to carry the whole thing while running and I hadn't put it back on yet. So, I looked at my key and said, "Hmm...what should I do with this so I don't lose it?" That's the last thing I remember. After I checked out (thank God I knew where my ID and credit card were!), I looked everywhere - in my grocery bags, on the floor, around the bagging area...the key was nowhere to be found. A couple of employees noticed my search and offered to help. We scoured the store - I went back to all of the places I'd visited while shopping. I moved at least 30 bags of grapes, hoping the key had fallen underneath one of them. I moved broccoli. I moved yogurt. I did this all....twice. No luck. Just when I was saying to myself (and the four other people helping me), "Well, I guess that's why we make extra keys", one of my fellow search-and-rescue team members said, "Are you sure it's not in your pockets?" "No, these pants don't have pockets." (Side note: who makes running shorts without pockets?! Target, apparently). "What about up here," he motions to his shoulders, clearly looking at my cleavage. "No way, I couldn't poss...." Darn if he wasn't right! My key was in my bra on side (no, not down the center but it really doesn't make a difference). He turned a nice shade of red while I gave him a huge hug.

I know he'll tell that story to at least twenty people today. Heck, we told ten people while I was still there! At least I brought some humor to an otherwise uneventful Tuesday.

My Triathlon!

I finally did it! I raced in my first triathlon yesterday! It seems so odd to have trained for such a long time and to finally have it be done. My biggest fear was to come in last, looking like a complete idiot but, in the end, I was proud of my performance. Jeff and my mom were a HUGE support - they kept me calm, helped me get all of the logistics together (there are a lot of logistics with a triathlon, I've learned!), and they cheered for the WHOLE race!

The race included a 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike, and 3 mile run. As I was training, I had the most concerns about the bike portion - it's the longest section and I feel so much more comfortable swimming and running. But, in the end, it was the swim that gave me the most trouble. I was completely unprepared for how much the icky salt water, waves, and hordes of other swimmers would affect me. It was a mad house! People were splashing and kicking each other, there was NO visibility in the water, and a few of the buoys were really hard to see because the sun was shining straight in our eyes. Plus, I was wearing a wet suit that was nice for buoyancy but sucked for stroke mobility. I'm a good freestyle swimmer but I had to do a fair bit of breast stroke (so I could see where I was going) and backstroke (I was so out of breath from fighting through the other racers), which slowed me down. Overall, though, Jeff and my mom said that I came out of the water near the beginning of the pack, which was a pleasant surprise.

The bike part of the race went really well. The hill that I was worried about turned out to be relatively minor and I managed to avoid other competitors through the narrow course. Although I got passed, I did passing of my own as well. I took some time to enjoy the beautiful scenery around us and made sure to thank as many volunteers as I could. The run was uneventful and a bit boring. There was little to look at (e.g., the back of an RV park) but it was done pretty quickly. I was even able to do a sprint at the end.

Jeff and my mom were total troopers! They got up at 4am and helped me drag all of my stuff to the beach. Then, they waited around for a while, monitoring my stuff so that other racers didn't move it (yes, there were some people who hadn't quite learned the spirit of good sportsmanship), and cheered for me and the other "newbies" in the race. I couldn't have asked for a better support crew!

It remains to be seen if I'll do another triathlon again. My knees are too sore at the moment to consider it. But, it's definitely not out of the question ;)

Jen's List

I got this from my sister-in-law's blog In bold are the things I have done. I hope you all copy and paste it so I can read your lists!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Well, Rock Band)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (Jeff can vouch for this one)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (they're called 'mental health days'!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (I've run in a marathon but have no desire to complete one)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (well, sketched)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (unfortunately)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (not as bad as you might expect, especially the red kind on sushi)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (no but give me a little time :) )
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Cave Tubing in Belize

We had such a great weekend! It started out on Friday night when we went to see Slumdog Millionaire. It's won so many awards yet we still hadn't seen it! Of course, it was really good. A bit depressing despite the happy ending but, overall, totally worth seeing. Now I want to see the rest of the Oscars movies! After the movie, we took a little walk and got some frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt is pretty big here. Everyone loves Pinkberry so we thought we'd try it but, to be honest, it was kind of overpriced. We'll probably be sticking with one of the other frozen yogurt places in Pasadena, like 21 Flavors or Squeeze 'n Scoop. The former is a little like Cold Stone in that you can mix in different toppings. Occasionally, they also have organic flavors. The pumpkin pie flavor around Christmas-time was amazing! At Squeeze 'n Scoop, you can combine your own flavors, choosing from about 12 different yogurt options and 20 different toppings. It's definitely yummy.

On Saturday, we had a nice breakfast together at home (I made farmer's eggs - scrambled eggs, ham, onion, and yellow hominy - delicious!) and then went hiking to Mt. Hollywood in Griffith Park. Griffith Park is a HUGE city park with all sorts of fun things to do. For example, you can visit the LA Zoo, golf at one of the golf courses, and even ride horses. We chose to hike up Mt. Hollywood for a good view of the Hollywood sign. The weather was so beautiful and we ended up spending about 4 hours wandering around the area. Afterwards, we came home and went to a German wine tasting at Whole Foods. This Whole Foods is, basically, the Mecca of all Whole Foods. They have a wine tasting/tapas bar, they have a ton of prepared foods, an entire gluten-free section, and tons of bulk items (I first discovered this market a couple of weeks ago when I was looking for bulk organic oats. I went in for one thing and stayed for an hour!). The wine tasting was good - we got to try a red pinot noir from Germany, which is unusual - and then we shared a calzone in their cafe. Yummy!

The next morning, we got up somewhat early and went out to the Hollywood Farmer's Market. Wow! It's amazing! It has to be at least 3 times larger than the one we usually go to in Pasadena! It had tons of prepared foods, including tamales, pad thai, empanadas, gumbo, and gyros, and the entire market is certified organic. They had some amazing produce. We bought a half-flat of strawberries (for only $5 - yay for California's seasonless agriculture!) and a ton of broccoli, carrots, oranges, and kiwis. We'll definitely be coming back for more soon!

In the afternoon, Jeff had to go on his long run (22 miles - ugh) so I stayed back. I had planned on going on a bike ride but, as we came back from the market, we realized that my bike had been stolen :( It was an old bike and it weighed a TON but it was really reliable and I'd had it since I was 11. So, I'm a little disappointed. But, now we're in the market for a new bike, which will be wonderful, I'm sure.

Because I couldn't go for a bike ride, I decided to make a couple of big batches of soup. My first was a curried carrot soup, which I made a little too smoky/spicy when I got overzealous with the cayenne. Then, I made a cream of broccoli and potato. Both are darn good and I have enough to last us for at least 2 or 3 weeks so least we have something in the house when we're hungry!

In other news, I also signed up for a triathlon! It will be held in the Newport Beach area (about 1 hour from Pasadena) on Sunday, April 19th. It's a 1/2 mile swim in the bay followed by about 15 miles on the bike (the new bike, which I hope to buy shortly), and a 3 mile run. I'm a little nervous about it, of course, but I've always wanted to do a triathlon and, since my mom will be in town, it was a good opportunity to take advantage of supporters :) So far, I can do 10 miles on the stationary bike followed by a 2 mile run and a 1/2 mile swim followed by a 10 mile bike so I'm feeling pretty good about my training at this point. Now I just need to get on a real bike and get some experience with that! Exciting times, I guess!

Friday Excitement!

Today I'm making valentine bags and cards with one of my autism classes. At first, I wasn't really into the activity; I just did it so that I could do something that would be relevant to the kids' lives (after all, when you're in elementary school, Valentine's Day is a big deal). But, as I've planned and prepared for our activities, I have found that I'm having a lot of fun myself! We're not doing much - decorating some white paper bags with stickers, adding stickers to pink and white cards, and "sending" the kids' valentines in envelopes I made from long, white paper - but it's made the day so much more interesting. The truth is that, by the end, I'll probably have had more fun than my students will but I think I'm ok with that :)

Moving Day....again.

Jeff and I have finally put the air mattress away and now have a proper bed in which to sleep! Yay! The movers brought our belongings here yesterday, in the pouring rain :( We spent 7 hours moving stuff in, then we left for a short lunch/dinner (we needed to get away from all the boxes), and then we spent another 3.5 hours continuing to unpack. We still have SO much to do!!! I must say, it's nice having our things here (I really missed the water kettle, my desk, and definitely the bed, among other things) but it's also a pain in the butt having to find places for everything. Luckily, Jeff is going to take his professional books to work and we're going to use the storage area in our carport for some extraneous items but it's still a lot of stuff! I'm hoping we can get it all taken care of by next weekend but I'll be ok if it takes us a little longer. The one nice thing about moving is that it feels like Christmas; you forget about all those things you really like until you find them in a box and you think, "Oh my gosh, I love this [insert object here]!" Definitely one of the cheaper 'Christmases' we'll ever have :)

At Long Last!

I have been so remiss in my blogging! Weeks and weeks without any posts is terrible - I know I should try to be more consistent. My beautiful sister-in-law has given me the nudge I needed to write again :) Thanks, Kristen!

So much has happened in the recent weeks so I'll give a brief synopsis:

1) I finished classes and clinics at CU! Originally, I was planning on taking incompletes in my classes because I thought I would be having a brain biopsy. But, when the biopsy was cancelled at the last minute, I got the opportunity to finish classes after all! It was dizzying getting back up to speed but I'm glad that it's over.

2) I moved to California! My mom and I left for California the day after my last final exam. I would like to have taken some extra time in Boulder to get things settled but we were rushing to California to make it to the last doctor's appointment we could get before January. There was an awful snowstorm in Utah that created a blizzard, we got a flat tire in the middle of the desert (luckily, we found a place that could repair the tire without much of a problem - I guess there's not much demand for tire repair work at 9:00pm in these places), and we had a three hour traffic jam from Las Vegas to the California border but, overall, it was fine. We stayed at a little hotel in Beaver, Utah that had a darn good breakfast spot attached and we had a great lunch in Las Vegas before heading out on the final leg of our journey to Pasadena.

3) My mom, Jeff, and I celebrated Christmas together! Jeff did an excellent job preparing the house for Christmas so, when my mom and I arrived after our very long drive, we found that stockings and a tree were waiting for us! We had so much fun exploring various sites in Pasadena. These included the Pasadena farmer's market, the Santa Monica farmer's market, and the LA farmer's market (for the record, I LOVE farmer's markets!). We saw several movies together (thanks to my mom who got us a blu-ray player for Christmas) and, generally, had a great time. Jeff had the excellent idea to make rice krispie treats for the holidays, which was fun. These were no ordinary rice krispie treats - some had Andes mints and green food coloring, some had red food coloring and were decorated with Red Hots, some had butterscotch chips and almonds, some were 'plain' with M&Ms. So delicious! My personal favorite were the ones with Andes mints but they were all really, really good.

4) Jeff and I celebrated New Year's Eve by backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park! We were both sad that my mom had to leave to go back to Colorado but we decided to take advantage of Jeff's five-days off and go backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park for New Years. We did car camping on the first day and then did two days of backpacking. It was so nice. The weather was beautiful - it was cold for a day or so but that was it - and we really got to reconnect after having been apart for so long. The scenery was beautiful and it was well worth it!

5) I started my internships! Originally, the coordinator at the LA School District had told me that I wouldn't start my internships until early February but my supervisors decided that I could start two weeks earlier if I wanted. So, I decided to go for it! I've been there for 7 work days so far and I LOVE it!!! There will certainly be many more postings on this topic but, for now, I'll say that I have three different schools where I work with two different supervisors. The kids are in Pre-K to 5th grade. I have about 70 kids total, with a variety of disorders like cleft palate, stuttering, learning disabilities, and autism. My two supervisors are very different from one another but they're each teaching me lots.

Overall, we're still in the process of getting settled here. Our stuff comes this weekend so we'll be busy unpacking and organizing things. I'm working on getting into a routine that includes cooking meals for 2 now, working out, learning my way around the various cities, and seeing the sites. We have so much planned to see and do that it will be a big adventure, with many postings to come!