I have quite a few topics I want to journal and once again have ignored my blog. I'm so busy I ignore my own self! Actually things are calming down quite a bit. I had a mandatory quiet weekend this past weekend and it was great! After an amazing event at WFP with some of our field staff (Muthi, Sherina and Claudia) on Thursday night Dane and I went to a late showing of Machete Kills at SoS, that was fun. Friday I got to chill out with Dane (who was feeling sick) and watch After Earth - good movie. Saturday I went to boot camp then spent the afternoon searching South Broadway for my Halloween costume. I'm going to be Alice as part of Steph's Alice in Wonderland theme. Got everything but the shoes, stockings and apron. I might just wear my black casual shoes if I can't find good heels for cheap. Stockings I might have but I might also buy. And I'll make the apron. Should be easy, right? :-) Stopped by my couzeen's house for a bit then moved on to home for a quick nap before I picked Jamie up. We went to Punch Bowl Social and had a great time talking and drinking and bowling. Then we cabbed to Cowboy Lounge and had a great time dancing (even though my feet hurt) then cabbed back to PBS and decided to go to Boyz Town - too much fun! Just had a few drinks all night so I wasn't all wrecked Sunday which was nice because I wanted to put up the Halloween decorations and knit some more mustaches for Tara. Broncos won (again, 6-0!!).
Now for the updates:
Janet Crawford brain/biology: I still need to dedicate an entire blog just to this. Coming soon, I promise!
Basement clean of 2013: Okay - Dane and I spent the better part of 2 weekends and some weekdays completely cleaning out the basement. We bought a bagster and got rid of all the boxes we've been hanging on to and donated a TON of stuff that has been lying around for years! Then we moved EVERYTHING and dusted and vacuumed all the surfaces - it was craziness. Then we organized everything into categories (need to access throughout the year and storage/seasonal) and put it all away in a manner that makes sense, not just wherever it landed. We even made a nice little library nook with the chaise cushion and big green chair. It's much better now. All this was done to prepare for Dane's mom and sister.
The visit of Dane's mom and sister: I don't really want to talk about it. It didn't go all that bad, but it was tough in ways that I just can't prepare for. They don't plan anything, his mom is sooooo sensitive to smell we had to rid the house of all smells (it's only smellz!), they are both passively antagonistic, I feel like no matter what nothing I do is good enough and I know that's probably my own issues and not so much real life but it contributes to the stress. The highlight was going to the Wild Animal Sanctuary - a place that is a haven for wild animals born in captivity. I was so moved that I "adopted" a tiger for $30/month. Can't wait to go back.
Work - relationships: Work is going really, really well. I've been having minor anxiety issues about a "certain salt rimmed Mexican beverage" returning to work, but have also been supported by other folks. It will be okay. Not sure why everything has to be so hard with the Beverage, but at least I'm not alone in my thoughts or struggle. In other news, things are on the mend with Los Otro. Small things have happened to help the relationship and I think the biggest challenge will be on me to keep it at a level it needs to be at and not fall for any bait. In a way, they brought it on themselves - they pushed it all on my claiming it's all mine to manage and be the expert - well guess what - momma's been getting educated and now you all are going to have to refer to me as the expert and follow my recommendations, even (and especially) if they are different from your opinions. Tee hee hee. Coping mechanisms!!
Work - New hire: So Kat has decided to move over to a job share with the Office Manager, still holding onto 10 hours in accounting for as long as I can make this happen. Because of that, I need a full time spot in my department. We posted for the job and a LOT of good peeps applied - I was not expecting that! I was thinking I'd have to settle. After a systematic narrowing I found 12 candidates to phone interview. Of those 12, 4 seemed promising to bring in. Of the 4, 2 especiallly seemed promising so I brought them in and settled on the one that stood out in every way. His name is Mark and he is really passionate about WFP and even spent time in the Peace Corps in Mozambique. He handled all our questions with grace and style, including my mad libs, checking app and superhero questions. He's a good guy. He was so excited to start that he met me the following night at Hamburger Mary's to talk logistics. We stayed till close (with Kat and Pyz) and had a great time. He started on Oct 7th and hit the ground running. I did not make a mistake in hiring him. He will report to Tara which will be good two fold - gets me out of HQ and gets T some good experience.
Work - Capacity: Now I have the capacity to really focus on the things I want/need to at WFP like the nonprofit trap, impact memos, grant management, rolling budgets/forecasts, financial analysis, etc. Plus spend more time with the field accountants - they need it so much and I'm happy to finally be able to provide it. Good changes coming down - I'm happy with WFP for now. Tis the cycle. :-)
Paleo "diet": Part of the Janet Crawford post will explain my recent research on the paleo diet but suffice it to say that I have concluded that I need to do my best to eliminate grains, sugars, dairy and processed foods from my diet as much as possible. Our bodies just aren't built to digest this stuff and especially not at the quantities I consume them. So time for whole foods that my ancestors would eat - mostly meats, veggies, fruits and nuts/seeds. In the short time I have been somewhat following this plan, I have seen differences in my appearence, weight and overall state of health. I can even tell when I have eaten grains (more that than dairy or sugars). I am working on slowly transitioning into this type of diet while eliminating the grains/sugars/dairy/processed foods from my pantry. Don't want to waste anything and don't want to go to crazy and cause shock to the system. I'm not giving up alcohol though. But trying to stick with wine when I can. I think I am stronger, healthier and in the best shape that I have ever been in my life these days. That didn't come without a price though - seeing Andy (now 3 times a week) definitely costs a pretty penny but with the results I've seen I'm not willing to give up on it. These days it is more about being/living healthy than just weight loss. Same with the paleo - this isn't just a fad, for me it's a way of life.
Floods: Colorado experienced a 1000 year flood in September - crazy. Boulder, Longmont, Lyons - a bunch of towns destroyed by the waters. We volunteered with Brandon (and his trailer) to help folks clean up their destroyed homes. It was rough but folks were in surprisingly good spirits. It felt good to help out, even in the little way we did.
Getting old: Dane and I are getting old. He just recently celebrated his 35th birthday (to put it in perspective, we met when he was 22 and I was 21 - we are only 1.5 years apart in age). I found a blog entry that I wrote back in 2006 maybe where Dane was quoted saying "I can't believe I'm turning 28 tomorrow - I might as well be 30!!" When I mentioned that to him all I got in response was a forlorn "FML" from his side of the bed, clearly under the covers and (probably) sobbing. Okay maybe not sobbing but definitely with a hint of perspective. Now let me tell you one possible good thing about getting older. All the young bucks like the idea of flirting with a "cougar." Now I'm not anywhere near....CORRECTION - according to Urban Cougar's Cougar 101 a cougar can begin around 35 but this is not necessarily the standard or norm. In fact UC introduces the Theory of Cougartivity which expands on the idea that being a cougar is more of an attitude of a sexy, confident woman who knows what she wants and is willing to teach than an age range or number of years of age difference. In example, a 15 year old boy might look to an 18 year old as a cougar just as much as a 23 year old looks at a 35 year old and so on. It's all relative, I guess. So with that - the nice thing about getting older is there are a lot of young bucks, or "cubs" as I have now learned is the term (though that's weird - that implies a mother-son relationship whereas buck implies a prey [cougar's perspective] or a budding male [dude's perspective]). I told Dane that now I get attention from men simply because I'm old - HOORAY!! Dane rolls his eyes. Whatever - he dated a 33 year old when he was 17!!!! I think I get to have fun with this. Go cougars!!
Peck: I seem to be on the long, slow road to recovery with Peck, which is good. It will be on me to maintain a distance that is sustainable for both of us and not bend to her every beck and call. I miss the old Peck, can't say I miss the new Peck and I'm sure she feels the same about the Crazy Work Crystal. Time to hit the reset and find a common ground where we can have a great time but still lead our own lives. It will be a challenge for me not to give in to her or let her take advantage of me but a challenge that I am willing to take on if it means we can get back on track. We are bonded together and will never, ever be able to exist without being involved in each other's lives to some extent so it is worth our time to make sure that influence is positive and healthy for us and not negative or mentally draining. Hoping this recovery will help her back off our mutual friends and not put them in awkward positions where they feel they have to choose between us, join in on the gossiping or just sit and endure a monologue where they can't/don't want to participate in the conversation. I'm looking forward to this.
South Africa: Dane and I finalized our trip to South Africa. We will leave Feb 15th and return on Feb 28th. Going to a 6 day safari then go on a 2 day hike sandwiched between some time at the beach. It has been a nightmare dealing with the travel agent but we are hopeful the end result will be a great vacation. It will be an adventure no matter what, that is certain!
That's all for now, hopefully I can work on the Janet/Brain/Biology post next before the bachelorette party, Couzeen's wedding and my parents visit.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
30th Birthday Revival Post!
So I found this post somewhere in 2008 (28 and Life to Go) and realized (cause I didn't blog for 4 years) that I never closed the loop on my goals for my 30th birthday which I think I originally posted in 2005. Suppose I'll update it and make goals for about 2 years from now - something simple and sweet. I be gettin' too old for big time dreaming. Who even knows if I'll still be kicking at the well-ripened age of 35. :-P
Goals for 30th birthday
Education
Completed Bachelor's degree - achieved
Completed Master's degree - achieved
CPA exam (or at least enrolled in a CPA study program) - achieved
Information gathered on law degree or PHD - information gathered, no decision made
Career
Earning at the very least $55,000/year ($43K inflation, $2K BA, $5K MA) - achieved
Revolving CFA and/or more corps under my belt or mini-controller - achieved
Community
Continue fostering animals for Humane Society - this stopped when we moved out of Seattle :-(
Become a mentor for children - never did this, got on a volunteer list but it never went anywhere and I didn't actively persue
Obtain info on child fostering/adopting - information gathered and decided (at that and this time) not to adopt
Body
Tattoos removed - achieved, except the rose stays for no particular reason
Junk hair removed - achieved, though this wasn't permenant >:-[
Teeth whitened - achieved and ongoing
Augmentation - achieved
Stable 130 - 140 lbs - actively working on
Non-dyed, healthy hair - not even close - I love the blond too much
Eyebrows touched up - achieved and ongoing
Mind
Continued yoga practice - nope
Painting - nope
Dancing - achieved
Frivalties
Tanning [bed?] - achieved, salon not bed
Hot tub - achieved, but we had to get rid of this to move back to CO so back to square 1 again
Massage membership - achieved
Maid - achieved
Convertible sports car - achieved
New motorcycle - nope
Travel - achieved - I've done nothing but travel! Colorado, California, Oregon, Florida, Amsterdam, Mexico, and now Egypt and Texas - the list goes on!
Kauai - we still need to do this
Greece - nope
Vancouver - we did Victoria Island, so close enough
Goals for 35th birthday
Education
On-going CPE (don't lose CPA)
Financial knowledge
IFRS/FX knowledge
Career
Don't jump off parking garage
Don't go crazy
Maintain Controller position at WFP
Increase regional capacity
Community
At least 1 fundraiser run each year
Knit for animals/people in need
Volunteer with seniors and or special needs folks
Body
Goal weight of 130-145, depending on muscle mass
50 push ups, from the feet
10 pull ups, unassisted
Consistent 3-5x/week workouts
Paleo lifestyle maintained
Mind
Crafting (knit, sew, crochet, quilt, paint, whatever)
Dance Party!
Reading
iPad gaming
NEW! House
Redo the deck
Finish the basement
Hot tub (again)
Frivalties
Tanning
Massage
Wax
Cleaner
Travel: South Africa, Ft Lauderdale, Las Vegas
Credit cards and debt all paid off (student loan doesn't count)
Goals for 30th birthday
Education
Completed Bachelor's degree - achieved
Completed Master's degree - achieved
CPA exam (or at least enrolled in a CPA study program) - achieved
Information gathered on law degree or PHD - information gathered, no decision made
Career
Earning at the very least $55,000/year ($43K inflation, $2K BA, $5K MA) - achieved
Revolving CFA and/or more corps under my belt or mini-controller - achieved
Community
Continue fostering animals for Humane Society - this stopped when we moved out of Seattle :-(
Become a mentor for children - never did this, got on a volunteer list but it never went anywhere and I didn't actively persue
Obtain info on child fostering/adopting - information gathered and decided (at that and this time) not to adopt
Body
Tattoos removed - achieved, except the rose stays for no particular reason
Junk hair removed - achieved, though this wasn't permenant >:-[
Teeth whitened - achieved and ongoing
Augmentation - achieved
Stable 130 - 140 lbs - actively working on
Non-dyed, healthy hair - not even close - I love the blond too much
Eyebrows touched up - achieved and ongoing
Mind
Continued yoga practice - nope
Painting - nope
Dancing - achieved
Frivalties
Tanning [bed?] - achieved, salon not bed
Hot tub - achieved, but we had to get rid of this to move back to CO so back to square 1 again
Massage membership - achieved
Maid - achieved
Convertible sports car - achieved
New motorcycle - nope
Travel - achieved - I've done nothing but travel! Colorado, California, Oregon, Florida, Amsterdam, Mexico, and now Egypt and Texas - the list goes on!
Kauai - we still need to do this
Greece - nope
Vancouver - we did Victoria Island, so close enough
Goals for 35th birthday
Education
On-going CPE (don't lose CPA)
Financial knowledge
IFRS/FX knowledge
Career
Don't jump off parking garage
Don't go crazy
Maintain Controller position at WFP
Increase regional capacity
Community
At least 1 fundraiser run each year
Knit for animals/people in need
Volunteer with seniors and or special needs folks
Body
Goal weight of 130-145, depending on muscle mass
50 push ups, from the feet
10 pull ups, unassisted
Consistent 3-5x/week workouts
Paleo lifestyle maintained
Mind
Crafting (knit, sew, crochet, quilt, paint, whatever)
Dance Party!
Reading
iPad gaming
NEW! House
Redo the deck
Finish the basement
Hot tub (again)
Frivalties
Tanning
Massage
Wax
Cleaner
Travel: South Africa, Ft Lauderdale, Las Vegas
Credit cards and debt all paid off (student loan doesn't count)
Friday, September 06, 2013
Seattle, Staycation, Walden and Life in General
I really want to make the time to dedicate to this journal, it just doesn't always happen. For that reason - I have a lot to catch up on! Here goes:
Seattle - Seattle was great! Got to hang out with Heather during the day and meet Jody Tief, the Controller of Clear Path International. We ate at Cutters and had beermosas and passed the time till we went to the Noc Noc, which is being pushed out of business by the new landlord to the building they are in so we attended the last Sinner Saint Burlesque show. It was bittersweet. Laura Rose even had the emcee give us a nod, which was nice. It was standing room only - crazy! We had a great time and I got Scotty's information so I can stalk him at the new bar he goes to and continue to get drunk on his El Fuego Frio drinks. We tried going to the Deja Vu but it was expensive and the doorman was an asshole. So we went back to Noc Noc, left our credit cards there, got in some taxi and went to some Mediterranean place in Pioneer Square (pic below). After that we tried to go back to Noc Noc to get our cards but it was 3 am and shut down. So Mike took us back to Heather's and we crashed out.
We stayed in Mukilteo on Friday and Saturday and the wedding was probably the worst wedding I've ever been too. The bride and her family definitely acted like this was her 2nd wedding. I'm happy for Joe but also sad for him too. I think Meg is pregnant again. I'm also not convinced that Benjamin is Joe's biological son. I also thought it was pretty tacky that the reason the wedding was on such a budget was because Meg wanted to wear 2 Vera Wang designer gowns. I also didn't think the venue was worth everyone flying out to Seattle for, but whatever. It was nice to see my Seattle friends and hang out with my CO friends in WA. After the wedding we went to the only open bar then back to the hotel for dance party. Mike shared a room with us (poor guy) and his waking comment was "I downloaded about 15 disco ball apps last night." LOVE that comment - it totally describes drunken dance party! Good memories if nothing else.
Sunday we hung out with Mark and Angela and the kids and just "were" with them. There's not many folks that we can just *be* with and Mark and Ang are. We had fun, both Ang and I had hangovers from the night before. I love their new house and the kids are so cute. I can't wait to come back to WA and spend more time with them.
Staycation - After Seattle I had a couple days at home to rest, relax and do productive things around the house. It was fun. I wanted to do a little more yardwork, knitting and organizing but ran out of time. Where does it all go?
Walden - Walden was great - I went up a day early to get Dane an air mattress since the one we had petered out. It was really fun. In the end it was us, Dick, Christy, Julius, Cindy, Kieth, Jer, Peck, the boys and Charity and Rene. We had a great afternoon adventure that turned into early evening adventure - it was a great exploration of the ridge behind the dunes and everyone had a great time (even though the Mirabal's dog puked in the car). Damion rode with me and we just had a blast going over the bumps and he got sprayed with cow poop - so much fun! We ended up having a late night dance party on the beach with our Saudi friends and some other guys from Mexico came out and we had a blast - I loved the mixed bag group. :-) We all packed up and headed back on Sunday and had a nice day of rest on Monday, gearing up for work on Tuesday.
Life in General - I still need to post about the Women in Leadership meeting we had at work - very valuable information. This month is crazy with the relay, Dane's family, preparing for Dane's family - all craziness. I'm looking forward to the weather cooling down and getting back in the house for knitting and crafting and just things calming down in general.
I applied for a serving job at Brothers and even had an interview but I don't think it will work out - I have very limited time I can work and I think they are looking for folks with more flexibility. WFP is going good - I haven't received an email from Kim in over 6 weeks and it's been amazing!! It's about ready to ramp up again soon so I'm gearing up for that. That's about it for now.
Seattle - Seattle was great! Got to hang out with Heather during the day and meet Jody Tief, the Controller of Clear Path International. We ate at Cutters and had beermosas and passed the time till we went to the Noc Noc, which is being pushed out of business by the new landlord to the building they are in so we attended the last Sinner Saint Burlesque show. It was bittersweet. Laura Rose even had the emcee give us a nod, which was nice. It was standing room only - crazy! We had a great time and I got Scotty's information so I can stalk him at the new bar he goes to and continue to get drunk on his El Fuego Frio drinks. We tried going to the Deja Vu but it was expensive and the doorman was an asshole. So we went back to Noc Noc, left our credit cards there, got in some taxi and went to some Mediterranean place in Pioneer Square (pic below). After that we tried to go back to Noc Noc to get our cards but it was 3 am and shut down. So Mike took us back to Heather's and we crashed out.
We stayed in Mukilteo on Friday and Saturday and the wedding was probably the worst wedding I've ever been too. The bride and her family definitely acted like this was her 2nd wedding. I'm happy for Joe but also sad for him too. I think Meg is pregnant again. I'm also not convinced that Benjamin is Joe's biological son. I also thought it was pretty tacky that the reason the wedding was on such a budget was because Meg wanted to wear 2 Vera Wang designer gowns. I also didn't think the venue was worth everyone flying out to Seattle for, but whatever. It was nice to see my Seattle friends and hang out with my CO friends in WA. After the wedding we went to the only open bar then back to the hotel for dance party. Mike shared a room with us (poor guy) and his waking comment was "I downloaded about 15 disco ball apps last night." LOVE that comment - it totally describes drunken dance party! Good memories if nothing else.
Sunday we hung out with Mark and Angela and the kids and just "were" with them. There's not many folks that we can just *be* with and Mark and Ang are. We had fun, both Ang and I had hangovers from the night before. I love their new house and the kids are so cute. I can't wait to come back to WA and spend more time with them.
Staycation - After Seattle I had a couple days at home to rest, relax and do productive things around the house. It was fun. I wanted to do a little more yardwork, knitting and organizing but ran out of time. Where does it all go?
Walden - Walden was great - I went up a day early to get Dane an air mattress since the one we had petered out. It was really fun. In the end it was us, Dick, Christy, Julius, Cindy, Kieth, Jer, Peck, the boys and Charity and Rene. We had a great afternoon adventure that turned into early evening adventure - it was a great exploration of the ridge behind the dunes and everyone had a great time (even though the Mirabal's dog puked in the car). Damion rode with me and we just had a blast going over the bumps and he got sprayed with cow poop - so much fun! We ended up having a late night dance party on the beach with our Saudi friends and some other guys from Mexico came out and we had a blast - I loved the mixed bag group. :-) We all packed up and headed back on Sunday and had a nice day of rest on Monday, gearing up for work on Tuesday.
Life in General - I still need to post about the Women in Leadership meeting we had at work - very valuable information. This month is crazy with the relay, Dane's family, preparing for Dane's family - all craziness. I'm looking forward to the weather cooling down and getting back in the house for knitting and crafting and just things calming down in general.
I applied for a serving job at Brothers and even had an interview but I don't think it will work out - I have very limited time I can work and I think they are looking for folks with more flexibility. WFP is going good - I haven't received an email from Kim in over 6 weeks and it's been amazing!! It's about ready to ramp up again soon so I'm gearing up for that. That's about it for now.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Glenwood Adventure!
Dane and I took a long weekend to hike and bike in the mountains and it was amazing! So amazing that I'd like to re-purpose our Labor Day Walden trip into more of a CO Adventure trip. We'll see if that actually pans out. I also have a million things around the house I can (and should) do instead.
Friday: worked all day then volunteered at a drinking fundraiser for WFP downtown. It was super fun! I thought we'd leave by 9pm but ended up staying till midnight then going out with a few WFP folks (Maya, Katja, Double, Jeremy plus Todd and Joel) afterwards till LATE. Dane drove Double home (me in his lap) then we dance partied till 4am! Apparently I threw the couch to the side, my clothes to the floor and danced all crazy till I passed out. Good times.
Saturday: Amazingly we still got up (semi-)on time and were on the road for Piney Lake by noon. We got up there almost in one piece - at some point the train horns became disconnected. I blame the rocky dirt road, Dane disagrees. Other than that, Rally Raptor was fun and we spent about an hour canoeing on the lake, which was a lot of fun! We got lost in a little winding river-in-the-lake thing, navigated through reeds and watched a dog splash around. We ate dinner at Piney River Ranch then headed towards Glenwood Springs just in enough time to check in to Ami's Campground and set up our tent. The campground had showers so we made a quick trip to Ross to get towels, enjoyed a shower then played PvZ2 till about 10 or so before calling it a night.
Sunday: Got up early and biked the Glenwood Canyon from Dotsero, so about 17-20 miles give or take. The ride was great - beautiful scenery, animals and just a lot of fun. We stopped at Hanging Lake and hiked up the trecherous 1.2 rocky miles to the top - amazing! Such a beautiful lake and a waterfall that appears right out of a rock - it's crazy! We had fun there and took our time. On the way up we found a purse that was FULL of cash and all the valueables of a Kristin Schmidt from Oak Something, IL. Luckily we also found Kristin from Oak Something and were able to return the purse to the rightful owner. Hopefully I earned a few karma points. After the hike we continued our bike back into GWS having great conversation, mostly about Janet Crawford and the training/leadership discussion she facilitated for WFP on Thursday (a different blog will be dedicated to this). Once back in GWS we decided to forego the white water rafting trip and go straight to Aspen. Good thing too because we snagged the last walk-in camp site! We managed to set up camp and get showers at the Aspen rec center and dinner at Hickory House BBQ (as usual) and back to camp just in time for rain. We snuggled up inside (Dane wanted a fire so bad but nature said no) and played more PvZ2 till it was time for bed. The roaring river was much better to fall asleep to than the roaring highway of Ami's.
Friday: worked all day then volunteered at a drinking fundraiser for WFP downtown. It was super fun! I thought we'd leave by 9pm but ended up staying till midnight then going out with a few WFP folks (Maya, Katja, Double, Jeremy plus Todd and Joel) afterwards till LATE. Dane drove Double home (me in his lap) then we dance partied till 4am! Apparently I threw the couch to the side, my clothes to the floor and danced all crazy till I passed out. Good times.
Saturday: Amazingly we still got up (semi-)on time and were on the road for Piney Lake by noon. We got up there almost in one piece - at some point the train horns became disconnected. I blame the rocky dirt road, Dane disagrees. Other than that, Rally Raptor was fun and we spent about an hour canoeing on the lake, which was a lot of fun! We got lost in a little winding river-in-the-lake thing, navigated through reeds and watched a dog splash around. We ate dinner at Piney River Ranch then headed towards Glenwood Springs just in enough time to check in to Ami's Campground and set up our tent. The campground had showers so we made a quick trip to Ross to get towels, enjoyed a shower then played PvZ2 till about 10 or so before calling it a night.
Sunday: Got up early and biked the Glenwood Canyon from Dotsero, so about 17-20 miles give or take. The ride was great - beautiful scenery, animals and just a lot of fun. We stopped at Hanging Lake and hiked up the trecherous 1.2 rocky miles to the top - amazing! Such a beautiful lake and a waterfall that appears right out of a rock - it's crazy! We had fun there and took our time. On the way up we found a purse that was FULL of cash and all the valueables of a Kristin Schmidt from Oak Something, IL. Luckily we also found Kristin from Oak Something and were able to return the purse to the rightful owner. Hopefully I earned a few karma points. After the hike we continued our bike back into GWS having great conversation, mostly about Janet Crawford and the training/leadership discussion she facilitated for WFP on Thursday (a different blog will be dedicated to this). Once back in GWS we decided to forego the white water rafting trip and go straight to Aspen. Good thing too because we snagged the last walk-in camp site! We managed to set up camp and get showers at the Aspen rec center and dinner at Hickory House BBQ (as usual) and back to camp just in time for rain. We snuggled up inside (Dane wanted a fire so bad but nature said no) and played more PvZ2 till it was time for bed. The roaring river was much better to fall asleep to than the roaring highway of Ami's.
Monday: Woke up around 8 so we could get a 3.6 mile hike of the Maroon Bells in before we had to leave by noon due to the Pro Cycle race. We did it and in about 2 hours. The hike to Crater Lake is moderate, a bit rocky and steep (though not as rocky or steep as Hanging Lake) and I remember last time we did the hike (May 2012) I was about 30 lbs more in weight than I am now and certainly not as strong. It felt good to be able to hike, canoe, bike and hike again 3 days in a row - a far cry away from where I was last year! It's motivating and encouraging me to continue my efforts towards fitness (while still having fun with dance party and delights :-)). After the hike we took a detour in Aspen and I spent money that I don't have at a boutique shop on an infinity dress, a couple maxi skirts, a cute crochet shrug and a belt. I literally abandon ship from Dane's car to run in the shop then had a fun time with the owner and a couple shoppers. There's lipstick on one of the maxi skirts and the inifinity dress is cute but I might need more tools (bra) in order to make it work. We also stopped at Independance Pass on the way home, getting in around 5:30. We were unpacked and watching the season finale of True Blood by 8pm, dead tired from the weekend. 
So all in all a great weekend and one I hope to have again soon. Feeling pretty good about life/work/things. We'll see if I can get all my chores done before we leave Thursday for Seattle adventure! In the meantime I have a Bacardi Party tonight and the Sanctuary event tomorrow for WFP. Busy bee!!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Guess Who's Back...Back Again...Shady's Back...Tell Some Men....
After about 4 years of break I find myself ready to blog again. And it has been quite the 4 years indeed!! I'll sum it up:
1) Moved back to Denver (but you already knew that).
2) Bought a house in Highlands Ranch - not the Palamino Park condo but a better, bigger house where we can have a thousand cats.
3) Sadly both Stinker and Boo have moved on to Kitty Heaven. Stinker died of stomach cancer after a long battle in Summer 2011 and Boo died suddenly in May 2013 of a mass around her heart. Very sad, very terrible and I miss them so much. So, so much.
4) 2 month's later we got two new additions to our cat household, a calico named Skitter and a black kitten named Arya (Underfoot). In keeping with our TV/movie them, Skitter comes from Falling Skies and Arya comes from Game of Thrones. We love them and they are two crazy girls! And now the boyz don't beat each other up nearly as bad - the beatings are once again disbursed.
5) I AM A CPA!!! After a long, LOOOONG journey that was one of the most difficult things in my life and I almost quit several times. I'm happy to say I passed and never did give up (though close) and I have my CPA and it's come in handy. I'm proud of what I have done and never ever want to do anything like that again. :-)
6) I have a job at Water For People and it has been a very love-hate relationship though mostly love and without two particular bullies would be a love-love relationship. That's okay, the bullies have encouraged me to be a better person and I'm the only winner from that. I read in a recent auto-obituary (from Jane Catherine Lotter in Seattle, odd enough) "And may you always remember that obstacles in the path are not obstacles, they ARE the path."
7) Dane and I are still married - celebrated #5 this year! Wait. #6!! We've been together a total of 12 years, unbelieveable. I really do love him more now than I ever have before.
8) Been working out and trying to stay in shape - certainly much harder in my 30's than it ever was in my 20's.
9) The parents live in Missouri now.
10) Still haven't really talked to my sister (been about 6 years) and more recently Peck (only a few months) and I'm okay with that. They will both always have a place in my heart, just not a place in my life. And that's okay.
So that's a small wrap up of the last 4 years. I suppose I could go into detail about vacations to Seattle or camping trips to Walden or the purchase of the Jeep or Raptor or any number of tidbits but I'll leave it at 10 items and catch up as I continue to journal.
Why now, after 4 years? Because The Bullies have made my life crazy town, I've been trying to better myself. I've had two mentoring breakfasts with Mark Duey, my mentor from WFP, and he's lent me a book called Perfect People Skills and some of the advice in the first chapter (Grounding & Centering) is to #1 - be still for at least 20 min a day, and #2 - keep a journal. So while I have consistently kept a journal in fits and starts, I really need to consistently keep a journal. Here we are. I really do enjoy reading through my prior posts and know I will (already do) regret not having documented the last 4 years of my life. I believe I have grown the most in all my life in these last 4 years and I'm sad I can't look back on the details of that. Enough lament - all I can do is move forward and blog.
1) Moved back to Denver (but you already knew that).
2) Bought a house in Highlands Ranch - not the Palamino Park condo but a better, bigger house where we can have a thousand cats.
3) Sadly both Stinker and Boo have moved on to Kitty Heaven. Stinker died of stomach cancer after a long battle in Summer 2011 and Boo died suddenly in May 2013 of a mass around her heart. Very sad, very terrible and I miss them so much. So, so much.
4) 2 month's later we got two new additions to our cat household, a calico named Skitter and a black kitten named Arya (Underfoot). In keeping with our TV/movie them, Skitter comes from Falling Skies and Arya comes from Game of Thrones. We love them and they are two crazy girls! And now the boyz don't beat each other up nearly as bad - the beatings are once again disbursed.
5) I AM A CPA!!! After a long, LOOOONG journey that was one of the most difficult things in my life and I almost quit several times. I'm happy to say I passed and never did give up (though close) and I have my CPA and it's come in handy. I'm proud of what I have done and never ever want to do anything like that again. :-)
6) I have a job at Water For People and it has been a very love-hate relationship though mostly love and without two particular bullies would be a love-love relationship. That's okay, the bullies have encouraged me to be a better person and I'm the only winner from that. I read in a recent auto-obituary (from Jane Catherine Lotter in Seattle, odd enough) "And may you always remember that obstacles in the path are not obstacles, they ARE the path."
7) Dane and I are still married - celebrated #5 this year! Wait. #6!! We've been together a total of 12 years, unbelieveable. I really do love him more now than I ever have before.
8) Been working out and trying to stay in shape - certainly much harder in my 30's than it ever was in my 20's.
9) The parents live in Missouri now.
10) Still haven't really talked to my sister (been about 6 years) and more recently Peck (only a few months) and I'm okay with that. They will both always have a place in my heart, just not a place in my life. And that's okay.
So that's a small wrap up of the last 4 years. I suppose I could go into detail about vacations to Seattle or camping trips to Walden or the purchase of the Jeep or Raptor or any number of tidbits but I'll leave it at 10 items and catch up as I continue to journal.
Why now, after 4 years? Because The Bullies have made my life crazy town, I've been trying to better myself. I've had two mentoring breakfasts with Mark Duey, my mentor from WFP, and he's lent me a book called Perfect People Skills and some of the advice in the first chapter (Grounding & Centering) is to #1 - be still for at least 20 min a day, and #2 - keep a journal. So while I have consistently kept a journal in fits and starts, I really need to consistently keep a journal. Here we are. I really do enjoy reading through my prior posts and know I will (already do) regret not having documented the last 4 years of my life. I believe I have grown the most in all my life in these last 4 years and I'm sad I can't look back on the details of that. Enough lament - all I can do is move forward and blog.
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