Monday, August 30, 2010
Do Fun Stuff!
I've been loving the blog Pacing the Panic Room for a while. Caught on during the adorable pregnancy series and stuck around for his amazing insights on parenting and dealing with the changes that come along with it. And mostly for his staunch opinion on being the best parent he can for his step-son who was recently diagnosed with Smith Magenis Syndrome, including busting his tail to put together a great cd of "parent friendly kid music." If you have some kiddos in your life, and are sick of the same old kiddy stuff, check it out!
Weekend
Last week was the first week of school. New backpacks, books, and schedules. It is a bit melancholy for me, usually, as I am trucking along at the same and same, envious of the optimism and freshness a new year brings. I've said it before, but my first year of college was one of the best years of my life.
But this year is different. Trent is back to school. He started his Masters in Public Health, emphasis in Health Education and Health Behavior (they are called HeBe for short). He had orientations, welcome potlucks, incredible amounts of socialization, new schedules to remember, and classes to find. I've been living vicariously through his first few days and enjoying the intensity that happens when 30 people who all have the same interest finally find each other. I remember it fondly.
He is taking 3 classes, one being a Science Film and TV class, in which he will make a 7 minute documentary on renewable resources. He has lots of reading and group projects already. He will still be working at UNC for the Honors department, helping students apply to scholarships, and will have an assistant coach role with the men's crew team. Busy fella. It's going to be a change in our lives for sure.
But I am trying to capitalize on the new year and the changes in our day to day. For me, September, far beyond a cold night in January, feels like the time for resolutions. I'll be highlighting some of mine this week. This weekend was a great start, including:
1. A very rowdy Saturday night with good friends, playing silly games and dancing in the street.
2. Deciding on Friday night that I didn't really feel like being rowdy, and going to bed early while Trent played with his new friends.
3. Running early Saturday morning, first at 7:30 with the Trailheads, a local running group, and Paul and Trent, and then again with Alyse who I am helping train for her first half-marathon. Almost two hours in the trails... lovely!
4. Biking with my lovely group of girls Sunday morning. Sheila, Becca, Amanda, and a newcomer, Aditi. I feel so fortunate to have these girls in my life. They are truly mentors and I feel like I am storing up so many good ideas about families and babies and careers from them. Plus, they are stellar cyclists and keep me pushing myself in something I am not naturally that great at.
5. Lovely bbq with Sheila, Paul and their adorable Mr. Alex, Becca and her hilarious Eaden (toddlers and our yard/puppy was the best!!), Stephen with his two broken arms (that's a story) and Amanda with her precious cargo, and our neighbor Dave. Good food, fun conversations, finally cool enough to eat on the patio again.
6. A ridiculously great nap postbike ride on Sunday. Followed by an epic back to school shopping trip (thanks parents!) to Old Navy, Marshalls, and Walmart. Straight classy, I tell ya. We washed it all off with lunch at Whole Foods :)
7. Being a supportive spouse at Trent's department cookout. I mingled like crazy and was so happy to be able to support Trent after all the biology events he's gone to. They are a really interesting and diverse group of people, I had a blast.
8. Lovely chat with my dear Hales. She makes me smile.
Busy busy weekend and a full week ahead. We are hoping to sneak to the beach this weekend with Thomas and his beach house to relax before we get too swamped. I am *this* close to finishing this paper... and of course nothing is cooperating. Just gotta keep trucking.
But this year is different. Trent is back to school. He started his Masters in Public Health, emphasis in Health Education and Health Behavior (they are called HeBe for short). He had orientations, welcome potlucks, incredible amounts of socialization, new schedules to remember, and classes to find. I've been living vicariously through his first few days and enjoying the intensity that happens when 30 people who all have the same interest finally find each other. I remember it fondly.
He is taking 3 classes, one being a Science Film and TV class, in which he will make a 7 minute documentary on renewable resources. He has lots of reading and group projects already. He will still be working at UNC for the Honors department, helping students apply to scholarships, and will have an assistant coach role with the men's crew team. Busy fella. It's going to be a change in our lives for sure.
But I am trying to capitalize on the new year and the changes in our day to day. For me, September, far beyond a cold night in January, feels like the time for resolutions. I'll be highlighting some of mine this week. This weekend was a great start, including:
1. A very rowdy Saturday night with good friends, playing silly games and dancing in the street.
2. Deciding on Friday night that I didn't really feel like being rowdy, and going to bed early while Trent played with his new friends.
3. Running early Saturday morning, first at 7:30 with the Trailheads, a local running group, and Paul and Trent, and then again with Alyse who I am helping train for her first half-marathon. Almost two hours in the trails... lovely!
4. Biking with my lovely group of girls Sunday morning. Sheila, Becca, Amanda, and a newcomer, Aditi. I feel so fortunate to have these girls in my life. They are truly mentors and I feel like I am storing up so many good ideas about families and babies and careers from them. Plus, they are stellar cyclists and keep me pushing myself in something I am not naturally that great at.
5. Lovely bbq with Sheila, Paul and their adorable Mr. Alex, Becca and her hilarious Eaden (toddlers and our yard/puppy was the best!!), Stephen with his two broken arms (that's a story) and Amanda with her precious cargo, and our neighbor Dave. Good food, fun conversations, finally cool enough to eat on the patio again.
6. A ridiculously great nap postbike ride on Sunday. Followed by an epic back to school shopping trip (thanks parents!) to Old Navy, Marshalls, and Walmart. Straight classy, I tell ya. We washed it all off with lunch at Whole Foods :)
7. Being a supportive spouse at Trent's department cookout. I mingled like crazy and was so happy to be able to support Trent after all the biology events he's gone to. They are a really interesting and diverse group of people, I had a blast.
8. Lovely chat with my dear Hales. She makes me smile.
Busy busy weekend and a full week ahead. We are hoping to sneak to the beach this weekend with Thomas and his beach house to relax before we get too swamped. I am *this* close to finishing this paper... and of course nothing is cooperating. Just gotta keep trucking.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Playing with iMovie...
...making a cute movie of Pilot and his puppy class friend Abby roughhousing in the backyard.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Filming Trip with the Family
Some pictures from our "working" portion of our trip. We flew to Boston, spent the night in Cambridge and then drove up to Chocorua, New Hampshire to film. This is Lake Chocorua, which we finally managed to swim in our last day there. We were busy filming assistants!
We spent the better part of one day filming our "talent" reading his lines and doing all the voice-overs. We were in a great 1910 house that was originally built for Smith College's faculty retreat, but is currently owned by a lovely, sassy, lady. Brought back lots of memories, holding cue cards and wiring microphones.
Lunch with the crew, the talent, the host of the house and her sweet dog.
We spent a morning filming a local potter, who was so nice. Definitely inspired to take a pottery class! Beautiful scenery, and blissfully cool weather!
The potter's shop. It was a converted barn. So awesome. And we came home with two great mugs!
Trent was a champ, being filmed "waking up" and putting on his pants to use as images representing how routines make our lives so much easier and let us focus on more important things. This picture is hilarious. What a trooper.
Trent "waking up." He has a future in acting!
Brief time out at Lake Chocorua on one of our many drives from our lodge to town and back.
More filming, love the action shot.
Cool covered bridge. Trent and I snuck away most mornings for hikes in the mountains and swims in the river. Exhausting, but gorgeous!
I love this picture showing how similar my mom and I are. Look at our matching outfits and inability to keep our shirts right!
Greg, our camera man. I've known this guy forever, he is practically family. Fun to hang out with him during our sparing free time.
Father and daughter watching the filming of the potter. Love it.
Mom as producer extraordinaire. She was SO busy this trip, managing everyone, keeping us on schedule, wrangling some fairly crazy folks. I was so impressed and so happy Trent and I got to help her out.
Next up... Cape Cod!
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
I'm sorry...
These animal prints from Sharon Montrose are too cute. And my new standby baby present.
Also making Baby Zipp some onsies with appliqued ties... a la this etsy inspiration. Garrett was the most grown up person I knew in college... I bet his little mister is going to take after him, so he should dress appropriately!
Monday, August 02, 2010
Pilot's Pilot Costume
Pilot is heading to his buddy Rowdy's 2nd birthday party this weekend. It is a costume party but there are dog masseuses, portrait artists, bandanna party favors. Should be awesome. But I need to start working on his costume. He has to be a pilot right? Or a rock climber? Ideas?
Highligths from last week
1. Trent got home. He had a wonderful trip, both places were great but we are dying to go back to Portugal. It is a European San Francisco!
2. We've also decided that we must get Fulbright scholarships and spend a year somewhere fun. Life plan!
3. Trent and I volunteered at the student run free clinic on Wednesday. T was the public health coordinator and the other public health volunteer didn't show, so I got to play one. It was really interesting to talk to people about their diet and exercise, slightly tricky to discuss self exams for breast or testicular cancer and their sex lives, but I am happy I did it. Such an eye opener.
4. Met up with Stephen and Amanda afterward to celebrate his birthday with cake (and eating their leftovers from dinner, we were starving!) and then to the Station to drink High Life and eat nachos... too much healthy discussions for one day!
5. Thursday we installed new windows in the office. We are nearly done (just our bedroom) replacing all of them. However, we only install new windows when it is either snowing or 100 degrees and buggy outside. We installed the first set without a hitch, but the second one was a doozy. I think we were getting too confident. The old window shattered as we were pulling it out, cutting Trent's foot which immediately started bleeding like crazy. I am very pleased that I did not panic (no sitting on anyone) but we quickly got the bleeding stopped and the glass vacuumed up while every bug in Carrboro came into the office. We installed the second window and then took a break to really clean up his cut (not too bad at all, actually) and treated ourselves to frozen yogurt and watching an amazing thunderstorm roll in.
6. FridayTrent worked on the windows (new molding!) while I went to yoga. Met up afterward for dinner at Weaver Street. Vino verde, big loaf of sourdough and local cheese. Delish. Met up with some friends randomly and Pilot was loved on by three adorable kiddos.
7. Up early to ride to Saxpawhaw. It was gloriously cool and overcast, we had to take advantage. Stephen came along and we rode in the countryside for about 20 miles. I'd heard great things about the Saxpawhaw General Store's breakfast and we weren't disappointed. Local everything and so much better after having to bike to get it. Different route home that was a bit less scenic, but arrived back in Carrboro just as the rain started up.
8. Long showers and watching Fantastic Mr. Fox while Trent kept working on the windows. Stephen and Trent went to Lowe's and Trader Joe's while I napped and started cooking. We were planning on heading up to Pilot Mountain to camp and then climb on Sunday, but everyone bailed and it was pretty stormy so we decided to stay home.
9. Homemade pizzas with fresh basil, garlic, mushrooms and anchovies (I am determined to eat more fatty fish!) and lots of episodes of Mad Men. We are obsessed.
10. Sunday morning was still cool and overcast. Took the opportunity to get a good long run in. Pilot came with me for 20 minutes then back home where Stephen and Jersey had come over to visit. S took them both on another walk while I headed out again. Lovely long run, about 1:40 total. Felt so good to run in the cooler weather, I couldn't stop.
11. Long shower and half a watermelon and a spinach smoothie to rehydrate. Massive housecleaning the rest of the afternoon, tons of laundry, scrubbed floors, dusted everywhere. Felt great. Trent finished up the windows (they look terrific) and Pilot's friend Abby came over to play. Homemade pinto beans, spinach, and rice for dinner and a couple more Mad Men episodes. We were all konked out (I laid down to read around 9 and passed out, will call tonight parents!) and happy in our clean house with clean sheets.
Boss is still out of town, and both undergraduates are gone. Hard to have all the work come back to me but I am determined to get some things done before our upcoming vacation next week! Happy first week of August!
2. We've also decided that we must get Fulbright scholarships and spend a year somewhere fun. Life plan!
3. Trent and I volunteered at the student run free clinic on Wednesday. T was the public health coordinator and the other public health volunteer didn't show, so I got to play one. It was really interesting to talk to people about their diet and exercise, slightly tricky to discuss self exams for breast or testicular cancer and their sex lives, but I am happy I did it. Such an eye opener.
4. Met up with Stephen and Amanda afterward to celebrate his birthday with cake (and eating their leftovers from dinner, we were starving!) and then to the Station to drink High Life and eat nachos... too much healthy discussions for one day!
5. Thursday we installed new windows in the office. We are nearly done (just our bedroom) replacing all of them. However, we only install new windows when it is either snowing or 100 degrees and buggy outside. We installed the first set without a hitch, but the second one was a doozy. I think we were getting too confident. The old window shattered as we were pulling it out, cutting Trent's foot which immediately started bleeding like crazy. I am very pleased that I did not panic (no sitting on anyone) but we quickly got the bleeding stopped and the glass vacuumed up while every bug in Carrboro came into the office. We installed the second window and then took a break to really clean up his cut (not too bad at all, actually) and treated ourselves to frozen yogurt and watching an amazing thunderstorm roll in.
6. FridayTrent worked on the windows (new molding!) while I went to yoga. Met up afterward for dinner at Weaver Street. Vino verde, big loaf of sourdough and local cheese. Delish. Met up with some friends randomly and Pilot was loved on by three adorable kiddos.
7. Up early to ride to Saxpawhaw. It was gloriously cool and overcast, we had to take advantage. Stephen came along and we rode in the countryside for about 20 miles. I'd heard great things about the Saxpawhaw General Store's breakfast and we weren't disappointed. Local everything and so much better after having to bike to get it. Different route home that was a bit less scenic, but arrived back in Carrboro just as the rain started up.
8. Long showers and watching Fantastic Mr. Fox while Trent kept working on the windows. Stephen and Trent went to Lowe's and Trader Joe's while I napped and started cooking. We were planning on heading up to Pilot Mountain to camp and then climb on Sunday, but everyone bailed and it was pretty stormy so we decided to stay home.
9. Homemade pizzas with fresh basil, garlic, mushrooms and anchovies (I am determined to eat more fatty fish!) and lots of episodes of Mad Men. We are obsessed.
10. Sunday morning was still cool and overcast. Took the opportunity to get a good long run in. Pilot came with me for 20 minutes then back home where Stephen and Jersey had come over to visit. S took them both on another walk while I headed out again. Lovely long run, about 1:40 total. Felt so good to run in the cooler weather, I couldn't stop.
11. Long shower and half a watermelon and a spinach smoothie to rehydrate. Massive housecleaning the rest of the afternoon, tons of laundry, scrubbed floors, dusted everywhere. Felt great. Trent finished up the windows (they look terrific) and Pilot's friend Abby came over to play. Homemade pinto beans, spinach, and rice for dinner and a couple more Mad Men episodes. We were all konked out (I laid down to read around 9 and passed out, will call tonight parents!) and happy in our clean house with clean sheets.
Boss is still out of town, and both undergraduates are gone. Hard to have all the work come back to me but I am determined to get some things done before our upcoming vacation next week! Happy first week of August!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Whoa. Summer. Not blogging season apparently. Here's a random list of updates:
1. Camping was wonderful. Good friends, long hikes, quiet nights with my family (including Pilot) in a tiny tent. First dibs on all the best climbs on Pilot Mountain. It was great.
2. A blur of evenings at Weaver St, random Tuesday night dance parties and getting dressed up in our fanciest clothes to watch the season finale of The Hills after drinking pink champagne. I have a pretty awesome group of friends.
3. Committee meeting this Thursday. Intense vacillations between being super stressed and totally proud of myself. Hopefully I land on the latter when it is time to present. Epic two hour meeting yesterday with my first draft of all the figures for the paper. Still a couple gaps to fill but it was very satisfying to see my work coming together in a story.
4. T and I saw Inception. Mind <---- Blown. In a good way. I really enjoyed it. Kind of quantum mechanic-y. 5. We had a wonderful dinner at Piedmont before. Hooray for date night. I had a most delicious seafood stew (I am my mother's daughter) and a lovely date with my hubby.
6. Then he left. For Portugal. Crazy kid. Sporatic updates since but it sounds like he is having a fantastic time and has gotten about 3 hours of sleep. He was invited to watch the cork harvest because of his writing gig at Re-Nest and Apartment Therapy. Hard to be jealous, since he works hard and totally deserves it. But a little jealous.
7. Fortunately we have a very spooning friendly dog. 'Nuf said. And he'll go on walks at midnight with me. I am very much in love with this dog.
8. It is blazing hot. Again. Annoyingly hot. But the nights are fairly delicious. Looking forward to a rowdy evening out Thursday to celebrate my committee meeting being done and both undergrads I am working with turning 21 in the past two weeks.
9. I rode T's bike to work today. I like having a "quiver" of bikes to decide from. Though the 29" single speed was a rough choice. Especially since the seat was about 8" too high.
10. Riding the too big bike brought back an incredibly detailed memory of sneaking my sister's purple and pink "big kid bike" out for a clandestine ride. Which went great until I realized I had no idea how to use hand brakes and crashed into our neighbor's palm tree. Karma.
11. Yes, I know how to adjust a bike seat. The seat post clamp bolt is stripped. Bummer. I've taken a couple weeks off from the bike shop (most laid back job ever) to get through this committee meeting and start writing the paper. I kind of miss it, I really loved chatting with crazy Carrboro-ians.
12. I still think OAR is one of my favorite bands ever. Thanks Pandora for reminding me. Just found out they are coming to Raleigh later this summer... hmm, tempting.
13. My first J.Jill order arrives today. I knew this day would come (c'mon, I am so J.Jill) I just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Maybe I am growing up.
14. Wait, no. Still wearing yellow corduroy shorts. Whew. Maybe it will be a gradual transition.
15. Long talks with dear friends are a much better solution to loneliness than eating jars of kalamata olives. I tested this hypothesis carefully Saturday. Always a scientists.
16. Construction of a new building is occurring about 20 feet outside my giant floor to ceiling window. Usually I am not at my desk this much (usually off doing crazy science!) but it has been fascinating to watch the construction. And makes me feel about 62% terrible for being inside the nice air conditioned building watching them build while it is ridiculously hot outside. But I am pretty sure they make way more money than I do. Awesome.
17. Pilot graduated from puppy class! Hooray. Thinking about taking the second session in the fall. We'll see. He got to finally play like crazy with his brother. Cute.
18. We went waterskiing. If you can call it that. Mostly I call it being dragged in a tumble of arms and legs behind a very fast boat. But it was a lovely day spent with good friends. And now I am determined to be good at this skill.
19. Apparently I have a very funny "determined" face. I first heard of this when we played sand volleyball several times a week and every time I served, everyone turned around to watch my expression. It reappeared with my intense determination to stand up behind the boat. Which is why I got to try about 30 times. Apparently it was funny enough to warrant the boredom.
20. I now credit many of my athletic accomplishments to this face. What if I just made all the other people laugh? I'll take it.
21. I've maintained a consistent two watermelon per week consumption rate. As it should be.
22. I am thrilled about an upcoming trip to New Hampshire and Cape Cod. East coast summer vacation!! And I get to see my lovely parents and most favorite Norma. Pretty sweet.
Alright, now we are sort of caught up. Wish me luck on Thursday and perhaps I will be more consistent blogging soon!
1. Camping was wonderful. Good friends, long hikes, quiet nights with my family (including Pilot) in a tiny tent. First dibs on all the best climbs on Pilot Mountain. It was great.
2. A blur of evenings at Weaver St, random Tuesday night dance parties and getting dressed up in our fanciest clothes to watch the season finale of The Hills after drinking pink champagne. I have a pretty awesome group of friends.
3. Committee meeting this Thursday. Intense vacillations between being super stressed and totally proud of myself. Hopefully I land on the latter when it is time to present. Epic two hour meeting yesterday with my first draft of all the figures for the paper. Still a couple gaps to fill but it was very satisfying to see my work coming together in a story.
4. T and I saw Inception. Mind <---- Blown. In a good way. I really enjoyed it. Kind of quantum mechanic-y. 5. We had a wonderful dinner at Piedmont before. Hooray for date night. I had a most delicious seafood stew (I am my mother's daughter) and a lovely date with my hubby.
6. Then he left. For Portugal. Crazy kid. Sporatic updates since but it sounds like he is having a fantastic time and has gotten about 3 hours of sleep. He was invited to watch the cork harvest because of his writing gig at Re-Nest and Apartment Therapy. Hard to be jealous, since he works hard and totally deserves it. But a little jealous.
7. Fortunately we have a very spooning friendly dog. 'Nuf said. And he'll go on walks at midnight with me. I am very much in love with this dog.
8. It is blazing hot. Again. Annoyingly hot. But the nights are fairly delicious. Looking forward to a rowdy evening out Thursday to celebrate my committee meeting being done and both undergrads I am working with turning 21 in the past two weeks.
9. I rode T's bike to work today. I like having a "quiver" of bikes to decide from. Though the 29" single speed was a rough choice. Especially since the seat was about 8" too high.
10. Riding the too big bike brought back an incredibly detailed memory of sneaking my sister's purple and pink "big kid bike" out for a clandestine ride. Which went great until I realized I had no idea how to use hand brakes and crashed into our neighbor's palm tree. Karma.
11. Yes, I know how to adjust a bike seat. The seat post clamp bolt is stripped. Bummer. I've taken a couple weeks off from the bike shop (most laid back job ever) to get through this committee meeting and start writing the paper. I kind of miss it, I really loved chatting with crazy Carrboro-ians.
12. I still think OAR is one of my favorite bands ever. Thanks Pandora for reminding me. Just found out they are coming to Raleigh later this summer... hmm, tempting.
13. My first J.Jill order arrives today. I knew this day would come (c'mon, I am so J.Jill) I just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Maybe I am growing up.
14. Wait, no. Still wearing yellow corduroy shorts. Whew. Maybe it will be a gradual transition.
15. Long talks with dear friends are a much better solution to loneliness than eating jars of kalamata olives. I tested this hypothesis carefully Saturday. Always a scientists.
16. Construction of a new building is occurring about 20 feet outside my giant floor to ceiling window. Usually I am not at my desk this much (usually off doing crazy science!) but it has been fascinating to watch the construction. And makes me feel about 62% terrible for being inside the nice air conditioned building watching them build while it is ridiculously hot outside. But I am pretty sure they make way more money than I do. Awesome.
17. Pilot graduated from puppy class! Hooray. Thinking about taking the second session in the fall. We'll see. He got to finally play like crazy with his brother. Cute.
18. We went waterskiing. If you can call it that. Mostly I call it being dragged in a tumble of arms and legs behind a very fast boat. But it was a lovely day spent with good friends. And now I am determined to be good at this skill.
19. Apparently I have a very funny "determined" face. I first heard of this when we played sand volleyball several times a week and every time I served, everyone turned around to watch my expression. It reappeared with my intense determination to stand up behind the boat. Which is why I got to try about 30 times. Apparently it was funny enough to warrant the boredom.
20. I now credit many of my athletic accomplishments to this face. What if I just made all the other people laugh? I'll take it.
21. I've maintained a consistent two watermelon per week consumption rate. As it should be.
22. I am thrilled about an upcoming trip to New Hampshire and Cape Cod. East coast summer vacation!! And I get to see my lovely parents and most favorite Norma. Pretty sweet.
Alright, now we are sort of caught up. Wish me luck on Thursday and perhaps I will be more consistent blogging soon!
Friday, July 02, 2010
We're off
Heading up to Pigsah National Park tomorrow morning. A group of friends organized the trip and I am thrilled to spend some time in the mountains camping, hiking, relaxing. And Pilot gets to come! His first overnight trip away from home!! And we just got our camera working again, so expect lots of pictures.
Happy 4th of July to you all. It is one of my favorite holidays, so many wonderful memories growing up in SLO and family boat trips to Morro Bay for bonfires and fireworks. So sad I won't be home this weekend to celebrate with everyone!
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Good Reminder...
In case you didn't know, you couldn't tell, or you haven't heard, if you're reading this right now on a computer, you're rich. If you have somewhere to go today, you're connected. And if there is anyone, anywhere, who for any reason knows where you are in this moment, you are loved.
-quote from my awesome yoga teacher Lori
Monday, June 28, 2010
Weekend
Pretty awesome. Friday pool party was perfectly rowdy, Coors Light out of coozies, eating hotdogs and popsicles... while sitting in the slightly too warm pool. Fun to hang out with the youngins, even when it declines into naked swimming races and coming home with somebody's boxers in our stuff.
Saturday run was great, fun to catch up with Amanda and enjoy the sliiiighly cooler temps of the forest. Off to the bike shop and met up with Trent who managed to survive his charity century ride (just barely) and spent the afternoon lying on the cold concrete floor of the bike shop, eating pizza, while we watched the US vs. Ghana soccer game on Univision.
Home to nap and then off to the Wimbleton party. Fun times. Trent and I made it to the finals in the awesome tennis tourney (barefoot and miller high life in hand required) but lost to host Deirdre which seemed fair. Another night ended by sitting around in the pool.
Up early to bike with the ladies. We ended up splitting up and I really enjoyed pushing the pace a little more with Sheila and Amanda. Lucky to have such awesome ladies in my life. Home to eat watermelon on the patio. Perfect. Decided to head down to the Eno river with the hound. Did about a 1 mile hike before we got overwhelmed with the heat and bug-iness. Pilot had a couple good swims and I got to pick up lots of frogs. Stopped for sandwiches and spent the rest of the day trying to stay cool. Highlights include:
1) Timing how long the icemaker takes to make ice since we had eaten all of it...
2) Using the ice cream maker to freeze watermelon juice to have a cold drink.
3) Lying on the hardwood floor in Trent's boxer shorts crying hysterically while watching "The Blind Side."
Pretty sure we both had heatstroke, the whole afternoon was a blur. Finally rallied around 9pm, I went to lab and Trent made an awesome dinner. Oh man, this heatwave is killing us!
Saturday run was great, fun to catch up with Amanda and enjoy the sliiiighly cooler temps of the forest. Off to the bike shop and met up with Trent who managed to survive his charity century ride (just barely) and spent the afternoon lying on the cold concrete floor of the bike shop, eating pizza, while we watched the US vs. Ghana soccer game on Univision.
Home to nap and then off to the Wimbleton party. Fun times. Trent and I made it to the finals in the awesome tennis tourney (barefoot and miller high life in hand required) but lost to host Deirdre which seemed fair. Another night ended by sitting around in the pool.
Up early to bike with the ladies. We ended up splitting up and I really enjoyed pushing the pace a little more with Sheila and Amanda. Lucky to have such awesome ladies in my life. Home to eat watermelon on the patio. Perfect. Decided to head down to the Eno river with the hound. Did about a 1 mile hike before we got overwhelmed with the heat and bug-iness. Pilot had a couple good swims and I got to pick up lots of frogs. Stopped for sandwiches and spent the rest of the day trying to stay cool. Highlights include:
1) Timing how long the icemaker takes to make ice since we had eaten all of it...
2) Using the ice cream maker to freeze watermelon juice to have a cold drink.
3) Lying on the hardwood floor in Trent's boxer shorts crying hysterically while watching "The Blind Side."
Pretty sure we both had heatstroke, the whole afternoon was a blur. Finally rallied around 9pm, I went to lab and Trent made an awesome dinner. Oh man, this heatwave is killing us!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Things of note from the week
1) I gave a stellar lab meeting on Wednesday. You can't handle all my data. Actually starting to see this story come to a conclusion, gotta get busy writing and schedule a committee meeting soon.
2) Puppy class is going very well. I am amazed at how much he has learned in such a short time. He is going to be the roll over champ (we had to pick a trick to teach our pup and due to a cute trick turned addiction with Miss Pen, we steered away from fetching). He's gotten a lot better about not pulling and is still a very sweet, snuggly, fella. I just can't believe how big he has gotten!
3) I currently am mentoring two undergraduate boys. It keeps me on my toes. They are both nice guys, but I definitely am starting to have a favorite. One is super sharp, super excited about research, and very careful. The other is incredibly enthusiastic, but I spend a lot of time trying to decipher his experiments to I can explain them to him... not cool. But trying to not get too biased.
4) Favorite undergrad also is introducing me to lots of cool music. So far my favorites are the Black Keys and Lissie. I'm cool again. Almost.
5) I've been making lots of changes to my diet (mostly all vegetarian, tons of fruits and veggies and crazy grains, hooray for chia seeds and quinoa). I feel I've reached a new peak when I am seriously considering nutritional yeast as a yummy alternative to Parmesan cheese. Maybe time for an intervention...
6) We went and saw the Bowerbirds at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Wednesday. Elizabeth arranged and we brought yummy sandwiches from Fosters Market and cold white wine. It was incredibly hot and sweaty, but I haven't been that happy in a while.
7) Having an Argentinian male in the lab makes this whole World Cup stuff much more exciting.
8) One lab member (crazy Canadian) left yesterday to start her postdoc at Harvard. I can't say I will really miss her, but it definitely is different around here. New postdoc arrives in July so very very soon.
9) I'm loving: weights and treadmills, only way to work out in this heat. Eating entire watermelons for dinner and being totally satisfied by it. Reading Russian literature (Dead Souls by Gogol), a habit of mine since I was determined to finish "War and Peace" one summer. My crazy long hair, it has a Farrah Fawcett thing going on today (hooray for showering at the gym in the morning) but I am kinda digging it.
10) Super stoked for Trent who is getting sent to Portugal for a few days to watch the cork harvest!! His blog Re-nest.com is sending him because he does all the eco-home stuff. So jealous, but very happy for him. He flies directly from Portugal to Indianapolis for a conference on scholarships... not as glamorous. Lucky fella.
Fun weekend ahead. Pool party tonight with some recent crew boys who are just now realizing they are not in college any more. Trail running with Amanda in the morning, bike shop, soccer games, then Deirdre's world famous Wimbleton Whites tennis party. Biking with the girls Sunday morning and then hopefully a whole lot of relaxing. Happy weekend to you all!
2) Puppy class is going very well. I am amazed at how much he has learned in such a short time. He is going to be the roll over champ (we had to pick a trick to teach our pup and due to a cute trick turned addiction with Miss Pen, we steered away from fetching). He's gotten a lot better about not pulling and is still a very sweet, snuggly, fella. I just can't believe how big he has gotten!
3) I currently am mentoring two undergraduate boys. It keeps me on my toes. They are both nice guys, but I definitely am starting to have a favorite. One is super sharp, super excited about research, and very careful. The other is incredibly enthusiastic, but I spend a lot of time trying to decipher his experiments to I can explain them to him... not cool. But trying to not get too biased.
4) Favorite undergrad also is introducing me to lots of cool music. So far my favorites are the Black Keys and Lissie. I'm cool again. Almost.
5) I've been making lots of changes to my diet (mostly all vegetarian, tons of fruits and veggies and crazy grains, hooray for chia seeds and quinoa). I feel I've reached a new peak when I am seriously considering nutritional yeast as a yummy alternative to Parmesan cheese. Maybe time for an intervention...
6) We went and saw the Bowerbirds at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Wednesday. Elizabeth arranged and we brought yummy sandwiches from Fosters Market and cold white wine. It was incredibly hot and sweaty, but I haven't been that happy in a while.
7) Having an Argentinian male in the lab makes this whole World Cup stuff much more exciting.
8) One lab member (crazy Canadian) left yesterday to start her postdoc at Harvard. I can't say I will really miss her, but it definitely is different around here. New postdoc arrives in July so very very soon.
9) I'm loving: weights and treadmills, only way to work out in this heat. Eating entire watermelons for dinner and being totally satisfied by it. Reading Russian literature (Dead Souls by Gogol), a habit of mine since I was determined to finish "War and Peace" one summer. My crazy long hair, it has a Farrah Fawcett thing going on today (hooray for showering at the gym in the morning) but I am kinda digging it.
10) Super stoked for Trent who is getting sent to Portugal for a few days to watch the cork harvest!! His blog Re-nest.com is sending him because he does all the eco-home stuff. So jealous, but very happy for him. He flies directly from Portugal to Indianapolis for a conference on scholarships... not as glamorous. Lucky fella.
Fun weekend ahead. Pool party tonight with some recent crew boys who are just now realizing they are not in college any more. Trail running with Amanda in the morning, bike shop, soccer games, then Deirdre's world famous Wimbleton Whites tennis party. Biking with the girls Sunday morning and then hopefully a whole lot of relaxing. Happy weekend to you all!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Green Smoothies
Folks who visit and stay with us know I am huge fan (and pusher) of green smoothies. They are my favorite breakfast option, especially in this crazy heat. Any combination of spinach, frozen berries, chia and flax seeds, peanut butter, plain yogurt, bananas, the options are endless. Whirl 'em up in my magic bullet (awesome) and you are set for the day!
I was spreading the green smoothie religion to our friend Becca who works with the nutrition of the Durham school district. She was skeptical but was willing to try these smoothies with the kiddos..
and check out the results!!!
I was spreading the green smoothie religion to our friend Becca who works with the nutrition of the Durham school district. She was skeptical but was willing to try these smoothies with the kiddos..
and check out the results!!!
Weekend
Another week full of lots of working out and working in lab. Fun to cut loose for the weekend.
Friday: Home to play with Pilot, taco truck, beers and a fantastic bluegrass band at Johnnys with Stephen, Amanda, Dave and Kristen. Bike ride over to the Local 506 to see Thao and the Get Down Stay Down's perform with Mirah. Great show, excellent company.
Favorite quote of the evening: "Between this crazy bike ride and Amanda's hair cut, I feel like a hipster" (Trent when riding from Johnny's to the concert)
Saturday: Hibernation mode. Could not wake up. Finally rallied and walked over to Farmer's Market with Trent and Pilot. Lots of delicious veggies, love it. Breakfast and relaxing before putting in a few hours at the bike shop. Walked over to Weaver Street afterward and made amazing fresh basil, tomato, goat cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread. Back to hibernation mode and a fantastic nap on the sofa while Trent worked on our new kitchen cabinet.
Finally rallied when Sheila and Paul invited us over for dinner. Lovely tacos and conversation and playing with Baby Alex. His eyebrows have come in (and you all know I am a fan of eyebrows) and he looks so expressive now.
Sunday: We were both up early. Rebecca, Amanda and Su came over at 7:30 to start our bike ride. Early, but it was already hot so we were happy to be leaving before it got scorching. We met up with Anne along the ride and did a pretty quick 22 miles. Su, Amanda, Pilot and I walked down to Weaver St for breakfast (he got all sorts of compliments for being calm... could our baby be growing up!?!).
Home to shower and cook up a salad for the bbq that evening at Rebecca and Erik's house. I roasted some farmers market beets and eggplant and cooked up a batch of quinoa. Mixed them all together with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and torn fresh basil and left it in the fridge a few hours to marinate. Yummers!! Went over to the bike shop and promptly set off the alarm and spent some time with Carrboro's finest police. Small town, not a lot of excitement for the police so they were happy to come over. Very mellow day at the shop, but managed to sell a bike.
Home to get picked up by Stephen and Amanda and head to the bbq. The salad was a huge success (definitely have to make again soon) and Trent got dropped off at their house from his fun day of climbing. Paul and Sheila and Alex were there as well as Erik's roommate from med school and his wife and two kids.
Favorite quote: "I wish someone with long hair would pick me up and twirl me." The adorable three year old Mira, talking to me. Apparently my hair now qualifies as long and I was thrilled to twirl away.
Spent a lovely evening sitting out on their patio reminiscing about proms and discussing haircuts. Came home to call our fabulous fathers and clean house to get ready for the week ahead!
Friday: Home to play with Pilot, taco truck, beers and a fantastic bluegrass band at Johnnys with Stephen, Amanda, Dave and Kristen. Bike ride over to the Local 506 to see Thao and the Get Down Stay Down's perform with Mirah. Great show, excellent company.
Favorite quote of the evening: "Between this crazy bike ride and Amanda's hair cut, I feel like a hipster" (Trent when riding from Johnny's to the concert)
Saturday: Hibernation mode. Could not wake up. Finally rallied and walked over to Farmer's Market with Trent and Pilot. Lots of delicious veggies, love it. Breakfast and relaxing before putting in a few hours at the bike shop. Walked over to Weaver Street afterward and made amazing fresh basil, tomato, goat cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread. Back to hibernation mode and a fantastic nap on the sofa while Trent worked on our new kitchen cabinet.
Finally rallied when Sheila and Paul invited us over for dinner. Lovely tacos and conversation and playing with Baby Alex. His eyebrows have come in (and you all know I am a fan of eyebrows) and he looks so expressive now.
Sunday: We were both up early. Rebecca, Amanda and Su came over at 7:30 to start our bike ride. Early, but it was already hot so we were happy to be leaving before it got scorching. We met up with Anne along the ride and did a pretty quick 22 miles. Su, Amanda, Pilot and I walked down to Weaver St for breakfast (he got all sorts of compliments for being calm... could our baby be growing up!?!).
Home to shower and cook up a salad for the bbq that evening at Rebecca and Erik's house. I roasted some farmers market beets and eggplant and cooked up a batch of quinoa. Mixed them all together with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and torn fresh basil and left it in the fridge a few hours to marinate. Yummers!! Went over to the bike shop and promptly set off the alarm and spent some time with Carrboro's finest police. Small town, not a lot of excitement for the police so they were happy to come over. Very mellow day at the shop, but managed to sell a bike.
Home to get picked up by Stephen and Amanda and head to the bbq. The salad was a huge success (definitely have to make again soon) and Trent got dropped off at their house from his fun day of climbing. Paul and Sheila and Alex were there as well as Erik's roommate from med school and his wife and two kids.
Favorite quote: "I wish someone with long hair would pick me up and twirl me." The adorable three year old Mira, talking to me. Apparently my hair now qualifies as long and I was thrilled to twirl away.
Spent a lovely evening sitting out on their patio reminiscing about proms and discussing haircuts. Came home to call our fabulous fathers and clean house to get ready for the week ahead!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Song of the Day
Watch out, it gets stuck in your head and makes you dance down the hallway "doing the tightrope."
But totally worth it!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I couldn't take it any more. It was just tooooo hot. Went shopping last night to try to find some new summer clothes. And man, I know I am a grown up, but I love me some American Eagle for summer. Breezy tanktops (racerback, does anything make your shoulders look better?!) and short, comfy shorts. Much much better. Growing up can wait.Such a contrast to Emily's post yesterday "I hate shorts, feel naked in tank tops." Sisters can be different!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Summer Weekend
Friday night: Epic adventures with Jersey and Pilot at the dog park. Left them at the Frazong's house to recoup while we all enjoyed a cold beer and spicy spicy tacos from the truck at Johnny's. All of Carrboro was out and about, and it was nice to relax after a super busy, but very productive week at lab.
Saturday: Up early to go on another ride with the Luna Chix. Considering applying for the team, but this group is super cycling specific. Maybe I could be the runner/triathlete? We left at 7:30am, which was early but so necessary as it was broiling! We did 45 miles and I rode Trent's new CAAD9 and loved it. We are scoping eBay and Craigslist for a new bike for me!! Nice to chat with some new folks, beautiful scenery and I was happy with my ability to keep up, even for the nutzo sprint pace line for the last few miles.
Jumped in the shower, downed a smoothie, grabbed the lunch Trent packed me and headed to the bike shop. Sold a couple bikes, hooray! By the afternoon, a crazy storm blew in so the mechanic and I drank beer on the patio and watched the torrential rain. Once it stopped, I headed over to our friends Su and Chris's house to catch the end of their World Cup party. Excellent bbq, shots of Firefly (sweet tea vodka.. only in the South!), dancing to Wyclef in the parking lot. It was a blast. Made our way home and crashed.
Sunday: Slept in a bit, but it is too hot to stay in bed this mornings. Decided to head to Jordan Lake to cool off. Packed a picnic and grabbed the Frazongs and Jersey. It was a fantastic idea. The dogs had a blast in the lake (Pilot is an excellent swimmer, though his enthusiasm was mostly inspired by chasing Jersey into the water), munching on watermelon and farmer's market cheese and lounging by the water was perfect. We got there at 10am, it was already SO hot. Huddled up in the shade, but had to leave by noon or we would have roasted. Home to shower and nap some more, epic house cleaning/room rearranging, grocery shopping, cooking for the week. Met up with our neighbor friends Kristen and Dave to go see the documentary "Babies." Super cute and very educational. And adorable babies... never a bad thing. Home late to finish cooking and get to sleep. Lovely weekend!
Saturday: Up early to go on another ride with the Luna Chix. Considering applying for the team, but this group is super cycling specific. Maybe I could be the runner/triathlete? We left at 7:30am, which was early but so necessary as it was broiling! We did 45 miles and I rode Trent's new CAAD9 and loved it. We are scoping eBay and Craigslist for a new bike for me!! Nice to chat with some new folks, beautiful scenery and I was happy with my ability to keep up, even for the nutzo sprint pace line for the last few miles.
Jumped in the shower, downed a smoothie, grabbed the lunch Trent packed me and headed to the bike shop. Sold a couple bikes, hooray! By the afternoon, a crazy storm blew in so the mechanic and I drank beer on the patio and watched the torrential rain. Once it stopped, I headed over to our friends Su and Chris's house to catch the end of their World Cup party. Excellent bbq, shots of Firefly (sweet tea vodka.. only in the South!), dancing to Wyclef in the parking lot. It was a blast. Made our way home and crashed.
Sunday: Slept in a bit, but it is too hot to stay in bed this mornings. Decided to head to Jordan Lake to cool off. Packed a picnic and grabbed the Frazongs and Jersey. It was a fantastic idea. The dogs had a blast in the lake (Pilot is an excellent swimmer, though his enthusiasm was mostly inspired by chasing Jersey into the water), munching on watermelon and farmer's market cheese and lounging by the water was perfect. We got there at 10am, it was already SO hot. Huddled up in the shade, but had to leave by noon or we would have roasted. Home to shower and nap some more, epic house cleaning/room rearranging, grocery shopping, cooking for the week. Met up with our neighbor friends Kristen and Dave to go see the documentary "Babies." Super cute and very educational. And adorable babies... never a bad thing. Home late to finish cooking and get to sleep. Lovely weekend!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Miss Eloise
My dearest AP (gorgeous redheaded bridesmaid) just adopted a new cat.
May I present Miss Eloise.
May I present Miss Eloise.
Isn't she awesome?
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