Richmond weekend and James River Scramble

Friday after work Josh and I drove to Richmond. We had dinner at the "neighborhood bar" with Grandpa and Aunt Judy, which was an excellent meal and fun conversation on an outdoor patio.

Saturday I slept in and then drove Aunt Judy to the airport. Then Uncle Richard came to town in time for lunch. We picked up Grandma and went out for Mexican Saturday. After lunch I took a nap, and then it was time to head downtown for a run!

Josh and I ran the James River Scramble 10k Trail Run, which was part of the Dominion Riverrock festival. The course takes you on roads (we started on cobble stone and I thought I'd break my ankle right away, but luckily that didn't last long), over bridges, along the canal path, up stairs, on the flood wall, and on single-track trails with roots and rocks and mud. And the whole things is accompanied by amazing scenery. We weren't trying to "compete," just to keep running at a steady pace and have a good time on a fun route. And we succeeded at that. I came in at 57:58, with Josh just ahead at 57:42. (He stuck with me for the most part during the race, rather than running on ahead, so his time was a lot slower than it could have been.)

On our way to the start.

Waiting at the starting line. There were waves (which weren't really organized) to keep the trails from getting clogged up.

Fun public art.

Crossing the Mayo Bridge.

I took this photo. Josh took the rest...

Climbing the "Mayan Ruins"

I'm not choking myself. I think I was wiping sweat off my face.

Runnin' the trails.

On the bridge back to Brown's Island.

Done!

Sunni and her friend came with us and met us at the finish. Here she's experiencing a sweaty sandwich.

Overall it was a fun event. I haven't done much trail running, and this was my first trail race, but I want to do more. It takes more concentration and work to not trip and fall, but it's a fun challenge.

After we cooled down we enjoyed our free beers (they came with the race registration) and walked around to see the other events. We saw dogs jumping into a pool of water, slackline jumping, men and women bouldering, and freestyle biking. There was also live music and lots of booths. Oh, and I saw my first firefly of the season while stretching on the grass.

egg dyeing

The weekend before Easter Josh and I visited his grandparents for dinner. His grandma was hoping we'd dye some eggs after the meal, but Josh was tired and poo-pooed the idea. We decided we'd dye them with her later though. Because who says dyeing eggs is only for Easter?

So the next time we visited she was prepared. After dinner we got busy on two dozen hard-boiled eggs (one of which cracked). And not only did we dye them, but we created adorable little monsters!

Dyeing and decorating underway.

We all agreed Josh made the best monster. (Of course he spent so much time on it that he didn't want to help much with the other 22 eggs...) (Also, he has had a haircut and shave since this photo, don't worry.)

See how cute they are!

I especially like the blue guy with the mustache (made by me). And the unicorn next to him (made by Gene).

Fun times.

first weekend of the "summer"

Whoah, a second post in one day! That's because I'm finally done with my semester and have time again.

Now let me tell you about my weekend (the more recent one). Saturday I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for most of the day, helping to build two front porches. After that I took a shower and a long nap.

Then I got up, ate some dinner, and headed to a local high school for a two mile race around the track. A co-worker ran it with me. It was a fund raiser run/walk, but there were mostly walkers. I ran it because I'm thinking about joining a half-marathon training program and you have to run a two-mile time trial. Usually you do it at 5:30am on a work day, which doesn't really jive with me, so I picked this 8pm on a Saturday race instead. I don't know my exact time yet, but it was under 16 minutes. That's not very fast in the wider world of running, but it's fast for me and it got me third woman overall! (Plus first in my age group. Like I said, there weren't a lot of runners.)

After the race I went straight downtown (sweaty clothes and all) and went to the Infamous Stringdusters concert. I had wanted to see this blue grass group on New Year's Eve but the show sold out. It was fun.

Sunday after church I drove to Richmond for Mother's Day. My aunt made a great meal and everyone was there, including Grandma. She had a good time, and stayed to take a nap with Grandpa, which was very cute. After she left, I drove back to Charlottesville. Josh had been gone all weekend so I finally got to see him Sunday evening and we enjoyed some homework-free (and guilt for not doing homework-free) hangout time.

An excellent first weekend of the summer!

Montalto Challenge 2012

Last Saturday (the 5th) for the third year in a row, Josh and I ran the Montalto Challenge. That's the all-uphill 5k that is super hard and not fun until it's over.

Since I had that injury and running hiatus, I wasn't back up to speed and knew I wouldn't make a PR (personal record). Sure enough, I finished in 33:49, which wasn't too bad. Josh beat his record by a single second, so that's a PR for him! His roommate Will ran it, too, and he did really well and didn't even have to take walking breaks. That's impressive.

Now for some pics.

 Waiting to start. Notice Will is chillin' with a cup of coffee.

 Josh's over-the-shoulder running shot. (Per usual, he took all the photos.)

At the top and feelin' juuuuust fine.

 Me? Not so much. But I recovered.

See? Energy to spare after a little break and some beautiful views!

back at it

Today is the marathon that I'm not running. But luckily, after about 6 weeks of no running (I think), I'm slowly getting back into it. The Montalto Challenge is coming up again in two weeks, so I'm working towards that. Josh and his roommate are already registered, but I'm waiting to make sure I think I can do it. I'm afraid even if I run it I won't be able to get a better time than the last two years, and that sort of makes me not want to bother with it. Because it's really hard and not fun at all until it's finally over and you're at the top. But I also know if I go just to watch the boys I'll be kicking myself for not running it.

I also still want to run a marathon, and will take my training slower and smarter next time. Part of me wants to go ahead and work towards a fall marathon, but another part of me was really excited at the prospect of running a really hard mountainous one (the one I'm not running today) for my first try, so I might just wait until next year. We'll see.

family weekends

I'm going to take this opportunity to backtrack and tell you briefly about four recent weekends spent with either my family in Richmond or Josh's grandparents in Fishersville.

On St. Patrick's Day we went to Josh's grandparents' for lunch. I didn't know people enjoy and celebrate that day so much in real life (not including parties and events that center around alcohol). Josh made sure to take them a card (which included a green mustache that you can hold up to your face!), and I noticed they had already received several other St. Paddy's Day cards in the mail. There were fancy leprechaun figurines on the table during the meal, and of course there were green cookies. After lunch we all ended up taking a nap, and when I finally rose from mine they had some Irish music playing throughout the house and all three of them were singing a song about a unicorn. Then we pulled out an Irish drum and some spoons and made music of our own. It was a fun time.

A couple weeks later I had some work to do in Richmond, so I spent the whole weekend with my Grandpa. Friday after work we sat out on the front porch with a glass of wine and chatted with the passing neighbors. Then we went to Ruth's Chris to eat in the bar and I had some delicious meat. The next day we took Grandma out to lunch, and that evening we watched a movie together. Then Sunday he took us grandkids (and their significant others) out to lunch. Later that afternoon we went to visit Grandma, and it was fun watching the others who live there giggle over her and Grandpa kissing and being cute. Most of the rest of the time during that weekend I spent reading for school, but it was nice to get to hang out with Grandpa so much.

This past Saturday Josh and I headed back over to his grandparents for dinner. We ate some delicious salmon, and then his grandma gave us Easter baskets. They included giant glowing army men with parachutes (like the familiar old toys, only bigger). We went out to throw them up, and Josh's worked quite nicely. I, on the other hand, somehow managed to throw mine straight up onto the roof (and I was standing under it on the front steps!). So we had some adventurous times trying to get it down with a flashlight and crooked walking stick and grabber-thingy. After that Josh's step-granddad challenged Josh on his height, so we had to measure them both with pencil marks on the door frame of the living room. His grandparents are fun people.

Finally, on Easter Sunday I went to Richmond for lunch with the whole family, including Grandma and Uncle Richard. There was good food, fun watching Bobby search for eggs, and it was an all-around beautiful day to spend celebrating Easter with family.

much better than it looks

I recently learned about adding spinach to fruit smoothies. Since you can't really taste the spinach, it's a convenient way to fit more vegetables into your day. I, for one, am not a big fan of eating salads at home, because mine are always boring and disappointing. But now with spinach in my smoothie, I can skip the salad guilt-free!

Here I've thrown together a banana, a nectarine, strawberries, blackberries, plain yogurt, and spinach. (I added some orange juice after I took the picture.)


And here we have the result. Indeed, it is brown. But it tastes good, and is good for you. It also made enough for two, which means tomorrow's breakfast is already taken care of!

Las Vegas 2012

Last weekend was Nascar weekend in Las Vegas, so once again my family gathered for a fun little vacation. My parents were there, along with Ryan, his girlfriend (and her mom) for some of it, my uncle, and Josh and me. Here's how it went down:

Friday afternoon we flew out of Richmond. My mom was with us, because she'd been in Richmond all week. While we flew, Dad and my uncle drove from New Mexico, picking up Ryan and his girlfriend in Flagstaff. We were all in Vegas in time for dinner! Dinner coincided with a UNM basketball game (they won), so that was exciting for the Gray men. After dinner Ryan, Josh, and myself walked a good ways down the strip just for fun.

Saturday my parents went to the race and Ryan took off with his girlfriend and her mom (they went to the Price is Right, and Ryan told everyone he won a trampoline, but he didn't). So Josh and I walked from the Monte Carlo (our hotel) to some other casinos, including New York New York (where we played games in the arcade), Mandalay Bay, and Excalibur (where we played more games in their arcade). Then it was time for a nap.

Here we are in front of Mandalay Bay.
And here is Josh at New York New York.

After the nap Josh headed to the gym, but not me. I was hungry since we never ate lunch, so I went downstairs and treated myself to a sushi roll and glass of wine. After my parents and uncle got back from the race, we all met up and went to dinner at the MGM. After dinner we were gonna hang out with Ryan and his girlfriend, but Josh and I were pretty exhausted (I don't remember jet lag affecting me so badly ever before), so we just went to bed.

Sunday Ryan went to the race with Dad and my uncle, so Josh and I hung out with my mom. I had to drink two lattes that morning because I woke up and was still exhausted. My feet were also still sore from walking around the day before. (Much as I love them, my pink converse are not very good walking shoes.) We went to the Luxor, where Josh saw the Bodies exhibit while Mom and I played the penny slot machines. Then we went to Planet Hollywood in hopes of eating sushi for lunch, but we got there after the big sushi buffet closed so we had Mexican instead. That included delicious margaritas. After lunch Mom headed back to the hotel for a nap, and Josh and I spent the afternoon looking around the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood.

Mom and me at the Luxor.
Again.
Josh and his margarita.
Sunday night after the guys got back from the race we drove to Sam's Town, which is where we've stayed the last two times we've all been out there. We had a steak dinner and enjoyed their cheesy mountain scenery with the light show. After dinner I had to bail on any more fun evening plans because I was still tired.

Monday we went to the Red Rock Canyon, which was the one major "to-do" on my list for this Vegas trip. After checking out the visitor center we headed around the driving loop, and stopped a few times along the way. First we explored the red rocks, then the old stone quarry, and then the Ice Box Canyon.

I was disappointed in the lack of wildlife I saw. I was hoping to see wild burros, but all I saw was a lizard and some birds. So I made my own wildlife...

Hiking into the Ice Box Canyon was my favorite part. Ryan and Mom stayed in the car, so it was just Dad, Josh, and me. We walked across "open desert," then just a little into the canyon (where the temperature drops about ten degrees, hence the canyon's name).

Taking a break.
Making rock art.
A pistachio sighting in the canyon! (Josh spotted another one in the median on the Vegas strip, but we didn't stop to take a picture.)
After the canyon we drove back into town, stopping at the outlet mall for lunch and a little shopping. Then we freshened up at the hotel and headed back out, this time to the downtown area and Fremont Street. We were hoping to enjoy some shrimp cocktail, but the place we've always gone wasn't serving food anymore. Huge bummer. We got some pizza for dinner instead, and walked around.
Tuesday we all met for breakfast (which turned out to be lunch because it was after 11), then went to see the conservatory at the Bellagio. Then my parents went in their own directions while Ryan, Josh, and I headed to the pool at our hotel. They swam briefly in the the wave pool, I went around the lazy river with Josh a few times, and then we just lay in the sun for a little while. It was nice.

After the pool we headed back to Planet Hollywood for a little more wandering around and the sushi buffet for dinner. Then we went back to the hotel, where Ryan took a nap and Josh and I went out to see the Cirque du Soleil show KA at MGM. This was the first Cirque show either of us had ever seen, and it was pretty neat. After the show we hung out in the Monte Carlo casino for a while before bed.

Wednesday all we had time for was a breakfast buffet, then it was time to head to the airport. The whole family saw Josh and me off, then they headed back to Arizona and New Mexico.

It was a fun trip.

Alas.

In case you were wondering, I'm still not running. I tried again on a Thursday (the 23rd) but that was a bad idea. So I finally decided I would really wait and let it heal before trying again. In the meantime, I've been riding the bike at the gym a lot, and doing some other weight training. I think I will be okay to start back slowly after next weekend.

I also finally came to terms with the fact that I won't be able to run the mountainous marathon in April that I was so excited about. I still want to run a marathon, but when I start training for one again I now know to take it slower. I haven't been to a doctor or anything, but I probably got a stress fracture or something from doing too much too soon. Lesson learned.

busy good Saturday

Saturday I got up early (for a Saturday) and read a little, then drove to Richmond. I hung out with Sunni, then we went with the grandparents and one aunt to visit my other aunt in the hospital (recovering from surgery). From there we went to lunch, but it took a while because the internet lied to me about the location of the Turkish restaurant and there was lots of yelling about where Chester is and how we weren't in Chester and in the end we just stopped at an all-American joint. Which turned out to be just fine, because Grandma really liked her meal and that's what counts. After lunch we went back to the house and I did some more reading.

Then I left and drove back to Charlottesville, but only to pick up Josh. Then we drove to Harrisonburg. That's where a co-worker had us over for dinner, and it was lots of fun. We ate chorizo cooked on the Portuguese pig, delicious goulash, and homemade "choux" pastries. We also had coffee, brewed in a "coffee balloon." It was like a science experiment, and the perfect way to end the meal. Plus the coffee was necessary to help get us back to Charlottesville.

bumps in the road

So last week when I ran fifteen miles I apparently hurt my right foot in the outer ankle region. It hurt some after the run and I was hobbling just a little, but I didn't think much of it because I always hobble just a little after a really long run. But it came back during Tuesday's run.

Tuesday Josh tried to get in the fifteen miles he'd missed on Saturday. He tried this after work, a dental appointment, and taking a test at school. He ran seven miles, then I joined him to run my eight. Once I joined him we were going pretty slow, but he wasn't going to make it his full fifteen. So after about four and a half miles (eleven and a half for him) he headed back to the car while I took off to finish my eight. I ran my final four miles with sub-nine minute miles, which is pretty fast for me. And I think that's what really did my ankle in. The next morning I was definitely limping into work.

So here's where we stand: Josh is going to switch gears and aim for running the half marathon, and I am currently injured.

UGGHHH.

I didn't run on Wednesday or Thursday, but I tried on Friday. I went to a park and jogged very slowly in soggy grass. I made it two miles, but then decided I'd really better stop. Then I cried.

After crying and talking through my frustration with Josh and reading up a little on running injuries (and how common they are for beginning marathoners and how missing a week or two of training won't be the end of the world) I headed to the gym at Josh's apartment. I rode the bike for four miles and did some weight training. I was reminded that missing a workout on Wednesday didn't turn me into mush. I felt better.

Today I was determined to get a workout in that was somewhat comparable to the sixteen-mile run I was missing. So I went back to Josh's apartment gym (which is different than the gym we usually go to after work) and rode the bike again. For three hours. Thirty miles. It still wasn't nearly as intense and exhausting as the long run would have been, but my thighs (and rear end) were sure sore. And luckily the bikes there aren't super boring, and my rides were through computer animated scenes like a beach at sunset, Mayan ruins, and a redwood forest. I feel well traveled.

Now we're crossing our fingers that my ankle will heal quickly and I can get back into training later this week. Please.

the weekend

This weekend's marathon training was a 15 mile run, which I had to do by myself. The saying "misery loves company" is sure true because it's nice to be able to moan and groan toward the end of long runs with Josh, but by myself the moaning and groaning is just depressing.

The plan was to meet at our usual spot near UVA and run at 10am, but at 9 he called to say his back was hurting (flair up of an old injury) and there was no way he could run, much less roll over comfortably in bed. So I re-mapped a different run leaving from my place and set off at 11.

I haven't mentioned it here yet, but the marathon I'm planning on running is pretty intense. There are multiple mountains involved. Go big or go home I say. So I'm trying to train on hills around town, but they don't really compare at all to what the real race will be like. I'm going to have to figure something else out, which might just end up being medium runs on the treadmill at a steep incline. Anyway, there is a pretty substantial hill (with an observatory on top) in town, so I ran up that twice. Afterwards I was pretty tired and achy, so I stopped in a building on campus for some water and to stretch, and a few minutes after running again I took a GU gel. This was the first full gel I've ever taken, so I'm not really familiar with them or how to notice if it worked, but I think it helped a little. At this point I had about 4 miles to go. When I had only 1.5 miles left I started to get a cramp, and I was going pretty slow. When I finally stopped at 15 miles I still had several blocks worth of distance to walk back to my apartment (which didn't look that far when I planned it on the map, it looked like a nice cool-down walk), and it was miserable. I was achy and thirsty and really wish Josh had been there to commiserate with me.

So yesterday's run was hard and didn't feel excellent at the end, but I will say that I wasn't nearly as stiff and rickety the rest of the day like I was after last week's 14 miles. That seems like improvement.

Then yesterday afternoon Josh and I drove to Richmond, where we visited with my family. In the evening I hung out with Grandpa and my aunt, then watched a bunch of tv on my own (when I probably should have been reading). This morning I read, visited Grandma, and then the whole family went out to lunch. After lunch Josh had his back popped in hopes that it will feel better soon, we took naps, did a little more homework, and then drove back to C'ville. Now I need to read more and then I plan on watching Downton Abbey.

Overall a pretty good weekend.

this and that

Sorry for the hiatus.

We're still running. And I'm still really excited about it. Saturday Josh and I ran fourteen miles. That was the farthest either of us had ever run. From here on out in our marathon training that number will just keep going up, and I will keep thinking to myself, "wow, that's the farthest I've ever run!"

I went ahead and got a sports watch with GPS. Now we can see how far we've run as we're going AND see our pace, and after plugging it into my computer it will show us the route we took, the elevation changes, how many calories I burned, etc. etc. etc.

So let me report on tonight's seven miles:

mile ave. pace
1 -- 9:49
2 -- 8:49
3 -- 9:48
4 -- 8:33
5 -- 9:49
6 -- 9:17
7 -- 8:37
Summary: total time 1:04:41.5, distance 7.00, average pace 9:15

In other news, Josh's birthday was yesterday. Saturday we had dinner at a German restaurant with his grandparents, Sunday I took him to dinner at a South African restaurant, and last night I made him a mango lassi, per his request. Next time I will puree the mango better and use a little less sugar. But overall it was still pretty good.



And finally, let me remind you that school is back in session. I'm going to class (in Fairfax) once or twice a week, and Josh is in class (not in Fairfax) twice a week. And we have jobs. So things are busy around here. Hopefully I'll still find time to blog, but you may have to suffer through mostly posts about marathon training. Get excited.

nice and icy

This morning Charlottesville was covered in ice. All the trees were white, and looked almost like blooming cherry blossoms. It was beautiful. It was also cold. Josh, his roommate, and myself headed out at 10am in about 34-degree weather for an eleven-mile run. I planned the run and made sure it had plenty of hills, which was good for training but not always fun. It drizzled for most of the run, but I never felt too cold. The guys were a little colder because they wear five-finger minimalist shoes and their toes were frozen for a while. The coldest part was after we stopped for a bathroom and water break at the bus station. I guess all the rain and sweat had a chance to thaw, which made things feel more brisk when we went back outside. By the end our legs were pretty achy and we were all glad to finally be done with the eleven miles, but I think we all agree it was a good time, too.

a little obsessed

Okay, I'll just come out with it.

I want to run a marathon.

And since the bug has bit, I want to do it sooner rather than later. So I'm training for an April marathon. Josh is doing it with me. (In turn, I'm supposed to do Tough Mudder with him later this year. That scares me.)

I think about my marathon training all of the time now. I bought new running shoes last week, and I got a foam roller. I even tried yoga for the first time ever by finding a "yoga for runners" video online and trying it out in my apartment. I'm thinking about getting a sports watch with gps. I've discovered a whole new world of running blogs, and spend way too much time reading them. I'm obsessed.

DC

(Gasp, two posts in one day!)

My parents have still been around since before Christmas. Last Monday they came to Charlottesville and stayed in a hotel for three nights doing touristy things while I worked. Then Thursday the three of us drove to DC for a few days. Our first stop was Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home. We toured the house and visited the museum and I finally got to experience the multi-media film where it really snows on you!



After Mt. Vernon we took the scenic route along the Potomac and drove from Alexandria to Leesburg, where we went to dinner with Uncle Richard. Then we stayed at his place.

Friday after breakfast we drove to a metro station and took the train to the National Mall, where we walked around the WWII memorial and the new MLK Jr. memorial. Then we went to the American History museum for a couple hours, and to the Portrait Gallery for a couple hours. We ate dinner in Chinatown, then headed back to Leesburg for the night.

Saturday we had breakfast with Uncle Richard and he showed us around his condo complex, and then we drove to the National Cathedral. We spent a couple hours there, then drove to Old Town Alexandria to eat. After walking around a little more and getting ice cream, it was time to head back to Charlottesville.

It was a fun little trip, and now my parents are on their way back to New Mexico.

NYE

I know this post is a week late, but I want to backtrack to New Year's Eve. Last Saturday I was in Richmond with my parents and grandparents, but after lunch and hanging out all afternoon (and I guess by "hanging out" I mean shopping with my dad for a new coat) I came back to Charlottesville.

Josh picked me up and we headed to the Downtown Mall, where we ate sushi for dinner. After enjoying a few fancy rolls we decided to order the two specials: a plum and avocado roll, and roasted garlic. As you might imagine, we thought the roasted garlic would come in a sushi roll. Turns out roasted garlic was really just cloves of roasted garlic on a plate. So we had that for dessert, then headed out to wander the busy pedestrian mall.

While walking Josh found a pistachio shell!



For a new view and to kill time, we rode up to the top of a parking garage and looked around some more. Parking garages are often good for views around here.





At 11 we went to the pavilion to listen to a local cover band, and then at 11:30 there was a laser show that ended with a laser ball counting down the last ten seconds of 2011. A little cheesy but free and fun. After that we had a garlicky kiss and headed home.

Happy 2012!

Christmas 2011

My family spent Christmas in Richmond this year. My parents and Ryan flew out from the West and the four of us stayed at a hotel downtown by the state capital. Here's how the holiday went down:

Thursday after work I drove to Richmond and met the family at my grandparents' house. Then my parents and I went to our hotel for the night, and Dad and I walked to Capital Ale House for a beer.

Friday morning Dad and I went to the airport to pick up Ryan. Then we wrapped a bunch of presents before meeting up with the whole family (including Grandma!) for pizza near Carytown. After that my parents and I visited the art museum, where I finally got to see the giant whale! After that my parents dropped Ryan and me off at the hotel for naps. Friday night the four of us saw the lights at the botanical garden, then had pho for dinner.

Saturday (Christmas Eve) I got up early-ish to go for a run, then we went to the grandparents' house where Mom got to work cooking posole, I made cookies (Sunni helped), and Dad and I ran last-minute errands, including stopping at four different stores looking for eggnog. Saturday evening we all went to church at 7, then went back to the house for our traditional posole dinner.

Sunday (Christmas) I woke up earlier than planned (too much Christmas excitement I guess), so I got Dad up to go for a Christmas walk with me. Then we headed back across town to the house, where cooking was underway. I made rolls. Everyone (including Grandma!) came over for lunch, which was delicious Beef Wellington. Then we opened presents. Later in the afternoon my family headed back to the hotel for naps, and once rested went back to the house for more eating and hanging out. I finally ate some pie, and we had a fire in the fire pit out back. Josh had joined us by this point, and he and I performed a song ("It's Cliched to Be Cynical at Christmas") for my family with his ukulele.





Monday we slept in a little, then Dad, Ryan, Josh, and myself went for a long walk downtown. We walked along the canal and then back through Church Hill, and everyone (including Ryan, despite what me might say) had a good time. After the walk we ate lunch at the Tobacco Company. That afternoon we went to the mall (a mad house) so Ryan could get new house slippers, and that evening lots of us saw Tin Tin.





It was a pretty good Christmas, I'd say.

pistachio sightings!

On Saturday I took a break from working on my papers (which are over now, whew) to go to Richmond for lunch with the whole family. Then some of us went and saw The Muppets, which I thoroughly enjoyed. When we got out of the theater I had a text message from Andrew with a pistachio sighting! He said it was "Outside the movie theater." Now this confused me for a minute, because I was outside the movie theater, and there happened to be a guy named Andrew with us. But he doesn't have my phone number, or I wouldn't have him in my phone as "Andrew," and thus I deduced this pistachio sighting was coming from Colorado, where my pal Andrew must have just seen a movie. Or at least he was hanging outside a movie theater. Either way, pistachio sighting!



This sighting reminded me of the two I had in Santa Fe at Thanksgiving, which I never posted. So let me share them now.





Happy sightings y'all!

semester wrap-up and the Christmas season

The problem with being in school is that stressful schoolwork butts right up against the holidays. Today I received a choice of essay questions, and I now have exactly one week to write two ten-page papers. That has to happen after work in the evenings and this coming weekend. So I'll finally be done next Monday, and that means you probably won't hear from me again any time soon.

But today I got a Christmas card from Uncle Richard and in it he said he likes my blog, so I thought I should write something quickly before tackling my first essay. I will take this opportunity to let you know that I haven't put up my little Christmas tree yet, and probably won't unless I succumb to a good bout of procrastination later in the week. But I did buy a little poinsettia and my parents sent me a nutcracker, which is displayed on a bookshelf with Christmas cards, so I'm not completely missing out on a holiday feeling in my apartment.

Okay, gotta get to work. After I eat something...

Thankful for Grandmothers

The week before Thanksgiving I decided I should probably go ahead and fly home to Santa Fe for the holiday weekend. I'll be here in Virginia for Christmas, so I wanted to see my New Mexico grandparents sooner rather than later. The week before Thanksgiving my Grandmother had surgery on her spine, which was a pretty big deal. She's still in the hospital but is doing well and has moved to rehab. Obviously she couldn't join us for our Thanksgiving meal, but I got to visit with her three days in a row during my short trip.

On the other side of my family, another pretty big deal is going on this week in Richmond. In the past few months my Grandma has been severely affected by Alzheimer's, and tomorrow she will move into the memory care ward of an assisted living facility. As you might imagine, the whole family is struggling with this change in various ways. I got to visit with Grandma on Sunday after I got back from New Mexico. We went out for lunch and had a good time.

I'm very blessed and grateful to have such great grandmothers. I also have great grandfathers, and my heart goes out to both of them during these difficult times.

a list of things I've squeezed in between homework

Sorry I never post anymore. I'm pretty busy these days. And by "these days," I mean this semester. It's the same old story about work and reading, blah blah blah.

Anyway, I do manage to fit in a few fun things, and I'd like to share them here, mostly because this blog is the only journal-type-thing I keep and maybe I will want to remember these some day.

Last weekend I went to Richmond to spend time with my family. My grandma isn't doing so hot these days, but it was good to be with her and the others. I had to spend a lot of my time reading, but we enjoyed meals together, including a good Indian lunch.

The weekend before that I spent most of Saturday at Wintergreen (a ski resort) watching Josh and four other guys on his team complete the Tough Mudder challenge. It was a nine-mile course with lots of obstacles, including a pool of ice, dark tubes, ropes to climb, and live wires to run through. They had a good time and no one broke any bones, so that was good. I took pictures when I could actually get to the obstacles, but there were about two hours when I didn't see them so I ate lunch, drank a beer, and rode the chair lift.

The weekend before that Josh and I went to his grandparents' house. We ate food and played games, and I got a little reading in there, too.

I'm not exactly sure on the timing because we're going back several weeks here, but I think two weeks before the trip to Josh's grandparents I was in Richmond for the weekend while my mom was there, so I got to spend time with her and the rest of the family.

There was another weekend sometime before that when I went to Fredericksburg on a Saturday night to visit my friend Ryan and his wife. They made good Japanese food, and we played poker.

So, as you can see, my nose isn't always stuck in a book. But after doing fun things I have to make up the homework I missed, and then I don't have time to blog. Sorry.

keeping busy

Today after work Josh and I worked out at the gym. But then we both had homework to do (me: read about the California Gold Rush; him: study anatomy). Usually I come home from the gym with great intentions to get lots of homework done, but after a shower and dinner, I'm pretty tired. So tonight we went to the library straight from the gym. Yes, that means we smelled very bad. But I'm finding myself short on time for homework a lot these days, and desperate times call for desperate measures. I didn't get quite as much reading done as I'd hoped, but overall I'm pleased with how it went. I'm also pleased with this picture Josh drew of me on his whiteboard while he took a short study break:



P.S. I'm also having a bit of a fruit fly problem in my apartment (and "bit" is an understatement), so going to the gym saved me from wasting a lot of time wandering around trying to kill them. My traps seem to be working though, so here's to hoping they're all gone soon.

they're baaack

The first stink bug (that I've seen) of the season has entered my office space. They sprayed outside the building last week to try and keep them out, but I'm afraid we'll just have a hoard of mutant stink bugs now.

same ol' same ol'

I don't have anything much to report y'all. I go to work, I sometimes go to the gym or for a run, and I read for school. That's about it. Today I met with a professor on Skype, which wasn't as awkward as I thought it might be. Oh, and today was chilly outside. I'm not ready for cold weather. Okay, that's all for now.

recent goings on

A week ago I experienced my first earthquake. That was exciting. I was at work and the building was rumbling quite a bit. In case you don't know, Charlottesville is only about 35 miles from where the epicenter was. But even though I had an armchair and coffee table precariously set upside down on my couch to make way for the carpet cleaners, they didn't fall off or anything. I also woke up a couple nights later to an aftershock.

Then a hurricane headed for Virginia. I went to Richmond on Saturday to visit with my family, which meant I headed closer to the hurricane. After lunch we lost power at my grandparents' house, which we were pretty sure was going to happen eventually anyway, and it was then that it finally dawned on my aunt and myself that maybe Grandma and Grandpa shouldn't be stuck in a house with no power. So with wind and rain and branches thrashing the windows, we frantically ran around the house packing up food and clothes and bedding and loaded up the van. Then we all headed through the storm to my apartment in Charlottesville, where it was only lightly raining. Five of us and Danny the pug spent two cozy nights in my one-bedroom apartment, and while it wasn't ideal, it wasn't so bad either. They got their power back Monday morning and didn't waste time getting back home.

After the crowed cleared out I had a little time to straighten out my apartment, join Josh for lunch, and then head up to Fairfax for my first night of classes. I'm taking seven credits this semester instead of the four I took each semester last year, so I'll be keeping busy. I sure enjoyed my summer break, but I'm also ready to get back at it.