New Shoes!

I finally got my new running shoes. Oooh, aren't they pretty? :)

They're very pink. Not my first pick, but I can embrace my inner pink. They don't look quite so pink on my feet, and once I start running outside...they won't be pink anymore. Or white. Hee hee. So tomorrow morning it's off to the gym to start my training schedule. I'm so excited!

Work, work and more work....

I don't feel like I've done anything since I went snowshoeing! Last week we had our management retreat, which was great, but it was a lot of work. The DPL managers met off-site and hashed out our priorities for this year etc. It's energizing while you're doing it, but once we were done...I was exhausted. And then Saturday I had the Human Dignity Coalition annual Board retreat, which again was an all-day goal-setting session. I'm really excited. We've got some amazing things planned for this year. This is a great non-profit organization. If you're looking for a way to give back to the C.O. community, this is a great way. Then Sunday I had to work...and this week I'm working 10 hour shifts because I have a staff member on vacation. All of which is fine...but I am feeling a tad burned out.

I did however get some pictures of Kai learning to ski. Both Randal and I learned to ski really early. Here's my mom teaching me to ski on Silver Star. We used to go there every year when I was really little for a week or so. The rest of the winter we skied Whistler and Grouse.
Not sure where this is, but I think it may just be at a local park in North Vancouver. He's so cute!

Oopsie! I love how Cito just lies there in the background. Not at all concerned. Hee hee.

Live for every moment

Wow, what a filled weekend I just had! Friday night the Bella Executive Committee had our holiday party. Like last year, we did a white elephant exchange. Last year I got the fish. This year....I got back what I brought! :) I took the white goose cookie jar I got at the New Year's white elephant that we did. Dave opened that one...but then at the end, he stole what I had, SO I HAD IT BACK!!!!! But no worries, I stashed it in Cate and Josh's shower. Hee hee. No way was I bringing that thing home.

On Saturday I went to a memorial for the husband of one of the Bellas. I didn't know him, but I sure wish I had. It was so sad...but at the same time it was great. There were so many people there that loved both of them, and EVERYONE talked about what a great guy he was. He lived life to the fullest every single moment. They did a slide show in honor of him and I'd say that 98% of them were outside. And in every one he had this enormous smile. So I decided that perhaps he should be my muse. He can't be here anymore to love life and take advantage of the beauty around us, so I will. The best way to honor his memory is to try and live like he would have.

So, to do that we went bowling! :) It really was super fun. I suck...but I had a great time. And I even learned something. I've been holding the bowling ball the wrong way my whole life!!!! I've been using my thumb and then those first two fingers. Um...no. You're supposed to use your thumb and then the second and third fingers. Who knew? :) Once I did that...well, I didn't get any better, but it sure felt better. We'll go back soon and I'm gonna ROCK! Hee hee. Sheila won one game, Chris one, and Barrie one. But if we'd played a fourth game I would have one it! Yea, no. But I'm being positive.

This morning Barrie and I went for a great snowshoe. It had snowed there last night, so there was a nice layer of soft snow. It was just gorgeous.

We did the loop out to Meisner out to the Meisner shelter and then back. It was about 3.5 miles, and again, no leg pain!!! :) I did have some foot pain, but that was from my orthotics and the non-flexing shoes. But it was still great. It was just amazing, and wonderful to be outside after the memorial on Saturday and the revelations I had.


It's been snowing most of the day. It's beautiful. :)

Night snowshoe

Last night I went on a night snowshoe with the Bend Bellas. It was fun! :) And I was very happy with how my legs felt. I mean, I hurt...but it had nothing to do with the compartment syndrome or surgery. I'm just soooooo out of shape. That, and I wore the wrong socks and boots. My socks slipped down and bunched up against my leg right where they'd start rubbing. It was kinda ouchy, but I made it. And I feel great today and I managed to do it. HOORAY!!!!!

It was dark out there, but still light enough that you didn't have to use a headlamp. Anyway, Julie fell a bit back behind the others with me (I was having trouble going as fast as the others) and we were just using my light. Then all of a sudden this "THING" leaped screaming out of the bushes at us. OMG I almost had a heart attack! I think you could probably hear my scream a mile away. It was stupid Heidi! It made her laugh so hard I think she may have peed her pants. After I recovered I pushed her in the snowbank. This is kinda what she looked like...

It scared the living beep out of me! It scared me so much I almost cried. You know that feeling? Sigh. It doesn't help that I am kinda scared of the dark.

Anyway, it was fun. Speaking of snow, this is a picture taken of the area in front of the Sunriver library, where I work. This was a week and a half ago, so we have even more now. We can barely see out of the staff room windows! :)

Time passes

Wow, I really haven't been very good at updating, have I? :) Oh well. Not much new with me. I've spent the last couple weeks re-arranging my upstairs rooms. I decided I wanted the bigger room for the bedroom. I initially took the smaller room, because it has a porch. But I can still use the porch if it's off the "office." And the bigger room is so nice and bright!

I also got a new bed frame and a new dresser. Oh yea, and something cool, a combo mirror and jewelry keeper. I just love it.
It's taken me quite a while to get it all organized though. And I'm trying to organize my office so that I have some good space to work in. I have a ton of big projects at work coming up, and then with the Bend Bella Cyclists we have a lot going on, and this year I'm the race director for Pickett's Charge, a mt bike race here in Bend in June. Ulp! Organization is my focus this year. For any women in Bend, come on out and snowshoe with us tomorrow, Wednesday night. We're going to meet at PMS at 6:00 and go night snowshoeing. HOORAY! :)

Oh yea, and did I say that my goal for this year is to do the sprint distance of the Deschutes Dash? I'm excited, but a bit scared. I've never done a triathlon before...hell, I've never run before!!!!! :) I'm starting a program that within 13 weeks will have me running 10k. We only have to do half of that for the sprint distance. I'm going to be training with a couple friends, which always makes it easier. We'd love to have a cheering section at the finish line! :) I know that some people say they could roll out of bed and do a sprint tri...well, I can't! For me this is going to be a big deal. I've never been able to run before! Maybe for the Dash I'll "decorate" my legs to accentuate the scars....

On a sad note, I found out yesterday the husband of one of the women I know from the Bellas died skiing on Mt Bachelor Sunday. My heart really goes out to her and their families. He was only 27. Way too young. It's so important to tell the people that you love, that you love them. Things happen so quickly. None of us want to live with regrets about what we said or did not say. So, to take something positive from his death...make sure you live you life the way you would want to be remembered, and tell people how much you mean to them.

Happy New Year! :)

I had a nice quiet New Years with some friends. New Years has always been my least favourite holiday, but the last couple have been pretty good. It's been a hectic holiday season, so I was happy to just go to a house party with a couple friends from work.

As usual, we did out annual tin pouring tradition. My friend Liisa introduced it to me when I moved here seven years ago. You melt some tin, pour it into a bucket of cold water and it makes a shape. You can then "tell your future" from looking at the shape etc. It's just fun. Here are a couple people melting some tin.
That water is c-c-c-c-cold! It had been sitting outside for a couple hours, so we had to break the ice that had formed. Here I am pulling my piece out. Mine always comes out long...lots of people's this year were much more compact. Colleen's looked like a wing! Evidently I don't pour mine quick enough, so that's why it turns out in the long shape.

Then before midnight we did a white elephant exchange. Ana's was fun. She got PMS Detergent, and Bitch and White Trash Detergent. Hee hee hee. It supposed to be bubble bath...but they really did smell more like real powdered laundry detergent. Ugh, I don't think Ana should use it.

And me, I got a gorgeous ceramic duck cookie jar. Whooeee! :) OMG it's just hideous.

I did have a good time though. Then I spent New Years Day putting together a dresser I bought and switching my bedroom to the bigger room I have. I got tired of the same room...I like change!!!!! :) I went through almost all of my storage boxes and ruthlessly weeded out the things I don't need. Right now I have...let's see...seven boxes of stuff for Goodwill and then there were four boxes of complete crap that I threw away.

A nice start to the new year, cleaning up and getting rid of debris that I don't need or want anymore. Out with the old, in with the new, right? :)