Projects Galore

I've been working at home for the past few weeks which means I've had a lot more free time since I'm not wasting nearly 30 hours a week traveling. Luckily for me I had a few projects around the house that I've been putting off. The first was organizing all the sports equipment in my garage. With the help of my mom's boyfriend, I hung my kayak and bikes,  and made a rack for my skis.

 Now, I can actually put my car in garage! Imagine!

And then, thanks to a lot of time wasted on Pinterest, I also had some crafts and cooking I wanted to try. I pained my house before I moved in, but all the light-switch and outlet covers were still an ugly beige. So, I decided to decoupage them to make them look nicer. It was so easy, and they came out great! Here are the instructions. I can't wait to do more.

Another thing I saw on pinterest that immediately caught my eye, was homemade butterfingers. Butterfingers are probably my favorite candy ever, and I was so interested to see if I could make them. I did, and they were great. So great I ate them all that night. Ooops, sorry New Year's Resolution. The recipe is found here

And finally, I made a great macaroni and cheese inspired my a recipe I saw in cooking light, that uses pureed butternut squash as a base. It was a last minute idea, so I had to improvise with what I had at home. I used 1 cup of pasta and once this was cooked I mixed it with a small butternut squash mashed and mixed with 1/4 cup low fat cream cheese. I put this in a small casserole dish and topped it with some panko and shredded cheddar cheese. So creamy and delicious! Once again I ate the whole thing- but I was expecting that, so I made a very small version!

New Years Resolutions (and thanks Coach Jenny)

1. Be more mindful. I am always going in a thousand directions and always trying to multitask and I feel like this is coming at cost. By not focusing my attention on what I am doing right here, right now, I am missing out on some of the full experience. So this year I am going to try to quiet my mind, tune out the distractions, and focus.

2.  Get back to my feel great weight. I know I'll never be super skinny again and I am happier for it, but I would like to get back to the weight where I am proud of my body and feel strong. For the most part I eat pretty well and I certainly exercise, but I know that I have 2 big weaknesses- eating in front of the TV at night, and getting unhealthy snacks in the airport.

3. Improve my swim time and comfort in the water in the triathalon. Last year I did my first 2 tris and LOVED them, except the swim where I felt like I was going to die. I want to sign up for some open water clinics and coaching so that this year I can rock the swim.

Of course the hardest part of New Year's Resolutions is following through and actually doing them. So, I'm asking for your help. Please keep checking in with to see if I am keeping myself accountable.

Also, I want to say a huge thank you to Coach Jenny. I participated in her Holiday Challenge and it was great. One of the prizes in the challenge was a Personal Savers wrist band pepper spray thing. Since being attacked while running last year, I've been meaning to get something like this, and was a little bummed that I didn't win. But when I went to get my mail yesterday, there was a personal saver from Coach Jenny! Although I wasn't the official winner, she still sent me one after hearing my story. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness, and will feel so much safer running in the dark in the early morning in California next week.

1028.15 miles in 2011!

After a cold, windy run that felt like an awful lot of work, I needed some encouragement this weekend so I just added up my running log from last year. 1028.15 total! Holy Moly!

Welcome to 2012

Hi Friends! Happy New Year! Hopefully, your New Year's Eves and first day of 2012 were as wonderful as mine was!

My friend Breezy and I decided to avoid the crowds and costs of eating out and cook at home last night. But, we still ate in style: lobster, roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic, and French baguette.  We started off with my new favorite cocktail- Pinacle cake vodka, mandarin orange seltzer, and mango juice and nibbled on some crackers and goat cheese. Then it was lobster time. Seriously, I don't know why I do eat lobster more often. It's not that expensive (if you're lucky enough to live in Maine) and it's a quick, easy 1 pot meal! And I think winter lobster is the best, the hard shells are packed with sweet, dense meat. After gorging ourselves, we made ourselves pretty and then headed to the Old Port to Gritty's. We had a few drinks there and headed up to Empire Dine and Dance. And then the rest of the night passed in a wonderful blur of music, dancing, and more cocktails!



I woke this morning to a glorious morning. The sun was shining and it was in the forties. It was the perfect day for the first day of the year, symbolic of a fresh start and a rebirth. I enjoyed the luxury of lingering in bed for awhile dozing and then headed out for a run to shake out the cobwebs from a night of fun. After a few hours of house chores (taking down the Christmas decorations and tree always makes me so sad!) I decided it was just too nice to be inside, so I headed to Kettle Cove. Everyone had the same idea- there were so many people there. The lobstermen were taking advantage of the warm day to pull out some traps. There were couples with picnics and champagne. There were dogs of all sizes and colors, and kids of just as many colors and sizes. That's what I love about Mainers, people truly love to be outside and appreciate the natural beauty and fun of our state.

I just had an early dinner of cheesy polenta with shrimp and spinach and am settling down to a quite evening pondering my resolutions and doing some reading.

Ending the Year with a (freezing) Splash!

I like to do events to make occasions, so I was excited when I heard about the Polar Bear 5k and Polar Plunge to benefit the Natural Resources Council of Maine. And then I saw the weather forecast "freezing rain with a chance of sleet." Great.

When I woke up and left for the gym this morning it wasn't bad. But, by the time I was leaving the gym the freezing rain was pouring down. I was so tempted to go home and stay home. I mean I'd already gone to kickboxing. Didn't I deserve to spend the rest of the morning on the couch with a blanket and hot coffee?

But then I got a phone call from a friend telling me that a friend I'd worked with for more than 10 years passed away last night. He was in his early forties and no one expected it. So I decided that I would run the race for him because I could. Life is short and I want to live it to the fullest.

So I tossed on my rain coat and headed down to the back bay parking lot. I stood in the rain to register and then got back in my car to wait for the start. At this point I almost bailed again-  I was freezing and wet already! But when I saw the crowd gathering I got excited again and hopped over to the start trying to regain some feeling in my feet. It was definitely not a day for a PR. Most of the race was on the trail around back bay and it was completely iced over. I ran on the frozen, uneven grass on the side of the trail and my main goal was not to fall on my face!

This was one race I was not happy to see end, because it meant it was time for the plunge! The water temp was a balmy 42 degrees. The race organizers wanted everyone to go in at once, so I had just enough time to get really cold between the run and plunge. It was pretty fun though to see all the people in costumes- polar bear costumes, grass skirts and leis, tutus. I waited until the last minute to strip down to my tights and tank top and then I was in (and out again pretty fast). Luckily, my wonderful, wonderful Breezy came to meet me at the end with a hot peppermint mocha, a towel, and most importantly a ride back to my car where I'd parked it at the start of the race.

Happy New Year!

The Best of 2011- Part 3

September- I bought a house!!
Probably the scariest thing I've ever done because it's a huge commitment.  But, I absolutely love being back in Maine and having my own house.

October- Reach the Beach and New Orleans
I just couldn't pick one, because both were a blast! My company meeting in New Orleans the first weekend in October was surprisingly fun. New Orleans just has so much spirit that it is impossible to have a bad time there. I really enjoyed getting to know all my coworkers and felt so lucky to be part of such a great company. And then, my Reach the Beach team was super fun this year and I kicked some butt on all my legs. 

November- The giant Redwoods in Northern California
I went up to Eureka for work and was totally stunned by the natural beauty. The rugged coast and the towering redwoods totally captured my heart.

December- Connecting with Old Friends

One of the best parts of moving back to Maine is connecting with old friends. I don't know if anyone will ever know you as well as your friends from junior high and high school. We spent pretty much all of our waking hours together and it's been so much fun to see how everyone has changed (or not) over the past 10 years.

Let's hope that 2012 is just as fulfilling and exciting!

The Best of 2011- Part 2

May- I got my Master's in Public Health
After 3 years of working full time and going to school, I finally finished my Master's. The best part of this program was my practicum in Ghana. It was no easy to convince my job to give me the time off, but it was so worthwhile. I learned so fun, and made some amazing friends, including the 6 am running crew seen here.

June- I finished my first 2 sprint Triathalons
I have been wanting to do a tri for a few years and this year I finally sucked it up an signed up. The first swim, in a pool, was fine, but the second swim in the lake nearly killed me. Still, I loved the races- the quick changes between portions is such a nice change from the monotony of the marathon. My goal for 2012 is to improve in the swim.

July- The Peak's Island Race
I missed the race last year and so was excited to do it this year. It's a blast because we make a whole day of it. We take the ferry out early the morning, and I run the race while my Mom and her friend Cat work a water station. Then we spend the rest of the day biking around the island, hanging out at the beach, and eating lobster rolls and drinking beer. Perfect summer day!

August- I became an unofficial goat tender
There is a lighthouse right outside the harbor at my Mom's house. The coast guard was going to tear it down, and so a group of people from the island formed an organization to buy, restore, and maintain the lighthouse. (Cuckhold's Light). This summer we put a pair of goats out there to eat down some of the over-grown vegetation and keep away the sea gulls. They were spoiled farm goats though, and so someone had to paddle out there frequently to give them their special food. It was a lot of fun to kayak out- they'd see you coming and wait at the shore and then about capsize the boat trying to get to you as you landed.