ramblings from the runner with the curls....

Post trail run bliss

2011-09-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

Somehow this picture didn't make it into the last blog. Love these girls, and love running with them! We are all going to ROCK our marathons in 3 weeks... the question is though... who will run 26.2 miles the fastest?

Taking bets...

Rocky Mountain high...

2011-09-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

Colorado

I’m crashing hard from the high that I got while I was in Colorado. No, no drugs were taken, but the high that I get from the fresh, dry, mountain air, leaves me wanting more every time.

I didn’t have many concrete plans going into the week. I went in with the intention to see my friends, family, and enjoy running outdoors. I accomplished all of them, and enjoyed them more than expected.

I started off the week with an 18 mile (planned) run with my dad biking alongside me on Saturday morning. We went out on the Highline Canal trail. I have run this trail hundreds of times, but because I haven’t run it in a while, it was a welcome change. I was worried about the altitude for the run, but decided to go out normally, and just see how my body did. I felt absolutely amazing! I was holding a fast pace for my ‘long run’ and really enjoyed the thinner oxygen and the cooler temperatures. Note: When I run in Florida, I usually start my long runs around 5am so that I can get my run finished before it gets too hot. My dad and I started at 9am, and I was actually cold at the start. What a wonderful feeling.

I’m crediting the cool air for my speedy pace. I think my body didn’t care as much about the thinner air, it just enjoyed not having to cool itself as much. Sadly, my leg started hurting around mile 3. This was a pain that I started to feel during my speedwork on Tuesday of that week, then again during my Tempo run on Thursday. Uh oh. Mile 7 I had to stop and stretch and massage it. I got to mile 9, my turn around. I filled up my water at the fountain, and could barely walk when I tried to start running again. This was super no bueno. After discussing with my dad, I decided that it’s better safe than sorry, so I called my mom to come pick me up. No use hurting myself more. I was mega-bummed. On the plus side though, I had a great time running with my dad, catching up with him, and being outside. I got to sit in the soft grass, in the sun, waiting for my mom. Things could have been a lot worse.

My leg stayed sore/injured for the rest of the day. My mom even massaged it out for me. I was RICEing it all day long. Ouch.

Sunday I went to the driving range with my mom. I have never played golf before, or even picked up clubs. However, I am playing golf with my work group this week, and I didn’t want to suck. So my mom and I played golf a decent amount during the week. I ended up being better than I expected… SCORE!!

After golf, I met up with Lauren and her new boyfriend, Eric. We did Sunday Funday at the Tavern and enjoyed some cold drinks and delicious food. It was so great to catch up with her, and hang out. We ended up there for a few hours, then went to the liquor store to bring home 3 different varieties of Pumpkin beer (as well as others) and take it home for our own taste test. AWESOME.

Monday was one of the best days. Ever. It started with a super easy 2.5 mile run [[to pick up the car I left at the bar on Sunday night because I took a cab home. Good life decision. +1 for Sarah]] The run was followed by an amazing yoga class with Lauren and Eric at Core Power Yoga. Wow. I really miss that place. We had an amazing flow, and a lot of energy in the room. Talk about bliss. After yoga, we walked to the neighborhood coffee shop, then walked back to Lauren’s house, changed, and met up with Nicole for lunch. Our 2 hour lunch included a bottle of wine, truffle fries, bruschetta and a delicious dessert (and a lot of other food.) It was great just to hang with the girls. After lunch, we went sailing on Chatfield Reservoir. Lauren’s dad has a sailboat, so the whole gang came (7 of us.) There was sun, drinking, 80s music & little to no wind, but lots of fun. That evening ended with a dinner at Stranahans with Dave, Lauren, Eric, Lauren’s brother and GF – a Colorado whiskey micro distillery—with the BEST mac and cheese ever… then drinks at the Hornet (with MARIO!!!). Yes. Perfect day.

On the boat with Lauren

Tuesday, Lauren and I had planned to go up to Rocky Mountain National Park to hike Sandbeach Lake. My friend Paula had blogged about this previously, and I really wanted to check it out. Mother nature had different plans for us. Unlike the previous beautiful days, Colorado had it’s first true day of fall, and it was cloudy, cold and a little rainy. We decided to hike the Royal Arch in Chataqua in Boulder instead. We brought the dogs, Lauren's dog Odin, and Dave's dog Tommie. They had a great hike, but were exhausted by the end of it. This was followed by another amazing lunch at my favorite restaurant on Pearl St, Centro. Then a little shopping on Pearl.

Tommie LOVES to hike

After I got home, napped and showered, I had a date with Dave at an amazing Latin-Asian Fusion restaurant: Zengo. DELISH! My favorite small plate of the night: tempura asparagus tacos. Mmmm. I also tried a dessert Malbec which was to die for.

Note: Somehow I didn’t gain 10 pounds on this trip, even though I had amazing food at every meal.

Wednesday was another dreary day, but my mom and I had a golf lesson scheduled, so we had to go. She helped me with my swing, and after a few adjustments, I was actually hitting the ball, and in the direction I intended to. This is a huge improvement from the driving range on Sunday. The afternoon included a blissful and painful 2 hour massage from my favorite masseuse: Ed.

Denver folks: This guy gives one of the BEST massages I have ever had. He is great for athletes, and works on a lot of the pro cyclist in the area.

He worked on my legs for an hour. I would love to say that this was the blissful part… but not so much. He did work out a lot of knots and pains, including my pain from Saturday that was still looming. There was a lot of whining on my part, but my legs felt great after. The second hour was the peaceful and blissful part. It was very therapeutic and relaxing. It included a hot stone massage (AMAZING), salt scrub for my hands and feet, and some work with energy flow… I think. Overall, it was another great experience. I just wish he was in Florida to work on me. Bummer.

I met up with my friend Sharon for drinks, sushi and gossip later that evening. 3 of our favorite things J then ended the night with Dave, Lauren, Eric and Mario at a wine bar downtown. Again. Amazing.

Thursday I got to sleep in a little bit, then had a lunch date with my co-workers from the Denver Siemens office. It is always so great to see everyone, and so tempting to just stay and work with them in Denver… not going back to Florida. Thursday nights in Denver= DTR –Denver Trail Runners. This is a weekly running group that meets up for trail runs every Thursday night. I got to see some of my favorite runners as well! Paula was planning on going anyway, and got stoked when I asked her if she was going.

I met Paula last year at DTR, and we realized we are basically the same person. Same majors in college, love to be outside, Colorado girl at heart… etc etc. LOVE her. It was great to run with her. She is doing her first marathon in October as well, CHICAGO! She has always been a super strong runner, she’s going to rock her 26.2.

Courtney and Luke were also there. They are, hands down, my favorite running couple. Luke recently proposed… so it was great to see them, hear the story and see the ring!! Courtney is also doing her first marathon in October, the same day as Chicago, but in Portland. She is also an amazing runner and is going to rock her marathon.

The trail run was a 6 miler that was ‘flat’ according to Luke. I’m sorry, I don’t consider a 1.25 mile uphill ‘flat.’ I ran the whole time with Paula, and felt amazing on the trail. There were some amazing views, especially at sunset :P There was a pot-luck after the run. This meant some delicious food, and more time with my friends. So sad I can’t do this every week.

Friday I played golf with my mom and her friend Kathe. This was my first game of golf…ever. It was REALLY fun! They taught me the rules and courtesies that come along with the game of golf. I had some awesome drives too! 2 of them ended up on the green! WOOT!! After golf, I met up with Lynne for a long lunch. We caught up on everything from her long road trip driving her fiancée back from Florida, to her wedding, to life. This trip I really appreciated my friendships. And no longer HOW long it’s been since I’ve seen them last, we were able to pick up and chat like I never left. I love my friends!!!

Saturday brought my longest run yet for my marathon training. I met up with Paula and Courtney at the REI downtown, and we set off for our 22 mile run. I was in heaven running through Denver, so I had to bring my camera. We ended up doing 4 laps at Wash park, with Erica, then heading back on the bike path. My leg was still bothering me, so I wore my compression sleeves. Leg hurt more at mile 8, so I moved both sleeves over to my right leg for more compression. Then at mile 14 I literally fell down in pain. It felt like someone grabbed my calf and was giving me an Indian burn from hell. OUCH. Fortunately, Erica’s car was parked in wash park, and she had a trigger point massage system thing in it. I had NO idea what it was, but she insisted it would help. After running back from her car, she pulled out something that looked like a yoga block, a dumbbell and a ball. Don’t be fooled by these ‘simple’ items. This is an intense system that triggers specific points on your leg (hence the name). Erica was an angel and massaged out my Achilles/calf. It hurt SO bad. Paula and Courtney hunted down some pain killers for me. I had been asking a lot of people if they had Ibuprofen, everyone said no. They found someone with Motrin, she gave them like TEN! I took three Motrin, one of Courtney’s salt tabs, and a gel. I was ready to go again. THANKS GIRLS!!!! We pushed it in toward the end, encouraging each other. When all was said and done, we finished 22 rockin miles, with a 9:30 average (including a few walk breaks.) Freaking awesome. Post run included Starbucks and an ice bath in the creek.

Pre-run picBeautiful REI Downtown

And we're off!

Met up with Erica in Wash Park Oh hello Mr. Fireman... will you take a picture with us? Erica taking care of my leg.... thanks girl!

Post run, we look pretty damn good!!Ice bath in the river

We said by to Courtney and Luke (who met us at Starbucks) and Paula and I walked to the car. She realized that she had lost her key on the run. Damnit. Shitty thing is we SAW the key on the trail. So we knew where it was. After flagging down a couple cyclists to go look for the key, it was nowhere to be found. I helped Paula try to track the key down and see if it was turned in anywhere. No dice. Sad. Fortunately, she has AAA so she was eventually good to go.

I had a haircut in about an hour, so I enjoyed some Starbucks in the sun, and pouted over my injured leg. One rockin haircut and glass of wine later, I was off to go home, pack and get ready for Carrie’s wedding that night. My mom *rockstar* helped me pack up all my crap. I got a lot of my winter clothes and shoes out of storage, and was taking it back to Orlando with me. (apparently it gets cold here….we’ll see). She packed everything up perfectly for me while I got ready for the wedding.

Dave had helped plan the wedding, so I met him there. I didn’t even recognize him when I walked in. Seriously, I looked straight past him. He has lost over 60 pounds in about 6 months. He’s also running his first marathon on the same day as Paula, Courtney and me, but in Denver. Amazing what marathon training can do to your body.

The only pic of me at the wedding...

Anyway, the wedding was absolutely beautiful! Jen and Dave did an amazing job planning every last detail. After the ceremony, Dave was able to take off the ‘wedding planner’ hat and was able to enjoy the rest of the evening with me, as a guest. J We had a ball dancing, hanging out with friends and talking. The big news of the night, other than Carrie getting married, was that I invited Dave to come live with me in Florida. He’s been wanting to do this since day 1, and I am finally letting him. J He’s coming down the week after our marathon. Nothing says marathon recovery like a 30 hour car ride. My flight back to Florida was early the next morning. Sad day.

Overall, it was a phenomenal trip. I was so happy to be able to see all my friends and spend such quality time with them. I didn’t get to see Gabrielle, which really really bums me out, but she is in Florida this weekend. I’m really hoping I get to see her then. Denver will always have a special place in my heart, and will always be my ‘home.’ Thanks for the great trip everyone. See you soon!

If you ever get sick of the cold and the snow, come visit me in Florida! It’s going to be a very nice winter!

48 Hours til I'm in the 303!

2011-08-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

The countdown is on! 48 hours from now I will be landing in beautiful Denver, Colorado! I haven’t been gone that long, but I am so excited to go back and visit.

I tried not to ‘plan’ too much out for my trip but there are a few things on the agenda:

- Long run

- Race

- Massage

- Date with Lauren (and her new beau)

- Date with Lynne (and her new FIANCE!!)

- Friend’s wedding

- 22 miler with Courtney (and see her new FIANCE too!)

Not too shabby. Why does the majority of the plans for my trip revolve around running? Oh yeah, because I pretty much revolve around running. I’m SO looking forward to running in cooler air. Air that doesn’t make me sweat the second I walk outside, the second I start moving. Amazing to think I could actually do a run where my running clothes weren’t sopping wet with sweat when I finished. I’m a little nervous for the altitude, but I’ll take it as a trade off for the air. Oh and the views. I love Colorado’s mountains. I just want to sit and soak it all in. I hope to hike and run in the mountains while I’m there.

Thanks to Paula for the photos :)

There are no ‘trails’ in Florida, and definitely no hills. My marathon is only 6 weeks away, but I’m hoping to get a few good trail runs in (and hope that works with my schedule.)

I’ve missed my parents a lot. I can’t wait for the home cooked meals, drinks on the patio, and the board games that we’ll play. I’m excited for the friendly people. It will be nice to walk around in my running clothes, smile at someone, and have them smile back. I’ve missed the beer: the selection, the freshness and the flavor. I’ve missed . I’m excited to see my friends. It’s hard to keep in touch with everyone when you move away, but so easy to catch back up when you come back. Maybe I’ll even tie up some loose ends. Who knows. I’m super excited to come home, and am ready to soak up every minute in the mile high city!! :D

Yoga. In (then out) with the new.

2011-08-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Mountain pose teaches us, literally, how to stand on our own two feet.... teaching us to root ourselves into the earth.... Our bodies become a connection between heaven and earth.

~Carol Krucoff Partner yoga with Lauren- One of my BFFs and favorite yoga buddies

I have been doing yoga for about 7 years now. It's been a constant in my life since I started college. I didn't realize though, how spoiled I was with the yoga studios in Colorado. I have always gone to Corepower Yoga. They had 2 studios in Boulder (with a 3rd opening recently) and 3 studios to choose from near my house in Denver. I had many different classes and times each day to choose from. I established a solid practice at corepower and tried every class they had. My favorite classes were C2 (hot power flow) and the sculpt classes. Both were in a very hot room, where you sweat for the entire time. I felt like I was sweating out all the toxins and releasing all the bad stuff from my body.

Beach yoga in Costa Rica

Until I moved to Orlando, I was doing yoga 4-5 times per week. This was part of my health routine, both for the mind and for the body. I came to Orlando hoping to continue my yoga practice and to grow as a yogi. I found Orlando Power Yoga the first week I was here, and started their 40 days for $40 package for new students. This was a different studio than I was used to, but I really liked it. It was a smaller studio, but still did the hot yoga flow. They even have an 80 min flow class.

Note: 80 minutes of hot yoga, especially when it's over 100* outside kicks your butt.

Anyway, this was a great studio. My roommate also bought the new student package, so we would motivate each other to go after work. This was her first real yoga (and hot yoga) experience ever and she loved it. Yay. I didn't go as much as I would have liked to, because of a busy work and social schedule. I was glad to have that studio so close to my house, and available in the evenings as a release.

During my first month here, there was a living social deal for $30 for one month of yoga at a different yoga studio. This studio was farther away from our house, but decently close to work. Liz and I decided to buy it and to use it for when our membership to Orlando Power Yoga ran out. Tonight was that night.

Let me just reiterate that I have been extremely spoiled with amazing yoga studios, teachers, facilities etc. I try to keep my expectations for new things low... but I have had great experiences in the past.

Liz and I pulled up after work to said yoga studio. It is in the corner unit of a small strip mall in a random neighborhood. We grab our mats and our clothes to change in to, since we were still in our work clothes, and we head into the studio. We walk in to silence.... an awkward lobby.... and nobody. A few seconds later someone comes out from behind a big wall partition... who was MAYBE 23. She checks us in, has us fill out a form... and just stands there. One other person walks in while we are filling out paperwork, and by the time class starts, there are 5 of us total.

This isn't quite a yoga specific studio. This is a room in a commercial center with the cement floor painted, and a folding wall put up. No mirrors, no art, no yoga anything. I'm not going to sit here and rant about every second of class, but here are the main things that bothered me.

Her voice was extremely annoying and she didn't shut up for the entire class, until shavasana at the end.
Because there were only 5 of us, there was no energy flowing through the room, so it didn't feel like a powerful yoga session, just 5 girls stretching together.
The whole place was air conditioned. When I started to sweat, the teacher walked over and cranked the AC.
She was saying the wrong names for a lot of the poses. Not the Sanskrit names... the English names. She even made one up: Charlie's Angles Asana. No. Just no.
She informed us at the beginning that we would be doing a 'flow' class, and we could take downward dog or child's pose at any time if we needed to. We didn't do one flow. Not even one sun salutation. Hmm...
She walked around with stinky incense during shavasana which distracted both Liz and me

Just to name a few. I tried to be very open minded for this class and a new studio. It was definitely a disappointing experience for me. (Liz felt the same way) My body felt good because I was moving and stretching for an hour, it just wasn't at all what I had wanted. Will I go back? Sure. I have a month membership. Will I buy a 10-pack at the hot, awesome, flow yoga studio by my house? Most likely.

It just makes me sad that some people think this is how yoga is and how yoga should be. I just wish there was a way to politely tell them to branch out and try other studios.

I'm not a negative person, and I don't mean to rant. This was just an awkward and not so fun experience.

Paleo Fun

2011-07-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

My last meal before starting Paleo...

Two weeks ago, I began the Paleo Diet. I have heard a lot about this diet/lifestyle through different discussions on twitter, but really understood the concept after talking to some trainers at my crossfit gym. The idea is to, "base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That's about as simple as we can get."

Taken directly from my friend Paula's blog post on Paleo:
"Paleo basically encompasses eating “like a caveman”, focusing on healthy proteins, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Notably, you cannot eat grains, dairy or legumes on paleo. As a former distance runner, this was a difficult concept to wrap my mind around. I grew up in a sport that encourages grains like pasta, bagels with peanut butter and granola bars. Not to mention the fact that I happen to love grains and dairy. I especially am a fan of yogurt, and greek yogurt with honey has been my standard breakfast for the past year or so. " -----I couldn't have said it better myself.

I have no intention to completely change my diet for the rest of my life. I have always lived on bread, pasta, pizza, etc. This was more just a challenge to see how my body would feel if I eliminated all the processed crap. My biggest worry for starting this strict diet would be the impact it would have on my running. I'm deep in my marathon training at this point, with my long run currently at 16 miles, and I need to be sure I'm fueling my body properly, for both workouts and recovery. After reading the book "Paleo for Athletes," I had a better grasp on how to fuel my body properly for the hard workouts. I don't need to eliminate every single carb from my diet. I'm getting plenty of carbs through fruits and veggies. As I eliminate the processed carbs from my diet, my body is changing to use fat as energy, rather than sugars.

I have cheated here and there, which I believe is ok. It's natural. But for the most part, I've stuck to the diet. I love fruits and veggies, so it hasn't been hard at all. I'll make up a big batch of food, and eat it all week long. Liz and I went to Sam's Club this weekend and got a bunch of fruits, veggies, chicken and fish and I was chopping, baking and mixing for a good 3 hours on Sunday night. Totally worth the effort!

Salmon, Tilapia and Chicken. YUM

My body is feeling great. I don't get the highs and lows that I used to get when I was eating a lot of grains. I am still using blocks, gels and waffles for my long runs, but refueling with proteins, fruits and veggies after. Surprisingly, I feel better than when I would use pasta to fuel and another carb to recover.

Am I using this diet to lose weight: No.
Would I be mad if I did: No.
Will I eat like this forever: No.
Do I like how I feel now: YES.
Do I think there is legitimacy behind the diet: Most definitely.

What are your thoughts on the Paleo diet/lifestyle?

My first month in Orlando (better late than never... right?)

2011-07-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

My new "home" in Orlando

Have you ever had a time in your life where everything was working out better than you expected… and life almost seemed, well… Perfect? That’s happening to me right now and I couldn’t be happier!

I’ll start with my departure brunch. It was a perfect morning and afternoon, and I’m so glad that all my close friends were able to make it. I was especially happy to see my running/twitter friends there, and I know that I will be missed by everyone (I miss you too!!). The bottomless mimosas turned into a little bit of a shit show as the afternoon approached, but just know, that they get SOMEONE every week.

Dave and I hit the road from there, in the over-packed Civic, with our sights set on New Orleans, in one straight shot.

This would mean that we were going to be on the road for about 24 hours straight. Since I enjoyed some libations at brunch, Dave drove the first stretch. I ended up driving through the middle of the night, and Dave drove us into NOLA. We had a fun night at the W (thanks to my sister) and enjoyed Bourbon St. The next morning we headed out later than we wanted, thanks to a time change confusion with our cell phones and some delicious beignets, but we had an easy drive to Orlando.

Dave singing to me on the drive down...

We met my new roommate, Liz, and her boyfriend Paul. After checking out our new amazing apartment, we decided to enjoy a glass of wine together at the corner wine bar, just downstairs from our apartment. Talk about dangerous… a wine bar within a block of my house? Not just that, but probably 10 super cute and trendy restaurants, Starbucks, FroYo, Pizza, AND a grocery store? I’m in love with this city and my neighborhood already.

As the week went on, Liz (more about her to come) and I hung out with the other people in our group. Among food, drinks and dancing we have all decided that:

1. We have a lot of fun people in our group.

2. Liz and I live in pretty much the best part of Orlando

3. It rocks having guy friends that aren’t hitting on you because they have to work with you for the next year and a half (and longer)

4. We need to find a friend with a boat. (Still working on that)

After a trip to Ikea and a few trips to Target, my room was finally complete and feels homey. I also have a huge bathroom attached to my room, and an enormous walk in closet attached to that. Ahh, bliss. This closet is seriously amazing as it holds all my clothes, and all my shoes, and the rest of the crap that I decided to tote down with me.

Orlando is treating me better than I would have ever expected. The city is amazing, the people here, for the most part, are amazing. I have to initiate the smile to break theirs…

My roommate: Liz. She is absolutely amazing. I couldn’t ask for anything better. If you would have asked me to write out exactly what I wanted in the ideal roommate, she surpasses every one of those qualities. She is from Michigan, went to Michigan State, and studied Engineering (She’s super smart). She also grew up playing soccer, and leading a very healthy life. So she’s super fit and eats healthy and understands my crazy food and training etc. She is also very sociable and we have a great time going out together. She’s low key, so she can deal with my running late and messiness. Our lives are so busy that we live in each other’s messiness. And who else would get up at 5:30 with me every morning to run? She is also going to teach me how to golf, a vital skill for business down in Florida.

Liz and me on the first day of work :)

Job: For those of you who don’t know, I got a job with Siemens Energy in the Sales and Marketing development program. It’s a 14 month rotational program with three- 4 month rotations. We will get to work in 4 different parts of the energy industry, and work in 3 or 4 different cities. We will have the opportunity to network with a lot of people in different offices, and get to travel around. It’s an amazing program. My first rotation is based out of Orlando, and I’m doing sales and marketing with the Latin America Region (RLA.) My current tasks and projects haven’t really been defined yet, but there is definitely a lot to do. Everyone speaks Spanish, and the majority of the meetings are in Spanish. I was a little rusty on the first day, but I can now understand ~95% of what they are saying… just don’t ask me to respond. I’ve found that I’m a little more timid with speaking Spanish than I should be. ****Note to self: work on speaking Spanish…. **** There is opportunity for international travel, so I’m really hoping I get to go with the group! Woo hoo! Venezuela/Argentina/Colombia/Mexico… doesn’t matter to me!

The SMDP group of 2011. WOOT!

The SMDP group: There are 10 of us in the Sales and Marketing Development program. 3 of which are junior military officers, so they’re a few years older, but they have definitely seen and learned things that we can’t even imagine. The rest of us have graduated recently. I’m definitely the oldest non JMO, everyone else either graduated in December or in May. Liz and I are the only two girls. Some people would hate it, but we love it! The guys are great and they are more like our brothers than anything. We have formed a little clique and we go everywhere together, whether its out to dinner, or grabbing a glass of wine on the weekdays or whatever. We all get along well and they are a great group of people to both stay friends with and work with for the next few years.

Orlando: The city itself is amazing. Our apartment is right on Lake Eola, which is literally 3 blocks away from downtown. The area has the same feeling as the highlands or Wash park (Denver) but it right next to downtown. It’s an area full of young professionals, and a few homeless people. The Casey Anthony trial took place 4 blocks away from my house (don’t even get me started with her….) There’s a Farmer’s Market every Sunday in the park on the lake. We enjoy going every weekend to buy fresh produce, art, and I purchased my first orchid. I’m amazed I’ve kept it alive so far.

Farmers market next to our house

The path next to the lake.... and our apartment is on the corner here... 2nd to the top :)

The bar and club scene in Orlando is bigger and better than I imagined. I don’t really know how it compares to Denver because I didn’t really go out much in Denver. We (the clique of SMDPs, including Liz) go out pretty much every single weekend, and some weeknights. I haven’t partied like this since I was in college! It gets kinda crazy sometimes. There’s clubs and bars everywhere, and we just go out and have a good time. The guys in our group are very entertaining to watch as they try to pick up the girl of the night. In general, we move through downtown in our little pack of 5 or 6. We usually end up at the lodge, 80s dance music and fun people. Who doesn’t love 80s dance music? Liz and I usually have at least one person sleeping on our couch/floor every weekend…that’s the price we pay for living downtown!!

Running: I am keeping up with my marathon training while I’m here. I’m doing the Rock’N’Roll Chicago half marathon in August, and the Chicago (full) marathon in October, so I have to keep running! Liz gets up at 5:30 and runs with me most days before work. I also have been doing my long runs with My twitter friend Maddy (@maddyhubba) on Saturday mornings. It’s so nice to have someone to do my long runs with! We usually meet at 6am on Saturdays, which means I have to leave my house at 5:30… and wake up at 4:45 or 5 to eat… Needless to say, Liz and the other guys in the group don’t like that fact that I don’t go out late on Friday nights. We say that Maddy is cock-blocking my social life. Haha. I substitute going out late with happy hour, so I’m still out and social.

Note: before you start thinking that I’m partying all the time… it’s not all the time, but a couple nights a week. However, it’s not going out and getting drunk. I’m too old for that and my body can’t handle it (and I’m training!!!) Liz and I are known to order ‘soda splash of cran’ (without the vodka) so it looks like we’re drinking…. But we know better. It’s just fun to be out with everyone and be social.

I am starting crossfit at a local ‘box.’ I went through my foundations classes, learning how to do all the Olympic lifts, and will start with my WODs (workout of the day) today! I also found a great yoga studio in town that is similar to the studio I went to at home.

All in all, I LOVE it here. I love the people, my friends, my apartment, the city, my job. Everything. I’m super busy, but loving life. I’m down here through mid-October, if anyone wants to come and visit!!

Finally, I want to congratulate one of my best friends Lynne in her engagement last week!! She and Alex have been together for a long time and he finally popped the question! I’m so happy for you both!!! I’m excited for all the wedding planning! Congrats Lynne!!! I LOVE YOU and miss you!

Back to the Blog

2011-06-07T14:27:00.001-07:00

I decided that I am going to start blogging again . The last blog I had was for the 9 months that I was living abroad, in Costa Rica and in Argentina. I wanted to write down my adventures, remember the fun events, good food, fun people, and share my fun with anyone who wanted to read it.

It's been about 3 years since I've posted last, but my adventures haven't stopped, I just returned home and stopped writing. Well my (traveling) adventures are officially going to start again. I will be moving to Orlando Florida on Sunday, for work. I will be moving around every 3 months, to a total of 4 different cities, to do 4 different jobs for my company. I'm stoked about this experience and ready to share!

While I don't consider myself a great writer, the only way to get better is to write, right? :) So that is what I'll do! Who knows what I'll write about, or how often, but it'll be fun just to keep an online journal of my thoughts/adventures. I'm sure I'll eventually be posting race reports, recipes and random pictures, so ENJOY!

Side note: I kept my old blog from studying abroad and am just going to add to it. My international adventures have helped to mold me into who I am today, and they are there if you want to go back in time and learn a little bit about me!

Also, if anyone has suggestions, tips or expertise in blogging/layouts etc, I need all the help I can get! My page is boring now, but I'll make it look pretty, I promise!

My new team

2008-03-10T11:13:00.001-07:00

http://toughgirlcycling.com/

Check it out!!

Story of my life

2008-03-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated for about 10 years. Life has been really really crazy. I'm taking 18 credits worth of classes this semester (and they're all pretty boring classes) along with my online class (that I was supposed to finish this summer) and I"m helping Ryan with his online spanish class. So what, 24 credits? That's healthy. I'm learning how to manage my time better though,a nd work on studying. Ah. Just a little different from life in Argentina. And let me say, I miss it SO SO SO much. Michelle (one of my best friends down there) is back for this semester and living with my host family. I wanna be there.

I'm back on the bike and pretty excited about it. I joined the Tough Girls team (www.toughgirlcycling.com). This is a 'dirt' team, focusing on Cyclocross and Mountain biking. I'll be getting a new, super sick, mountain bike, YAY!! I had my first road race this weekend, a time trial. It sucked. I know TTs are supposed to hurt, and it did, but it was very humbling and I realized how out of shape I am and how 10 months off the bike really affected my cycling potential. I'm coming back. Maybe not for road season, but I'm coming back. Bryan hooked me up with a sweet deal at Full Cycle, so I'll be getting a new road bike too! SWEET.

And finally, I'm going BACK to Costa Rica for spring break! YAY! 16 days and counting. I'll be with Ryan :), Laura (a friend from HS who's in a lot of my classes), Kellie, Sessa (who are both CR Veterans) and Lynne! SO MUCH FUN! I have a lot of crap to do with school before then, but it'll be a great reward.

I'm just trying to get through school, and get to summer. Let's see if I can get a job?! Who knows.

besos a todos.

Family visit

2007-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

So my parents and sister came and that was SO much fun. I worked really hard planning their trip for them, finding hotels (or lack there of) booking airfare, booking tours, etc. It all ended up amazing. We went to Bariloche, in Patagonia. It was beautiful, we stayed in a beatiful hotel on the lake, with the mountains in every direction. Ah. It was so nice having fresh air, and no sounds of busses and horns. We went on a beautiful hike, then a really nice boat tour. We walked around the town for a while (which was one of the most touristy towns ever...) They are known for their chocolate, and on the last day in town, we went into like 5 chocolate shops, and they all let you sample their chocolate. Needless to say, we were all on a HUGE sugar buzz the entire flight home.

In Buenos Aires there was some drama with the apartment that I had found for our family to stay in. The fam ended up staying in a really sweet hotel overlooking Plaza San Martin. BEAUTIFUL! We went shopping, went to an amazing tango show, saw all the touristy sights like Boca and Palermo and Recoleta and we had amazing amazing amazing food. Yeah. That´s what its all about here.

Overall it was great to see my family, and spend lots of time with them, it's been too long.

I'm coming home early, on Dec 17, so I'm excited to see snow again, and be cold etc. Should be amazing. Next post will be my beach adventures (I just got home!!)

Patagonia with my Family!!

2007-11-20T15:49:00.000-08:00

So my family is in town and it's sooo good to see them! We're in Patagonia, in Bariloche, for the majority of the week. It is beautiful. We walked around town yesterday, and went hiking today. Tomorrow we're going on a boat tour :) It is so so beautiful here!! These are pictures taken from the balcony of our hotel, rough life, I know.

YAY! No mullet for me!

2007-11-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lame photobooth picture, my camera is being retarded.

After freaking out, and downloading pictures, and talking to numerous friends, I did it. My hair is shorter and healthier, and I HAVE BANGS! Well kind of, it's more of that side sweep thing, but I like it. It's the first time I've ever done something like that. I was scared shitless, but Michelle was there to hold my hand. It's a good thing Marcus knew what he was doing :)

How do you say "I don't want a mullet" in Spanish?

2007-11-16T14:13:00.001-08:00

I'm getting my haircut tomorrow. It's long overdue. I'm just super scared that they're going to ruin it! All the girls here have nasty haircuts, mullets, whatever. I'm bringing pictures.

Wish me luck.

Catching up...

2007-11-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry. It has been a while (relatively.)

I love you girls!!!

Last Friday night I had an empanada and wine party. I invited all my girlfriends over, and they all brought wine and their favorite empanadas (the typical food here). We had so so so much fun! My good friend Kate came over earlier in the day and we baked. We made a yummy challah bread, a chocolate bread, and hamantashen. Yum! So there were like 10 girls here, and everyone brought wine... so 10 girls + 13 bottles of wine (plus Annie's sangria) = one DRUNK Sarah. I called it an early night. Lame.

My foot kind of got better. Well. Good enough for me to run in the race on Sunday. It was probably a really stupid thing for me to do, cause it still hurt a little bit. Well I jogged 10k, in less than an hour. NOT TOO SHABBY. It was a lot of fun and there were 25,000 people running with me. Pretty sweet. Here, you have to wear the shirts that they give you for the event. This shirt is an amazing celeste blue color (the blue in the Argentine flag). It was so cool to see a huge street, FILLED with blue shirts. I had a lot of fun.

I spent over 1/2 the day Monday in the immigration office AGAIN to get my SECOND student visa. It was ridiculous. The rest of my day was spent running around the city trying to finalize stuff for my parents.

Mom and dad came in on Tuesday. Their plane was supposed to come in at 7 am. This meant that I was going to get picked up at 5:45 in order to meet them at the airport. Well their flight was delayed 3 hours (which I found out the night before, thanks to cell phones and AIM.) I met them at the airport on a super rainy day. We ended up walking around Recoleta, having a good steak lunch, then having an awesome Merienda (late afternoon snack/tea) with my host family. It was really cute.

We went out to Cumana (my FAVORITE Argentine food restaurant) for dinner, and shared some small dishes, and 2 bottles of wine. We were all a little tipsy, which was fun. Yesterday I joined them for breakfast at their hotel, then we took the subway, and walked around Palermo. It's a completely different aspect to the city, it actually shows how real Argentines live, rather than the rich snobs in Recoleta. They left for Mendoza last night.

Christine comes in Monday morning EARLY. I"M SO EXCITED TO SEE HER! I feel like I never see my sister anymore. Anyway, I'll pick her up at the airport, then we'll get bussed to the domestic airport, and fly to Bariloche, Patagonia. This is in the Lake district of Patagonia, and it's supposed to be BEAUTIFUL. I'm imagining like Tahoe. It's in the mountains, with huge, beautiful, blue lakes everywhere. I'm stoked. We'll hike, and boat and everything. YAY!

No big running races this weekend :( Just a 10 page paper for my cine class. 37 days til I'm home though! I am not ready to leave, but I'm ready to be back home. If that makes any sense at all.

Injured

2007-11-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

Shin splints? Collapsed arch?

I'm not sure, but my right foot fucking hurts. It was just sore yesterday, then today it got progressively worse, so much that I went out and bought sports tape for it. I was gimping around the city all afternoon. Hopefully its better by tomorrow, otherwise I'll have to go to the doctor for it.

Plus I have my 10k on Sunday!!! And mom and dad come next Tuesday!! YAY I'm so excited!

Cyclist, triathlete or runner?

2007-11-04T16:36:00.001-08:00

Or all 3? Apparently I like to do random (pretty big) races on a whim...

If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have taken Him completely by surprise. ~P.Z. Pearce

So I was super crazy this weekend and ran 31k all together. I know. PSYCO. The 7th annual Buenos Aires Was this weekend. My friend Amanda (from CU) called me on WEDNESDAY MORNING and asked me if I wanted to do the 8k with her on Saturday morning. I agreed since I had been running pretty much everyday and it wasn't going to be an issue. So we went Wed night to register. While I was there, I got really motivated, and decided that I'd run part of the marathon as well on Sunday. Loco.. I KNOW.

Saturday was awesome. Amanda and I did the 8k. Wasn't a race or anything, so we just ran for fun. We pushed ourselves a bit, so Saturday afternoon I was second guessing myself about running 1/2 a marathon the following day. Whatever. I figured out the route, which bus I would take in the morning, made my new playlist, and went to bed.

Sunday morning I woke up and headed out for an amazing day. I got on the appropriate bus, and told the bus driver to tell me when we got to this specific point (it was way on the other side of town, so I didn't know it well at all). He told me that his route was totally different today because of the marathon, but he'd do what he could for me. Fine. So the point he told me to get off at was a little earlier than I expected. It was at the 19k mark. I wanted to start 1/2 way through, at the 21k mark. Whatever. So I got off the bus, turned on my Ipod, and started running with the mass of people already running through the streets. It's like I just pressed "go" on my body, cause it just went. And it didn't stop!!! I was impressed. I kept hydrated and took 2 gels during the run. I kept a really steady pace, and did 24k in 2:15. Not bad at all!!

I had a great time, and I got to see parts of the city that I've never seen before. I started in the far south of the city, near BOCA. This is the place you DO NOT GO at night. But we ran past the touristy part, BOCA stadium, and past some pretty shady areas, shanty towns at their finest (they call them villas here). I ran through beautiful Puerto Madero, which is the nicer and newer part of the city, and it's on the other side of the docks. Then we ran past the airport, and the back way out of the city. We finished up at parque de los niños. It was a huge park. But one problem, we weren't in the "ciudad" anymore. We had left the city. Fortunately I found a collecitvo (bus) to take me back to the city. Fun times.

The coolest part was running with all different types of people. There were mostly men, but a fair amount of women. All ages. I loved the fact that there were like 80 year old men there. Freaking awesome! I just felt like I was cheating a bit since I was doing 1/2. Whatever, I wasn't even planning on running this. I don't think a full marathon is out of the question in the near future at all.

Next weekend is the Nike 10k. There are 25,000 people registered. That should be a sight to see. Let's just hope my soreness that I'm sure I will be feeling tomorrow is gone by then!

"Cuánto más corro, más chicos se hacen los problemas"
The more I run, the smaller my problems become.

Roller Coaster

2007-11-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry, this is a little rant... but I need to get it out somewhere, and there are only a few people who read my blog, so enjoy.

Living abroad, especially in a place that doesn't speak English, is really hard. Its an emotional roller coaster. All of our emotions are very exaggerated. One day we're stoked that the Rockies are in the world series, then we're bummed that they lost a game etc. But the thing is, there's no middle ground really.But all our emotions are amplified. It really feels that way. The other night I was on cloud nine after talking to one friend on the phone, 5 min later, I hung up from another phone call and was crying. It's so stupid! I'm never like this at home! Because all the news from the outside world is filtered through the phone, internet etc, we only get one perspective of it, and it's hard to live off of just that. So our minds create another reality, and take whatever news we just received and manipulates it in a strange way. I know this sounds crazy, but that's just how I feel.

I hear news from friends and don't really know how to interpret it all because I dont know the context behind it all, the stories, what's currently going on to make all that happen, etc. It kinda sucks. I just feel like I'm so left out of whats going on at home, and that when I get back, ti's going to be really hard. I'll have to re-immerse myself in social situations that I once knew, and have to recreate again.

I've been talking to my friends about this and they all feel the same way. Its kinda wierd. One friend from CU that went abroad from a year (who's not in Arg now) said it was so hard to come home because all your friends got used to you not being around, and used to not calling you, that when you get home, they're so used to that, that you feel alone and withdrawn from the social culture for a good amount of time cause they still don't call you. I also feel like I have no idea what's going on in the lives of anyone around me. I just feel like I've been completely withdrawn from everyone, and everywhere in the world.... except for the million or so people I live with in Buenos Aires.

*Sigh* Alright, that's it.

I'm not sad. I'm not depressed, sometimes I just get these thoughts, and it helps to write them all down and have others understand. I need to update soon, with Mendoza, Last weekend, elections, chinese food, and my exciting plans for this weekend!! Talk to you soon. Miss you all.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T05:48:00.000-07:00

Todays post was taken off of Postsecret.com. It's my new favorite website. People mail in "secrets" every week, and they get posted. Sometimes its funny, sad, angry etc. I love it.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Though I won't get to celebrate it like I did last year in Boulder. Doesn't look like tonight is going to be a shit show... it's better that way!

Have fun. Be safe. Love you and miss you all!!

Best Wednesday night ever

2007-10-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

So Kate and I were at our cooking class, and I decided that I was craving a burger and a beer. We went to my neighborhood, because I knew of a brewery about a block away from my house. Not only did they have burgers and really good beer, they had the world series on TV. We enjoyed the best burger & fries and beer yet. Two pitchers, two burgers and one apple dessert later, we asked for the check.

Usually this is when the night starts going downhill. Not for us. Not tonight.

The waitress told us that the gentleman at the bar had paid for everything.

"En serio?" (Seriously?)
"Si. Todo" (yeah, everything)
"...en serio..."
"si"

It was awesome. We had talked to his wife for about 10 min, they were from boston, and it was an easy conversation considering the Red Sox pretty much killed the rockies tonight. It's alright, it's just game one.

But I've had a pitcher of beer, it's bed time. Look for an update from last weekend soon!!

GO ROCKIES!

PICS!

2007-10-18T06:16:00.001-07:00

Pictures from the trip! Sorry, it's all backwords (the first picture happened last...)

Sunset on the bus ride home. We watched the sunrise and sunset that day.

Classic beach pose.

Beautiful sunrise over the ocean

Playing
would have been a great picture, but the stupid argentine bitch stood up right when I took the pic!
Whale watching!

Huge elephant seals! (movie to come, once I figure out how to put it on here!)
Concha means shell in spanish. It also means vagina. They had a display of conchas... haha
me with the baby whale (that ended up being dead)

We were so close to the whales!

Whales!

At the teahouse.

The penguin beach was SO pretty.

I was walking among the penguins!!

Penguins EVERYWHERE!!

The girls on the boat, dolphin watching.

Dolphins!

Sea Lions!!

Eating chips and salsa on the bus... definitely something that I miss.
Powdered coffee on the bus... SICK

PUERTO MADRYN!!!

2007-10-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a long weekend in Argentina (Columbus Day) so I had a 4-day weekend (I don’t have classes on Fridays). I went to Puerto Madryn, Patagonia with Michelle and Becca. It was an amazing trip that got off to a rock start.

Thursday:
Our bus was set to leave at 7:30 pm. It was pouring rain all day in the city so there was SO much traffic. We were all running late because of the traffic, and we ended up missing the bus by like 3 minutes. These busses are the ONE and ONLY thing that leaves on time in this country.

One of the bus conductors told us to take a cab to another terminal, and we could catch our bus there. So we ran to catch a cab, in the pouring rain, and told him to GO! We said we’d pa more to get us there quickly… this was a dangerous request considering how scary cab drivers can be in the city… not this guy. We somehow got the slowest, most un-agressive driver in the city. We realized we weren’t going to make the 2nd bus so we went to Becca’s house cause it was only 2 blocks away (we hadn’t even made it ½ way through the city) Her host mom helped us call like every bus line to find another bus that night… there wasn’t one… we’d have to leave the next day. So we got dressed up to go out and started drinking. We went to my house for a minute and told my host parents what happened, and my host dad said (in Spanish) “sit down, relax, I’ll make you girls a drink…” That was the beginning and continuation of our night…

Friday:
We woke up early and found a new bus to take. We ran a few errands in the morning, and then got on the bus at 1:00… starting our 18-hour bus ride. It was pretty uneventful, except for our chips and salsa (that we found somewhere in the city ☺) and our powdered coffee. (Pictures below)

Saturday:
Our bus got in at like 7:15 and we got to the hostel at 7:30. We found out that the tour we wanted to go on left at 8. So we got ready really quick and ate breakfast. It was a guided tour with all the transportation included. We started with a boat ride to watch the dolphins (we saw sea lions too!) which was so cool cause there were dolphins everywhere, jumping and swimming and playing.

After that we had a 1½-hour ride to Punta Tombo where we saw the penguins. They were EVERYWHERE! They have their nests in little holes in the ground and under bushes… everywhere. We were just walking on a path, and they were all around us. I was like a foot away from them! We ended our tour going to a Welsh town and having high tea. This was the same teahouse Princess Diana went to. We had good tea, lots of little cakes and torts and finger sandwiches.

Our tour dropped us off in town, Puerto Madryn, after a 2-hour ride, and we went and watched the fútbol game with a group of four European girls. We went out to dinner together, then went to bed cause we had to be up early the next day.

Sunday:
I woke up at 6:30 and went for a run along the ocean. It was amazing, and reminded me how much I LOVE the water (and how much I miss Costa Rica). Our tour for the day left at 8 again. We started our trip to Peninsula Valdés, and on the way, our tour driver got a call that there were whales just off the shore, so we went and saw them. There were a few packs (is that what you call groups of whales??) with moms and babies. SO cool. We drove a little more and our guide got a call that there was one literally on shore. We stopped and took pictures.
Our next stop was elephant seals and their babies, on the beach. They were moving around and making noises, and throwing pebbles on themselves. They were really cute, but apparently they’re really aggressive, so we couldn’t get close to them like the penguins. We went on a whale watching boat tour later that day and it was awesome. There were whales everywhere.

That was the end of the tour for the day, but when we got back into town, the girls and I walked along the water, enjoying being out of the city. We bought calamari from a little stand on the sidewalk, and sat on the boardwalk with a bottle of wine, and enjoyed the best calamari EVER.

We had a good seafood dinner that night with Patagonian wine, then went to bed early-ish again for an even earlier morning.

Monday:
We got up early to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic. It was so beautiful. I’ve never seen the sun rise over water before, just the sunset. Later we walked around town buying souvenirs and chocolate, and then enjoyed our last meal on the ocean (for this trip at least). Calamari, pizza and beer. Good stuff! We got on the bus (on time this time…) and began our 18-hour ride home. Awesome weekend... back (again) to the madness of the city.

Las Pumas... Rugby

2007-10-11T09:40:00.001-07:00

Argentina is pretty much ROCKING the Rugby world cup. I love the Pumas...

Next game, Sunday. Vs South Africa... (semifinals)

GO PUMAS

No words

2007-10-11T09:06:00.001-07:00

No words. Its a sign I saw in Iguazu... It's a man without a leg...

If you're lucky, I'll tell you the story when I get home. It's funny. Better in person....

Igúazu, waterfalls... and BRAZIL!!!

2007-10-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start off by saying that this trip was absolutely fucking amazing, and it was one of the coolest places I've ever seen in my entire life. Out of everything I've seen...this is right up there... it can't compare with oceans or mountains... But it's right up with Tahoe. I took like 1983432749827 pictures. But they don't do justice. Enjoy what you can, and what you want, but it was AMAZING.Ok. Now I'll tell you about the weekend. It started out with at 12 hour bus ride... not bad at all. I woke up to a road through the jungle... It was like driving through Costa Rica. Lush, green trees, bushes and everything all around me. I was happy... (cause it didn't look like buildings and taxis anymore).

We checked into our hostel, which was really nice with a HUGE pool. We decided to do an excursion on the first day, since we'd be going to the waterfalls the following two days. This included a guided walk through the jungle (where we learned how to trap animals, and what we could eat to survive, I ate poison ivy. It was sweet), then rock climbing, zip lines (nothing like CR... nothing compares) swimming, then a boat ride up to tres fronteras (explained later.) It was a lot of fun. We got to see el Río Igúazu, and across it, Brazil. It was so cool to be that close to another country, that we couldn't enter legally. That night we went out to eat, and had an invitation, from our taxi driver, to go to Brazil to go to the clubs. He told us that it wouldn't be an issue to cross the boarder, and he'd take care of everything. We thought it was too sketchy of an offer, and decided to pass. Plus, we'd be waking up early the next morning to see the waterfalls.

We got to the park and decided to take a hike. We heard about it from a few friends who had visited the week before. The map said it was a 3k hike each way, to a really cool waterfall. We ended up hiking about 5k to the waterfall. It was beautiful. We swam around for a bit, then decided to hike back (which took a lot longer cause the other girls were really tired) to go see the real waterfalls.

When we saw the waterfalls, I was speechless. It was truly amazing. I have no idea what else to say. Natural beauty at its best.

Allison and I paid to go in one of the boats that took you underneath the falls (no not under the part that is POUNDING on you, but really close to that, and we got soaking wet.) I got a huge rush, cause you're coming up in a boat, really fast, to this huge waterfall, and there's nothing you can do. It was SO SO SO cool, and worth every penny (which was less than 20 bucks!)

That night we decided to eat at the hostel cause we heard it was good. They had an all you can eat asado (BBQ..... love it) with all you can drink Caipirinhas (brazilian liquor.. think guaro... lime and sugar). Note: I only had one... I'm on a 2 week drinking break. Dinner was calming down when 2 Brazilian dancers entered the room with really cool Brazilian music. They did their dance, and that was the entertainment of the night. We had a good time watching, then participating. wow. We met some (very typical) american guys, and ended hanging out with them for the night. We ended up going swimming in the pool, skinny dipping (in underwear) , and being THOSE americans. It was a lot of fun... and even more fun for me cause I was sober and I could watch everything pan out. The boys ended up going out to a club, and me and my girls decided to stay in, cause we had to get up early the next morning. We had a plan.

We were in a 6 person co-ed room, and one of the other people in the room was from Brazil. We were talking, and he was going into Brazil the following morning. We told him how we really wanted to go, but we couldn't without a visa.

Note: The US makes it practically impossible for Brazillians to come into the States, so in return, Brazil makes it super hard for US citizens to get into Brazil. You have to go through a long, drawn out visa process, where you have to show like 18 months of bank records in the US, your return flight, your mortgage info, etc. It sucks. And its expensive. Needless to say, we didn't have Brazilian Visas.

So he told us that we could travel with him and he'd do what he could to get us in. We would be taking public buses across the boarder. So we got up at 6:30 and caught the bus with him. It was a 4 peso ($1.25) bus ride across the boarder. We got on the bus and were scared shitless. We got stamped out of Argentina (which is necessary to get back in, so thankfully that happened) and drove across the bridge to Brazil. When we came to the customs check, the bus drove right through. We thought we were going to have to pretend to be stupid americans or whatever... but no. We drove straight through. Another guy on the bus made a comment like "what the fuck? (but in Spanish)... that never happens... Oh well" So we got really really lucky. We ended up going to the waterfalls, but from the Brazilian side, which was a completely different perspective, then out to lunch in the city. It was SO good. I had some lime juice thing (think jugo mixto...but just lime jugo, and no mixto) which was AMAZING.

Then we came back into Argentina, without any problems. Life was good. Until I got to the bus station. I needed to get my ticket printed up, cause I ordered online. This wasn't an issue in BsAs when i did it on the way to Igúazu, but apparently it was this time. They couldn't find my reservation because I made it online. Long story short, I ended up missing the bus cause they couldn't find my reservation. They FINALLY found it, but like 5 min too late. The lady told me to take a taxi and try to catch the bus. So that's what I did. We were going SO fast on the 2 lane road trying to catch the bus. We caught it like 40k out of town. It ended up costing more than I thought it would,but whatever, it was cheaper than a new bus ticket. It was pretty entertaining. The bus ride home was fine, and thankfully uneventful. We did however get to watch the same 3 quality movies we watched on the way out (Only If [shitty movie by Jennifer Love Hewitt], Flick-A [quality horse movie] and We are Marshall [football movie]) It was entertaining. So I read for pleasure and finished a book (by Nicholas Sparks). It was amazing. You'll get a quote from it in my next blog.

Enjoy the pics.
On our excursion, we took a boat trip up the Igúazu River... at the area called tres fronteras (3 boarders) we were in the water between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Brazil is on the right and Paraguay is on the left. Pretty freaking sweet. Sad though we couldn't visit cause it's illegal to enter either country without a visa.
Sarah F and me swimming in international waters.
Rappelling. I'm not going to lie, it was kinda scary at first.
They taught us how to survive in the wilderness (of the jungle) if it was necessary. I'm eating poison ivy... kinda cool.
When we checked into the hostel, we had to fill out a form about ourselves, and you had to check the boxes of where you were planning on visiting on your trip. I felt like a badass, cause i had over 1/2 the boxes checked :) I travel a lot.
Our amazing hostel... When we pulled up, we had to make sure it was the right place. 12 bucks a night gets you pretty far.
Driving back from Brazil. There is a big bridge connecting the two. It was cool cause each side had the walls of the bridge painted the colors of their flag.
Fashion in Brazil. Let's just say EEW. Purple spandex (spandex in general) High tops, converse...and everything else wrong with this picture. I had to do it.

This little fucker looked cute at first. We started taking pictures of him... Allison put down the bag with our lunch in it, he rand to it, and stole it from us.
Notice... in Portuguese. Yeah, we were in Brazil.
Before we got to customs in Brazil.. Keep going to enter Brazil... or you can turn left, and turn around and go back to Argentina.

Waiting at the bus stop waiting for the sketchy bus ride to Brazil.
Brazilian dancers in the Hostel. It was a sweet show. This american guy sure thought so.

Chillin at the waterfall we hiked to on day one... it was a really pretty waterfall, just didn't compare at all to what I'd see about an hour later... breathtaking.
For dad. I saw a lot of mushrooms.
The trail we hiked on at the beginning of our trip. It reminded me so much of CR.

Midterms suck!

2007-10-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

So I just finished both my midterms. Essay tests. I was writing (in Spanish mind you) for 4 and a half hours!! UGH.

I think I did pretty well though, they weren´t hard :)

I´m out for the weekend now... off to Iguazu.. get excited (oh wow... there´s that sorority girl in me) for some AMAZING pictures. I dont know if Iguazu is one of the 7 wonders of the world, but from what I´ve heard, it should be!!

xoxo

The search for a perfect Sunday

2007-10-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing Sunday, so I thought I’d share it with you.

So when our bus pulled into the bus station at 9 am, we were all starving, and craving a normal breakfast (other than medialunas, and dulce de leche). Becca had seen a place kind of close to my house called Waffles of the world. Since there are NO breakfast places in BsAs, we were stoked to try it out. We took a bus from the bus station to the restaurant. Note: we still have all our luggane and are in sweats because we are coming right off our 12 hour bus ride from the night before. The place ended up being closed on Sundays. We were bummed. So we took the subway, then a taxi to Olsen, which I KNEW had a Sunday brunch. They weren’t open yet, and were full with reservations. We still wanted breakfast so we walked 12 blocks (with our luggage and in sweats…stupid gringas) to a normal café that had desayuno Americano. We were so happy after our long journey to have bacon, eggs, toast, OJ and coffee. :) That was the first time, other than the breakfast at the four seasons, that I had a real, good, American breakfast.

The rest of my day was filled with fun. I ended up joining my host family watching a rugby game in a bar. Imagine a sports bar, with TVs everywhere, FILLED with people (like Superbowl Sunday filled… you had to reserve a table). They are huge guys screaming bad words at the screen. I loved it. I’m really starting to understand the game and I kinda got into it. It’s better than football, for sure.

My host dad Kay (pronounced K-eye) with my host brother Oli (ollie)

Later I met up with Alex and enjoyed Ice cram outside on the grass, it was a beautiful, warm, springtime day, then we went into the café, (downstairs in the far back corner…paranoid much?) and played on our computers and studied.
outside the cafe...everyone was outside...

The rest of the night was filled with a great dinner with my girls, going to Becca’s lover’s soccer game, and going out for a few drinks (I found a bar with great mojitos).

All in all, it was an awesome Sunday, I knew I had the rest of the week ahead of me, including 2 midterms and a trip to Iguazu on Thursday. Those will be some amazing pictures!

Springtime in The city...officially

2007-10-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

Spring began on September 21, which also happens to be Dia del Estudiante (Day of the Student) in Argentina. This is the way it is every year….the day doesn’t change with the week, this time it just happened to fall on Friday. What this means, is that students in the high school on up don’t have school so they can celebrate being young. Even the universities lock the doors on this day. To me, this just means that yet again, Argentina has found another reason to get drunk. All Argentina's students go to the park where they share maté and have picnics, and in our case, drink wine. Also, everyone buys their loved ones flowers. They were handing out flowers in the restaurants, bars, everywhere. It was a fun day.
Classy... I know.

This also means that yes, Argentina has found yet another random reason to celebrate. It’s a wonder why they just can’t seem to get things accomplished…why they’re chasing the United States.

I went salsa dancing that night. I'm not good at that :(At the bar, before dancing, with Michelle, Ashley and Andrés.

The following Monday, I went to see Bomba De tiempo. Bomba de Tiempo is a percussion group that gets together every week in Almagro (a shadier part of Buenos Aires) at the Konex center. It apparently has really cool shows, and this was definitely one of them. I had the opportunity to go with Flacso's art, music, theater group this past Monday, and it was nothing short of AMAZING! It was kind of like a drumline, but not….you could feel the heartbeat of the music. I ended up dancing, and doing a lot of people watching. We noticed many things:
1) The majority of the people there were smoking pot.
2) The majority of the people there were dancing African dances.
3) It looked like an X party.
4) The air was thick with pot and smoke.
5) Beer and wine was cheap.
6) My dad would have loved it... I definetly thought of you!!

It was a very interesting night! I wish that I had a camcorder to capture how it really was, but I don’t even know if that would have done this event justice.

Córdoba!!

2007-10-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

Flacso took us to Córdoba this weekend. Its in the middle of the country, a little north of BsAs. We took a bus this time (think nicer than greyhoud) for the 12 hour trip. It really wasn't that bad, I'm getting used to long bus rides, definitely worth the price (it's over two times as much to fly!!)

It was a really relaxing weekend and we really didn't do that much or anything really exciting... it was amazing. Everyday we went to a different place, went treking (hiking) swimming and just chilled outside. It was so nice to get away from the city and enjoy more of the nature that Argentina has to offer. The weather was amazing, hot and dry and we all came back muy bronceados (tan). :)

Our last day there was the best, there was really no set schedule at all. They bussed us about 10 min to another rancho, we all got out and chilled for a bit, then were given the option to go hiking, swimming, relax, or ride horses. I decided to start out with the horses. We all know the great horsewoman skills I have (none) and we were riding on Argentine saddles (no horn in the middle to grab on to) but we were able to go wherever we wanted to and didn't have to stay with the group. It was a lot of fun and I got to gallop...crazy. I definitely prefer bikes, I can control those.

But after the horses, we got to hike a bit, then the people from the cabañas we were stayin in made us a huge asado (BBQ) feast. There was SO much food and so many different types of food: sausage, steak, chicken, goat, lamb, kabobs, salad, tortas, etc. SO SO SO good. Then we had more free time to hike and chill and swim. Amazing. I enjoyed it, and it was very difficult to return to the city.

It really reminded me of home (again) with all the mountains, fresh air, and laid back attitude. I really enjoyed it and really didn't want to come back. But then I thought about how much I love the city and how I have no idea when I'll be in the city again... so it's good to be back :)

Becca and me

chillin and relaxing

NEW LAPTOP!

2007-09-20T17:52:00.001-07:00

Alex is back from the states, and brought me a laptop!! YAY!

And thank god that my neighbors have unlocked wireless.... I've been sitting in the living room, near the door, so I can get internet. Mine is coming tomorrow or Monday!

So I've been having fun on it, and showing my host family all the pictures and stuff. I just video chatted and showed them that. They're all amazed!!

Tomorrow is the first day of spring here, and that's celebrated by all the colleges not having classes, and instead, all the students go get drunk in the park. I'm excited.

Besos

Taco Tuesday

2007-09-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

I had my first Taco Tuesday experience last night, and wow, was it crazy. It all started when a class mate and fellow FLACSITO invited me with him to go have some tacos after class, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. So we walk into California Burrito Company (it looked JUST like Chipolte... exactly... same idea too, and spicy food...which is UNHEARD of here.) We ordered our drinks, which came with 2 peso tacos (66 cents each) and began the night. One margarita led to 4 more and the entire restaurant filled up with Americans. Everyone in the place got wasted and we ended up playing flip cup with the owner. It was a shit show. From there we went to another bar...then to a boliche (dance club). To make a long story short, I left the boliche at 3 am... It was Tuesday. I´m a winner.

The best part was today when I was talking with my host mom. She totally justified the whole situation for me... she said (in spanish though) "well, i know you are here to study (I have a test in my University of Buenos Aires class on Thursday and chose to party rather than study) but you are also here to meet people, and that takes time, and sometimes you have to give up some things in order to meet people and get accustomed to the culture. That´s what you did last night"

Well said Mariela.

I´m going to go "study" now... that might or might not involve a bottle of wine. (shared with becca.)

Alex comes back tomorrow and I´ll finally have a laptop!!! YAY! I just need to get internet connection in my house, but then I´ll be set!

WHO WHO eee!!! (Jujuy)

2007-09-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend, FLACSO, our program took us on a trip to Northwestern Argentina. We left Thursday night, and after a 4 hour delay (I wasn´t surprised) we finally took off. We flew into Salta, spent the night there, then took off early in the morning for Jujuy. We did random tours, seeing how the native people used to live. Apparently it is the poorest region in Argentina, which was very apparent. The people lived off of hardly anything, but they were very nice and welcoming (I´m thinking it´s because we had money.) Every afternoon we visited the fería, where the locals sold Andean sweaters, hats, socks and other souvenirs (for really cheap). The animal of the area is the llama, (pronounced Cha-ma) and I even ate some!! Llama steak is amazing! I also tried coca leaves and coca tea... yeah, made from the cocaine plant. Yes it was good, and no, sadly, I didn´t get any type of buzz.

Saturday was by far, the best day of the trip. We started with a very long bus ride up and over the mountains. it was absolutely beautiful and reminded me so much of Colorado. We were in the mountains and it was hot and dry and the air was clean. MMM. First we went through the canyons (which reminded me of both Colorado national monument and Glenwood springs) then the mountains changed, and it was all bare, freezing and windy. We were at an altitude of 4,170 meters, which is over 12,000 feet, so the air was really thin. They let us get out and walk for like 20 min, so I took a little hike, sat on a rock on the top of the mountain, and enjoyed the world (and views) around me. We continued up a little more, crested the mountain (yes dad, I said "...and top it out) then descended into a valley of salt flats. Here we got out, learned about how they extract salt, then a little about the history of the area...then it was play time. It was really hot and everyone was lathering on the sunscreen, cause the sun reflected off the salt, just like skiing (at this point, I was appreciating my Arab skin...). After, we went back over the mountains, had lunch, then went "treking" (hiking..kind of). It wasn´t even really hiking either. I give props to FLACSO though for making us actually get up into the mountains. There were people wearing flip flops and skirts. It made me laugh. It was beautiful hiking though with amazing views, and amazing trails. It was such a tease; it made me want my bike SO bad!! It was very obvious who was athletic and who wasn´t, the air was very thin, but the group was definitely divided in half. All in all, the day made me appreciate how much I love Colorado, how much beauty I live in, and how lucky I am to appreciate the environment around me (rather than just bitch the whole time about how much it sucked to be hiking).

I also got to meet a lot more people from my program and actually spend time with them. I realized how cool some people are, and how cool some people think they are. That´s how it goes though.

Conclusions from the trip:
1. A big group of Americans = obnoxious.
2. I am more athletic than I realize (even though I might not be in shape)
3. I come from a pretty cool place
4. I LOVE WINE (OK, I knew that before)
5. The guys in my program are all really cool and nice, but NONE of them are datable...and that´s probably a good thing considering how much drama and gossip goes around!
6. I am LOVING studying abroad and being away and learning about myself!!

Mendoza... where all the good wine comes from

2007-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

First of all, Alex's mom was in town this past week! I was so happy, she brought me down some peanut butter (much needed) and some other stuff...which was amazing! Alex and I went out to dinner with her mom and her mom's friend on Fri night, and after we went to a Tango show. It was so so so cool! I can't even explain it, but it was an unforgettable experience!! I couldn't go out afterword though because I was leaving for Mendoza the next morning (my plane left at 6 so the taxi was picking me up from my house at 4...yeah, AM).

I found out that Christy was studying in Mendoza, and she invited me out to come spend a few days with her, and Alex's mom invited me to Mendoza with them, (for a few days later) so timing just worked out perfectly... I would fly in Saturday morning, spend Sat, Sun and part of Monday with Christy, then spend Mon, Tue and part of Wed with Alex, then fly to BsAs on Wed afternoon (just in time for our trip to Jujuy with our program.) It was a flawless plan and a good time was going to be had by all....

But being in Latin america, there were flaws. I got to the airport at 4:15, exausted, and the line for my airlines was LONG LONG LONG, ridiculously long. Note: the day before, Alex had told me that my airline had gone on strike, so I called the airlines, and they said that there was no strike, and that there would be no issues... WRONG. So I'm standing in line at the airport, and look up at the screen, and see that my flight was CANCELLED. Of course it was!!

I walked over to the booth for another airlines, which had NO LINE, and asked them if their 6:30 am flight had any room on it. It did, and I paid for my ticket. I texted Alex to let her know what was going on, I mean it was 4:30, she was still out partying! She informed me that her mom had fallen, broken her arm...and she was with her mom in the hospital. She was glad I got my new flight, and she'd see me in a few days (or so she thought).

The 2 hr plane ride went by real quick, cause I slept through the whole thing. When I turned my phone on in Mendoza, I had a text saying that Alex's mom couldn't fly for a week, and they wouldn't be coming to Mendoza. Great. Oh well, I was in Mendoza and I was going to enjoy it. I walked out of the airport and saw mountains, and NO buidings. It was one of the best feelings ever. The air was clean and it was quiet. I took in a good deep breath and headed out to go see Christy.

I found out later that her mom wasn´t able to travel for a week and that they wouldn´t be coming to Mendoza. Well fuck. Then I found out a little later that day that they would ALL be going home, to the US. So nobody would be coming, and I was stuck in Mendoza for a few days alone. Todo bien... almost.

The rest of the day was really relaxing... I found a hostel to stay in, then Christy and I walked around Mendoza for hours, talking, and seeing the sights. There is a huge park, with a huge lake and rowers and runners, and rollerbladers with fanny packs. I swear, this country LOVES the 80s and 90s. We went out for Middle eastern food, and had great conversation over a great bottle of wine. It was a lot of fun to catch up with my old friend!!

Then on Sunday, we rented a car (I just love to do that in Latin American countries) and we went on our self-guided tour through the Andes. IT WAS SO SO SO BEAUTIFUL. I had read everywhere that it was a beautiful loop, so we did it. We saw some huge peaks, and beautiful lakes. It was like driving over trail ridge road, with even better views... (a lot of it reminded me of driving in CO) about 1/2 of the drive consisted of winding, dirt roads. We got to see the water place (think of El Dorado or Deep rock) but it was nestled in the Andes. Absolutely amazing. We had lunch and more good wine and returned to Mendoza.

Monday was even better. We had the car for another 1/2 day, so we decided to tour the vineyards. I mean, we wer at the home of Malbec, how could I resist? We dressed up for the occasion, in our sun dresses, though you could tell Christy was from the south, and I clearly wasn´t. It´s all good. We started our day at Chandon, who´s Argentine branch was the the first branch out of France. There we took an English tour and learned all about how to make chapagne... absolutely amazing. After the tour, we had a wine tasting where we got to try a few varities of champagne and wine, accompanied by cheese. YUM!

Next on our agenda was Bodega Familia Zuccardi. This bodega was starred in both our guide books, so we had to go. However, despite Christy and my map reading and navigational skills, it still took us over an hour and a half to get there! The roads weren´t labeled (at all) and the map wasn´t even close to being to scale... recipie for failure. Although we arrived at the bodega about an hour late, our reservation for lunch was still valid. We walked down a small dirt road, through the vineyards to a beautiful restaurant, where we were served a 4 course lunch, all you can eat, from the parilla (grill) with (all you can drink) wine to go with each course. It was absolutely amazing. Needless to say, we were both very buzzed/drunk for the wine tour. It was in spanish and a little less exciting. I got to try wine at its different stages, straight out of the barrels, COOL!

We had to rush home so I wouldn´t miss my bus (that I was now taking, because I was going home early because Alex and her mom weren´t coming, so my flight would have been 2 days later). I dropped Christy off at home, then went to go return the rental car. The rental guy (a cute old man) asked how I was goign to get to the bus station, "taxi" I replied...

"No, Te llevo" (No, I´ll take you!) So I ran to the hostel to pick up my suitcase, ran back, and he was waiting with my stuff loaded in the car, and a bottle of wine for me, as a gift. So cute, (I had bought wine at the wineries too, so I had A LOT of wine with me). So I BARELY made my bus, like it was starting to pull out (THE ONE THING THAT LEFT ON TIME) but I made it.

My 14 hour bus ride didn´t seem that bad, thanks to my reclining seat, 2 meals, and 2 movies.

Overall, it was an amazing trip and although it didn´t all go according to plan, my time there was perfect. It was nice to get out of the city and have a change of pace (and weather) that reminded me so so so much of being back in Colorado.

I leave tonight for Jujuy, which is a province in Northwest Argentina, with my program. It should be a very fun trip, although I´ll be traveling with about 50 americans!!

Besos a todos!

Spring time in the city

2007-09-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

The cold weather has finally left and it is springtime in the city. I absolutely love it!

I moved into my new house, with my new family, last Monday. They live in Recoleta, which is arguably the nicest neighborhood in BsAs. This is the neighborhood where the 4 seasons is....Louis Vuitton, Dior etc... and the Recoleta Cemetery, where Eva Peron is buried. Let's just leave it at that... it's really nice, and really safe.

My new family is AMAZING!!! I live with a young couple... and their 6 year old son, Oli (pronounced o-lee). He's adorable, and my parents treat me really well. I'm their first student, so they're really excited about everything, including EATING DINNER WITH ME. What a concept!? So they put their son to bed, then the 3 of us eat together and just talk. It's so amazing. I have a small room, but with my own bathroom connected to it. Its so nice. I live 11 blocks from school and about 6 from the (really really nice) gym... so I can walk, instead of taking the subway! It's just beautiful!

So it's been a lot warmer lately, but it's also really humid!! Like I will walk to class, and be COVERED in sweat...like I did walking in Costa Rica. It's disgusting. I just hope that the "summer time" here isn't that humid, but I have a feeling it will be. My body just has to adjust to the heat.

I took a walk around my neighborhood last week and discovered all the amazing gardens and grassy areas that are like 2 blocks away from my house. It was fabulous! There's a little cafe on the corner, with a patio, so I can sit out, and study, while being in the sun and having trees and grass around me. It's almost like being at home, minus all the noise, Spanish and pollution around me ;)

I'm in Mendoza this weekend (the wine country, on the very western coast of Argentina) visiting an old friend, Christy Tucker. We used to do triathlons together, since we were 7. She's studying abroad in Mendoza, and timing just worked out.... It's a long story, and it will all be in my next blog... expect it by Wednesday.

Uruguay

2007-08-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend me and the girls (Alex, Becca, Annie and Sarah W) took an adventure to Uruguay. We left by boat at 10am on Friday, and got to Colonia, Uruguay at like 1. After checking in to our super cute hostel, we f0und lunch. It was fab. It was in a little house, and the husband and wife cooked, and we were the only people in there, and they became our friends! YUM!

After lunch, we went to look around the town. It was really small, and really cold. But it´s supposed to be really cool cause there´s still a big part of town that is very historic, hence the name, Colonia. There were a lot of old buildings right on the water, and a lot of very cultural, historic sites. We had some very entertaining meals in Colonia, including eating at someone's hosue that they turned into a restaurant...then our 5 hour dinner at a place called "Drugstore". Fun times. The next day we went to Montevideo.

This city was nothing special at all. I wish I could say that I loved it. It was cold, dirty, and a less classy version of BsAs. We did walk around a lot and got a taste of Uruguyan culture. They're a lot more into their Mate... we bought mates, bombillas and yerba (the gord, straw and the herb) and enjoyed it when we arrived back at the Hostel, which was amazing. I feel like I got a true hostel experience. To make a LONG story short, there were about 50 of us in the room, playing guitars and singing, drinking bottles and bottles of wine and beer, and just chilling having a great time. I ended up going to a Boliche (dance club) with a few girls from the program and 2 british guys. Fun times.

After a long bus ride, then boat ride, and were back home in BsAs. I'm definitely glad that I went to Uruguay, it was just sad that it was SO friggin cold out. Maybe I'll go back for the beaches in November or December :)

A lot of nothing

2007-08-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

So I realized that the blog that I was GOING to write last week, never was actually published, so I guess I´ll put that in now!!

Becca´s host mom has a friend who owns a ´leather factory´ and she invited us over to come check it out and buy some stuff! SCORE! We were stoked for boots and belts and jackets!! So we get there, and it ends up being a fur shop, not leather. It was amazing though! They made amazing fur jackets and scarves and shals etc... so we got there and we were like...hm.. that´s not what we expected... but her host mom told us to try it on, so we did!! IT WAS LIKE BIG GIRLS PLAYING DRESS UP! Fun times!

The food down here is amazing. I know I´ve already talked about the amazing and cheap Red wine...and even better (and cheap) beef... but the fruit..yum. Well, really, the Frutillas (strawberries.... no, they changed the name from fresas...don´t worry) and cream... Jared would appreciate this. But seriously. We ordered 2nds of this dessert...BOMB.

Everything here is ham and Cheese. I´m pretty sure I won´t want my favorite Ham and Cheese sandwich when I get home...

So the weekend of my 15k was Alex´s 21st birthday weekend. We were chillin after the gym and she was saying, I want to do something amazing for my birthday! So she did. She got a room in the 4 seasons hotel for 2 nights. She asked if I would stay with her to keep her company... and being the good friend that I am... I said yes :) This place was AMAZING, I can´t even describe it. We went out to 2 really nice dinners, watched some TV on the 10398120398 channels we had in the room, and just got to chill. The best part was after my 15k. I got home at like noon, and Alex was still asleep (she got in at 6am) so I was going to be quiet. I took a LONG bath in the HUGE bathtub... then showered in the huge, and HOT shower... Then I lounged around in my robe...reading. AH. So nice...

Everybody is late in this country, it´s kinda frusturating... I know what you´re thinking Bryan.... I´m always late, it´s the perfect place for me! Which yeah, it´s fine if I´m 20 min late for something... But class. I got there like 2 min late (thanks to public transportation) and NOBODY was in my classroom... NOBODY. I was like WTF? So I hung out by the classroom, and people slowly shifted in... Class eventually got started 25 min late! ANNOYING.

And finally, I went to an AMAZING Middle eastern restaurant with my neighbor, Trevor. (He lives 2 doors down from me, and we hang out. It´s convenient because there´s really nothing to do in our neighborhood, and I´ll get random calls at like midnight asking if I want to join him at the only bar in our neighborhood..... but side note) So we went out, and had the best dinner. I´m going to describe it cause my dad will appreciate it! We had an app of different typical toppings, like Hummus, babaganush (sp?) stuffed eggplant, and Lebnah, all with fresh Pita. There was also something on the plate that the watiress described as "meatloaf but not cooked". I have no idea what it was called, but it was nasty. There was also grape leaves stuffed with something. Yum. I got this Ground beef thing with something layered on top, NO IDEA what it was, but it was good. Then for dessert, we got an assortment of pastries, like baklavah and other types. It came with coffee, not just normal coffee, TURKISH COFFEE, and I liked it. Yay dad! Oh. We also got 2 bottles of wine. Yeah.... The dinner ended up being LESS THAN 30 dollars a person. Gotta love exchange rates!!

Sorry that was really long. I just get typing, and it just keeps going. xoxo

Well shit...

2007-08-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

So I was sitting in a little cafe yesterday, updating my blog, enjoying a cafe con leche... and some asshole came and grabbed, by the screens, Alex and my laptops and booked it out the door. His friend was waiting on a motorcycle like a half a block away. So sadly, I dont have have my baby laptop any more.

I got done at the police station and am trying to change all my passwords and all the information that was saved on my computer. I know that their intention is not to go and try to fuck me as bad as possible (like they would probably do in the states) and that they just want to sell the computer, cause it is worth so much more down here... but I still dont want to feel violated and like all my information is out there and that someone has access to all that.

Anyway, it really sucks. However, the manager of the cafe we were in came with us to the police station to make sure everything was handled properly. When 2 advisors from our program came to make sure we were okay, he told them that if we didn´t have insurance on it, that he´d buy us a new one. So all isn´t lost..but it still sucks hardcore. I´m pissed and sad... no bueno.

15k is Nothing

2007-08-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Check it out... I did a 15k today. Running. I know. The whole race or fun run or whatever you want to call it is pretty cool. Adidas´ whole campaign is Impossible is Nothing, so their race was the 15k is nothing. I was very very happy with my time... I pulled a 54 min 10k and a 1:20 15k. Not shabby at all. I felt like I could have gone further...maybe a 1/2 marathon is in my near future. The walking today has consequently been a little slower and more painful.

I am still stoked at my accomplishment, especially because I was like... Hm, Im going to do this...

More blogs to come within 24 hours...and I have some fun stories, and pictures too!!

Public Transportation rules my life

2007-08-06T08:09:00.001-07:00

So classes started last week. Well really, one of my classes at one of the universities that I'm attending. After taking the subway the the trolley, I walked into UCA (the Catholic University.) Its right on the water, so, yes, it was FREEZING cold at 8 in the morning. Needless to say, I decided that I'm not taking that class. The next day I went to another class, Ethics and Business, it was pretty cool. There were only like 30 people in my class, and I could understand my teacher pretty well. I don't start any more classes til the middle of next week. Until then, I'm just hanging out, walking around the city, and enjoying as much as I can here.

So I've been eating out every meal of every day. It's getting really old. There's no food at my house, and I am not going to go through the supermarkets, trying to get food, then try to cook it in the ghetto, ancient kitchen. So I've enjoyed the cafes and cute little restaurants. It's just getting pricey. I've tried some amazing red wines, and some bomb steaks. There's just a lot of awesome places, but they all have like the same menu. I am just ready to move. Apparently, I am going to meet my new host family this week, see their house, then I get to decide.

This weekend was pretty interesting. I was taking the bus home from dinner with Becca, (note, a little tipsy from all the wine) and it was pretty late. The bus was SUPER crowded, at like 11:45 pm. CRAZY. Anyway, I was planning on going home and passing out, but then got a text message. To make a LONG story short, I ended up going to a pool hall, and was the only girl there. It was a cool experience, but before I knew it, it was 5 am again. By the time I got home and fell asleep, it was 6am. So I slept a lot, went shopping at like 4, then met up with some girls for dinner. After, we went to the theater, which was AWESOME. It was really small, and they talked REALLY fast. Cool experience though. We went to some cool bars later...and again, before I knew it, it was 6 am... by the time I found a taxi and got home it was like 7:15. I slept like ALL DAY (minus a 1 1/2 run and a shower). It's just a different pace here.

I have a lot of pictures that I need to post, a lot of historical stuff, and some crazy city pictures. When I'm in one place for more than 15 min (that has internet) I'll do so. I'm having a great time, but I definitely miss home!!

Love you all! Ciao Ciao!

Just a little colder

2007-07-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Living in Buenos Aires means being constantly freezing, and I mean ALL the time. You go from being inside your freezing cold classroom, because they don't have heat, to walking outside in the bitter cold and wind and then eventually go home to your freezing cold house, where there is again, no heating. I do get "warm" from a combination of a space heater, down booties, fleece sweatshirts, and my bed (which has bout 5 blankets on it. There is still a strong draft from the window next to my bed, and from the door, in my extremely small room.

Warm is still a relative term, and this just means that I'm somewhat warmer than before, which is a good thing. I know that in a few months, it's going to be unbearably hot and I'll be complaining about the heat!!

There are various cultural things that help us warm up here in Buenos Aires. Porteños (Buenos Aires citizens) drink Maté. It consists of leaves and small pieces of the coca (think cocaine) plant that they pour hot water over. They drink this through their gourds with a straw that has a filter in the bottom. I'm not super fond of it; it kinda tastes like tobacco. But everyone is pretty much addicted to it (and smoking) here.

Cafés are fun to visit in the afternoons. You can find them on pretty much EVERY street corner, and a few between. Café con leche or a nice cappuchino really helps to warm you up as well (though you still have your jacket on in you unheated café).

Third and finally, they always do save the best for last: red wine strangely has a nice way of making anyone and everyone feel warm and toasty inside. Bottles in restaurants run about ten bucks (for a good bottle) then you can buy the same in the supermercados for about four dollars. I'm going to take a wine class with the girls soon, then I can really experience and enjoy all the good local wine that I'm drinking.

I will be taking a trip to Mendoza at some point, mmmm, wine country. I'm really excited. Should be one beautiful, buzzed trip.

I think I'm getting adjusted to city life pretty well. I've decided that the people are are nocturnal, they're up all night. but unlike hamsters, they don't sleep all day long, they work. Dinner is usually between 9:30 and midnight, then after you finish, it's time to go out! Clubs open at like 1:30 or 2 (AM). For some reason, I was surprised when I looked at my phone and it was 5 am, and I was still having fun dancing! They just really use all hours of their day! Must be all that maté they are drinking :)

Priemero semana en Buenos Aires

2007-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

¡Hola! After an eventful trip down to Argentina, the first week has been pretty boring. However, the city is huge and full of life. I've had many fun adventures so far, and have enjoyed navigating this crazy city with my "Guia T" map book with all the bus and subway (Súbte) lines.

We have had meetings/orientations everyday so far. They get out around four (1600) so I've had time after to explore. One day we went on a walking tour and ended up with a group of about 10 people in the middle of some random neighborhood. The tour guide pretty much said peace out and we were left alone. So a group of 7 of us went into the corner cafe/bar and enjoyed an afternoon café con leche or bottle of wine (sharing of course).

The other afternoons, I have wandered the city with friends. Yesterday, Kate and I went to the mall...it was HUGE. They had so many (brand name) stores and everything was SO cheap. I couldn't believe it. I had to indulge.

I found a great gym last night and bought a 6 month pass. I now have no excuse, there's gyms close to my house, to FLACSO (one school I'm going to) UBA, and UCA (all schools). Good times.

I'm living with a single woman, Mara, and her dog, Frida. She's 36 years old and is a literature teacher and a personal trainer. The first night, she told me that she doesn't eat breakfast or dinner. GREAT. So one night, she "cooked" for me... and it was awfu.. Because she doesn't eat, she doesn't know how to cook. Then, she watched me eat. She didn't eat, she just cringed with every bite I took. Annoying. Also, she doesn't ever go out, she just sits at home in her freezing cold house and reads and smokes. It's really not as bad as I'm making it out to be, but it's not what I was expecting, at all. I've already talked with the lady that organizes housing, and I might change. We'll see. I do live in a pretty cool house. My room is detached, and I have a really pretty terrace and view off of my room. The downside to it all is that when I have to go to the bathroom (and If you know me, you know that's a lot) I have to go OUTSIDE to get there. Let me remind you that it's FREEZING here, it's the middle of winter. So coming back from the shower...yeah, outside. Peeing in the middle of the night, outside. We'll just see how it goes.

We're getting orientations for our classes this week, and there are so many to choose from! It's almost overwhelming. I just have to make sure that I am going to get credit for the classes that I end up taking here.

Pictures to come... the security on the wireless here won't let me post them!

Longer trip than expected...

2007-07-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

So I got off to Argentina just fine. After a nice brunch with my family, I headed to the airport about 3 hours early to go standby for an earlier flight (to avoid having a brief 30 minute layover before my international flight). I got my seat on the flight, realized that I was on the plane with Annie (the only girl I know in the program) and was on my way. I got a free bottle of wine on the plane, watched Meet the Robinsons, took my melatonin, then fell asleep with anticipation of waking up in Argentina.

Not quite. I was awakened from my slumber by the captain who was informing the plane that we had turned around and would be returning to Houston. WHAT?!!? It must have been the drugs. I rubbed my eyes and continued listening. Apparently the air traffic controls in Brazil are down and we were not able to fly over the country. Who knows if it’s a strike, war, etc. All I knew was that I was on my way back to Texas. After the announcements were finished, in both Spanish and English, everyone is awake in the cabin, and moving around and pretty much freaking out. Welcome to South America.

This is something I would have expected to happen to like Costa Rica, or Nicaragua. I mean, seriously. Who knows what REALLY goes on in those countries. But no, of course it had to be the biggest country in South America, and of course there’s no way to fly around it!

So Annie and I hung out in the Houston airport from 3 in the morning until 4:33 that afternoon.... then back on our way to Buenos Aires. LONG F*ing day.

My First Deal

2007-06-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

Is official. Deals = $$$ = Sarah :)

Enough said. I think I'll take tomorrow off.

Pura vida baby.

Keep on keepin on

2007-06-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Gold Coast! Life has been good, but not too much new news.

Back to the normal routine now that all our guests are gone. Kellie’s parents were here for a week, then my dad and the Garels were here the following week. The Garels came down to buy a place, and they found one, with Greg, that they really liked, put an offer in, so I’m crossing my fingers that they get it, big $$ for me! YAY.

Back to reality again. We all drove with dad in his rental car up to Liberia to drop him off for his 7 am flight (we left the house around 5am.) So we drop him off at the airport, then drive into Liberia, not even considering the fact that there’s like NOTHING open on Sunday morning at 6am. So we found an open restaurant, had some comida tipica and tried to figure out what we were going to do for the rest of the day. Our restaurant was right across the street from this HUGE church, and people were flowing into the church. We were bored and curious, so we decided to go. It was actually really cool. It was all in Spanish, obviously, but regardless, it was cool.

Afterwords, we drove around for a bit, found a SUPER COOL candy shop (pics to come) and then asked where the movie theater was. It gets boring in Tamarindo without any entertainment. We drove to the “mall” to find the movie theater, then walked around the “mall” for a bit. There were like 5 decent stores, but we still had a few hours before our movie started. The kids, (as I call them, and as they are called around my office) Kellie, Gabster (as Miguel calls her) and Miguel hung out at the mall, but I had a few errands to run. So I drove around Liberia, then went into the Supermercado. I found my rainboots, finally (pictures to come) and bought a few groceries. On my way out, as I was putting all my stuff in the trunk, I witnessed a shooting. Nobody got shot, but this guy fired three gunshots. It was super crazy, so I just got into my car and drove away.

I met the kids back at the mall, we went to lunch, then back to the movies. We were planning on seeing Pirates of the Caribbean. We get into the theater, and THE MOVIE WAS IN SPANISH! Typically, it’s an English movie with Spanish sub-titles. Let me just say, it was an experience. I was impressed with how much I could understand, but I know that there was a lot that I missed. Guess I’ll have to catch it when I get back to the states.

So it’s Friday again, and that means MONKEY BAR. And for those of you that haven’t caught on, Monkey Bar = Shit show. Every week, regardless of who goes/whatever.

I’ll update tomorrow, when I’m not at work, on my comp with my pics.

Miss you guys lots, it’s hard living on my own. Please write/keep in touch. Love you all.

Pura vida.

The days keep rolling

2007-06-12T12:50:00.001-07:00

So the daily "grind" will continue. I hurt my knee last Friday night after walking home wasted after monkey bar. I fell on a rock (which is completely possible even when sober) and banged up both legs, got all bloody, then my knee was swolen and ugly. My knee is back to normal, at least I think so, so I will start running again tomorrow. yay. I am also going to start doing Yoga on the beach. :) STOKED.

More to come, including our recent field trip, pictures, and possible fun weekend plans.

I miss everyone at home, so please comment/email/skype/whatever!

Love you! Pura vida.

Skype

2007-06-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm impressed with technology. Check out Skype. If you get it, we can talk, just like talking on the phone, but over the internet, FOR FREE. Freakin SWEET!

ps. It's a great Friday. After a fun night at Babylon last night, I woke up early, went for a run, surfed for a bit, layed out for a bit. I'll go into work, with my hot boss :), then come home and hang out with my girls. Gotta love life. Pictures to come soon.

Pura Vida.

THINGS I’VE RECENTLY REALIZED/ACCEPTED:

2007-05-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

You can’t expect ANYTHING to happen
Water is amazing
The people that said they were coming down to visit (other than daddy) aren’t
Living life at a slower pace relieves and eliminates stress
My body will never look like Gabby or Kellie
Wine is amazing
I miss my family more than I thought I would
Life in Costa Rica is that much better
I know more about Kellie than I thought I did
Gabrielle is ghetto at heart
Toast with cream cheese and honey is fabulous
I still am not a good surfer
I miss my bike(s)
I love my legs
I am more broke than I have ever been before
There are only a few friends that still keep in touch with me, and that’s okay, because I know that they are true friends, no matter which country/continent I’m in.
Pura Vida has SO many meanings, and they are all true.

Workin it in paradise (isn't quite the same)

2007-05-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

So when I last wrote, I was off to look for a job. Well, day one, I found it. After walking around town for a bit, I went to go say hi to Gabby and Miguel (will explain later) at work. I heard that one of the guys there was looking for an assistant. So, to make a really long story short, I got the job as his assistant. I work M-F 12-5. I get paid pretty much crap hourly, but if, no when I make a sale, I'll get big $$$$. So my days pretty much include waking up, going for a run, eating breakfast, lying out, showering, work, watching the sunset, dinner, then sometimes, going out. It's a rough life, it really is.

Gabby's co-worker Miguel came in and he's a super cool guy. He is Mexican, so he's been mistaken for a tico once or twice, which is pretty funny. He's taught me to Salsa dance and also kept the ticos off of me while dancing at Mambo Bar and Monkey Bar. Thanks Miguel. He introduced us to his friend Evan, who's also been hanging out with us. Super cool guys that speak fluent Spanish, and are getting us to speak it more and more.

I bought a surfboard on Friday! It's super cute! Its used, so it's not in 100% perfect condition, but I'm still learning, so it will be perfect. Johnny, this lifeguard on the beach, offered to give me lessens that would guarantee that I'd be surfing by the end of them, so I'll have to take him up on that! Kellie and I were running errands on Friday and saw the Bakery Truck. We stopped and got some amazing treats for super cheap. My dad would have loved it!

After Gabby's exhausting week of work, all she wanted to do this weekend was lay out, so that's what we did. Saturday, we laid out at the beach ALL DAY. It was amazing. Then Sunday was by the pool. Absolutely fab.

Sunsets have been really hit or miss because of the rain and the clouds. One of the best sunsets yet ended with a huge rain storm. We were sitting on the beach, admiring the colors, then look to our right to notice the Big black clouds that were moving in fast. Pretty crazy.

Kellie's parents come Tuesday night, which should be a lot of fun. Then my dad comes NEXT week! YAY! I'm excited to have guests!

I miss you all from home, and wish you were here. It's amazing. Have a good day, Pura Vida.

Rough life...

2007-05-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

So there’s something about Costa Rica that makes Kellie and I want to go on adventures. Haha. So we decided that we needed to get cell phones to communicate with each other and Gabby while we were all working. Since we already had our phones from home, and they were already unlocked, we just needed the phone number and the service, “pre pago…” They have no services like that in Tamarindo, only in Santa Cruz. So after asking a few different people what time the bus came, we sat out front of our condos with about 15 other ticos and waited for the bus. It finally come, we paid our 300 colones (equivalent to about 60 cents and took our place on the bus. It was extremely crowded, so we were standing, crammed in like sardines, with a bunch of sweaty ticos. About halfway through our 1 ½ hour trip, some seats opened up and we sat down. We arrived in Santa Cruz, hot, sweaty and hungry, and clueless where we were and where we were headed. Fun times, but we improvised and totally made it all work.

We walked in a few blocks and found a restaurant with comida tipica, our favorite. There, we asked for directions to the calle principal (main street) and he told us it was one block away, of course it was….

So we walk on the block, find out that we can’t get cell phone lines on the weekend, but we could call in on Monday. Of course… While we were walking we saw a truck outside of the pet shop with 3 of the cutest puppies ever. The lady came out and gave us the look like “you want one?” Kellie and I talked about it, and totally considered it, but decided against it ONLY for the reason that my mom would flip out if she came to visit and we had a dog… yeah, don’t really want to see that one. Our bus ride home was very similar to the ride out, though when we finally sat down, we both passed out for the rest of the trip.

Later that night we went out (for our first time yet) to Babylon and met a bunch of people who are also down here for the summer. We have some groups of people to hang out with now, which will be comforting, and more consistent than hanging out with the tourists.

Yesterday was spent lying out all day, so I’m off to look for a job today! Wish me luck!

Back in Paradise

2007-05-18T15:27:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to update again, I've been really busy. I promise I'll get better at it. Anyway, I accompanied the cycling team to nationals in Lawrence Kansas last weekend, and despite some really bad luck, we ended up doing really really well. I had a great time with everyone and met some really cool people. The drive to and from Kansas doesn't get any better though, no matter how many times I drive it. EEW.

So I got home Monday night, and left for Costa Rica (after pulling an all nighter) on Wednesday morning. Gabby, Kellie and I were so excited (obviously) to get to spend the summer together in paradise. It was an uneventful travel day (which is really good) and we got in to town, Gabby met her boss and saw her new place, we got settled in a bit, then all met up for COMIDA TIPICA. We ordered our typical Casado de pollo (beans, rice and chicken for only 4 bucks) and the BEST: jugo mixto. MMM. Life was good. Kellie and I spent the past 2 days finishing up data entry for one last paycheck while Gabby had her first 2 days at the real estate office. We're heading to Santa Cruz tomorrow for some adventures. I'll start looking for a job tomorrow probably (ugh).

I'm excited for all my visitors for the summer, and await messages and hellos from everyone.

Pura Vida.

Again... I KNOW

2007-05-05T07:40:00.001-07:00

So, last Thursday, 4/26, I'm heading out on a beautiful Thursday afternoon, like noonish, and I'm heading down University, not even a mile from my house, and guess what. I got hit by a car, AGAIN! I KNOW! It was another unlucky accident where it completely wasn't my fault.

So if you know University, going east down the hill, there are parking spots, perpendicular to the road, on the right. So I'm riding, and there's an open spot a little bit down the hill. There's a car, going the opposite way, up the hill. He sees the spot, and stops. "Perfect" I thought, so he was going to wait for me like he should, then turn into his parking spot.

Well there was no other traffic at all, so he totally saw me if he had his eyes open at all, and I'm just riding down the street, doin my thang, then he decides that if he turns really really fast that he can make it into his parking spot in front of me.... This wasn't the case.

Because he was stopped, I assumed that he was going to STAY stopped. But I'm still an attentive biker, so when I saw him turn, I started braking, turning, and screaming. Non of which helped me to not hit the car. I ended up hitting him on the back, side of the car (see pic below) I fucked it up. But sadly, he fucked me, and my bike up. (More pics below) I flew over the back of the car and landed on the ground. Fortunately there were a lot of people around and there were a lot of witnesses. I ended up just getting scraped and bruised (which still really hurts) and I broke my finger. My bike wasn't so lucky. It's completely totaled now. :( I think that is what made me the most upset (I guess besides the fact that I was hit again....)

Hopefully everything will get taken care of easily, quickly and efficiently. I'm sick of dealing with all this bullshit.

Pics are coming, have to upload them first!

Update

2007-04-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

So I officially have 22 days left til I'm back in paradise. Unfortunately, it's going to be the LONGEST and worst 22 days ever. Between now and then, I have a trip to Grand Junction/Fruita for conference championships. I'll be racing the crit, and hopefully get some awesome time in on my mountain bike :) After that I have my last week of classes, which means projects and papers due. I then have 4 finals in three days, and am packing up my "room" and moving out. We'll head out to Kansas for nationals, I'll return home Monday afternoon, pack, then leave Wednesday morning. It seems like I have a lot to get done in very little time. It's all worth it though... 3 weeks til paradise.

I'll leave you with some videos from this weekend's race in Durango.

The first is of the Men's A crit finish: Kiel got first with an amazing leadout from Brad who got 3rd

Just kidding. It won't load. i'll do it later, maybe.

Greetings from Paradise!

2007-03-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

So after a long week of midterms, and my first 2 drinks since lent began, my fab girls and I headed to DIA to start SB07. Our first "bump in the road" occurred when the lady checking us in told Sessa that she didn't have a ticket. Apparently, the confirmation numbers that I was given over the phone were 'dead' reservations and there were no tickets attached to them. I had a ticket but Sessa didn't for our OVERBOOKED flight. Sessa would have to wait on standby. So mascara running down our faces, we took the train over to our concourse and waited (not so) patiently to hear Sessa's fate. Fortunately for us all, there were two dumbasses who forgot their IDs or passports or something so they couldn't fly. Sessa lucked out. We celebrated, then got on the smallest plane ever. Literally. It was on seat on one side and to seats on the other side, and about 17 rows long. Wow. It was okay thought because we slept the entire flight. We had about a 4 hour layover in Houston (any time in Texas is too long for me!) then got on our flight to CR!! So we landed, got off into the warm, humid Liberia weather, and went and got in line for customs. We were all jumping up and down, excited to be there, talking about what we were going to do first... beach, pool, beer etc. About 10 min later, we realized that the lines for customs weren't moving. AT ALL. No lines were moving. They weren't letting anyone into the country because the computers were down so they couldn't scan passports or 'accept' anyone. So we waited for a little more than 2 hours, then it started going. They initially had to call passports in one by one, which was taking forever. Computers started going again, and then the line flowed like normal. We got to the Tamarindo shuttle, and thankfully they waited for all of us. It was the normal sized shuttle, that looked like it would fit 9 comfortably. Well there were 14 of us. All of our luggage had to go on top (which looked halarious!) So we took the 45 min drive home (with a really typical anorexic, uptight New York woman who bitched the entire ride) and finally met up with CHRISTINE!!! So we saw her, played on the beach for a while, went out for a nice dinner at Dragonfly, then all went out to Monkey Bar!!! Sessa and i were super tired so we called it a night early, and went home. The other girls had a great time out partying, and Gabby Laura and Adrienne had so much fun, they met up with some guys from Sigma Pi from Boulder, and decided to not come home til the next day!! What a life!

Leaving for paradise!!

2007-03-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

I leave tonight for Costa Rica! I'm so excited and ready for a break from everything. I'm going with my little sis Gabrielle, my roomie (kinda) Sessa, her big sis Lindsay, her little sis Adrienne, Laura and Kellie. It will be amazing to be with all my girls in paradise. Just a little picture to leave you with that Christine's friend took while he was down in CR last week. Ah, it will be fabulous.

My First Post!

2007-02-26T14:21:00.000-08:00

I created this blog mainly for my upcoming travels this summer and next semester but thought I would start now. Racing season begins this upcoming weekend in New Mexico. I'm really excited but I know that I'm not in racing shape yet. It will come, slowly but surely. Thanks for reading.

ps. I'm getting a new camera soon so pictures will be coming!