I'm a Rock Star!

Not really, but that's the way I felt on my mountain bike ride with my Dad this morning! I've been getting so hooked on my classes at the gym that I've been neglecting my riding, and this morning I really felt excited to be out there.

My Dad and I are both novice mountain bikers, though we are quite familiar with the road and usually ride our road bikes together pretty frequently.

We headed to Marshall Mesa Trail, which is a series of pretty gentle hiking and biking trails in South Boulder. It doesn't hurt that the trails sit right up against the mountains, so the views are pretty killer:-)

Dad walking the bike up a very technical spot. (I did the same)

Dad coming down, though not as fast as I diddddddd!

I am also a badass for posting a picture of myself that highlights my crooked teeth and general sweaty goodness:-)

COWS!

We did a pretty easy ride--prolly 1 hr and 30 minutes, but I still managed to get VERY  dirty! I have to say, I kinda liked picking and flicking mud off my tires--there's nothing like getting really muddy to make you feel like a you're a kid on summer vacation.

Now I really need to sign off, quit checking Facebook, Google Reader, and DailyMail* and get cracking on more of my dissertation introduction.

*Is anyone else shamefully fascinated by the Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes divorce? Am I bad person because I read the DailyMail, which is surely the most catty and snotty of all celebrity sources?

Wedding Jitters

There are fewer than five weeks left until David and I take care of a little bizness called matrimony, so I thought I'd fill you all in on how planning is going, what our ceremony is going to look like, and the extent of my pre-wedding jitters.

1) Planning: Sucks. David and I are having a "non-wedding" wedding, which means that we have literally invited only our immediate family, we are not having a reception or rehearsal dinner, and in fact, we are not having a formal wedding ceremony--just a ceremony that we throw together with our families, to take place here:

http://1percentforopenspace.org/gunsight-bridge/

This is the Gunsight Bridge in Crested Butte, Colorado. We are going there for a short weekend/wedding escapade at the beginning of August. Our "non-wedding" wedding means that our planning has been very limited, though I have to say, I'm a bit incredulous that people throw big weddings given the fact that the calls, appointments, and scheduling involved for a "non-wedding" wedding is still pretty substantial and annoying!

2) The Ceremony: This is what we are hashing out right now, since we recently found out that the woman we'd hired to marry us was no longer available on our date and time. Sooooo, much to the (presumed) disappointment of our mothers, David and I have decided to marry ourselves, which is something that peeps can do in Colorado. (Lucky us!) (Actually, lucky for my parents, because now they get to see their little girl get married in a ceremony with swear words!)

This kinda puts all the pressure on us, however, since we are now responsible for creating and organizing a ceremony that makes us (and our parents) happy. Right now, we're thinking that we will include: thank yous to our parents, nice words said about deceased grandparents, our vows, and a little section where our nieces and nephews stand up and say what they hope for us in our marriage. We've also agreed that if I have to be walked down the "aisle" (i.e. gravel hiking path) by my father, then David is going to be walked down the "aisle" with his mamacita. (My reasoning here is simple: I don't want to be the only person that everyone stares at.)

3) Jitters: Ummmm, a bit! David is my partner, straight up, no doubts, fo' sho, but there's something about a whole wedding--and the process that goes into it--that makes one nervous! I'm not seriously nervous, but more in disbelief that all this is really going to take place. Before I met David I wasn't sure I'd get married and settle down, so doing the whole traditional deal--even if we've stripped a lot of the traditional crap out--is a bit overwhelming. For instance, I spoke to my brother on the phone this morning about plans to ride our mountain bikes on the morning of the wedding, and he kept saying, "Whatever you want--it's your day."

Can I just say, BLECH! What I was actually thinking was, "Well, in fact it's just a Saturday, please and thank you never say 'It's your day' again!"

*What is your attitude about weddings? Any ideas about other cool stuff with which we could fill up our fancy schmancy ceremony?

It's the Freakin Weekend

Nah--just kidding. It's Monday:-(

On an unrelated note, does anyone remember when it was trendy to say "Cool Beans"? Blech--worst 90's slang everrrrrrr!

Ahem. The weekend. The weekend was good, filled with one special activity in particular--my niece, Morgan's, third birthday party! YAY!

The party was at my brother and sister-in-law's house, and featured lots of beer, cake, and even those little Laughing Cow cheeses. (These come a close second in cuteness to MoMo, as we like to call Morgan.)

Best of all, of course, it featured MoMo, who was extremely excited for each of her presents and kept asking "This fo me?!!!" (She also thanked David and me for our gift when we left--without prompting from her parents!!)

MoMo's older sister Riley likes to "help" her open her gifts.

But the best part was when she tried on her new shoes, which she loved:

Morgan likes to wear all of her birthday gifts at once: new watch, bracelet, tiara, necklace, shoes, and...badge that says, "Birthday Girl."

Later she topped it all off with her new sunglasses:

She's forward-thinking in her fashion aesthetic.

Our Sunday was less exciting, though we did take Haruki for a hike at Mt. Sanitas here in Boulder. She did well and only snarled at one other dog (who, importantly, had jumped on her back while she was turned away). (Speaking of which, tonight is our first "Grumpy Growlers" class at the Humane Society. Hopefully they can teach us to get the sweetest dog EVER to stop attacking other dogs...)

We also enjoyed all the rain that Boulder has been getting, although our brand-new home appears to have a pretty significant leak somewhere...

This is me saying "hi" to our contractor for all the hard work he has put into our house. Thanks to his efforts, when it rains we may need to wear galoshes indoors. (Maybe we'll get little baby galoshes for Haruki.)

Deep breaths in...on the brighter side, rain=rainbows!

*How was your weekend?

Coo-Coo Kachoo

Hooray for Friday!!! How do 9-5ers do it?!! Honestly I don't know--I think maybe you just get used to always feeling a little tired, always waiting until a vacation or day off, and/or always feeling like you have loads to do in the little windows between work time?

This morning began bright and early with visits from the gutter men, the drywall peeps, and the landscaping dudes. While our house is going to be lovely once it's finished (and is, in fact, lovely right now), I am so.stinking.tired or people showing up at our door at 7:30 or 8 a.m. It's not that I mind having to get up by then, but rather, I mind that it sucks time to answer the door, check if everything is going okay, calm Haruki down every time someone new comes to the door, etc., etc. I love our house and I'd never go back to renting like I used to, though sometimes I do wistfully remember when I'd wake up and have me and only me to take care of--no dog to walk or feed, no windows/skylights to open and shut, no laundry list of household stuff to do. Wahhhh-Wahhhhh. Crybaby, I know. These aren't complaints per se, but rather reflections on a new stage of life that I've entered. As much as I resist, I'm just not allowed to be (as much of) a self-centered little brat anymore. Boo.

But, I've also got some pretty sweet boons that come with having responsibilities outside of myself:

Haruki: "You give me that treat NOW or I'll bite your face off."

Haruki: "Yeah, that's it--I'm glad you're learning who the real freaking boss is."

*Do you ever miss a time when you had less responsibility? Is this what it means to become one's mother??!!! (AGHHHHHHH!)

Puffin-Filled Fourth

Hey-O! I hope youz had good holidays wherever you are! We had a really good day, though there were no fireworks near us (due to fire danger) and we didn't even hit up a barbecue!

Instead, we took Haruki for a long hike at Brainerd Lake. BL is a recreational area in the Roosevelt National Forest--just a few miles past Ward, CO.

It was so pretty! It was literally the best hike I've ever been on, from the food:

Peanut Butter, Applesauce, and Banana on Ezekiel English Muffins

Veggie Chips

...to the company...

...to the views...

It was a really good day, made even more special by the fact that it was a holiday, which means special dinner (seitan nachos!) and a special after-dinner treat (Peanut Butter Puffins)!

The only downside: the lake by which we ate lunch was swarming with mosquitoes. I have approximately ten bites on just my shoulders...ugh.

But on the whole, totally worth it:-)

*What did you do for the holiday? Have you ever been caught yelling "F-you!" at a loved one while in a pristine natural environment? No? Me either:-)

Try, Try Again

Despite my utter failure to follow the instructor's cues in step class yesterday, I decided that today I'd go for it--a double header with Body Pump followed by Cardio Blast. Does anyone else feel like the name "Cardio Blast" is subtly telling women that they need to "Blast" fat and calories away? Or maybe they mean that the class itself is a "blast." Based on my one experience with this class, I'd say it's unclear. The class was fun, though something feels a bit "icky" about a class that is (seemingly) designed to burn fat and has a following of loyal female peeps who take their class a bit too seriously.

That being said, almost all of the patrons of my gym are healthy, normal people looking to get some good exercise. And "Cardio Blast" did that. It even included a lot of step aerobics moves, which I was better able to perform today!!! Maybe you can teach a dumb rhinoceros to do new tricks!

After my gym session I booked it to Whole Foods to get some Emerald Sesame Kale. I'd had a bar right before my classes, so I didn't need too much but wanted to get some greens in. After getting home I also partook of a boatload of cherries and watermelon, as well as some of these yummy veggie chips from Whole Foods.

Gotta sign off now...it's already 3:20 and David and I have plans at 5 p.m. for a date night! We're going down to town to do "our thing," which we call "Teach and Learn Night." It's kind of like trivia night, only sixty zazzillian times more geeky. We go to the Boulder Bookstore and each spend thirty minutes reading a book of our choice. Afterwards we have dinner or apps or drinks at a restaurant on Pearl Street while we tell each other what we learned. Sigh. My brother is making fun of me somewhere for this.

Despite the extreme nerdiness of this activity, it is actually really fun! David and I both have very different topics that we are interested in, so we both get to learn about things that we wouldn't ordinarily investigate. (This is not always fun, e.g. when David decided that I'd want to learn about the physics behind an airplane's wings and its turning.)

*Do you and your person have any traditions like this? Does to you--like it does to me--that one is definitely old if s/he is scheduling "Date Night?"

Sad Stepper

Sup, peeps?! Happy Monday! (Is anyone else not completely sure that it is, in fact, Monday?)

I've had a day filled with firsts over here!

My first first happened around 11:30, when I went to a new class at my gym. It was called Step Sculpt, and can I just pause a minute to confess that I cannot do step aerobics? I've tried two step classes now, and both times I literally could not move my legs and body as the instructor directed. Like, I can move fast enough, but not when I don't know where I'm moving said parts. I laughed for a good portion of the class, and it felt pretty good to enjoy looking like a doofy moron--all in the interest of trying something new and challenging!

This dog kicks my ass at step.
http://woofwoofmama.com/tag/k9/

After my class, I did not shower, and instead proceeded (in very sweaty, scuzzy fashion) to Native Foods for lunch. My second first was the Greek Gyro bowl, which I ate while completing my third first, which was finishing the whole first paragraph of my dissertation introduction!!

Yuuuuuh-ummmmm this was good! It was quinoa, kale, veggies, and peppered seitan all covered in hummus and a garlic lemon sauce. The flatbread in the background was more like a thin cracker, but even still I thought it was delicious too!

After lunch and a bit of work I went to Home Depot to get something for the house (David said I had to), to the grocery store to grab some Pink Lady apples (these are my most fav apples), and to Nordstrom Rack to feel bad about myself.

I.hate.shopping. Aside from the obvious issues like: "Why doesn't this fit me? Am I a bad person because this doesn't fit me?" shopping is horrible because there are so few stores that carry the kind of clothes I like. For example, at Nordstrom Rack they had lots of women's clothing that was just too trendy--if that makes any sense. I was looking for some simple summer dresses--fitted on top and flowy below. Instead, I found a bunch of flowery, ruffle-y dresses with strange cuts and even stranger and artificial fabrics. 

I wanted something like this: http://www.hm.com/us/product/00905?article=00905-A but instead found a lot of this: http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/ny-collection-dress-sleeveless-printed-handkerchief-hem-surplice?ID=684915&CategoryID=5449#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D1325%26ruleId%3D2%26slotId%3D8

While shopping I seriously considered just changing my style to be the "sporty girl." That way I could just wear my running shorts and yoga pants around town all the time, instead of making any attempt to wear acceptable women's clothing.

*Do you feel out of place when you shop for clothing? Would you rather clean your house than go clothes shopping?