Liz and Brad's Big Adventures

Easy 8

2012-01-28T13:43:00.000-08:00

What a gorgeous day for a run!

I ran 8 easy miles today, through Cook and Tualatin parks and around my neighborhood.
I didn't look at my Garmin for the first several miles, wanting to focus on feeling comfortable instead of watching my pace.

I ran the first 6 straight and then took a 1-minute walk break to reward my hard work and to slurp down a homemade gel.

Then I finished it off a bit slower, completing 8.01 miles in 1:18:33 - a 9:49 average.
Excellent! Feeling strong :)

Meanwhile, Brad ran to Beaverton and back in his last long run before tackling the Heart Breaker Half next month.
14.51 miles at a 9:18 pace.
You are amazing :) :) Now enjoy that taper!

:)

The woman behind the words...

2012-01-28T10:48:00.000-08:00

While looking at another blog this week, I realized that I don't have an "About Me" section on my blog!

How are visitors, especially people who don't know me outside the blog world, supposed to know who I am??

Well that's about to change! Look out, Internet world, because now you can read all about me - woohoo! Try to control your excitement ;)

Click HERE to learn more :)

No. 3

2012-01-27T06:14:00.000-08:00

Already done with three books for 2012!
"O" was a good one - I didn't know who did it until the end! I love a good mystery :)

Time to start "P" - yippee :)

Track Thursday: sunny five

2012-01-26T16:10:00.000-08:00

Darn me, always competing with myself...

Last Thursday, I pushed to run a fifth interval. Today I was running well but just not feeling it. I was about to quit after four but then felt guilty because I knew I could do another one. So I did!
It was dry, sunny and warmish (for January), but a moderate wind was swirling. On the first lap it was blowing from the north. Then it was coming from the west. Then the south. Then the west again. You can really tell the wind direction when running on an outdoor track.
Here's how it looked:

warmup - 400m

400m: 7:49 pace
400m: 7:42

200m recovery

400m: 7:23
400m: 7:39

200m recovery

400m: 7:33
400m: 7:36

200m recovery

400m: 7:33
400m: 7:37

200m recovery

400m: 7:54
400m: 7:50

cool down - 200m

In all, 3.42 miles in 32:54 - a 9:38 average, including warmup, recoveries and cool down.
In typing up those times, I realized that EVERY split was faster than last week's except the first split of the fifth interval... 7:54 instead of last week's 7:53. (the average for the whole last 800m was faster!)

SWEET.

I didn't realize I was running that much faster. No wonder I was "just not feeling it" - I was working hard.
I don't want to sound like I'm all full of myself, but I'm really proud of the work I've been doing. Looking back at my calendar, I've been running track workouts almost weekly since mid-October, and I'm seeing improvements.

Such a great feeling :) :)

Entering my subconscious

2012-01-26T06:12:00.000-08:00

Some of our THS support staff had a little ladies night out yesterday.

We gathered after work at Bridgeport Village to see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Didn't want to use the flash in the theater...

Sheryl, Shari and Carla:
Lynette, Rachel and Eryn:
Me:
While most of the group liked the movie, Eryn and I weren't impressed.

I expected it to be really sad (it's about a kid who loses his dad in 9/11), but it didn't affect me. I thought the plot was a bit lame, and I wasn't thrilled with the ending. The acting was good, however.

BUT... apparently it did enter my subconscious because I dreamed about getting a call from the country sheriff's office about an accident.

Despite trying throughout the night, I was never able to get the entire message, so I don't know which of my loved ones was involved and what had happened.

Very interesting!

:)

Muffin Wednesday: Rice Pudding

2012-01-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Today's muffin experiment was Rice Pudding from the book:
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 c cooked white rice, cool
1 egg
2 T butter, melted
1 1/4 c buttermilk
icing sugar (I skipped this)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin tin.

1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add rice.

2. In another bowl, whisk together egg, butter and buttermilk. Add to flour mixture and stir just until moist.

3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, dividing evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

4. Remove from tins and sprinkle with icing sugar.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Easy, basic ingredients, especially when you have leftover rice in the freezer from a recent lunch!
They were good but nothing too exciting. The nutmeg was overpowering, and I would probably cut it down if I made them again.

I didn't really think they tasted like rice pudding, but they did have some little rice chunkies in there for texture.

The kids liked them but didn't love them....

Still, free food is always a hit :)

No-TV Tuesday: random stuff

2012-01-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing super exciting happened this No-TV Tuesday.

It started with 30 minutes of stadiums... in the pouring rain and wind. It's covered, but with the drops blowing sideways, everything gets wet. Especially my pants, which were huge and droopy by the time I finished!
I peddled home and took a hot shower before doing some quick errands. First stop: much-needed updated prescription in my sunglasses.
And now we can eat again:
Morningstar hot dogs are back!!! Chili dogs for dinner :)
A little State of the Union:
And a whole lot of this:
Time for bed... my restless legs are, well, restless.

:)

Course revealed

2012-01-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited that the course has finally been revealed for May's Portland Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon!!

Registration opened last May, but the course was still TBD until last week. We blindly plopped down our money before the end of 2011 (to take advantage of the lower prices) and waited to see where we'd be running.

(click for full-size map)

Eastside!

I think that will be a fun route - and much different than other events I've done downtown.

(click for full-size chart)

With 16 weeks 'til race time, I'm ramping up my running, including 8 miles this weekend. (The most I've done since Disney)

Considering my experience, the flat course, cooler temps and speed training, I'm hoping for a big PR (previous personal record is 2:28:52 at Disney). Actually, "hoping" isn't the right word... I'm working really hard to get there!

My goal is to build my long weekend runs and continue Track Thursdays until the spring sports season starts next month and I lose my valuable training spot to the high school runners. At that point, I'll switch to tempo runs to train myself to maintain quicker paces.

Nervous... and excited! A fun combination :)

Not a total loss

2012-01-23T05:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a generous invite from Brad's folks, we had a relaxing stay at a Gleneden Beach condo Saturday.

We hung out and ate lots of yummy food during the day and then hit the "gym" before dinner. Luckily there were two treadmills so we could both get in our workout.

And Steve and Donna played their first-ever air hockey while we ran!

As soon as I finished my 4 miles, it was time to take pictures!
Brad running really fast (or looking like it, at least!):
Now super fast:
Backward (you're gonna fall.):
Sideways (notice my new duds!):
Goobers :)
We had a fabulous dinner (thanks to Donna for arranging and fixing all the food!) and then we ran to the store to satisfy our mutual craving for warm brownies and ice cream. Oh, yes:
We played some games, watched TV, stared at the crashing waves, chatted and just hung out while the storm raged around us.
Love my new pants? (Old Navy Christmas clearance!)
Such a lovely little trip.

And then we came home just in time to see the 49ers lose the NFC Championship :(

Oh well... the weekend wasn't a total loss...
:)

Super Bummer

2012-01-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

The fam came over this evening to watch the 49ers take on the Giants in the NFC Championship game.

GO NINERS!!!!
And then they lost. Dad dubbed it a Super Bummer.
:(

Now who are we going to cheer for on Feb. 5???

Sh*t ____ Say

2012-01-22T14:09:00.000-08:00

This one's from Brad... FUNNY!

:)

Forgotten photos: Christmas tree hunt

2012-01-22T07:54:00.000-08:00

In early December, the fam set out to find the perfect Christmas trees.

We returned to the same small tree farm on Bell Road just off Highway 99W outside Sherwood.

A Grand for us:
That giant one in the back for my parents:
Eryn got two - one for the living room and this tiny Douglas for her hallway:
The guy always cuts a "tree cookie" for his customers. Look at Eryn's compared to Mom and Dad's:
Four trees, all loaded up:
And here's Mom and Dad's all decorated and ready for Christmas:
:)

No. 2

2012-01-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

Just finished No. 2... "Q"

No. 1 was "N", but the next one wasn't available at the THS library so I skipped ahead. Eryn has the whole series, so now I've borrowed "O" from her.
I liked the mystery of "Q" but there were a lot of characters, all interconnected, and it got a bit confusing. Still, a good read :)

Sh*t Health Living Bloggers Say

2012-01-21T06:09:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this yet? It's pretty funny. I know I've read all of these things... and written many myself :)

Enjoy!

:)

Shopping is fun

2012-01-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

Man, I love shopping. And I love new gear.

I just have to show off my recent scores.
Brad gave me the shorts and Mom and Dad gave me the bras for Christmas. The original bras were the wrong style, but when I exchanged them, the new ones were on sale. So I got $6 back!

Sis-in-law Jill gave me a generous Target gift card, so I used it, along with my new-found $6, to pick up some new tank tops -- also on sale! And I still have a bunch of $$ left on the gift card - WOOHOO :)

Can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can try out my new duds.

:)

Track Thursday: five!

2012-01-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Pouring rain and gusting winds pounded our area all night and most of today.

By noontime I was dreading my track workout and trying not to give in to my deep desire to throw in the towel and ride the (inside!) elliptical instead.

Thankfully, there was a lull in the storm just about quitting time, and I dressed down and headed out before I could change my mind. The pineapple express has temps in the low 50s, so it actually wasn't that miserable.
I've been running four 800s but hoped to up it to five... and I DID IT!!! And all under an 7:58-minute -mile pace.

Here's how it looked:

warmup - 400m

400m: 7:57 pace
400m: 7:51

200m recovery

400m: 7:41
400m: 7:47

200m recovery

400m: 7:43
400m: 7:49

200m recovery

400m: 7:34
400m: 7:43

200m recovery

400m: 7:53
400m: 7:58

cool down - 400m

In all, 3.76 miles in 37:08 - a 9:53 average, including warmup, recoveries and cool down.
I'm really excited that I finished an extra interval - and each 400 was faster than last week! It was a great workout... feeling strong.

As (almost) always, I'm glad I won my internal debate and went running :)

It's like barefoot

2012-01-19T05:31:00.000-08:00

Last month, Brad and I scored several pair of shoes at an REI return sale. All shoes were just $9.83, so we took full advantage!

I got these like-new Merrell Pace Glove cross-training shoes, which retail for $100.
I wore them yesterday for the first time and love them!

It's like being barefoot... always my preference. They're similar to Five Fingers except without the fingers (so people don't look at you funny ;) )

What a fun purchase :)

Muffin Wednesday: Peanut Butter Banana

2012-01-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I thought we'd have a snow day today so I did not plan for Muffin Wednesday. Unfortunately, the snow came down hard overnight but turned to rain before school time. Major bummer.

Fortunately, we had a couple brown bananas at home, so I brought those in and flipped through the book for a recipe that I could throw together with standard ingredients.
How about Peanut Butter Banana? Sounds promising. And for extra fun, I added chocolate chips.
2 c flour
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c peanut butter
2 T oil
2 eggs
3/4 c milk
2 medium bananas, mashed
(I added some chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or line muffin tin

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.

2. In another bowl, combine PB, oil, eggs, milk and mashed bananas. Add to flour mixture and stir just until moistened and blended. Fold in chocolate chips.

3. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These were very good. They were simple but were tasty. The peanut butter and banana were subtle. Plus, the added choco chips maybe covered the other flavors a bit.

Everyone liked them, giving me lots of smiles and thumbs up.

"I could eat a thousand of those," Jake said :)

Since it was supposed to be a snow day (and was for many other schools in our region!), I used snowmen cups!
Not sure if my students noticed, but the tiny snowmen made me smile :)

Playing in the snow

2012-01-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

Huge snow showers keep moving through, but it's just a little too warm to stick. So we're at school today. Bummer.

As one big flurry hit, some brave students went outside with me to play.
It's blowing hard from the south, so we mostly just stood with out backs to the wind and laughed at the giant, wet flakes. No one took me up on my challenge to make a snow angel!Sufficiently cold and wet, we gave up and went back inside to work.
Our fingers are still crossed for that big storm tonight to close school tomorrow :) :)

Mini brick

2012-01-16T11:28:00.001-08:00

Started my holiday with a little brick workout.

Connie was kind enough to come on our day off and lead a spin class this morning. Yippee!!

I worked my tail off for about 60 minutes and then drove to Eryn's house and did a short run with her.We ran for 15, walked 1 and then ran another 15 minutes. 2.74 miles in 31.37.

The run was nice and slow, but starting out was a little rough. It didn't help that it's freezing outside with snow on the ground. But soon I was feeling pretty good.

Now on with my day :)

Let the training begin!

2012-01-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Armed with her new Garmin, Eryn joined me this morning for the first long run of our half-marathon training.

We drove to Portland and parked under the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge. We run at different paces, so we split up and planned to meet again after 6 miles.

I did a bit more than two laps around the Eastbank Esplanade and Waterfront Park to complete my 6 miles in 56:33 - a 9:26-minute-mile average. I walked about 100 yards and then jogged back to find Eryn.

We finished her 6 miles together, and I ended up with 7.51 miles for the day.
Brad joined us, running 13.1 miles for his half-marathon training. Our race is in May and his is just next month. (he did awesome and is napping now!)

Mom and Dad also went, walking one loop from the Hawthorne Bridge to the Steel Bridge.

With snow predicted this evening and for the next few days, we wanted to get in our workouts early. Still, you could feel the storm brewing, with strong southerly winds and a heavy mist keeping us cool.

Good job, Eryn! Way to get it done :)

Cooking with Cherese

2012-01-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

When Cherese helped me make fudge for last month's holiday food extravaganza, we had a lot of chatting time in the CE2 kitchen. I learned that the high school senior doesn't really know how to cook, so I thought I'd show her an easy recipe or two she can whip up at home.

One standard in our house is Spicy Black Beans and Rice from BHG.com. It's very quick, healthy, cheap and yummy! Perfect. We set the table and then sat down as a family and enjoyed the homemade lunch. She liked it! I bought the ingredients for a double batch for just a couple dollars at WinCo. And Cherese seemed impressed at how quick and easy it was.

She did most of the work, including showing ME how to make perfect rice. Thanks, Cherese, for making us a special lunch treat! Let's cook again soon :)

1/2 c chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T cooking oil
1 15-oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5-oz can of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1/2 c salsa
1/4 t salt
1/8 - 1/4 t cayenne pepper
2 c cooked rice
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a medium saucepan, cook the onion and garlic in hot oil until tender but not brown. Carefully stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, salsa, salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling and then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

2. To serve, mound rice on serving plates and make a well in each mound. Spoon the black bean mixture into wells. If desired, sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Muffin Wednesday: Green Chili

2012-01-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

Back to work means the return of the ever-popular Muffin Wednesday!

I've had this Green Chili Muffin recipe filed away for a bit, and since Cherese and I were making Spicy Black Beans and Rice for lunch, I thought it might be a good pairing.
2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 - 1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1 c milk
1/4 c butter or margarine, melter
1 4-oz can diced green chili peppers, rinsed and drained

In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In another mixing bowl, stir eggs slightly with a spatula; stir in milk, melted butter or margarine, and green chili peppers.

Add flour mixture all at once to egg mixture. Stir just until moistened.

Lightly grease muffin cups and fill two-thirds full. Bake in 400-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan. Serve warm or cool on a wire rack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The recipe was really simple and required nothing unusual except a little 50-cent can of green chiles.

The muffins were not overly sweet and weren't at all spicy - just a hint of chiles. The students seemed scared (they are used to super sugary treats), but when I suggested they were sort of like corn muffins, they decided they liked them. A couple people really liked them, but most testers weren't super excited.

I thought they were a nice compliment to our Mexican-style lunch :)

Track Thursday: a bike and a run

2012-01-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

My day started with a treat: riding bikes to work with Mom!

Inspired by our bicycling friend Bill, Mom decided to try the two-wheel commute. For Christmas, Dad hooked her up with all the necessary gear.

I peddled to her house and then we rode together to THS, stashing our stuff in CE2.
Before I knew it, it was time to bundle up for Track Thursday. (Time sure flies when you have lots to do at work!)

I was short on time because Eryn, Mom and I had to drive to Portland to buy a Garmin GPS watch off Craigslist for her half-marathon training. Got her a slightly used Forerunner 405CX, which retails for $270, for just $100 - score!!
I set out right after work to run 800s, and while I hoped to complete five sets (up from the four I've been doing), I had time for four. I cut my recovery short and kept the speed up, so I definitely feel worked.

Here's how it looked:

warmup - 400m

400m: 7:56 pace
400m: 7:54

200m recovery

400m: 7:55
400m: 7:50

200m recovery

400m: 7:55
400m: 7:56

200m recovery

400m: 7:59
walked 200 feet
400m: 7:35

cool down

In all, 2.89 miles in 28:39 - a 9:55 average, including warmup, recoveries and cool down.
But each interval was under a 7:59-minute mile - I'm very happy about that :)

Now I'm wearing my CEP compression sleeves, a Christmas gift from my honey. Hoping my calves will recover quick, because they are tired after a week of hard workouts!

Rest day tomorrow and then a long run Saturday with Eryn and her new Garmin!

:)

No. 1

2012-01-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

First book of 2012... in the books!
This was a good mystery! Kept me guessing until the end.

Now on to "O" :)

No-TV Tuesday: burp!

2012-01-11T05:54:00.000-08:00

To celebrate my 500-mile running milestone, Brad took me out to Round Table for Italian Garlic Supreme pizza (no meat) - my favorite!
That night, we learned about Round Table's Tuesday family buffet: $6.99 for unlimited salad bar, pizza bar and breadstick and cinnamon twists. We planned to return the next week to celebrate Brad's milestone of 700 miles.

But then I got sidelined by that stomach bug. There was no pizza for me that week.

I was feeling great Tuesday, so we headed over to Lake Grove for all we could eat!
The salad bar was very fresh and good. Some of the pizza was not as fresh, probably because there weren't a million people there fueling lots of turnover. But it was very tasty... especially the cinnamon twists!
We both ate a little more than we should have but were very happy with our meal.

I like celebrating with pizza! :)

Stunning

2012-01-10T20:33:00.000-08:00

I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. My parents and Tiffany's parents were really close back in the day, and we grew up playing together. While we don't hang out anymore, we do stay connected on Facebook.

In May 2010, Tiffany began a weight-loss journey. Now a year and a half later, she's down 105 pounds - almost to her goal weight.

Check out the before-and-after photos she just posted on FB:
Absolutely amazing!!

I am so proud of her hard work to get fit and be the person she wants to be. She looks stunning, and best of all, she's strong and healthy for her family, including her twins.

Tiffany is an inspiration, and I just wanted to show her off :)

Congrats, Tiff!!!!!!!

A Sunriver birthday

2012-01-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

As is becoming tradition, aunts Kari and Vicki generously allowed us to spend Brad's birthday weekend at their Sunriver home. (it's available for rent if you're looking for a nice getaway)

Such a nice treat! (My fingers stumbled when I typed "treat" and it almost came out as "retreat" - also very fitting!!)

We laid pretty low for a couple reasons: there was NO snow and I was recovering from a bout with the stomach flu (major yucky).

There was some of this:
And a lot of these (banana splits requested by the birthday boy):
And some birthday burritos and presents:
We also watched a couple movies and some trashy cable TV, stayed up too late and slept in too long.

Oh, and we took out the Jeep, which used to be Brad's baby:
It was super fun to drive around - and I was thrilled that I remembered how to drive a stick!

Brad found a forest service road covered in a couple inches of snow that we HAD to explore. We drove in about a mile before it narrowed more than we were comfortable with - in another person's car.

Brad tried to wash off the mud splatters, but that's challenging when it's below freezing and there's no car-wash soap or rag :) Thankfully, a muddy Jeep is a happy Jeep.

Fortunately, we did have the energy to take advantage of the nice weather and get out a bit.

I managed two runs at the resort - one with Brad and one without. We ran from the house to the village mall and back for 3.52 miles:
Look - NO snow :(
And I went out before we left Sunday to explore paths on the south end of the resort. 5 miles, stopping and starting a lot as I tried to find my way:
And on Saturday, we laced up our snow boots and hiked up Vista Butte, a nice trail we explored last year.
It was a very nice, relaxing birthday weekend! Thanks so much, K & V, for inviting us to your home :)

Meat!

2012-01-09T12:25:00.000-08:00

We don't have meat in our house. So when we go out, Brad has to get his fill of animal products.

His birthday dinner request: Famous Dave's BBQ

We met Steve, Donna, Eryn, Mom, Dad, Pa and Ma Wednesday evening for some BBQ. (Low lighting + no flash = crappy pics)
The birthday boy was SOOO excited!
He ordered the Baby Back-N-Meat BBQ Combo: "Choose a 1/2 slab of either Original or Memphis-style baby backs and your choice of any one meat selection."

PLUS... corn on the cob and a corn muffin... AND two sides.

Brad chose brisket, beans and mashed potatoes:
Eryn (also a pescetarian) and I didn't have a lot of choices. She ended up with a side of mac and cheese and a side of mashed potatoes. Yeehaw. I chose the fish sandwich with mashed potatoes.
It was really not good. HOWEVER... it was not MY birthday. I wasn't expecting anything great from a BBQ joint, so I wasn't disappointed.

Brad thoroughly enjoyed his meaty yummies! He said the brisket was excellent and the ribs were good (though a bit charred on the outside). He would get the brisket again.

Then out came a complimentary birthday sundae big enough to share:
:)

Big 3-6

2012-01-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Brad! I'm so glad you were born :)

Savior Liz

2012-01-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

Do you read Cake Wrecks? It's a really great blog about "When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong."

This was part of today's post:
Made me smile :)

Quick Tryon hike

2012-01-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

I started to write this Tuesday morning while getting ready for work. I was suddenly hit with a stomach bug and literally crawled to the bathroom. I stayed in bed for the rest of the day. Ugh.

I'm feeling better today but not great. I love it when my digestive system turns on me :(

Anyway... Because New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, we had one extra day of Christmas break this year - woohoo!!!!!!!! Before settling in Monday to watch our Ducks win the Rose Bowl, we went out for a quick hike at nearby Tryon Creek park.
Brad ran while Mom, Eryn and I walked the trails, pushing hard up the hills and making the most of our short workout.

We finished before the showers hit and had a really nice end to our vacation.

I spent Tuesday in bed and finally made it to work today. I was really looking forward to spin class after school, but there's no way. Hopefully I'll regain my strength soon and be back in the workout saddle.

:)

5K + 5K = New Year's fun

2012-01-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

Last year we celebrated the New Year by saving our race fee and having our own 5K at home.

We decided to do it again but wanted to up the ante. How about a 10K instead - 5K before midnight and 5K after midnight? PERFECT!

Eryn, Mom, Dad, Brad and I set out at 11:15 p.m. for our first loop. It was mild - dry and about 40 degrees. The runners got back to the house just in time to see the ball drop. Happy New Year!

Brad ran earlier in the day, and after 10 miles, his foot was hurting. So he showered and went to bed as Eryn and I left for our second 5K.
We spotted the walkers part way through our second loop. We all made it back to the house about the same time, Mom and Dad completing about 5 miles to our 6.43.
It was 1:15 a.m. and I was wide awake. So I suggested a game of May I.
Of course, Dad won. Second place for me!
After kicking out my family, I finally showered and crawled into bed about 3:30 a.m.

What a great way to start 2012! :)

Looking ahead

2012-01-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

OK, so I've taken stock in my goals for 2011. And I feel great - it was a good year!
So what's on tap for 2012? I don't really believe in resolutions, but I think it's good to have stuff to work on. Here's what I'm thinking about:

* Continue running for my physical and mental health - and for fun - completing at least one more half marathon and running more miles than in 2011.

* Make a new recipe out of each of my many, many cookbooks. (thanks to Brie for the idea!)

* Rekindle friendships that have faded.

* Bag some more peaks (and trails, campgrounds, etc) - with my husband.

* Read more books than in 2011.

* Finish reading the Old Testament.

* Be mindful and thankful for the good things in my life.

I hope you look back on 2011 with few regrets and look forward to 2012 with anticipation of greatness. I will try to do the same. Happy New Year! :)

**Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever**
(Hebrews 13:8)

Looking back

2012-01-01T00:16:00.000-08:00

As I said last year at this time, I don't really believe in resolutions.

But I do think the turning of the calendar provides a good time to reflect on the past and think about the future. Here are the "goals" I wrote down for 2011:

* Train for and run the Disneyland Half Marathon - DONE, with a second half thrown in for good measure
* Heal and move on from broken relationships - a continuous challenge

* Focus on healthy relationships - also a work in progress
* Get outside more - yeah! Mount Hood, Colchuck Peak, Smith, countless hikes
* Spend more quality time with my husband - woohoo! lots of fun
* Finish reading the Old Testament - didn't happen - maybe next year

* Read more books - read 39
* Focus on the great things in my life, less on the disappointments - definitely worth the effort!
* Laugh more - hahaha!

I feel great about all that! I set out to make some changes in my attitude and actions, and I think I did well.

So what's up for 2012?? :)

700 miles!!

2011-12-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

While I was finishing my 39th book of 2011, all warm and cozy on the couch, Brad was outside in the cold completing a big goal of his own.

When I discovered earlier this month that I was close to running 500 miles for the year and decided to commit to it, Brad did some quick math and realized that he was close to 700 miles!! Of course, he committed, too.
I finished up my 500 on Tuesday with a 7-mile run. Brad finished his 700 today, also with a 7-mile run! Congrats - I'm so proud of you :)

No. 39

2011-12-31T18:46:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's goals from last year was to read more.

So I made an effort to pick up a book on my lunch break, while waiting in medical offices and for spin class to begin, during down times at home and before bed. And it worked.
I just finished No. 39, Sue Grafton's "M" is for Malice. And I think it might be my favorite Grafton yet.

I've really enjoyed reading more and plan to keep it up for 2012. We'll see how the numbers compare :)

No. 38

2011-12-30T06:04:00.000-08:00

Done with No. 38 ... Sue Grafton's "L" is for Lawless:
Good mystery :)

Already working through "M" - woohoo!

Track Thursday: warm and soggy

2011-12-29T16:38:00.000-08:00

It's Track Thursday -- and despite the rain and low energy from my almost-gone head cold, I got out there and got it done!Eryn needed to calibrate her Nike running app, so I talked her into meeting me at THS for some track work. This is what I did:

~1-mile warm up

400m: 8:00 pace
400m: 7:53

recovery

800m: 7:46

recovery

800m: 7:44

recovery

400m: 7:42
400m: 7:34

~1-mile cool down

In all, I ran 4.35 miles in 40:05 - a 9:13 average.
It was really wet, but notice my shorts? It's about 50 degrees!

Tuesday, I surpassed my 500-mile goal, so that was just icing on the cake... 504.47 and still a couple days left in 2011.

:)

Enemas and other Christmas fun

2011-12-29T13:45:00.000-08:00

My Christmas vacation started out with lots of fun, including our traditional White Elephant party with friends.

The double enema kit made it's annual appearance:
Brad scored a supposedly functional carpet spotter:
Angel's wrestling mask and scary clowns:
And a dead dog statue:
Because of a bad wreck on Highway 99, some of our guests were delayed. So we ended up doing two rounds of gifts, and I forgot to get more pictures. Oops :)

That was Sunday evening. Monday, Brad and I met some college friends for lunch at Claim Jumper. Ryan and Heather were in town from Washington, D.C. We hadn't seen them since their wedding years ago:
We got to visit with David two days in a row:
It was great to catch up with Darrin and Gretchen, too. It had been WAY too long!
Later in the day, Mom, Eryn and I did our annual toy-drive shopping trip to Bi-Mart.

We filled my car to the roof with skateboards, balls, baby dolls, nail kits and puzzles:
Barely had room for Mom:
We delivered the toys to Medical Teams International for distribution to local agencies:
The party, lunch and shopping were great ways to kick off our holiday break :)

Wood Christmas gathering

2011-12-29T09:53:00.000-08:00

Not to be outdone by the McKees, the Wood family also took a turn at Christmas self portraits.

We gathered on Christmas Eve day at Friendsview in Newberg. Unfortunately, Brad's grandma was under the weather and stayed in bed while we partied in the other room.

I love how scared Brad looks in this one. He's a good sport :)
Brad's sis, Jill in from NYC (this one's for you, Allison!)
Steve:
Donna:
Steve's cousin, Mike:
Mike's wife, AJ:
Mike's sis, Debbie:
The Wood fam:The whole Wood/Goins gang, minus Grandma Barb:
Don't we look festive?? :)

McKee family Christmas

2011-12-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

The McKee side of the family got together Friday night to celebrate Christmas. Cousin Amy and her husband, Kenny, invited us all to their beautiful new home in Tualatin.

We first enjoyed a traditional holiday meal with all the trimmings. Thanks to everyone who brought something for the potluck! I think the stuffing and rolls were my favorite (seconds, please!)
Then we settled in for some gift exchanging. But before we could get started, we waited a bit for Grandpa to fill out some Christmas checks. No problem :)

To keep us entertained, I introduced the whole family to my favorite game: self portraits! We passed the camera around and got everyone except Grandpa and Uncle John, as they were busy in the other room. (and Uncle Don and Aunt Cynthia who stayed home in Arizona this year)
Our host, Kenny:Cousins Charis, Kris and Aiden:
Aunt Pat:
Grandma:
My very talented dad:
Cousin Meghan:
Cousins Mike and Jon and Uncle Dave:
Cousin Peter:
Cousin Ryan:
Cousin Mike, again...
Aunt Nancy:
Our hostess, Amy:
Cousin Kristin:
Sis Eryn:
Ol' Shaky Hands Dad, again...
Paige:
Mom:
Cousins Reilly and Santa Andrew :
And all the McKee women:
Thanks to everyone for playing along, and for the generous and fun gifts! :)

Rock 'n' Roll

2011-12-28T06:23:00.000-08:00

Brad and I just signed up for the inaugural Portland Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on May 20.

The registration price increases on 1/1/12, and there's currently a $10-off coupon code from Oregonlive. So we went for it!

I'm looking forward to this race, which should be lots of fun. PLUS... Eryn is "probably" going to sign up (it will be her first half!!). Can't wait!!! DO IT :)

Anyone else? Sign up now and save some $$$$

500... DONE!

2011-12-27T17:34:00.000-08:00

I DID IT!!!
I've officially run 500 miles in 2011. And most have been since February when I started my half-marathon training. (200, 100, 300, 400)

I set out this afternoon to run just a couple miles in the blustery weather. I've been fighting a bit of a head cold and didn't want to push it. So I kept my Garmin under my sleeve and just ran comfortably.
I got to my turnaround spot and felt great, so I kept going. And going. And going. I was in that happy place where I wasn't pushing, just comfortable, as I wound around the neighborhoods. 7.05 miles in 1:08 - a 9:38-minute-mile average.
Brad and DB helped me celebrate my achievement:
I never thought I'd run 500 miles in a year - that's just crazy.

And I ran 11 races, including two half marathons:

Give N' Gobble - 11/24/11
Race for the Cure - 9/18/11
Disneyland Half - 9/4/11 - PR!!
Lacamas Lake Half - 7/24/11 - PR!!
Twilight Run - 6/25/11
Mud Run Portland - 6/18/11
Starlight Run - 6/4/11
Hippie Chick Quarter - 5/8/11
GOTR 5K - 4/28/11
Tilikum 10K - 4/9/11 - PR!!
Heart Breaker - 2/20/11 - PR!!

I'm really looking forward to 2012 and the fun running challenges ahead! WOOHOO :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T03:08:00.000-08:00

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

Luke 2:1-20 The Message

Junk miles with Santa

2011-12-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

In the distance-running world, you hear a lot about junk miles, defined as short, easy runs that serve no purpose in your training. Not worth the trouble. But there's also a lot of debate, with many people finding value in all runs - short, long, hard and easy.I ran some junk miles today: 3 miles at a moderate pace. The only real purpose was to get closer to my 500-mile goal (just 6.88 to go!!!!!!)... and to wear my Santa socks and hat in public :)
But I believe that any run is worth doing - even a couple miles. Just getting out, fresh air, sunlight, blood flowing, lungs working.
I'm glad I got out and did it.

Now it's time to get ready for a celebration with Brad's family and then three candlelight Christmas Eve services at church. Come see my handbell choir!!

:)

Santa Tracker!!!

2011-12-24T06:31:00.000-08:00

Click HERE for the NORAD Santa Tracker and follow the big guy as he makes his way around the globe!

:)

Track Thursday: plus a hike

2011-12-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Since I'm off for Winter Break, Track Thursday came in the morning... while it was very sunny but very cold - below freezing!
I went really fast (for me) and stuck with 800s instead of the 1600s I've been running. Here's the breakdown:

400m warm-up

400m: 7:42 pace
400m: 7:34

200m recovery

400m: 7:29
400m: 7:44

200m recovery

400m: 7:54
400m: 7:44

200m recovery

400m: 7:44
400m: 7:45

cool down
All told, I did 3.35 miles in 33:45, a 10:04 average. And the best part, I've completed 490.04 miles --- just 9.96 to go!!! :)
I took pictures of myself while Brad finished his speed workout (he's officially on Christmas vacation, too!):
Then we made a quick change and drove to The Gorge for a quick hike at Angel's Rest.

The trail was really busy - I guess we weren't the only ones taking advantage of the dry weather and the day off.

It was CRAZY windy at the top. Brad estimated 50 mph. Several times, we had to stop and brace ourselves to keep from getting knocked over - like right here:
It was really fun!!! But I'm feeling it in my butt a bit today - haven't done steep hills in a while.

Then we raced home to clean up and meet Brad's family for dinner. Jill's visiting from NYC!
Tonight... McKee family Christmas at Cousin Amy's house. Let the holiday marathon begin :)

Celebrating (CE)2 style

2011-12-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

We know how to party at (CE)2!

Our last week before Winter Break was filled with festive fun, including a little alt-ed staff lunch Monday.

Sue and Andy brought in raclette, a Swiss cheese melted and served over bread and other goodies. Sue inherited a raclette grill, which she has shared with us a couple times now!
And Gail brought a yummy pumpkin dessert to share. YUMMO!

On Tuesday, several students celebrated National Hot Cocoa Day with giant mugs of liquid chocolate. We indulged while making holiday cards for family and friends.
The card making went on for three afternoons - lots of creative fun!
Meantime, I was busy each day baking in the kitchen with different students. We created peppermint bark, brownies, green rice krispie treats, German chocolate bars and fudge. Click HERE for the recipes.

Then on Friday, everyone returned early from internships, and we celebrated with a pizza party. And we finally got to sample all the goodies we'd baked all week!
Andy briefly sported his ugly sweater:
And even Santa stopped by for a visit!
It was a great way to wrap up the year and kick off Winter Break :)

No-TV Tuesday: phenomenal concert

2011-12-21T10:47:00.000-08:00

When I saw the advertisement for a free Christmas concert at NFC, I penciled it in on the calendar - in case I had nothing better to do that night. Well... I'm so happy that I ended up going with Mom!

NFC was packed last night for Acoustic Christmas with Wendy Goodwin & Friends. I was expecting a pleasant, festive evening... I had no idea that it was "real" music. Seriously... I would have paid real money to see this concert - like at the Schnitz!
I dare say it was phenomenal. Truly.

The group is playing three more times this week - in Portland and in Tigard. If you are looking for a good evening, GO TO THIS CONCERT. It's free and a very good time. (the music is kinda jazzy, bluegrassy, Irishy)

Wed. 12/21 7:30 p.m.
Cloud Seven Cafe
NW 10th & Jamison (on Jamison Square Park)
Pearl District, Portland
(503)336-1335

Thurs. 12/22 7:30 p.m.
Taborspace
5441 SE Belmont
Portland, OR
(503)238-3904

Fri. 12/23 7 p.m.
The Foundry Community Tigard Grange
13770 SW Pacific Highway
Tigard, OR

:)

Hot pants

2011-12-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

Scored some new running tights last week at Marshalls for just $10! I tried them out to run a couple miles this afternoon. I like the way they are thicker and a bit snugger than my other pairs. Like a hug for my legs and butt.
But that thicker fabric turned out to be way too hot for the temp outside. I almost stopped to pull them up above my knees. That would have been cute.

Fortunately, I just did 3 miles, so I handled the discomfort. And those 3 miles mean I have just 13.31 miles to go for 2011! WOOHOO!

I didn't set out to run fast, but I almost broke a 9-minute mile for a 5K. I wish I would have realized how close I was... I would have gone a little longer and pushed it.
A very festive DB (Door Bear) was waiting for me when I got home:
I love that guy!

And now I'm icing my trick knee while sipping my recovery hot chocolate milk from this awesome new mug... a gift from my friends the Goodfellows. Do they know me or what?? Thanks, friends!
:)

No. 37

2011-12-20T12:33:00.000-08:00

First book of Christmas break done!
"K" is for Killer. WOOHOO!

:)

Santa's on his way!

2011-12-20T08:29:00.001-08:00

Christmas Countdown designed by Christmas Gifts.org

You're invited!

2011-12-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

Please join us Christmas Eve at Newberg Friends for a wonderful candlelight service filled with music - including our handbell choir ("starring" me, my mom and my sis -- and THS student Phil!) We have three services to help fit your schedule: 5, 6:30 and 8 p.m.

Click HERE for directions.

-Liz :)

A grand adventure

2011-12-18T16:44:00.001-08:00

We had a grand adventure this morning with Dad. Unfortunately, I can't share pictures or the story... too close to Ho Ho Ho time!

But a good time was had by all :)

Speed Saturday: changing it up

2011-12-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

Track Thursday was postponed this week for a run on Peacock Lane... today was Speed Saturday instead!
The sun was out so I put on my shades and ran to Twality Middle School. (The Tigard High track is taken over by soccer players and parents on the weekends)

I planned to do my normal 1600m repeats but ended up running a lot faster than I could maintain for 1 mile at a time. I decided to do 800m repeats instead.

Here are my average speeds for each 800:

8:02
8:11

200m recovery

8:02
8:00

200m recovery

7:59
7:55

200m recovery

7:50
7:50

Then I ran home with a little winding through the neighborhoods. I ended up doing 5.51 miles in 54:31, a 9:54-minute mile average overall.
What a beautiful day for a run!

AND... I've now run 483.69 miles... just 16.31 miles to go to reach my goal!!! :)

Baking with my holiday helpers

2011-12-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

We had a (CE)2 pop-and-pizza party Friday afternoon to kick off Winter Break. Instead of buying desserts, I spent all week baking... with my students! It was so much fun :)

On Monday, Andres and I made peppermint bark:

(recipe from Kraft)
6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
6 squares white baking chocolate
1 cup crushed peppermint candies/candy canes

Microwave to chocolate in separate bowls until melted, stirring halfway. Stir 1/2 cup of peppermint candies into each bowl. Alternately spoon melted chocolates onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Swirl chocolates together with a knife to marbleize.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces and eat!

Tuesday, Cherese and I made fudge:
(the recipe from the marshmallow creme jar)

3 c sugar

3/4 c butter

2/3 c evaporated milk

1-1/2 pkg. (12 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

1 jar Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme

1 c chopped walnuts (we skipped the nuts)

1 t vanilla

Line a 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Add nuts and vanilla; mix well.

Pour into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting into squares.

Wednesday, I made eggnog muffins:

Thursday, Gloria and I made brownies and German Chocolate Bars:
Brownies from Jiffy Mix - my favorite!

German Chocolate Bars:
2/3 c butter or margarine, softened

box German chocolate cake mix

c chocolate chips

can coconut pecan frosting

1/4

c milk

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray the bottom and sides of 13 x 9-inch pan.

2. In medium bowl, cut butter into cake mix until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Press half of the mixture (2 1/2 cups) into the bottom of pan.

3. Bake 10 minutes and then sprinkle chocolate chips over the baked layer. Drop the frosting by tablespoonfuls over chocolate chips. Stir milk into remaining cake mixture and drop by teaspoonfuls onto the frosting layer.

4. Bake 24 to 28 minutes or until the cake portion is slightly dry to touch. Cool completely and then refrigerate until firm. Store loosely covered.

Friday morning, Ian and I made green Rice Krispie Treats:
Ian was in charge of the food coloring and red sprinkles for the top!

(from the Rice Krispies box)

3 T butter
4 c mini marshmallows
6 c Rice Krispies
Green food coloring
Red sprinkles

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and food coloring and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add cereal and stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Top with red sprinkles. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

We had a really good time hanging out in the kitchen and learning new baking skills. And the desserts were all excellent - everyone was happy :)

Santa!

2011-12-16T13:16:00.000-08:00

Santa made a visit to our (CE)2 holiday party today :)

:)

Track Thursday: more festive

2011-12-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was supposed to be Track Thursday. But when we read about an organized run from Portland Running Co. through Peacock Lane (complete with cookies and cocoa), we knew we had to do that instead!

(Peacock Lane is a street in Southeast Portland that has been decorating for Christmas since 1929. It's very famous around these parts!)

Peacock Lane lights were turned on Thursday, and the first two days are reserved for pedestrians only. The run was supposed to be about 5 miles... with Christmas lights in the middle. WOOHOO!

Brad ended up with a migraine and stayed in bed trying not to die. But Eryn and I put on our Christmas socks and glow sticks and headed to Portland.
Unfortunately, my sister's a bit (a lot!) time impaired and showed up late. Then traffic on I-5 was horrendous. So we missed the run :(

We decided to do it by ourselves anyway, since we sorta knew where we were going. We ran a couple miles in the dark, light rain and found our way to Peacock Lane. Then we took our time checking out the lights. It was really fun!

We ran straight to the lights and back, logging just under 4 miles in about 45 minutes. It was slow going with stopping for cars and watching for curbs and uneven pavement.
We stopped by PRC on the way back and the treats were all gone. Boo.

So we went to Subway for dinner instead. And Eryn bought - since she made us miss the run!
I'm putting it on the calendar for next year - so fun!

:)

You don't have to tell me twice

2011-12-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

I love working in a school, especially on days like today.

It was officially "Cozy Dress-Up Day". That means Christmas PJs, right??
Sweet :)

Muffin Wednesday: Eggnog

2011-12-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

I made these amazing eggnog muffins last year and decided it would be the perfect treat for the Muffin Wednesday before winter break.

My in-laws gave me this sweet cupcake stand, which I've been saving just for today. YIPPEE!
2 1/4 c flour
1 c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c eggnog
1/2 c butter, melted
1 t vanilla
1/2 t rum extract

Nutmeg-Streusel Topping

1/3 c flour
1/3 c sugar
1/2 t ground nutmeg
2 T butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line muffin tins. (I used the matching plaid liners that came with my tree stand!)

2. In a small bowl, combine dry topping ingredients. Using a pastry blender (or your fingers), cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and nutmeg. Make a well in center and set aside.

4. In a third bowl, combine eggs, eggnog, melted butter, vanilla and rum extract. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Sprinkle with topping.

5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SO fun!
These were very easy and very tasty! Try them today for a holiday treat :)

No-TV Tuesday: weiner wraps

2011-12-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

My No-TV Tuesday wasn't too exciting today...

Made veggie-wiener wraps for dinner (Brad's request) and then passed out on the couch while reading.
I finally got up and did a few chores: ran some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, straightened up, prepped for work.

Then I did my shoulder PT and went to bed.

WOOHOO :)

Happy Things

2011-12-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

I woke with a smile today... I could feel the very cold air coming in the cracked window. I could smell my neighbor's fire. My flannel sheets felt like I was lying in marshmallows (in a good way!). I hope Heaven will be just like this!

I went to Winco before going to school to buy things for a week's worth of baking for home and school. Easy in and out at 7 a.m. - no crowds!

Got to school quicker than expected and have already made peppermint bark with Andres. Next up: special cheesy Christmas lunch with my CE2 coworkers. And I get to play Santa and give them each a little something fun. Can't wait!!

I hope you have some Happy Things in your day, too! :)

Running in pants

2011-12-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

Brrrr! It's been a cold weekend... running-in-pants cold.
Brad wanted to do some track work and I needed to put in 4-6 miles toward my goal of 500 miles for the year. So we ran together to the track at Twality Middle School and then I tooled around the neighborhoods while he did some speed work.

I met him back at the track about a half-hour later and we ran home together.
Do you love Brad's sweatshirt... left over from junior high. Classy.
I went a little faster than I'd planned but was feeling good. 5.52 miles in 52:35 minutes - a 9:31 average.Brad was stretching while I took that Garmin picture and thought I was taking pictures of his butt. I wasn't, but what a great idea!!
So now I've run 474.21 miles this year. Just 25.79 to go!!! :)

Fabulous Friday

2011-12-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

Back in September, I was on my way to jury duty when some guy rear ended me on the freeway. Trying to do the right thing (and not be in contempt!), I still drove to Hillsboro and then asked to be excused for the day. The jury lady was really understanding and said that I could defer until December. About a month later, I received another summons, this time to report on Dec. 9. OK. I put in for my absence and all that. Then on Friday, they didn't need me! So after being called four times, I still haven't actually sat on a jury.

Anyway... I decided to make the most of my day, including asking Kendra to join me for lunch at Fresh Grill in Beaverton. She had a cheeseburger and I tried the Gardenburger. And we split some yummy seasoned waffle fries! (she wouldn't let me take a pic of her...) Then I nearly finished my Christmas shopping and got the house all in order. It was such a nice, productive day!

Then in the evening, Brad and I went on a date night to Native Foods Cafe in Bridgeport Village. We'd tried the vegan restaurant last month when the first opened and really liked it. I wanted to return this weekend for their special, a turkey and stuffing sandwich with a side for just $9.95: Brad ordered the daily special, the Twister Wrap with sweet-potato fries: Both were excellent! We're really impressed with the food and prices. Try it!

Even though it was below freezing outside, Brad was craving more froyo. So we walked across the street to Peachwave for a treat: I think my favorite was the chocolate and the mint mixed together! The fog was really heavy as we made our way back to the car. The cold and the decorations made it very Christmasy :) This sight in the parking garage made us laugh: Then we got the shopping bug and drove to Marshalls to look for more presents: It was a very fabulous Friday! :)

So ugly

2011-12-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

Brad and I bundled up this morning to check out the quarterly REI used-gear sale (brrrr!). Instead of standing in line before the 9 a.m. opening, we arrived just a few minutes after the parking lot sale started.

Brad found me a sturdy rack for my commuter tank (bike) for just $9.83!
And then we found some shoes! All shoes were just $9.83, and we each ended up with three pair. Totally unnecessary but very fun :)

We always thought Vibram Five Fingers would be fun, but for around $100, we didn't want to try. But for $10 - sure! So ugly, but surprisingly comfy.
Brad found a pair of bicycling shoes and work shoes, too.

I was going minimalist... I spotted a pair of Merrells and Sauconys to kick around in. (Don't you think they go great with my Christmas socks and PJs??)
In all, the six pair of shoes retail for $524.83. We paid $58.98. AWESOME!

:)

No. 36

2011-12-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

Finished No. 36, Sue Grafton's "J" is for Judgement:
Pretty good story but probably not my favorite so far. On to "K" :)

Track Thursday: squinty

2011-12-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

The sun was shining bright when I went out for my Track Thursday workout this afternoon!
I stuck with the same plan I've been using from No Meat Athlete's "3 Track Workouts Guaranteed to Kick Your A$$": 3 x 1 mile with 200 m rest intervals

Last time I aimed for 8:35 miles and afterward decided I could push it. So this time I went for 8:25s.
For some reason, I've been really nervous about the 10-second jump. But I shouldn't have worried :)

I've felt a little "off" today. Many people around me have been sick, and I fear I may be getting it. I'm sort of low-energy and head-achy. BUT, I've almost reached 500 miles for the year, so I couldn't skip my workout.
I dragged myself to the track and started with a warm-up lap. Then I sped up and ended up running much faster than I planned. (And I timed each lap again instead of each mile so I could watch my pace a bit closer)

Mile 1 splits:
8:16
8:18
8:04
7:58

Mile 2 splits:
8:06
8:07
8:10
8:05

As I was pushing through mile 2, I promised myself I'd rest for a full lap instead of a half lap. So I did.

My final mile slowed a bit, and I was losing gas quickly. So I took a very short walk between lap 3 and lap 4 (less than 200 feet). Then I finished strong:

Mile 3 splits:
8:21
8:18
8:20
8:02
With warm up, cool down and recoveries, I ran 4.09 in 38:38. A 9:27 average overall.
That was a lot harder! But it felt good.

Now I'm pooped. Taking it easy this evening, hoping to avoid that cold bug :)

Can I do it?

2011-12-08T12:36:00.001-08:00

I realized a couple weeks ago that I was nearing 500 miles run in 2011 --------->

I can't be that close and not finish it off!

So I asked Brad to encourage me (and not let me slack!) so I can reach that milestone before the calendar turns to 1/1/12. Right now, I'm at 464.6.
Brad just looked at his own mileage and realized that he's close to 700! So I'm encouraging him not to slack, too!

Today is Track Thursday - and I have a plan/goal. But I'm also not feeling great. I'm going to go ahead and dress down after work and see how it goes. Maybe I'll feel good once I get out there. Maybe not.

But I do know that if I didn't have this 500-mile goal hanging over my head, I would throw in the towel for sure. So let's hear it for good outside motivation when the internal motivation is lax (as mine almost always is!)!!

:)

TMI?

2011-12-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

I try not to get too TMI here. I don't go into details of my sex life, my irritable bowel symptoms or my lady troubles. So this one's a little out of the ordinary. But bear with me.

If you don't have interest in lady parts and monthly cycles, feel free to stop reading now. But if you do, keep going. This is a potential life changer... or at least a routine changer.

Earlier this year, one of my very favorite bloggers (Caitlin of Healthy Tipping Point) posted "Green Your Period" - all about the environmental and health implications of tampons and other hygiene products. It's something I'd thought about before but didn't do anything about.

She explained and promoted the Diva Cup, which had previously caught my eye at REI.

(photo from HTP)

The environmental and health stats cited, along with the hundreds(!!) of positive comments and testimonials left by other readers, prompted me to bite the bullet and give it a try.

I figured all those other women saying things like "I’ve used diva for 8 years and there is NO turning back!!" can't be wrong. And I have to say, there's no going back for me either.

I won't go into all the details since Caitlin has already laid it out so well. But I thought that since her post had such an effect on me, I had to share with my lady friends :)

Click HERE to read Caitlin's post for yourself :)

Muffin Wednesday: Breakfast Special Banana Chip

2011-12-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

Flipping through the book, trying to decide what to make this week. Settled on "Breakfast Special Banana Chip Muffins" when I realized I could use up some leftover ingredients. Yippee!
So I put on my faithful Mickey Mouse apron and got to work.
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c mashed bananas
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 c all-bran cereal (I used crushed bran flakes)
1/2 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease or line a muffin tin.

1. In a bowl, combine sugar, oil, bananas, egg, vanilla an cereal. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. In another bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the bran mixture, stirring just until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. (mine were done after 20 minutes)

~~~~~~~
I doubled the recipe and made 24 muffins. I was nervous after I tasted the batter and didn't like it. BUT... they turned out great!
Students and staff enjoyed the treat, helping themselves to seconds. Cherese gave me a big thumbs up :)

Happy Wednesday!

Forgotten photos: Mount Stuart (7/29/11)

2011-12-06T06:25:00.000-08:00

The week after Brad climbed Mount Rainier, he and Tim set out to tackle Mount Stuart in the Washington Cascades. In July, Brad and I climbed nearby Colchuck Peak, with a gorgeous view of Stuart from the summit.

Here are some pics from their adventure:
Nice camping spot!
Rainier:
Tim on the summit! Notice the fading sunlight...
Summit register:
Without sunlight, the guys couldn't find their way down. So they bivyed...
It was a long, cold night.
After sunrise, they found the right path and made it down.

Definitely an adventure!
:)

A good run

2011-12-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

I was having a hard time motivating myself to run Sunday afternoon. But I woke from a short nap and saw the sun shining through my window... I knew I had to get up and do it!

Brad and I headed out together, my plan to do 4-6 slow, easy miles - maybe around a 10:00.
But I was feeling pretty strong, working but not dying. The weather was perfect... cold and clear.

We ended up doing 5.51 miles in 50:56 - a 9:14 average. WOOHOO!
That's much faster than I expected - and it felt great!
As often happens, the workout I was dreading turned out to feel awesome. So glad I dragged my butt outside and got it done!

:)

'Tree' lighting

2011-12-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

Wanting to get into the Christmas spirit, we thought we'd check out a tree-lighting ceremony Friday night. We attended Tigard's years back and it was kinda lame... so we decided to try Tualatin's.

It was in the mid-30s, so we bundled up and rode our bikes through Cook and Tualatin parks to the celebration on the "lake". It was foggy and pitch black in the park... we peddled very slowly.

Tualatin High's Crimsonnaires were singing in the tent when we arrived:
Waiting for the lights:
3... 2... 1...
Um... that's not a tree.

That's a pole.

Lame.
I was seriously disappointed. The bright spot (literally!) was the tiny RC Christmas ships zooming around the lake. It was really hard to get a picture in the dark, but this one is a tug boat and a barge with three lighted and animated panels. It was also playing holiday tunes!
That was cool!
You know what else was cool? I got to see Santa!!!!!
:)

Track Thursday: frosty start

2011-12-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

Early Thursday, long before my thoughts turned to my weekly track workout, I hopped on my bike for my short commute to THS. Everything was beautiful, covered in white frost.

This photo doesn't do it justice, but the sunrise was gorgeous!
Frosty beauty:
Thin sheets of ice filled the puddles:
Thankfully, the sun came out and it warmed significantly before I changed into workout clothes (capris this time!) and walked the 50 yards from my classroom to the track.
Other than Robert practicing soccer goal kicks on the infield, I had the whole place to myself.
I stuck with the same plan I've been using from No Meat Athlete's "3 Track Workouts Guaranteed to Kick Your A$$": 3 x 1 mile with 200 m rest intervals

I sped it up again, this time aiming for an 8:35 average for each mile. (Last time I aimed for 8:40)
In an attempt to keep my entire mile consistent (instead of just speeding up/slowing down at the end to meet my goal), I decided to track my pace on each lap instead of just every four laps.

Mile 1 splits:
8:37
8:30
8:35
8:30

Mile 2 splits:
8:29
8:32
8:27
8:29

Mile 3 splits:
8:23
8:32
8:33
8:21

Including my warmup, cool down and half-lap recovery between each mile, I completed 3.94 miles in 37:06 - a 9:26 average overall.
I'm happy with my splits - I kept it close to my goal pace and sped up at the end. And I think it shows that I can go faster!

It wasn't easy, but it also didn't kill me. I was ready to stop by the end -- but I didn't empty the tank.
Maybe I'll try for 8:25 next week and see what happens???

:)

Forgotten photos: Mount Rainier (7/23/11)

2011-12-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

Among our forgotten photos is Brad's Mount Rainier summit in July.

He climbed the 14,410-foot mountain via the Emmons Glacier with a team from the Chemetekans club. They took several days to hike in, summit and hike out. He snapped some great shots.

Camp Schurman ranger station:
Setting up camp above Camp Schurman:
Summit day:
The top!
Brad on the summit:
Back at camp:
Heading home:
For years, Brad hoped to have a chance to climb the massive mountain. He trained hard and had his shot at it... and he made it!! Awesome :)

Muffin Wednesday: Russian Tea Cakes

2011-11-30T11:11:00.000-08:00

OK, so these aren't muffins. But I was looking for a recipe yesterday and longing to make Christmas cookies. So here we are.

Clarke helped me whip up this recipe from BettyCrocker.com. I'd used it before, and it's quick and easy. On the plate in his right hand is a gigantic cookie he made for himself:

1 c butter, softened

1/2

c powdered sugar

t vanilla

2 1/4

c flour

3/4

c finely chopped nuts

1/4

t salt

Powdered sugar for rolling

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until the dough holds together.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls, placing about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from the cookie sheet and cool slightly on a wire rack. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar and cool completely on the rack. Roll again in powdered sugar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These went together quickly and easily, with very few ingredients. Everyone really liked them, so I guess it's a winner :)

No-TV Tuesday: snooze fest

2011-11-29T09:23:00.001-08:00

My No-TV Tuesday plan was to take these boxes of decorations and ready my house for Christmas.
Instead, I slept.

I took a nap after work and then made dinner. Then I laid down to read and fell asleep again. I woke up near bed time and decided to just finish my book:
Then I went back to sleep.

Brad was sick all weekend, and lots of my students and coworkers are fighting the crud. Maybe I am too - and it just hasn't hit yet. Hopefully all that sleep will keep it away.

My calendar is open tonight, so I'll tackle those decorations today :)

Forgotten photos: Starlight Run

2011-11-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

Way back in June, I was a running buddy for Girls on the Run. Brad took a ton of pictures during the Starlight Run, and I'm finally getting around to posting them - woohoo!Because it was my birthday weekend, I fueled for the 5K with offerings from Grilled Cheese Grill and Waffle Window... nice!

Last year, my friends dressed up and ran with me...
This year, I traded the hibiscus bra for a Girls on the Run shirt... matching with my buddy, Betsy:
We all met up on the Lincoln High School track.
Our team was from Harvey Scott Elementary School:
We all got blue hair!
Betsy brought me a gift...
a belt that she'd woven for me!
Gotta get the glow sticks ready...
My cousin, Kayla, ran the race with some girlfriends:
Aunt Kari:
Cousin Jessie was also on a Girls on the Run team:
Photographer Brad:
We're ready!
Harvey Scott team photo:
Getting excited - almost time to head to the starting line:
Here we go!
Running down 14th Avenue:
We walk/ran our way through the Starlight Parade route and ended right back at LHS:
We did it!!
Nice job, Betsy - you rocked it! :)
I wore my Garmin, just because I always do. Not bad for a run/walk combo with a second grader :)
Betsy is a great girl who needed a lot of love and attention. I hope GOTR - and the culminating Starlight Run - was a positive experience for her :)

Spin, spin, spin!

2011-11-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

Spin class at 3 p.m. ... the perfect way to end my workday :)
Now time to hit the shower, eat a veggie BLT and drive to bells to rehearse Christmas music :)