Candy Monster

Halloween is my 2nd favorite Holiday! (besides Christmas, duh) People get silly, dress up, the decorations are beyond awesome, and we eat candy. I think I have had 10 mini candy bars today. Scrape me off the ceiling please. This is why I don't keep candy in my house. I love sweets, but my ass does not.

Alright chunky and your double chin, after tomorrow...you are cut off.

Happy Halloween everybody! Be safe, eat candy.

Meow.

Planning Ahead

I am a planner. Known fact.

Ask my husband. Ask my family. Ask my best friends.

I always have been. I like lists, I like whiteboards, I like notepads and love me a good sexy spreadsheet.

I put my menu for the week on a white board in my kitchen.

I track my running schedule and workouts on a color coded spreadsheet.

It's kind of like my inner nerd peeking out....but just a little.

So the point of this post is planning ahead...you see, I have the rest of my year etched out. Not to a "t". Not my meals, or my work schedules, or every daily task, but I have lots of weekends planned, races scheduled, parties and sporting events to attend.

And the Holidays....oh Lordy how I love the Holidays.

I asked Wade if I could put up my Halloween decorations last week. It didn't fly. He told me I was ridiculous however, I prefer spirited.

My reasoning? I like having things to look forward to. Vacations, great weekends ahead, dinners with friends, it makes me happy and gives me an extra boost in the mornings knowing fun things are just ahead.

A few things I am really looking forward to the next 2 months...

{September}

• The return of Fall. (Holiday decor, slightly cooler temp, Pumpkin Lattes from Starbucks)
• Wade's FIRST Triathlon! 
• Our house is being painted and new bedroom furniture.

{October}

• San Francisco (San Jose Rock 'n' Roll)
• Cactus ChaCha
• Pacing my buddy Trent at his 100 mile Ultra
• The birth of my best friends baby!!!!
• Halloween (decorations go up the 1st of October)

Are you planners? What are YOU looking forward to this Fall? 

The Great Birthday Week

This week is a favorite of mine. Four of my favorite people were all born within a week of each other. Two of them on the same day and year.

Lot's of birthday wishes, cake, celebratory drinks and little gifts to show my love.

Sara. One of my oldest and dearest friends. Lover of all things fashion and fabulous. Fellow candy lover. Secret holder. My Confidant. She has a love for life that brightens any room and she sees beauty in the small things. Future Mommy (10.31.12)

 Cynthia. My Mexico traveling companion. Soul sister. My logical thought processor. Sensitive and sweet, with a little German sass mixed in. Mother of my beautiful Goddaughter.

Gabe. Brother from Another Mother. Years of entertainment, laughter and true friendship. Shoulder to cry on. Drinking buddy. True. Honest. I can always be me around him. 

Jamie. My sister. My childhood. Who I admired for so many years...and still do. Horse lover. Polar opposite. Silly, smart and beautiful without knowing it.

Happiest of Birthdays, my Friends.

Hoppy Easter!

Today is the first year ever in my life that we are NOT celebrating with a ham dinner at my parents house....instead, we are taking them to a Dbacks game.

I'm embracing this change. Pretty pumped.

It's a Miracle

Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a long time...I mean, I have good days a lot, but this one was super rad. And yes, I'm bringing the word rad back. Eating sweets and decadent food with ZERO guilt kinda helped push it over the top in terms of awesomeness.

Super Rad Ways to Have a Super Rad Day:

1. Wake up feeling rested and good.
2. PRESENTS from my sweetheart.
3. Find a little heart sticker on your steering wheel.
4. Find cupcakes & chocolates on your desk at the office.
5. Have a very productive workday, cleaning and organizing of files included.
6. Grocery shop like it's nobodies biz.
7. Bake cupcakes.
8. Work more.
9. BEST THING EVER RIGHT HERE!!!
10. Make fancy dinner with husband.
11. Eat fancy dinner while drinking fancy wine with husband.
12. Eat cupcakes from #7

So in between baking cupcakes, working and making fancy dinner, I ran. Big surprise, right? Not really? OK, fine. I had this run planned into this specific time spot all day...and my body was ready for it. I know that sounds weird, but I really felt excited to run, like I needed it. My knee had felt totally normal since Sunday.

It was cold as balls last night, so I busted out my leggings and long sleeve t-shirt and off I went, without my husband who insisted that it was too cold and needed to light a fire and sit by it. God, what a wiener.

From the moment I started running I knew I was going to have an epic run. And I did. I mean, for me anyway.... but I really really needed that. Mentally and physically. I needed to move my legs fast and breath hard. And I did, with ZERO knee/IT/leg/whatever pain at all. I felt a small twinge around mile 5.5, but wasn't to concerned with it. Running the past 2 weeks over a 9:00/mile was hard on my ego.

I don't want to jinx myself, but I think my issue has been miraculously resolved. I feel good today. No soreness whatsoever. It's so crazy that one day I can feel like a damn sloth, heavy and slow and the next run, I feel like a goddamn gazelle.

Happy.

I walked in the front door with a shit eating grin on my face and when Wade said "how was your run babe?" I told him...It was fu&*$% amazing.

I showered and got my butt in the kitchen. And I ate a lot. And that was my rad day.

Love and Stuff

I'm not a mushy type of gal, but I do tell my husband I love him and appreciate every single day (well unless he's being a real turd)...but today is special because I get to eat candy, wear pink and not feel the slightest hint of guilt about any of it.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Oh La La L'Auberge

*Sigh*

Birthday Boys Birthday Trip...and the debut of my new camera!

We spent one lovely evening in Sedona this past weekend. We have both been wishing to stay at L'Auberge de Sedona for a few years after dining there about 3 years ago. Hands down, best hotel experience ever. Ever.

From the initial booking to the Valet Man showing us off on Sunday morning, (with bottled water waiting in our cup holders) every detail was flawless. Every hotel should be just like this.

We drove up Saturday morning and stopped at Oak Creek Brewery for some delicious brews and lunch.

And then headed over to check-in...I was pretty excited. I didn't lift a finger the entire time...they unloaded our car, brought our luggage to the Cottage, had the fireplace ready to go (just light the match), music cued up in the room. Scones and coffee were available in the morning and wine tasting with the chef in the evenings. They even brought us an umbrellla Saturday night to get to our dinner reservation and countless other small details that did not go unnoticed and were very much appreciated. The grounds were impeccable, the room was beautiful, the staff polite and charming. I was in awe the entire time. They ALL greeted us by name and even wished Wade a "Happy Birthday".

Courtesy of L'Auberge

And of course...these pooches were pampered as well. Dog beds, fancy water bowls and a customized box full of goodies awaited their arrival. (and a giant water bowl at their feet, hehe)

We took a walk with the pups down to the creek to let the dogs roam, check out the views and play around with the camera....

It was chilly and windy, but we still enjoyed every minute of our stay....we had cocktails in the lounge, dinner and breakfast in the AMAZING creekside restaurant and of course, no trip to Sedona is complete without a beautiful hike before wrapping up our trip. Red soles and doggie paws? Yes please!

 It will certainly not be our last trip back.

Birthday Boy

Excuse me, but we are VERY busy celebrating the birth of this boy....like all week...after all, he is VERY important.

NYE

I am officially old. Yup.

Initially we had planned to celebrate in Phoenix, with friends at a swanky bar....complete with a live band led by a friend of mine. I wanted to wear a sparkly dress, heels and dine out.

That all changed when the seed of snowboarding was planted in my head by my nature loving Hubby. Suddenly fresh snow, campfires and PJ's for NYE sounded a whole lot better.....and it was.

My dreams of being a Snow Bunny were brought to a screeching halt as soon as we arrived at the Mountain. It was a clusterf*ck of people, muddy parking lots, staff that didn't know anything, and yup...they ran out of boots at the rental shop. We were shuttled over to the other side of the Mountain where I received boots and the LAST snowboard and then shuttled back in time to catch the 2nd lesson of the day.

The lesson was a good attempt, the instructor (Ruben) was patient and sweet, but because of it being SO crowded, we didn't accomplish much more than starting and stopping every 5 feet to avoid a random body on the hill. I did however, accomplish falling 4,862,782 times and waking up sooooo sore the next day. Thank goodness (not really) I was a complete lazy ass and didn't exercise all weekend.

 We headed back to the cabin a little early to beat the crowds....cooked steaks, salad and bread.....I drank Champagne (OK, sparkling wine) and Wade had a few beers and we rang in 2012 with Ryan "Tiny" Seacrest. Annnnnnd I fell asleep at 12:05.

The rest of the weekend entailed dog walking, football watching, beer drinking, chili making, UNO playing goodness. 

It was low key, fun and perfect.

BUT....Lesson learned....don't try new things on Holiday Weekends!

Christmas - A Quick Version

I won't bore you with every detail of my Christmas Weekend, but I will give ya the highlights:

Christmas Eve
The Nutcracker with Wade....followed by a delish dinner at The Arrogant Butcher, yum.

Spending time with our good friends, and my Goddaughter.

Christmas Day
An ass kicking 35 mile bike ride with Wade....my longest ride yet. Quiet roads and clear skies. This was also under the tree for Wade from Moi, gotta keep him safe from all those crazy drivers! (sweet outfit)

Family Family Family. Food, booze, cookies, laughter and a few small gifts.(Mom took those photos, soooo I'll probably never see them - not sure if she has any idea how to get them from camera to the computer, heh)

Day After Christmas
Shopping, lunching, shopping. Duh.

Tuesday
Happy Hour with this girl, her "new" Fiance and lots of other friends...celebrating an engagement - so exciting!

Today, I will spend 2 hours at Landis Cyclery getting an expert bike fitting....little scared for the workout part of it, but excited to have my bike tweaked to fit me perfectly!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!

Christmas Hangover

OK so not really a hangover...but perhaps a food hangover and that super awesome feeling of eating WAY too much....cookies, fudge, ham, potatoes....and of course a few of these. Ugh.

 More to come.

T Minus 2

Yesterday was spent at The Biltmore, freelancing for MAC. I love being there. The customers have been wonderful and friendly this year, my girls are an absolute joy to be around. We laugh, talk and gossip, sing loudly and dance throughout the store...customers inside the store or not. Oh, and my love and obsession for makeup makes me giddy like a school girl when surrounded by tons of it!

However...I am happy to be far far away from the mall...I think the last 2 shopping days are when the crazies come out. People get panicked. Grumpy. Mean. Aggressive. No thanks.

My gifts are all wrapped and under the tree, our calendar is full of family and friends, a special date night and a long Christmas Day bike ride...today is all about cleaning, last minute grocery shopping, hitting the gym and starting out my Holiday weekend.

My blog might take a little neglect in the next few days while I stuff my face with food, drinks and dessert.

Hells yes.

Holiday Traditions

I was just dreaming about the insanely delicious (and fattening) casserole my Momma has made every Christmas morning since I can remember and it got me thinking about traditions.

This is my 7th Christmas with Wade...and we are slowly creating our own traditions. Newest one we are working on....Christmas Eve! We have always spent this eve alone, by choice. It was our time to spend exchanging gifts, being at home, drinking wine, cooking fancy dinners and going to the local Zoolights display at the Phoenix Zoo. This year we are mixing it up. My best friend moved back to AZ this year...in fact just 1.5 miles away and naturally, spending this important night with her, her husband and my adorable Goddaughter is a no brainer.

Can't resist THIS face!

What is your favorite Holiday tradition?

Wonderful Weekend

I had a WHOLE weekend off! It was amazzzzzing! I even told Wade last night how shocked I was that I received no phone calls and only a handful of manageable emails. Win for me.

Highlights:

1. Friday Night - NOTHING. After an entire week of events, I couldn't wait to get home and sit on my ass. Achieved.
2. Christmas Shopping. We had one more person to buy for and while at the mall, we picked a name off the Christmas Angel tree. 10 year Bernice is going to have a Merry Christmas...
3. Dinner out....a few delicious beers might have been enjoyed as well.
4. 2 lunch dates with my favorite person.
5. A morning of ARR's Desert Classic...and not feeling a bit bad about dropping out of the 30k. Awesome last minute decision...doing it relay style with my favorite running partner. It was pretty rough though, a ton of hills...a small race so most miles were spent alone, and of course, feeling the last bits of this awful cold. But I had SO much fun with this talented group of people I have been spending so much time with.

6. Homemade Zuppa Toscana soup, Sauvignon Blanc, a fire crackling...all while watching Shawshank Redemption.

Our family does VERY minimal gifts (only the kiddos on Wade's side and we draw a name on my side) which I love. As I grow older, I have realized that Christmas has nothing to do with malls, gifts, spending excessive amounts of money for one day of gifting.....when being an adult, I can buy things for myself that I need or want. Instead, we focus on food, drinks, and just being with each other. Another reason it's my favorite Holiday of the year.

Happy.Lucky.Blessed.

Holiday Cheer..Fueled By Booze

I'm already exhausted...and it's only December 17th! The last week has been very festive, full of friends and co-workers and of course, booze and food. We are both still battling these colds...and yesterday battling hangovers, I swear at 29, you would think I have learned my lesson at this point. Nope.

We had one Happy Hour, one Company Party (with a giant buffet style spread and bartender), drinks at a local Cowboy Bar, A Holiday Light Run (6 miles of amazing Christmas lights) followed by pizza and fellow runners, a delicious lunch with my dearest girlfriend and lots of laughs hugs and reasons to be grateful.

Today, to show my gratitude and appreciation for all we have, I will be stopping by the local mall to pick up a name or two off the Christmas Angel's program.

Cheers!

Tis The Season...

...to be sick!

I couldn't avoid the inevitable, the Husband passed along his germs to me and I've been laid up being a blob of lameness. All the hand washing, vitamin C popping, sanitizer spraying clearly didn't help me here... I really really hate being sick. I have a hard time just laying around feeling like crapola. I have things to do people!

Lookjn Sexy

Fortunately, we are up at the cabin, and the cold weather and lack of "typical life" has forced me to slow down and just be sick. I'll fill ya in on what my exciting weekend consisted of soon.

On another note...I'm thinking my 30k is out (not feeling it and have ran a total of 9 frickin miles this week), but that's OK. Maybe I'll bump down to the 5k and just go have fun and support my club.