Back to the Gym

Or....why oh why did I ever let myself get so out of shape again!

So, just around the corner from my place, a new gym opened this morning, bright and early at 5:00 AM. I was there at 5:45. It's currently 6:25 - and yes, folks, I'm already home. I did get a little sweaty, I logged a mile and called it good. I could have moved over to a treadmill, but I just don't like them as much as the elliptical machines. And, my iPod was out of juice, and and and, I was wearing my old sneakers - which make my toes hurt after a while. Lots of excuses, I could come up with a ton more - but I won't. Because the truth is - I'm just happy to have gotten up and gotten moving on a chilly, windy Monday morning. And I know as I put more time in, that one mile will turn into 4, or more. I didn't get to where I am overnight, and I know it's unrealisitc to think that I can get back to where I was 4 years ago overnight too. So it's all good!

So my gym though, is pretty cool. It's rows and rows of bikes, ellipticals, and treadmills. It also has a half hour workout circiut (which I might try tomorrow morning), and a set of nautalis type weight lifting machines (you know, the ones with the weight stacks you put a pin in to adjust the weight you're actually lifting). My favorite part is that it's only ten bucks a month - with no contract.

Getting back to the gym coincides with getting back on the Weight Watchers wagon. This time (I think I've joined every year since moving to CO - so this would be attempt 3 in CO) I'm loving it, almost as much as I did in Grand Island. We're doing it at work - we have a leader who comes every week to the office and does a meeting in one of our conference rooms. I'm hopefully to be in new territory by my birthday in August.

What a week!

It's Monday....again.

Last Monday J & I were still on our little "fairy tale" vacation in Vail. It was amazing - great snow, a fabulous hotel with staff and amenities that I'll likely not experience again for a very, very, very long time and great company - what could be better. Seriously - there was even someone who's job it was to bring us our skis and snowboard to us at the gondola whenever we wanted to go ski/ride - and and and, he also took them back in for us when we were done. If we asked for the car from the valet, we were offered a ride to where ever we wanted to go...or use of the Volvo XC90 - which of course we had to give a whirl. If you're ever looking to be spoiled beyond belief - let me know - I know a place. (Must note: we were most lucky in that I had a gift certificate for a few nights (for any of our resorts/hotels) tucked away that I had earned at work, a couple of years ago that was due to expire and well, we lucked out that the hotel had space during the time we wanted to use it.) It's only been open a month, but they didn't miss a beat.

So work last week was rough...what going from doing nothing for yourself to doing all kinds of stuff for everyone. Oh well....have to pay the bills, right?

Then Norm and I spent most of the weekend snoozing, relaxing, pampered chefing at Tash's, oh, and we watched a football game last night. Well...I watched a football game last night. Norm had run his long and very un-basset hound legs off at the dog park yesterday afternoon, so he napped on the couch. (I woke him up a couple of times, poor guy.)

I've never really a big NFL fan, but it's growing on me, and I've definitely become a Cowboys fan by association this season. Anyway...the game was quite a thriller as anyone who watched/cares knows. It was nice to see the Patriots go down. Not because I really care all that much, but because their coach just seems to be so smarmy and ruthless, and lacking ethics. My friend over at Confessions of A Lutheran Husker has created a great picture, a spoof on the motivational posters often seen in offices.

And, now it's snowing, in town, where it's really not useful for anything. Well, except Norm will be all bright eyed when I take him out tonight when I get home...he loves fresh snow - of course, he doesn't have to drive in it :)

Friday Five - On Tuesday

A wintery fun Friday Five from the RevGals via my friend Lutheran Husker's blog...

1. What is the thermometer reading at your house this morning?
COLD!!!!! It was -9 when I got up this morning in Vail (have been up there on vacation). Pretty much once it gets below 25 or so, I just say it's cold. Really freaking chilly. And once we got back to Denver, I honestly can't say it was too much warmer - it's been so windy today. Woe the wind!

2. Snow—love it or hate it?
I love it - with one caviat - that it falls on the west side of Loveland Pass. I enjoy snowboarding and J is an avid skier (and that's an understatement). We can't do anything with it down here, it gets dirty and ugly way too fast in town. Up in the mountains though - I love it! Not always as it's falling (particularly when it's windy). But powder days means it hurts a lot less when I fall - and I do like that!

3. What is winter like where you are?
Well - being in Colorado...it's cold. But not that bone chilling damp cold. Just plain cold. And snowy now and then in town...lots of snow in the mountains - Vail has seen over 230 inches this season (saw it on the grooming report yesterday).

4. Do you like winter sports? Any good stories?
I snowboard and snowshoe. I enjoy them both. J & I usually head up the hill and ski/ride at least one day each weekend. J would love for me to give the skis another shot and it might happen yet this season, we'll see. I'm just feeling now, mid-way through season 4 of snowboarding that I have the mechanics down and just need to work on the stamina and be more confident - I'm still a little scared of wiping out. I also enjoy watching figure skating and love watching the X Games. Good stuff.

Now - on those previously mentioned freaking cold days - I'm good for about 2 runs down the easy hill and then you'll find me in the lodge - hot chocolate in hand. On the really cold days, the hot chocolate has amaretto & cinnamon schnapps in it too...also very good stuff!

5. What is your favorite season, and why?
So this feels like a cop-out, but I really don't have one. There's something about every season that I look forward to. Winter weekends in the mountains, the warm spring days watching everything turn green again, hiking, rafting and camping in the summer and the amazing colors that come with fall in Colorado. I really can't pick a favorite.

Bonus: Share a favorite winter pick-me-up. A recipe, an activity, or whatever.
Tubing at Keystone - this is sledding for grown ups at it's best! Four lanes, giant tubes, attendants that send you flying down hill. Then at the end, you jump off the tube, pull it over to the side, put it on the carpet, sit down and the covered surface lift takes you and your tube back to the top to do it again. So much fun!

What a day!

The day started way too early...out the door at 6:45am...and ended with 3 hours and 45 minutes in the car. But in between...a fabulous day at Beaver Creek. Neither of us had been there before. It was fun to explore a new place together since neither of us had been there before. The drive up was easy, no snow on the roads and nearly endless powder on the slopes. I think this was day 8 or 9 for me on the slopes this season and we think it was day 16 or 17 for J.

And the best part of the day...after three seasons...well, 2 and a half perhaps, it seems I have finally figured out how to ride on my heelside...and and and...I can switch back and forth now from heels to toes. And and and...I can go FAST. Well, relatively speaking anyway. And from the skier - J conqured a double black today too! Apparently bumps the size of Volkswagon Beetles.

Beaver Creek was nice, it's a gorgeous resort. I kid you not, there were a few snow flurries falling this morning as we rode the Centennial lift up, and they looked like glitter falling from the sky...the finest, shiniest pieces of silver glitter...and they shimmered on the ground too. We thought it looked like the most magical snow we've ever seen.

So then it was time to go home - with such great snow, we left much later than our usual 2pm on Sunday afternoon. I think we were finally getting the car out of the parking lot closer to 3:30. Oh, and we usually leave Keystone & Breckenridge by 2...Beaver Creek is a good jaunt further west. So we chuckled when the sign in Vail said 45 mintues to the tunnel, 2 hours 20 minutes to west Denver. These signs are really cool, they update contstantly I think there's about 4 or 5 of them between Vail and Denver. So we kind of laughed a little at the next sign when we had driven 20 minutes and the new sign said 2 hrs 15 min to Denver.

It was 7:15 when we finally pulled into the parking lot at my place. And we agreed - it was a fantastic day.

In between....again

Well, here we are...in between Christmas and New Year's. Thankfully we have a little less snow than we did at this time last year. I got to spend most of last week in Nebraska visiting family and catching up with friends. It was a great visit, and as usual, the time went by way too fast.

My departure from Nebraska was a little Amazing Race-ish. My flight out of Lincoln was cancelled. Mom had just dropped me off at the curb and headed home to Wilber. So I called her, she turned around to come and get me. By the time she got back, I was checked in on a flight scheduled to leave Omaha in an hour. Luckily, it was delayed, and instead of leaving on time at 7:15, it was going to be on the ground, they thought until at least 8:30. So we made a mad dash for Omaha...and made it. The flight was delayed a couple more times, but we eventually made it to Denver. Several more delays later...I finally crawled into bed about 2:30. It's good to be home.

Wow...December 21...ALREADY!???!!

How did this happen? I can't believe how fast life has been moving these days! Way too fast!
So it's been a busy December. The first part of the month was spent dreading packing...actually packing...and of course moving (thank goodness for moving companies). I'm happy to report that as of this morning, I have only 3 boxes remaining to unpack, and that the new place is absolutely fabulous!

So the dog has adjusted to the new place better than I thought he would in the week since we moved. That was probably my biggest worry. Also exciting is the fact that I can run home on my lunch hour and actually spend about a half hour with Norm walking and playing...which is great stress relief on a rough day.

And now, as usual, I'm looking forward to things to come...Christmas in Nebraska, lots more snowboarding and a trip with J to Vail in January. Good stuff!

Coffee Mug Meme

I saw this on my friend Mark's blog and well, doing this seems like more fun than packing at the moment, so here we go:

Mug Meme
Tell us about seven mugs in your cupboard. So mine won't all be in the cupboard, several are at the office and the rest are either in the cupboard or have arleady been wrapped with care and put in their box, waiting for the nice moving men to show up next week and relocate them.

I should also say that amazingly, working in an office with an automated Starbucks machine (press a button to steam milk, press another for one shot of espresso, the one below it for two) and a "milk fairy" (also known as the King Sooper delivery man) who delivers gallons and gallons of milk every week, a year in this office has done to me what 4 years of summer staff training, 4 years of college and six years as a youth director in a Lutheran congregation could not do...I've become a coffee drinker!

Here are mine:

1. The newest: it's an 18oz, white mug, dipped in red. It came from Crate and Barrel where I was supposed to be finishing up some Christmas shopping. It's huge, it always needs a double shot of espresso. It's big, because we used to have our work space adjacent to the lounge with the magic machine, and last month we moved downstairs. So I only make one cup a day, most days. This is good...but the new mug is great for making the most of that one cup!

2. a little white one with a green stripe around the middle...also from Crate and Barrel. I got it because it coordinates with our workstations, it's just a bit small, but works for plain coffee brewed just 7 feet from my desk - seriously, we're a bit spoiled.

3. my San Francisco mug. I love this one. It's bright yellow, with cartoon drawings of several of the major sights in SanFran. I love it even more because in my four days there last fall, I saw everything on the mug!

4. the good ones grandma got me...they're white, match the plates and everything else. They have a pink, green and grey flower pattern.

5. A big blue one with snowflakes all over, and the logo for the resort I work for...I was hired in November and at the meeting the morning after our holiday party, everyone who had been with the company since at least September got these really cool camelback bags from MountainSmith as a "returning employee gift". Not wanting to leave us out, our boss picked up the mugs for the four of us who had joined the team after the September deadline. It's mostly used as a home for my silverware in my cupboard at the office.

6. The Cuppies - I can't tell you how many I have right now. It's a lot, and there are probably 20 more at mom's house, including the coveted "Original TiPi Green", a Barney Purple and a Star Trek Silver and Gold pair. I can't believe they quit making those things! Seriously! Great memories from the camp that was a major part of my life from 4th grade until 4 years ago...and even now, still a part, just much farther away.

7. A big bright blue Dancing at the Crossroads mug - a thank you for being the synod coordinator for the 2003 National Youth Gathering. A great reminder of lots of good times - planning, helping others plan and just being there. Good stuff!