Wine and Love (7)

Remember Wine & Love? Nora used to host this, but she has since stopped doing it. However, she is getting married soon and so I though I would honor her by doing her old meme! Congrats Nora! I am sure as I write this she is running around like a chicken with her head cut off, trying to get all those last minute organizational things done!

In case you forgot, because it has been a while, this is where you recap what has been going on in your life that makes you whine/need a glass of wine vs what you love!

Wine: 

* Dogs, or perhaps I should say dog owners. I am not afraid of getting hit by a car, but I am worried that my running accident will involve a dog. People don't watch what their dogs are doing!

* Lack of sleep. It's my own fault. I have chosen to hang out with friends, read, or eat instead of sleeping. But sometimes it hits me hard in the middle of the day.

* People at work who talk about how busy they always are, but then I catch them doing Sudoku at their desk.

* The animal who is eating my zucchinis. Get your grubby paws (and teeth) off of my salad!! I can't figure out what it is..squirrel? Mouse?

nibble nibble

* Omaha Steaks. I bought my brother some as a Christmas gift last year, and now they keep calling me and sending me crap and emailing me. Go away! Stop calling me! Grrr. 

Love: 

* Evening runs! They have been cool and great and even though it's been dark much of the time, I am not hating it! 

* I went to a Giants game on Tuesday night. I was just sitting there minding my own business when 4 of my cousins and my Aunt and Uncle showed up unexpectedly. None of us knew that the other would be there! In a stadium of 45 thousand people, that's quite a coincidence!

* Chocolate Zucchini Muffins! The last time I made them, I added carrots too! Yum!

* Tomatoes! From the vine.

* Foggy mornings that burn off into sunny, crisp days.

* New running friends.

* My brother and his running. He puts his Garmin stats online, so I have been stalking him quietly. He is up to a 10k and is doing it in under an hour! I am so proud of him!

What's making you whine? What do you love? Have you ever unexpectedly bumped into a friend in a strange place?

Wine and Love (6)

It's time for this week's Wine and Love, hosted by Nora. This is where you list the things that are happening this week that are making you reach for the wine and all the things that you love!

WINE: 

- Not working. It sucks. I wouldn't mind it if I knew that I had a sure thing coming at some point, but not knowing the when or where is hard sometimes. I knew it would be like this going in, and I have money saved just for this reason, but still, when there is no "end" in sight, it is hard to plan the rest of my life.

- My running headphones are broken. I can only hear out of one ear bud. I guess it's time for new ones, but I swear, I go through about 2 pairs of them each year! It's getting to be an expensive habit!

- I haven't been reading. In March, so far, I have only read ONE book. I know it's my own fault; I am not making time for it, but I miss it. I need to fit it back into my schedule. I am pretty much on track for my 12 in 2012 reading challenge still, but I need to get in gear or I may fall behind!

- Gas Prices:

LOVE: 

- That I have more loves than wines.

- Today, I am on a plane headed to see one of my best friends! She and I plan on doing LOTS of catching up, eating, window shopping, walks and time spent together. I can't wait.

- This week my brother met up with me in the city and we went to the Fillmore to see the Kaiser Chiefs. I haven't been to a concert in a long time, but it reminded me how much I love going to see live music!

- Sunday I had a great chat on the phone with both of my parents. It's nice to catch up and to hear their voices. I miss them.

- I finally bought new running shoes! I wore them for the first time on Tuesday for a 6 mile run and they feel GREAT! I was waiting to get a good deal; I looked online and compared prices and then ended up going to Sports Authority because they were having a sale PLUS 20% off one item. I scored my shoes for $50! Hurray! I was hoping to spend less that $70, so this was a steal of a deal!

- The weather. Right now we are having perfect, 45-50 degree days. It is great running weather, the sky has been clear and on my runs I can see all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge! I love it.

- One of my goals was to do yoga one day a week. I am doing it, although only for about 15 or 20 minutes, but it feels great. I am trying to build it up, little by little and am looking forward to seeing where it takes me!

What's on your wine/love list this week? What earphones do you use? How much is gas where you live?

Wine and Love (5)

Happy Thursday and Welcome to March! You know the drill; today we talk about what makes us whine, or why we feel like we need a glass of wine, vs what we love! Thanks to Nora for hosting. Make sure to go over to her site and link up!

{Wine}

- Top Chef is over! I won't spoil anything but the one I wanted to win, won! I guess this is kind of a funny wine, since I didn't watch the season really during the season. But I just caught up with it on my friend's On Demand and now I am sad that there is not another season to watch. That's what happens with the On Demand. They hook you!

- I have been very unmotivated lately. It's like being unmotivated begets being unmotivated. The less I feel like doing, the less I do and then I just feel like doing even less. Why is that? When I am super busy, I get so many more things done, even though I have less time. When I have time to actually do all those "to-dos" I always wanted to try/do, I don't WANT to!

- I have also been very hungry lately. Oddly enough, I have been eating more, but the things have less calories. I have been eating a lot of fresh veggies and salads and things like that, but I must be eating 10 pounds of food a day! ps I checked on Answers.com to see what the average person eats and it's 4.7 lbs/day.

- The weather has been a lot cooler this week. I am not REALLY complaining, because it's snowing in Mr. Lovely's neck of the wood (and yours?) but still, I was LOVING the 70 degree days last week! 

- Running or lack thereof. So far, I've only run twice this week. Again, see wine #2. It has been very hard to get out the door and just do it. 

{Love}

- Remember the Pilgrimage? My goal was to write 400 words a day, starting the 8th of February and going (at least) through the end of the month. My average per day was 488! I am happy about this, but want to try to step it up a little more in March.

- The weather this week. Okay, so it's not as nice as last week, but it's still not winter! So that makes me happy. It's actually perfect for running.

- Spring Break! Mr. Lovely, who went back to school, has a break coming up and we are going to hopefully spend it lying on the beach, sipping cold drinks and watching all the drunk college kids make fools of themselves. I mean, why not?

- This weekend I go to see my parents and to run my #3 Half Marathon. It is in a beautiful place and I am looking forward to the location, the race, and visiting with family!

- Remember this friend of mine? The adult? Her and I are going to a Chinese New Year celebration. Yes, we know it's a little late, but her friend, who is Chinese, is too busy during the actual time, so she has a party a month later. She spends over a week prepping for it by cooking up various things. I can't wait to see what she made! And eat it!

- Yoga. I did a half an hour today. I also did a half an hour of weights. It was one of my goals for the year to try to do something besides running at least once a week. It felt great and I did it while watching Top Chef so it was easy! I don't know why it's so hard for me to make time for it!

Do you do yoga? How was your hump/leap day yesterday? How is the weather where you are?

Wine and Love (4)

I have not done one of these in a while! In case you forgot, or you haven't done this before, here is the scoop. You list what things this week are making you reach for the wine and what things you are loving! Easy, right? You can go over to Nora's site for a linkup!

Things that are making me reach for the wine this week:

- People who walk three abreast on the bike trail and don't even consider moving when you try to pass by them, turning sideways and trying to be as skinny as possible.

- Drivers who drive 55 in the fast lane. In their Prius. So they can get optimal gas mileage for their car. I am all for you getting good gas mileage, but do it in the right hand lane please.

- The unknown. The fear caused by it. This may actually warrant a martini. Or a shot of whiskey.

- Pet hair. I went to visit my brother and now I look like a walking lint brush advertisement.

- That BMW driver on the freeway. Why is it that they are always jerks? 

Things that I am loving this week:

- Visiting my brother and his girlfriend. We had a great time hanging out, cooking, eating and catching up on Kitchen Nightmares.

- Spending quality time with K & A. Every time I go and see them, that little girl is bigger and bigger! I feel like time is flying by when I see her!

- Running in a new place each day! I like to map out different runs depending on where I am staying, so I ran in 4 different places this week! It keeps it from getting boring, even if it does take a bit more time to plan.

- Going grocery shopping. Yes, I love it. It makes me happy to buy food, prepare dishes and eat them! When I am having a bad day, cooking is my stress release.

- Being in the Bay Area. Near my friends and family and Trader Joes.

- Spring. Or whatever this is. It was 70 degrees today.

Overall, this has been a great week! I have more plans to see friends this weekend so it's shaping up to be another great week again!


How was your week? What made you want a glass of wine? What do you love about your week?

Wine & Love (3)

I decided to do Nora's Wine and Love today, since Thursdays are now dedicated to 12 Weeks to Better Photos posts! And I like Nora's Wine and Love, so I thought I would do it today and link up with her when she posts later in the week. I hope she doesn't mind! You know how this works, you list what made you whine, or makes you need to have a glass of wine (or is just plain bad) this week and what you love this week! You can link up with Nora on Thursdays!

WINE:

- They are trying to get our work wrapped up soon. This may mean that in the next month, I will be (a) jobless or (b) moving somewhere else. Which is not always bad, but it makes it REALLY hard to make plans with other people, you know the ones who have a "normal" life and a "normal" job. (also see: love list)

- I slacked on my workout schedule last week. I was tired, and I went to visit a friend and it was a short week at work so I just put it to the bottom of the to do list.

- Because of this, I ran a very slow pace on my run on Sunday. I just wasn't as motivated / energetic / into it as I am sometimes. Which is strange, because my run on Thursday night was really good. Running is weird.

- This week at work is really busy!

- I still don't feel ready for the half marathon on Sunday.

LOVE:

- As I said above, I may be moving. This could be good. Right now I am two hours from any airport, which means that I am at least 6 - 8 hours away from my friends and family. Soooo, if we move, I may be (a) closer to an airport or (b) closer overall (driving distance) to some of my friends and family. Which would be awesome.

- I got to see a good friend last weekend. Girl time was much needed and much enjoyed. Isn't it nice to be around someone that just knows YOU? It is.

- I am going to also see my Dad this weekend! I am excited about that. He is going to come to cheer me on for the Half Marathon on Sunday. It is also the District Fair that day, and although he may not go on the zipper with me (my favorite ride!) he will hold my purse while I spin around madly!

- I found this great deal online for a 8 x 11 photo book (10 dollars for a 35 dollar value!) I think there are a couple more days to buy it if you want it!

- The weather! Love, love, love! I hope it stays this way for a while and doesn't descend right into winter.

- Yes, work is busy, but it means I am feeling productive!

- The next few weeks should be crazy busy, what with busy work, busy weekends and trying to fit in training and fun, it will zoom by!

- I went to the thrift store and bought a bunch of great books for 50 cents each! I am excited to read them....whenever I find the time!! (see above comment, category: fun) I may also need a new suitcase just for my books! It's a disease, this book buying business, but it sure makes me happy!

Notice many of my wines are also loves? I guess there IS a silver lining to every cloud! 

Do you have anything exciting or stressful going on this week? 
Make sure you go to Nora's page to link up!

Wine & Love (2)

Wine and Love, brought to you by Nora, is a list of things that make you want to reach for a bottle of wine vs. things you love for the week!

WINE:

- The same project as last week's meeting. The drama continues. There are a lot of high profile people involved. Actually, there are simply a lot of PEOPLE involved. There seems to be a lot of miscommunication due to too many cooks in the kitchen.

- Bugs. I went running last night and got several in my eyes and mouth. I spent half of my run fighting them, wiping them and spitting them.

- More bugs. I was warned of chiggers, but thought I had escaped them. Until I keep finding random really itchy bites in my pants line and sock line, which is where I was warned I would find them. Itchy bugs are the worst!

- The heat. Still. It is not quite as bad, but it is still hard to get motivated to do anything.

LOVE:

- The weather last Sunday. It rained and it was cool enough to take a very happy run.

- That run was good too. I ran roughly a 9 minute mile for three miles. I AM finally getting stronger!

- Peaches. They are fresh right now and you can buy them on the side of the road. Yummy!

- This weekend. I am looking forward to relaxing, taking some photos and working on a few projects I have in the works. Hopefully I can catch up on some personal things!

- Work has been busy. It goes by fast and I am feeling productive. Except for number one in the wine category, things are going well. Most of the people I am working with are great!

What about you? What have you loved or not loved (needed a glass of wine for) this week?

Wine & Love (1)

Well this week I am in need of some wine, so I decided to participate in Nora's Wine & Love series. What it entails is listing things that make you want to drink a glass of wine (bad) and things you love (good) for the week. So, without further ado:

WINE:

~ I have a big meeting today with some important people. It is going to be a touch one. The subject has gotten out of hand and now a bunch of extra people are involved. I may have to have a glass of wine BEFORE this meeting. I am kidding of course.

~ Long work days. They have been quite busy, so have gone by fast, but I am so tired by the end of the day. It is hard to get up any motivation to do anything afterward.

~ This heat! Today's heat index is 107. My big meeting is outside. Also, I will be using the treadmill again. Speaking of that....

~ Running inside. I would much rather be outside enjoying some scenery. And other people. Besides sweaty, looky-loo contractors. Because that is who is staying at this hotel. They all stare at me when I run on the treadmill at the hotel. It is creepy.

~ Missing my friends. I only get one day off a week and I am thousands of miles from my loved ones. They are all doing fun summer things and I feel like I am missing out!

LOVE:

~ My job. I know, I just said it made me want some wine. However, yesterday I got to drive around town with a really nice guy who showed me some sites. I got to learn about where I am staying, some history about the area and the best place to have lunch (and ironically, wine). I like traveling around and learning new things about new places.

~ My 6 mile run on Monday. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. I am glad of that, becuase I am working up to 10 miles and this gives me hope that it will not be completely crappy. However, I also need to work on my pace. SEEEEE-lowww!

~ Jamaican Meat Patties. My coworker's daughter brought them from South Florida. If you have not ever had one, you should try it! They come in different kinds but this one was beef and it was delicious!

~ Seeing family friends on Sunday. We ate, we watched the Women's World Cup (grrrrrrr!) and we played in the pool. What fun! 

~ Going to see my friends and family in August -- I am still planning this, but am going to my little "neice's" 1st birthday party and will head up to see my folks at the same time!

If you want to join in too, go here!

What have been your "wine" and "loves" this week?