The Fray

My mom has been using the term all week. And every time she says it, I think of the music group from Denver (well, they are pretty big now, but they got their start there!). On my run this morning, I found great irony in this conversation:

"Ok, Jen, when you get back we can talk about our plan and what we need to get done before The Fray get here."

"Sounds good. I'll be back in about half an hour." Then 10 minutes into my Run, The Fray shuffled on to my playlist! It was great. I spent the next four minutes smiling, imaginaing my private concert on the river. It was AWESOME!

And all that imagination made 2 consecutive 10-minute miles possible this morning. That may not mean much to many, but it's pretty outstanding for me.

So, for the rest of the day, my ears will be hearing "how to save a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife!"

Busy day

Cleaning lady comes at 9, I started at 7:00. At 7:30 I undid what I had done because I didn't do it right. At 11:00 the cleaning lady will leave and we will apparently re-clean the house because they moved stuff and will leave things sitting around.

Then we will leave, have some lunch, go to the grocery store, put ice in the cooler, get ready for the fray, cook, probably clean again, then open the wine.

It's days like this that I wonder why I a.) paid bunches of money for this and b.) call it a vacation.

All that really matters is that I am with my family and am enjoying every minute of it.

Flight Status: Upgrade Pending

One of the perks, ok...maybe the only perk...of being a frequent traveler with United is that they automatically upgrade me when there are seats available. Up until a month ago, frequent fliers had to request the upgrade. And I think I got more with that process because the people with higher status didn't always request them.

So, I am on the waitlist for the upgrade...and Chris too. But here's my complaint. I can't check in online until some system or person or something decides I either do or don't get the upgrade. I know I don't have to check in right now. But I don't like being told I CAN'T check in now. Guess I'll just keep checking back.

And I will trade all upgrades for on time flights, no delays, no hassles, no problems, no cancellations, etc., etc., etc.

ET Phone Home

Ok, so the ET part may not be relevant, but the two things at the top of my mind right now are a new phone, and a new home...and going home (to MI for a week!).

Here's the skinny on the phone: The new iPhone 4 is out. Chris has one and LOVES it. Except the 3G is not consistently working which means no data. I use my phone primarily as a phone but when I travel (or play hooky from work) I NEED to have the data service be reliable. With my current iPhone, I have had little issue with data, but also have more dropped calls in a week than I had in the entire 5 years I was on the Verizon Wireless network. So, the dilemma is this: Is my phone a toy or is my phone a utility with which I communicate. Tough questions that I will deal with when I have fewer big fish to fry.

On to the bigger fish!

The home. A new home. We found one. Again. But this time no Radon and no inspection issues! HOORAY! I haven't posted anything on Facebook because I can't help but wonder if that's the jinx. Right now, the only potential issue is that the seller apparently owes more than our purchase price on the home. The listing agent says the seller is planning to bring cash to closing. But that makes me nervous. And of all the houses we have seen, and all the houses we have made an offer on (this makes 5), I love this one the most. Amazing kitchen, perfect living room, fabulous deck, nice yard, fantastic master suite, and office space aplenty! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, let this transaction happen!

Keeping fingers crossed!

Mich...

IGAN! We are half way though this week, which means half way to Michigan!! With our vacation on the near horizon, I am already mentally packing my suitcase! To run or not to run...that is my question. Maybe the more realistic question is "will I run?" Today was a bit discouraging in that I felt like my bones were going to shatter during my run. I was only about 5 minutes into the uphill battle before I turned around and came home having decided that maybe Yoga would be a better idea for today.

So, I am going to finish up my day a little early today and head down the hill to yoga. It's good exercise and much easier on my body. Weird that I say that and know that my muscles will probably be sore from it!

Again

I am so excited! I know it's been too long, but try and keep up. We have a great apartment on a golf course and we face west with unobstructed views of the Front Range and the 9th green. It's incredible. My new "thing," now that I have new shoes, is to walk up the hill and jog down it. And I use the word "hill" very loosely. It's a 5% grade for you mountain lovers...that means you have to downshift on the way down or you run the risk of burning up your brakes. This spring, it took me 20ish to get up the hill and 15 ish to get back down. It is exactly 1 mile each way. Needless to say, I will never be a marathon runner! This morning, sun shining, birds chirping and hot air balloons in the air, I made it up in 16 and down in 12. I am so excited about that. It's a real achievement for me.

My friend Lisa Z. asked me to run a leg of the Denver Rock-n-Roll Marathon Relay with her. It's in October and she said I could run the short leg, but it's still 4.1 miles. Should I do it? YIKES! What about my foot? Can I handle it? What am I afraid of? I think I can. I should try. I'll get back to you!

BBQ chicken with dirty red skins for dinner tonight! Should be yummy...if I can handle the heat of grilling outside and having the oven on for an hour!!!

Fresh start with new motivation...

I feel a little guilty for not keeping up with this blog. So much has happened since I last checked in that has eaten into my time. For starters, I got a job! YAY! I am living, breathing proof that my dad was right...you should NEVER burn a bridge. I have gone back to with with Marquis Software as a marketing analyst. So far so good. Two months down and I am still enjoying the work for the most part.

My inspiration for writing again came from a new mom. Amy K. had her baby about 3 weeks ago and is managing to blog. So why is it, exactly, that I can't keep up when I sit in front of a computer all day long? Ugh. Thanks, Amy K., for the kick in the pants!

Two weeks ago, my nutritionist, another Amy (I'll call her Amy R. today) suggested that I start a blog about my nutrition experience and the interesting recipes that I come up with. This is a challenge I would LOVE to live up to. So, maybe today will be my start (again).

This week I am in Plano, TX (just north of Dallas) for work and have realized that I am really good about getting up in the morning to get in my cardio, but I am also easily tempted to get ice cream at Spouts to wash down my nutritious all natural roasted chicken. For me, eating in is much more difficult than eating out.

I sometimes get hung up on "calories in and calories out." My diligence can quickly cross into obsession causing me to actually gain weight. I have to constantly remember that my only goal is overall health. Ideally, weight loss will be a byproduct of that, but if not, that's OK too. I am sure the guy on the elliptical next to me this morning must have thought I was crazy with all the talking to myself I was doing!

My goal of the rest of my time in Plano (when I am not with friends or at work) is to go through the 2009 Cooking Light Best Recipes magazine and reinvent them to fit into my life. Making quinoa instead of rice, new pastas, different oils...and maybe even a desert or two! I am, after all, a McFarlane by blood and we can't deprive our sweet tooth forever!