Back from Vacation!

Los Angeles and Las Vegas were absolutely wonderful! First, we flew into Vegas and stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel before beginning our 4-hour trek to LA. Loved the Hard Rock...even considered the whole tattoo thing (still considering it, husband leaning toward it as well). Car ride with a 2-year-old not so bad - thank goodness for the iTouch. Became a huge fan of Kimpton hotels. Stayed at the Kimpton Palomar near UCLA campus. Not only was it affordable (way less than a Chicago hotel), but it was wonderfully stocked with kid stuff and loaned us a fantastic stroller that Pablo Honey actually rode in! Just that small fact made the hotel amazing. Best of all, there was all you could drink organic coffee each morning - forget buffets, just give me a coffee bar and I'm golden. Checked out Beverly Hills - Kid A found out that Rodeo Drive was really not a big deal (especially compared to Vegas) and did some of the cheesy touristy kind of stuff. Checked out Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the star walk and Kodak Theatre. A little gem ended up being the Griffith Observatory. Got some great pics with the Hollywood sign in the background. Pictures will be posted within the next couple of days. Checked out the Farmer's Market on West 3rd and it no where near compared to our wonderful Westside Market on 25th.

Spent Easter Sunday in Santa Monica. I have to admit it was pretty cool looking over during communion and seeing Conan O'Brien. Breakfast at Jack-n-Jills did not disappoint. Greg had PBC pancakes which had Reece diced on top - Wow! Back to the hotel for nap time, while I attempted a 10-miler from our hotel to Santa Monica along Wilshire and around the pier and beach area. I'm a pretty well-traveled person, but I have never before been verbally abused by a homeless person like I was in Santa Monica. The guy called me a "fat ass, piece of sh*t, white trash." The only part that really offended me was the fat part! He certainly helped increase my speed that I was running - damn! We did, however, stumble across a neat little place to eat an early dinner. We originally tried to eat at Your Father's Office due to the great burger review we read. As the 2-year-old sprinted inside to scout out a seat, we quickly were informed "No one under 21." No worries, Greg found a back-up at the Library Ale House. I quickly became a fan of Bear Republic Racer 5 IPAs.

The best day of all was Monday - Meg and I were audience members on Ellen. I could not believe how amazing this would really be. We had front row seats and were literally 10 feet away from Ellen. She's just as great in person as on TV. Jenny McCarthy, Mary McCormick and Natasha Bedingfield were guests. I just can't say enough about how great of an experience this was. Meg and I were exhausted from all the clapping, whooping, yelling, standing, dancing and smiling. Meg said she smiled so much that her cheeks hurt. What a hard life! We topped the evening off with a trip to Pink's. I had the Rosie O'Donnell which had sauerkraut, onions, brown mustard and sauce. Meg had the Lord of the Rings which had onion rings and BBQ sauce drizzled on it. Greg went standard with sauce and onions. Wow - not the healthiest thing to eat...but Wow! That's when you know you're an adult - when you can eat a monster 10" hot dog and call it dinner.

Back in Vegas (after another quick stop to Del Taco), we celebrated Greg's birthday at Kerry Simon's place in the Palms hotel. Better than birthday cake, we had the "junk food platter" for dessert. It had (drum roll, please)...ho ho's, sno ball, cotton candy, cookies, rice crispie treats, fruity pebbles treat, brownies, and caramel corn (in a chinese take out box). They lit a candle in the ho ho for Greg to blow out. Food, drink, music, atmosphere...great place!

Although we did not come back winners from the Blackjack table, we still had another fantastic family vacation. Can't wait to plan another one!

CrossFit Cross Training Program: Week One

Two sessions down! CrossFit has been so tough but yet so wonderful! Day 1 was spent introducing us to equipment and the general layout of the CrossFit program. I've never done so many squats! We used the rowing machine, performed at least 50 squats (which is a lot for a first date!), did step ups and overhead presses. Then we were timed for how long we could stay in plank position. Day 2 consisted of more squats (of course...because who doesn't want to walk like John Wayne!) with an increased focus on arm strength. I can't wait till next week's class. I really want to improve my half marathon time and I'm confident this is the right program. Stay tuned for more information on CrossFit!

Another Wonderful Yoga Session

Today I attended a yoga session with Robert at Westside Yoga...for two hours, I worked on poses that help strengthen the spine and core. Absolutely exhausting but it left me with this incredible warmth. I was lucky enough to learn some valuable poses which should help improve my overall running by creating a stronger core and helping to reduce injury. Flying Pig look out - you might be my PR!

My New Guilty Pleasure

I'm hooked. I was referred to a new website which is most addicting! If you haven't checked it out yet, you must. Go to http://www.athlinks.com. You can search your name (or someone else's) and find out nearly every race, including triathlons, that you finished. Ahhh...I just love adding to my cool website list! Enjoy...I am :)

Interval Training is not for Sissies!

It hurts..can be devastating to look at your watch and see your splits...while at the same time feeling so worthwhile. I have never been a fan of interval training and, consequently, was never consistent (translation: did it one time, it hurt, I quit). That might explain my mediocre half marathon finish times. But this race training is different. I have made a date with myself (it's in my calendar!) and I'm not breaking my Tuesday "date" time. I can't wait to shed seconds from my 400s! I'll keep you posted...

25 Random Things About Me (Does this stuff ever stop surfacing?!)

So I've been tagged a few times for this and decided to give it a try. So here goes...hopefully there is something interesting in one of these numbers!

1. I love broccoli - always have, always will. I get excited in restaurants when it's the veggie of the day. My daughter calls me a "flexitarian" because I would eat broccoli before eating meat.
2. I am the oldest of 5 kids - three of us have red hair, my father has red hair.
3. I am a terrible rummy player, but that doesn't stop me from telling people I bring my "A game" when I challenge them.
4. I love puzzles and once came in first place in a puzzle competition. I found out recently that my family considers this an "embarassing fact" about me.
5. I keep a dictionary at my desk and try to learn a new word each day.
6. I love rap and hip hop music and my dream job used to be to work for Puff Daddy/P.Diddy/Sean John.
7. I am afraid of heights and even thought Alladin's Carpet at DisneyWorld was a bit risky!
8. I am a pisces and love to swim, but open water swimming freaked me out when I trained for a sprint triathlon.
9. Growing up, I wanted to be a lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Thank goodness that didn't work out!
10. I love cold weather vacations, yet I am lousy at cold weather sports (except snowshoeing).
11. My favorite vacation was a trip to Madrid and Seville Spain...amazing beauty of architechture, language and food.
12. I read trash magazines, but I like to think I read the "good/legitimate" ones - People and US Weekly lol
13. I like to see an author's picture before I read the book - fiction and nonfiction. I have to have a "connection" with the author first...an introduction, if you will.
14. I am rarely, if ever, on time. I can't explain this aspect of me. My husband considers this a serious genetic flaw (my father has the same problem, so it has to be genetic).
15. I own more running shoes than dress shoes.
16. I am still waiting for Thirtysomething to come out on DVD. I still follow Michael, Hope, Elliott, Nancy, and Ellen when they're in new shows.
17. I'm not a morning person and I hate being rushed in the mornings. This might explain #14...probably not.
18. I heart Lance Armstrong. I watch ALL the stages of the Tour de France (and TiVO each stage so I don't miss a single thing) and can hardly wait for 2009 Tour because LANCE WILL BE BACK!
19. I was at Stage 17 in 2006 - amazing experience and would do it again.
20. Halloween is my favorite holiday. While pregnant with Bridget, October represented by biggest weight gain month...might have been the overload of white chocolate reece's cups...yummy!
21. My dog is one of my running partners. He ALWAYS thinks I look wonderful in my running clothes...as long as I "accessorize" with his leash.
22. My oldest daughter and I are the original Gilmore Girls and we call my husband Luke.
23. I love yoga and consider this one of life's most wonderful, yet necessary, indulgence.
24. I can't walk past a Ms PacMan game without asking my husband for quarters...like a junkie trying to get a fix. He is my "enabler" since he always has (or will find for me) a miraculous stack of quarters.
25. I consider myself the luckiest girl...I have two wonderful daughters, a husband that not only loves me, but thinks I look good in my running clothes, and a dog that greets me each day as if I am a doggie size treat!

Disney Race Report - Part II

Disney's Happily Ever After Party at Hollywood Studios was a wonderful experience enjoyed by all four of us. We saw a great performance of Beauty and the Beast Live. Belle was my princess and was identified on my race bib. We also saw a live performance of The Little Mermaid. Greg and Megan got to ride the Aerosmith roller coaster without the lines. Meg and Bridget got to meet and pose with their favorite characters. Overall, it was a wonderful evening and one of the best family vacations yet!