I'm lacking some motivation right now. What's it going to take to light a fire under my ass?

Fear. Of. Losing.

Check.

On a brighter note....not sure that the gal who teaches the Monday night belly dancing class at the gym appreciated my comment that a lot of these moves are very similar to the moves I learned in pole dancing class. She gave me a very odd look and it took her a minute to respond. I like doing that to people. It makes me chuckle on the inside.

I know that Rebecca who teaches on Wednesday will. She's cool and funky like that. :-)

Inside my head

There are days when I wish I could just say everything that is inside my head. I would probably be diagnosed with Tourette's if that were the case.

Maybe I'll just stick to talking to myself without moving my lips.

Lists of 8

I recently was sent an email asking to list 8 things....with predetermined lists of 8, so here goes.....



8 things I am looking forward to:

1. the nest

2. reading

3. staying at the Four Seasons in Vancouver

4. ordering a Kindle

5. going on a vacation

6. drinking wine this weekend (albeit in ENUMCLAW)

7. belly dancing class tonight

8. getting a good hug



8 things I did yesterday:

1. got a massage

2. watched my stove top grill combust

3. worked on a multi million dollar capital budget

4. took photos

5. read

6. shuffled paper on my desk

7. complex math

8. called my parents



8 things I wish I could do:
1. Run

2. Ski

3. Paint

4. a marathon

5. be independently wealthy so I could spend time volunteering and travelling

6. speak italian

7. build a house

8. build anything really....well anything that doesn't come out of an IKEA box



8 Shows I watch: (I don't watch much TV, but what I do watch is complete garbage)

1. Real Housewives of whatever city

2. Top Chef

3. Tori and Dean

4. What not to wear

5. Girls Next Door

6. The Little People

7. Run's House

8. America's next top model



8 favorite fruits:

1. Watermelon

2. Grapes

3. Strawberries

4. Raspberries

5. Honeydew

6. Pineapple

7. Blueberries

8. Mango



8 Places I'd Like to Travel

1. The Pyrenees....again

2. Austria

3. Greece

4. Northeastern US

5. Chile...again

6. Holland....again

7. Morocco

8. France...again



8. Places I've Lived

1. South San Francisco, CA

2. Sunnyvale, CA

3. Medford, OR

4. Ashland, OR

5. Orcas Island, WA

6. Mountlake Terrace, WA

7. Seattle, WA

8. Foster City, CA

Not the most riveting post, but hey, that's all I've got today.

I'm vowing to blog more this year. Because I know everyone out there (crickets, crickets) is dying to know what I'm doing, where I'm going and where I've been.

But not tonight.

I'm tired and I have to get up early to go to the gym. Another one of those vows....go to the gym in the morning and then I don't have to eat dinner at an ungodly hour when I should be in bed.

Which is where I'm headed in about 2.3 seconds.

G'NIGHT! (p.s. - I miss hearing that)

Project 365

Here's the link to my project 365 -

www.sheepdog365.blogspot.com


Check it out..

Wow, I haven't blogged in quite a while. Not that there's really been anything too terribly exciting going on - life I guess. I just heard about this neat project and I think I'm going to give it a try. I'm not into Flickr, nor do I want to be, so I'll either be posting the pics on my picasa site or on here - not too sure yet. It's called Project 366 - take a photo a day for a year and post it. Sounds easy, right? :-) We'll see. Here's the "rules". Wish me luck. Today begins day 1...it's also the last night of my learning how to pole dance class - so the picture may be interesting (no cameras in class, so it won't be THAT interesting)

About Project 366 2009
Rules in English.HERE THE RULES ARE DIFFERENT SO THAT EVERYONE GETS TO FINISH THE PROJECT.- You can post pictures of anything, anywhere, as long as you post one for each of the 366 days, counting from the first day you started. Which means the group is open to anyone who wants to face the challenge, regardless the actual date they joined the group. - The pictures don't have to be taken the day you post them, they just have to represent that day. But to keep the chronology of the 366 days, we need you to order/upload the pictures in order of the days they represent- You can put that number on the title or description, but it has to be according to this format: 1/366, 2/366, etc. - If you haven't met the group before January the first, you can start by another day, just start counting from that day.- Don't forget to tag each picture with project366.-

Half Marathon #2 COMPLETE!!!

Woo Hoo, Yipee, Yeee Haaaaaw! #2 half marathon completed! 2 years ago, I never would have never thought I would have completed 1, let alone 2....wow, what an accomplishment. I decided in September that the Seattle Half would be my next challenge - which only left me 2 months to train. Right, only two months to train...yikes. I never doubted my ability to finish, only my ability to finish with a better time than Vancouver. I also didn't know I wouldn't be alone this time. I had casually mentioned to the "group" that I was going to sign up, and casually said, hey, if anyone wants to join me, feel free. Well, someone took me up on it, and then I got scared. :-) Kelly said she'd join me - now, let me back up. Kelly Holliman - when you look up athletic in the dictionary, or wikipedia, etc. there is a picture of Kelly - 6 foot superstar volleyball player and all around kick ass lady. She does it all - awesome skier, hiker, runner, biker (mt, not vrrm vrmm), and SUPER competitive. And then there's me - all 5 feet 3 inches of me....spunky, yes, athletic.....sure, ready to take on a challenge, on my terms. :-) I was going to get left in the dust - which was fine, but still a little nerve wracking.

Well, I was wrong about being left in the dust - we did great, Kelly ended up walking with me the whole time (except when I ditched her when she had a potty stop). It was so much harder than I expected. The terrain was much different and made for a much more painful experience. There were more hills than Vancouver and the course wasn't as inviting as Vancouver. My time was 20 minutes longer than Vancouver, so overall I did well and finished and got to do the race with a great girlfriend. That's what matters (even though I'm still a little bitter about the time) :-) Will I do this one again? Not sure, but now I know what to expect. The list for 2009 is the Mercer Island (maybe), the Hippie Chick in Oregon, Rock and Roll Seattle, Danskin Triathlon, and to round out the year - the Las Vegas or Seattle Half in the late fall. Quite ambitious.

Butterflies in the Tummy

Only a few days left until the triathlon. I'm scared, my shoulder is killing me and my back is tweaked from bike riding. What an awesome way to go into this race! It's going to be a very interesting experience, one I'll never forget, but hopefully one I'll want to repeat. (let me check this one off the list before I start making promises about next year)

If I only had photos from the different workouts I've done - it would be a collage of hysterically funny photos - running into a parked car with my bike (no damage to the car or bike, thank god - only a severly bruised ego), falling over at a yoga class while trying to hold a pose too long and having terrible balance, me wearing a swim cap, my trip to the lake to swim in open water for the first time.....I had to really reach into my suitcase of courage for that one.

Stay tuned for race highlights.

Arrival in Boston

Our first day in Boston was packed with excitement - touring the city most of the day while we waited to check into the apartment we rented at 189 Beacon Street. We started the morning at Dunkin Donuts to get some coffee (how local of us), then we meandered the streets of Back Bay taking photos (Geoff is VERY patient with my artsy photos....I believe his words were "HOW many reflection pictures do you NEED?! - I'm mildly obsessed with taking pics of things that are reflected in buildings, water, reflective things...mock me now, but when I make BIG BUCKS from selling those cool photos to buy you a Ferrari, who'll be mocking then!) heading over to the Charles to check out the water and Hatch Shell. From there we ventured into downtown and back to the Common for a little break before heading out to Jamaica Plain to visit the Samuel Adams Brewery.

I love it when you can learn something and drink beer at the same time. Mind you, it's not a glass of champagne, but beer is beer and beer is good. Especially Sam Adams, and especially when you get to sample several varieties. The other couple at our table was from the mid-west and the wife was an amateur brewer and it was fun to listen to her talk about the different things she uses in her brew. After a few hours of beer tasting, we were off to pick up our stuff and head to our "home".



After scrambling up 3 flights of narrow, steep stairs with our weighty (ok, MY) luggage, we took the opportunity for a little nap prior to our big evening event.....a game at FENWAY! We headed out the door with plenty of time to meander our way to the stadium, enjoying watching people flock to game. We found the perfect hats and t-shirts to fit in with the rest of the Red Sox Nation, and then enjoyed some sausages before heading into the park. Geoff was in nirvana - it was like watching a kid in the candy store - he was looking around, taking it all in, pondering deep baseball thoughts. I loved watching him (I enjoy baseball, he LOVES the history, the game, the players). We found our seats and just sat there watching the park buzz with the sound of exuberant Red Sox fans - and then the heckling began. It was glorious! My original concern was that after a red-eye flight, I might close my eyes briefly and accidentally fall asleep during the game.....that didn't even come close to happening. I loved the atmosphere of people who are so completely devoted to the team and the game, they will stop at nothing to berate the other team, and other fans if necessary to pledge their allegiance to the Red Sox. It was a great night and one I'll never forget.

The next day we were complete tourists and did the Duck Tour. Our driver, Captain Covert was hysterical and we had a great time touring the city. Once we hit the water, he asked if anyone wanted to drive the "boat" - after the kids all had a turn, both Geoff and I jumped up and had our chance to drive Frog Pond Lilly.

Over the next few days, we went to Quincy - birthplace of John Adams, wandered around Harvard and navigated the Freedom Trail (that took us 3 days, but well worth the extra side trips).

A great way to start the summer - a fun trip to Boston!

Chow-da and Be-ah

Geoff and I are off to Boston tonight - and I am so excited! The weather here is completely gross - it's snowing on Snoqualmie Pass, and it was so cold and windy last night I had to turn on the heater. I can't wait to get off the plane and not have to wear winter gear..... IN JUNE! I know I live in the Pacific Northwest, but for the love of God, I don't live in the tundra.

Anyway - on to the good stuff. We've got a great trip planned - Wednesday night we're watching the Red Sox take on the Orioles, Thursday we are touring the city on a "Duck" and walking the Freedom Trail, Friday we're heading down to Quincy (I was informed that it's pronounced Quin-sey - by Mr. Correct Pronunciation...I don't want to get flogged by Bostonians so I'll take that advice). We're also going to check out Harvard and the Samuel Adams Brewery....hopefully that will go on the list with Heineken as being one of the greatest museums ever! There's so many other great things to do, we're going to have a fun filled trip.

Completely switching gears

Memorial Day weekend....other people will be hanging out, having BBQ's, enjoying the sunshine.....me, on the other hand, will begin my serious training for the Danskin Triathlon that I signed up for a couple of months ago. I am good about going to the gym, I'm still walking a ton, but now there aren't any more excuses....I've got a half mile swim, 12 mile bike and 3 mile run to do one after another - no breaks in between. I also need to figure out this whole swimming in the lake thing - I'm not particularly fond of open water and I'm really not fond of swimming with hundreds of other people, in my space. Hopefully the regular lap swimmers at the gym will greet me with open arms and not scowling faces when I invade their territory at the pool this weekend.

All in all, I'm not too worried about the event. I know I'll finish. I know that there will be people who finish after I will. I know that I'm really strong and this will be just another challenge to check off the list. What I don't know is if I'll make it through without crying....out of pain, frustration or emotion. I guess I'll find out for sure on August 17th!

Rome - Day 3 - The Vatican

We had a great plan for the day - head to a few churches to see some more dead saints, tour the Villa Farnese and then meander toward the Vatican. Our first stop was a quaint little church that wasn't so little - the grand marble entrance and interior was fantastic. The Villa tour was equally great -with amazing paintings to sit and ponder. As we made our way closer to the Vatican, you could feel the energy change. More people, more tour guides with their ridiculous umbrellas and the temperature rising.

We grabbed lunch and ate it in line to see St. Peter's Basilica....not a long wait, only about a half hour. We made sure we were wearing church appropriate clothes as to not be stopped by the church clothes police at the entrance and made to wear a paper poncho. As we entered, my jaw dropped. Holy holy places! It was ENORMOUS! It was neat to see the floor markers where other churches compare in size. I was in awe of the sculptures and grandness of the entire place. Wow - that's really the only word I can come up with right now.....I'm sure I'll come back and re-write this one, but wow.....that's my word.

Next stop.....the Vatican Museum....yep.....standing in line.....with about 10,000 others.....waiting....to see.....the Sistine Chapel.....in line......all together.....in the hot sun......for 2 and a half hours.......

There may have been an "issue" with some of the tour groups that CUT IN FRONT OF US in line...but I've vowed to remain calm, and take deep breaths. It was just amazing to me - see all of the people in line, dump out your tour bus and just cut in line - it doesn't matter that people have been waiting forever. grrr. Ok, I'm done. For now. I really tried hard not to be the ugly american bitchy woman....I really did....and I really hope that Czechoslovakian guy that I was wearing as a cape didn't understand english. Anyway- we got in, we headed directly to the Chapel....and after about a 15 minute walk we entered......and we stood in amazement as we read through our book learning about all of the different panels. It was kind of like the Louvre - I'm really glad I went, but don't really need to go back. I'd rather be dropped in the grape fields of Tuscany, thank you.

Rome - Day 2 (Italian Labor Day)

The morning started with a lovely cappuccino and pastry while we sat outside a quaint little cafe, pondering our route for the day. It was nice knowing that the day would be pretty mellow since mostly everything was closed for the holiday.

Once I had my navigational bearings, we set off to see Tritone's fountain - a great Bernini piece. Walking along the busy streets of Rome, we had no idea what was in store for us. The first stop was nice, there were several people looking at the fountain, but we got to take some great photos.

Next, we headed to Trevi Fountain - it was about 3 blocks away I knew we were in trouble...the crowds started getting bigger and the tour guides umbrellas were popping up everywhere.....hold your breath, we're going in! Well, the closer we got to the fountain was probably 10 people back. Who knew that everyone else had the same idea we did....everything closed - go see the free stuff! We had to squeeze and push our way to get some pictures - sorry to any little old italians I may or may not have hip checked while trying to escape.
From there we ventured to the Spanish Steps.......I am not even going to write what came out of my mouth when we crossed the street to face the steps.....it was a lot of very colorful words. Uh...what steps!? They were full of people.From there we went up the steps (or it could have been people I stepped on, I'm not quite sure) to the Borghese Gardens - a great park for a picnic and some time to rest. Once in the park, Cory eyed some golf cart looking bicycles for rent....so of course we had to enquire. It was well worth the 5 euros each to cackle hysterically for the next hour. We tore through the park like maniacs....going down paths we shouldn't, and getting yelled at in Italian for doing so....good thing I can't understand Italian! It was quite the ride -

After that we made our way down to several piazzas to look at the great sculptures and street vendors. It was an exhausting day - there were so many crowds and we totalled about 8 miles of walking. Home for some rest....tomorrow the Vatican.

Here's a link to photos - enjoy the tour through Italy!

Italy 2008

Rome - Day 1

We arrived in Rome and to our great surprise, our "hotel" was 4 blocks away and we didn't have to pay to use the elevator. I use the word hotel loosely since our bathroom was as the smallest yet. I could sit on the commode, brush my teeth and shower all at the same time.....and then dry off with what Cory affectionately calls "prison towels". The twin beds are cracking me up.....it's basically two twin mattresses that are pushed together to make a double, or in our case, moved 3 inches apart and made into two twin beds. Lovely.

After dropping our stuff off, we ventured down the road to our first stop......The Roman Forum, The Colosseum and Palatine Hill. It was jaw dropping....the forum was filled with amazing columns and Roman ruins - the history was spectacular..my favorite tidbit was the house of the vestal virgins. They stoked the fires of the church across from their house with the pools in front where they would spend their days lounging in the sun between keeping the fires burning.

Off to Palatine Hill where we saw old "houses" of the roman people and the beautiful gardens that overlooks the forum.

We then set off to see the Colosseum, it was really breathtaking - the photos I post will not do it justice. Again, another jaw dropping site. If you listened hard enough, you could hear the roar of the roman crowds after a fight. Ok, maybe that was all the tour groups, but I'd like to think I could hear a little bit of ancient history.

After a packed afternoon, we found a good gelato store and sat down and took a little break before seeing the Maritime Prison (I'm not so sure it had anything to do with the sea) and the St. Peter's in Chains church.

Rome

We arrived in Rome and have a huge itinerary to cover in the next few days. Tomorrow is Labor Day and nothing will be open, so we'll be able to check out all the outdoor sights with little trouble.

Ciao for now, see everyone when we return home!!!

Naples

There should have been a sign welcoming us at the train station that said, Welcome to Naples, We're having a garbage strike! We arrived on Sunday evening where everything was pretty much closed, and garbage was everywhere. Thankfully the hot, humid weather isn't for another few months, so it wasn't stinky. Naples is crazy.....it's completely chaotic and a bit unnerving. We finally figured out how to get into our hotel, after about 10 minutes of minor freaking out that once we got into the compound, there were no signs to direct us to the floor with the "reception" area. All was well, thank goodness we had a phone. We wandered around the Spaccanapoli and finally had dinner at an interesting restaurant....the woman got mad at us for something and she wouldn't give us our bill....quite interesting and a far better story told in person.

The next day we took a hydrofoil to Capri - breathtaking views and a great cool breeze....we walked the tiny alleyways and then headed back to Naples.

On our last full day we decided to scrap going to Pompeii and instead we climbed up to the top of Mt. Vesuvius......it was worth it. The small van took us up to the "entrance" and then it was another 850 feet to the top. The views from the top were amazing, hopefully our pictures turn out. Salvatore was an excellent driver - apparently the driving style is one hand on the wheel, other hand on the horn....honking every 5 seconds to alert anyone coming the oppposite direction to stop.

From there we took a brief trip to Sorrento, with it's quiet streets. We walked around for a couple of hours and then headed back to Naples.

All in all, Naples is interesting - extremely chaotic, but worth a visit.

We are having a great time, although I for one am kind of tired of pasta and pizza.....can I get some sushi in Rome? hee hee.

Ciao!!!

Tuscan Wine Tour

I'm not sure I even have the words to describe how amazing our wine tour was. We started in the mini van up into the hills to visit a small castle village on top of a hill. The views were amazing and it was a brief but great spot to take photos. We then ventured on to the first winery- it was a small winery that Marco the winemaker and his wife, son, horse, sheep and dog produced great wines and olive oils. Several wines purchased, numerous photos taken and off we went to another castle on top of a hill. This one was really charming with little alleyways and covered walkways. We stopped for long enough to buy some local art....then on to the final winery. This was an organic farm that produced some wine, but mostly olive oil, essential oils, and cured meats. They had 80 hectares of fenced areas that they let wild boars roam to eat and get fat, then the husband and son would go and hunt them to make the yummy meats. We took many more photos in the grape fields and then back we went to Siena. A great day- we met some great people, Australians and Americans. Ciao Siena....off to Naples.

Italy!

We arrived in Pisa on Wednesday, after navigating the streets of Pisa, we finally found our hotel....after about an extra half mile of walking with our heavy packs.....we toured the Duomo, Babtistery, and checked out the leaning Tower, which looked surreal. It really does lean quite far! A day of good food - cappuccinos, gelato and yummy pasta.

Thursday we took the train to Lucca, a 25 minute ride. The streets there we even harder to navigate- the buildings are so close together and tall that you could not see where you were. We checked out the tall tower with the trees on top and took some great pictures. We rented bikes and rode around the ramparts of the city - we did not laugh as hard as last year, but it was still quite entertaining.

Friday we were off to Siena. We have toured all the major sights, the Duomo, St. Catherine's house, etc. We are heading out on our wine tour this afternoon after a stop at San Dominico to see St. Catherine's thumb.

We are doing great, enjoying the extremely nice weather - it's about 65-70 degrees and beautiful....although everyone else here is bundled up like it's still winter.

Ciao for now.....

Elena and Cory

The night before.....

Bags are packed and I'm ready to go.....wow, this sounds familiar from last year! Cory and I are off tomorrow morning for another great trip. Stay tuned for our fun adventures and I'm sure even funnier stories. Will we meet crazy Italians? Probably. Will we drink our weight in wine? Hopefully! Ooh, maybe we'll get to crush grapes.....maybe wishful thinking, but what a great story that would make! Well, Ciao for now, and keep checking back!