Rally the Team!

So.. The National Women's Law Center has set the challenge for bloggers to write about how participating in sports has shaped their lives. Where do I start? I played basketball in high school - actually sat the bench most of the time but I had good fun with my teammates & have remained friends with most of them for life. Not easy as we are all over the country now. I almost got cut from the team - which at 17 would have been horrible so I worked my ass off - I shot free throws- up to 500 a day, ran, shot around, ran and impressed my coaches enough to stay on the team. So I learned hard work & humility.

Today I run - well jog. I enjoy it for the most part and have made great friends, experienced wonderful life transforming times on simple runs and enjoyed the spirit of many races. I have completed 4 marathons & 5 half marathons. I continue to learn that hard work pays off.

I'm happy my nieces get the opportunity to play basketball, soft ball, soccer and volleyball. It is helping shape them into beautiful women both inside & out.

So what did sports do for me? Help make me the person I am today.

It's Been Awhile - So What's in Your Freezer?

Wow - July - that's how long it's been since I posted and one of my two faithful readers was asking my why the other day. To use my Mom's famous quote - I have no idea. So how should I catch you up on my life? The exciting trip I took to Glacier? The trials of half marathon training? The beauties of New England fall? No - I had a writer's block so I looked to one of my favorite blogs - Carole Knits for ideas. Her Ten on Tuesday topic seemed like a good place to start - Ten Things in Your Freezer. We have two freezers & both are packed - so much so that this week we are making all of our dinners we eat at home out of stuff in freezer. We also have one of those vacuum sealers so stuff stays pretty darn fresh for a pretty darn long time.

So here we go -

1. Gravy - or tomato sauce depending on who you are talking to. We bought 16 quarts of tomatoes this summer & cooked them down to the most awesome gravy. It will be a great reminder of summer this winter.
2. Chicken stock - gallons of it. I make my own because our little cat loves chicken - we buy her a rotisserie chicken every couple of weeks so use the carcass for our stock - give her a break she's 16!
3. Flavor Ice - I love them after I have had a long run or worked out in the garden.
4. Ham - left over from Easter but vacuum sealed so it's still good.
5. Strawberries - about 4 gallons that we picked this spring.
6. Peaches - from last year & about to become ice cream.
7. Grill roasted corn - we roasted three dozen ears of corn - cut the kernels off the ears & froze them. We will enjoy that taste of summer all through the winter.
8. Stuff to make stock - see number two. I have a bag that I put all the onions skins, vegetable cuttings, etc. to put in my stock. The taste of the stock varies on what vegetables I have been cooking with - it's never the same twice but it's always good.
9. Edamame - love them - I have several bags of the beans in the shell - good for snacks or just beans which is good to throw in soups or stir fry.
10. Artichokes - I think I have 4-5 bags of Trader Joe's artichokes. I love them but think I need to use what I have before I buy more.

So - what's in your freezer??

Dear 20 Year Old Self....

I first heard about this on NPR & then checked out Cassie's blog to read some of the other letters. I so love this idea but really had to think about what I would say for a couple of weeks. So here it goes....

Girlfriend....you are in for an amazing time! I don't want to give too much away because I don't think you'd believe have of it and I don't want to influence the choices that you/me are going to make because they will help mold you into the woman you/me are going to be. I do want to tell you not to be so damn scared - live more in the moment. Trust me - you need to loosen up and enjoy your life. Enjoy the mountains and Montana because you are right, you won't be living there forever but when you leave your soul is going to miss those mountains. Don't worry about love - hard to do I know but it will happen - sort of. But you are looking for it in all the wrong places - I will tell you that much now. And what you think is love - well not so much. So stop worrying about that and enjoy the time you have with your friends. You are a smart woman - I think you know that at 20 but you aren't always confident about it. And I must say you do need some confidence. Enjoy your family - especially the aunts & uncles because they won't be around forever. The choices you make for the most part will work out good and none of the bad choices are fatal. You'll always be where you are meant to be - you'll understand that one later. Keep running - it is a better release than a beer & it will be important later on that you are a runner. You haven't met some of the people who will influence your life the most, including a group of very amazing women friends. You will never be alone so stop worrying about that. People will come in and out of your life - that will be tough for you to deal with but that is how life works. And...spoiler alert... it's not you - your first mother-in-law is crazy. You'll find what you think is love & that's Ok - but don't give away YOU for love. Someday you'll find someone who will love you for you - don't lose sight of that. The most important thing I can tell you is it all works out - you are becoming the woman you are meant to be but it is an ongoing deal . However it is a great ride. So be happy now, enjoy each moment and breath deep. I can't wait for you to meet me!

The Return of Ten on Tuesday

My bloggy friend Carole has started this game again - thanks Carole! This weeks topic, Ten Books On My summer Reading List is a little hard for me. Not because I don't like to read - I LOVE to read but I work across the street from the library so usually just cruise over & pick up whatever catches my eye. But I'll try to pick 10.

1. Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'm anxious to see how different her perspective is since EPL.
2. Loving Spoonful:How Eight Chefs Saved My Life by Kim Severson, I heard her on NPR & she sounded like she has had quite the life.
3. A good mystery - usually I only like non-fiction books but I want to branch out a little.
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson - it is very popular & I've read good reviews.
5. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson - I checked it out but was not able to start it.
6. Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea - by Chelsea Handler. A pretty much summer read book recommended by a friend.

And the last 4 lifted from Carole's list because she is a librarian & probably knows a good book or two.

7. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender.
8. The Things That Matter: What 7 Classic Novels Have to Say About the Stages of Life by Edward Mendelson
9. Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth.
10. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.

So do you have any suggestions or books you want to read this summer? Please comment!

I'm Orange!!

Since I got my iPhone I have been also using the Nike+sensor to log my runs and this morning I moved out of the yellow zone (beginning zone - logging a total of 0-30 miles) to the orange zone - YEA!! And I got props from Lance Armstrong - his recorded voice told me that I logged my fastest mile to date - YEA again! Now I know that when you start out from 0 miles and really slow it can only get better but still....I feel pretty damn good today! Look out Philly Half Marathon - here I come!

Here it is - Fred on Letterman!

Set your TiVo - Fred's on Letterman!

The quality isn't the greatest but Fred rocks!! I am so excited to see him on Letterman - check it out!! (This video makes me miss Willie even more)

Happy Memorial Day

I have been pretty busy with not much but haven't made time to blog about my busyness. Any how - we spent the day in Boston yesterday & were having so much fun we decided to spend the night instead of driving home after so much fun. And since we didn't plan on spending the night we called Mr. Training Buddy who helped us book a hotel on-line. Thanks Mr. Training Buddy!! We stayed at the Omni Parker House - great downtown location. And our Trip was a reminder of just how awesome Boston is - we won't wait so long to go back. So - here are some photos of our day...

They had flags planted in the Boston Common to honor all fallen mass. vets - it was breathtaking - I don't think my photos do it justice - you can go read more about the project here.

We made our way to Fenway to watch the Sox - we had awesome seats & enjoyed a great game - the Sox beat the Royals 8-1 & Jon Lester pitched great! Look close at the guy wearing Boston hat - a gynormous dragon fly landed on the bill during the game - I hope he bought a lottery ticket on his way home!

What would you do??

I was cruising around on one of my fav blogs and Shana, over at So Not Zen posed this question - what would you do if you knew you could not fail? That is sort of tough - I suppose my first answer is open a small business in town that would be a gathering spot of sort to come & hang out, buy cool, locally made jewelry & new agey type stuff. Nice stuff, not just old, junkie, hippie stuff. The other thing would be to become a classically trained chef. Like go to France and the whole thing....But since I flunked French in college not once, not twice but three times I don't think the whole going to France thing is gonna work out for me. I do like to cook and enjoy making fun meals for my friends. Plus I have a wicked cook book collection but still it would be nice to be able to really cook. So.... what would you do? And Shana - you can so run a marathon - really.....

Comments please!

You Have No Friends

Hubby & I are just getting caught up on a bunch of TiVo'd shows. And last night's episode of South Park did not disappoint. I am not a total FB addict but see how easy it is to get there. You won't be able to stream the whole episode for another week but here is a good clip from YouTube.

Hartford

In which I am a party of one....

I had big plans for today. And for the most part got everything accomplished I set out to do at 7:30 this morning. First on my list was wedding present shopping & since the bride reads my blog that is all the detail I'll go into - except - Kathy I think you & Liam will like it! Then it was off to the mall (YUCK!!) to replace my 5 year old make-up since I have said wedding to go to and then off to VS for a special undergarment to go with a dress I bought for above mentioned wedding. Then, for me, the main event was going to be attending the UConn Huskies victory parade in downtown Hartford. So after surviving the mall, with a venti iced, quad double pump vanilla latte in hand - I was off to downtown Hartford. I had my parking spot scoped out - across from the Bushnell - it's free! And also too, figured I'd grab a bite to eat from one of the I was assuming numerous lunch wagons. So imagine my surprise, when I pulled off Capitol Ave. onto Bushnell Park to find it ......dessereted...like usual Sunday in downtown Hartford looking. WTF - where were all the Huskie fans??? I mean, CT can be totally lame when it comes to supporting anything downtown Hartford because peeps get freaked out about crime in the city..But really, it's a national championship people!!! Where are you???? I found a prime free parking spot 1/2 block off Bushnell Park and began my walk about of downtown. Nothing, NOTHING was open. This was as bad as downtown Albany NY & trust me I know. So I wandered around looking for any signs of life - finally - I stumbled on Vaughn's Irish Pub. And if they didn't ignore me the whole f*cking time I was in there I'd link to their (I'm sure) amazing web site. But you know what? The damn bartender TOTALLY ignored me. Like he was too busy talking to the people to the left of me, then to the right of me, then pouring a tap beer RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. He didn't say, "hello", he didn't say "I'll be right with you" - he TOTALLY.IGNORED.ME. So..now I got some 'tude going, because, have you looked outside?? There is now one else around!!! Finally I got the attention of lame boy and asked him - "Is the Huskie parade today?" And I was actually expecting him to know something about the event since I assumed he might make some good money if it was going on and he actually knew it. Well - I gave the boy way too much credit as his reply was, and I quote " Um, I have no idea." Alright then. Time for me to go - no money spent in Vaughn's - you people need to pull it together to get my cash. So I called Hubby who was only minimally more helpful since he had been riding around on a tractor or using a chain saw all day and had no idea about the parade either. I came home , went on line & found out the parade is next Sunday. And I'm glad because the turn out today for a parade really sucked but next week I have other plans so I won't be there. But.. I'll send pics from the Hartford Courant to my niece who is a big time Stanford fan and wasn't too happy about UConn going 78 - 0. Sorry Maddy - UConn still rocks!!

Friday Fill - Ins, Saturday morning addition

I don't know what my deal is lately - kind have the funkity funk funk funks. But this morning I get to meet Training Buddy - run a 5k in December like cold weather, get my hair done, go to the dump & meet friendsfor dinner later. So maybe that will help - in the mean time - I give you Friday Fill-Ins, Saturday morning edition...

1. The right word is sometimes hard to find.
2. Go outside and play kids and shut the door quietly, please.
3. Up was a really sad movie..
4. Not far from coffee is where you'll find me.
5. Ooh! What is that really cool treasure in the What Not Corner at the dump?
6. Training for a half marathon is starting to sound like a good idea.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to basketball watching, tomorrow my plans include above plans plus laundry and Sunday, I want to sleep in & watch the UConn women rock at noon!

Insomnia sucks...

Just sayin..and for some reason cruising around on the internet is not making me tired...maybe I should try reading a book...

Friday Fill - Ins, Saturday morning addition

1. Today I will be working hard in the front garden but loving it.
2. Mojitos at happy hour..and I say why not?
3. What do you think of those UConn women!
4. At Starbucks (I think)it's free Pastry Day til 1030 Friday but I'm loving Klekolo, my local brewer better.
5. People say that what we're all seeking is happiness.
6. The image I cherish most is hanging out with my Mom in Ireland - that was amazing.
7. And as for the weekend, last night I was happy to go see my neighbor's dtr in the play Oklahoma - you rocked Ally!, today my plans include dentist, gardening, going to the dump & mojitos and Sunday, I want to sleep in & watch the Uconn women dominate!

Ya - They are that good...

And Meghan isn't a starter

Goal Setting After 40

I want an iPhone...like bad. Training Buddy has one and we ran a 5 mile training run this weekend and she has this really cool app that tracks your run and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want that. I haven't been running as much as I used to so I am thinking this little app will help me get my ass off the couch and move - or will it? I used to be pretty darn active - running a good 20-30 miles a week and usually trying to convince friends to do crazy things like run a marathon. But I have lost the edge, gained some weight and find I enjoy cooking & eating good food more than going out for a run. I admit I was my skinniest, fittest when I was probably not the happiest person around. So what, now I'm happy & I have to be fat? I don't think so..... I'll probably never get down to my svelte just divorced figure and that's Ok - I'll take the happy part but the fat part I don't have to . So... instead of trying to fit into that cute little outfit or some other girly thing - I am going to set my goal to get a new iPhone. And the only thing that stands between me & it is 25 pounds. We'll see how bad I really want it...

Friday Fill - Ins, Saturday morning addition and It's Cocktail Time!

1. Why are you making such a big deal about hating President Obama - really, Tea Party people give the guy a break!
2. I want you to take me to the Oscars some time - it would be fun.
3. I'm cool with loading the dishwasher then it will be on my terms.
4. I'll lace up my running shoes and see what happens this afternoon with my 5 mile training run.
5. I could use a nice ,cool drink after that run.
6. Big East Championship first and then the National Championship for the UConn women.
7. And as for the weekend, last night (tonight) I'm looking forward to starting It's Cocktail Time again, today (tomorrow) my plans include the training run & then going to see the movie Precious with Training Buddy and Sunday, I want to sleep in and in the afternoon & help pick some awesome bands for Music on the River - our town summer concert series and Sunday night - The Oscars !!

And what better time to return to It's Cocktail Time than on the eve of a 5 mile training run! But I'm happy to report moderation was exercised, water was drunk & I got to sleep in so all is well. This is Hubby & I's take on the traditional Dirty Martini. We tried out this new eco- friendly vodka, Vodka 360 which has cool packaging & a $20 mail in rebate so for $10 you can't go wrong!

Dirty Martinis - the HB Way

2-3 oz. 360 vodka
1 oz or to taste caper berry brine
1/2 oz. extra dry vermouth

Mix the above & shake over ice. Strain & pour into chilled martini glasses, garnish with 2-3 caper berries - Cheers!

Back in the Groove - TGIF!

1. Johnny Weir looked awesome last night.
2. I'm starting to get interested in the 2010 Olympics.
3. And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more of a pain in the ass than the risk of just going for it.
4. Go run a marathon if you get an urge.
5. Having sweet dreams is better than having nightmares.
6. What does it take to recover from a weekend with my friends in Florida? About a week.....
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Kathy's visit, tomorrow my plans include a decadent breakfast and visiting with Kathy, quilt store shopping & UConn basketball and Sunday, I want to go for a walk/run in the woods.!

Hanging Out with Girls

The last couple of weeks I have had the great opportunity to hang out with the girls - ages 4 1/2 to over 60. It really made me realize how lucky I am to have such great women in my life and also the chance to meet new friends. The first girls day was going to Disney's Princess on Ice with Training Buddy & Princess. There is nothing quite like watching the story of Cinderella through the eyes of a 4 year old ( Ok - almost 5). It was quite magical and they had Long Trail beer on tab - bonus!

Then last weekend I met friends for dinner and then a show - Gee's Bend . We had a great time and dinner and the play was great - how fun to hang out with such bright women.

Life is indeed good....