Winter has hit Boulder

Oh how I love white winters!!!

Boulder got nailed with about a foot of snow over the past two days and it was AWESOME! Despite the inability to go ride/run outside, it's still amazing...espcially when you're swimming outside and the flakes hit your face everytime you turn to take a breath! I LOVE IT! Just means more skiing, right!!! Of course, but it needs to be a little warmer than 5 degrees for me to do that :)

Busy, busy getting ready for the big Party this Saturday!!! WHOOAAAA.

Back to the Grindstone

The first round of Holiday fun is over and now it's time to get crackin' with work and all the other random things that need to be done before round 2 of the craziness!

From Christmas shopping and party planning to doctor appointments and getting caught up at work, I will be one busy girl over the next month :)

Stay tuned for updates...

No more pumpkin pie...please

I can officially say that I am finally full. Yes, I know that doesn't happen very often and my father truly does believe that I am a human garbage disposal when it comes to food, but Thanksgiving dinners are one of the few meals that can do the trick!

It's been a super fun and enjoyable last few days with the family and friends. On Thanksgiving day, the Detroit Holiday Parade was a little chilly, but very enjoyable and the Lions game was a blast even though they are the absolute shittiest team in the world. We were pretty much boo-ing at them the entire time...kinda mean, but couldn't help it.

Today I met up with a really good friend from high school that I had not seen in almost 4 years. It was so great to finally catch up and see how well both her and her family are doing :) My Momma also cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for us and her parents who drove up from Kalamazoo. Again, so nice seeing the family and just hanging out!

Locks for Love BABY!!!

It's been since June of 2004 that I have had a haircut and boy did I need one :) For those of you who aren't aware of my scraping-by budget, cutting over $350 a year in haircuts is a pretty big savings!

At any rate, I feel that donating hair to the 'Locks for Love' foundation is a great and fun thing to do too. Any organization that collects hair to make wigs for cancer patients is just amazing and if I can help out, I'm in! This definitely isn't my first time tackling this adventure and it most certainly will not be the last! I never know what length I want my hair and this way I get to experience all of them...cool!!!

Check out the before and after pics from the big cut today...please just look at the hair and not the ridiculous expressions on my face...

BEFORE

AFTER

Thanksgiving Week!!!

It's finally here! Tomorrow morning I will be flying back home to Michigan for the first time since May...I can't wait! We have a lot of very exciting things planned and most importantly, lots of quality family time to enjoy!

I'm not sure if I'll be able to find time to post things during the week, but I will try my best. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for a good Thanksgiving Day football game for a the Lions because that is where we will be!!! Yes, I'm aware they have been in the crapper all season (as usual), but maybe they'll get it together while I'm home :) How cool will that be?!?

Don't forget to eat lots of turkey. and mashed potatoes. and corn. and cranberries. and pie. and everything else you can fit into your tummy!

I had to do it...

You never think it will actually happen to you, and then, it does...

I got a huge gash in my tire and triple flatted on my bike yesterday and had to call Mercedes and Aaron to come pick my ass up because I was totally stranded on the side of HWY 36 :(

The only reason I didn't feel TOO bad is because there are many times in which I have been the person on the other end receiving the phone call to come get someone!!! I was pretty annoyed since it was absolutely gorgeous and I was having a really enjoyable and fun ride. Oh well, at least I was able to get a ride home, right!?!?

Bowling!

There's nothing better than getting a huge group of people together from all over Boulder with ages all across the board, personalities from all walks of life, but all inthe same place to have one hell of a time!

Last night was an absolute riot and a perfect kick off to the holiday season. People are definitely getting pumped for Brad, Pete and my First Annual 'I look hot in my speedo party' in a few weeks, which should honestly be one of the most hilarious things in the world...more details on that later!

Anyway, it's the weekend and only a few short days before I head home for Thanksgiving! Wow, it's been a while...6 months to be exact! I CAN'T WAIT!

Off to go play on the bicycle...you can't beat 50 and sunny out here...lovin' it :)

I am NEVER having children...

...okay, maybe someday, but no time in the near future.

Watching my boss's 2 year old twins last night confirmed my pre-conceived notions that children are a LOT of work and I definitely do not have the patience for anything of that nature!

Always willing to help out in a pinch, but he owes me BIG time :)

Holy Niwot Trails and Mansions

For those who are not from the area, Niwot is a small town just outside Boulder...it's actually where the new restaurant I'm working at is located!

Yesterday I went on an exploratory run on all the new trails around the city and not only found some amazing running terrain, but also stumbled across all the incredibly monstrous houses/mansions everyone has always talked about in the area. Oh my goodness...not much to comment on...too crazy :)

Warren Miller

Another year, another incredible movie. It amazes me how each film can cover a new part of the world's skiing/snowboarding terrain, especially after 37 years of production...it's just awesome.

So obviously I went and saw Warren Miller's 'Off the Grid' last night at the Boulder Theater with some friends. If that doesn't pump you up for the ski season, I'm not quite sure what will. Seeing all the fresh powder and beautiful places totally gave me chills. I love winter and after last year's debacle with the blood clot, and therefore no skiing, I'm sooooo ready to hit the slopes :)

And to make things even cooler, with your entry into the film, you receive a free lift ticket to both Winter Park and Copper Mountain...SWEEEEEEEEEEET!!!

Check it out:

www.warrenmiller.com

Bike fits are kinda fun!

So apparently the fits on both my road and TT bikes were totally off which was causing all the problems in my back and leg...of course it is...duh!

Friday afternoon I spent a few hours with the coach and Chris Solano of Pro Peloton getting both bikes completely dialed in. We completely re-built the front end of my TT bike, changed pedals, adjusted both the saddle height and angle and lastly replaced the seatpost on my road bike since the carbon fiber had a huge crack in it...according to Wolfgang, I have been eating WAY too many cookies and my fat ass is the reason the seatpost cracked...nice coach huh?!?! What would I do without his crazy German sense of humor :) Yes, I am a little chunker right now, but hey, it's off-season...I'm supposed to gain some weight, right?!!

Just got back from an awesome easy ride with all the new changes and couldn't be happier. If you ever need a bike fit, go see Chris...Wolfgang and I were totally impressed with everything!!!

Summer and Winter - All in the same day!!!

Let me just start by saying that yesterday was November 8th...and as a matter of fact, 8 is my favorite number, how ironic! Let me also just tell you what the temperature was yesterday...82 degrees!!! Unbelievable. Although there were insane winds, it was still a great day to jump on the bike for a few hours and enjoy the last minute heat wave.

On the winter side of things - went to the Boulder Nordic Ski Swap in the evening with just about everyone I know in Boulder and picked up yet another pair of skate skis...$400 skis for $140!!! You really can't beat that. I also got a transferrable 10 time punch card to the Frisco Nordic Center up in Breckenridge for Kristin and I to split. Bob has promised to bring us up there once a week for some long endurance skiing! We are gonna be skate skiing machines by the end of this winter, I can't wait :)

Holy Weather

You know you're in the right place when it's almost mid-November, in the 70s, sunny, gorgeous and driving to the mountains to get your ski on is less than an hour away :)

Just means more time for the boss and I to go duke it out for an hour or so on the bike between lunch and dinner!!! Haha...remember, this is the dude I helped out with a flat tire a few months ago...his ego is already shot! He'll never live that down!

The Flu???

I am blaming getting the flu this weekend solely on the fact that I was out of town the day the law firm had flu shots done at the office!!!

Ugh, what a shitty weekend. I haven't had the flu in a long time and napping, feeling like crap and sitting around the house when it's 65 and sunny outside is not what was on the agenda. GRRRRR...

Feeling much better this morning, but still not 100%. Guess I just have to let it run its course. How annoying?

Off Season

Tis the time to drink, party, get crazy, go wild, and well, just have a lot of fun!!!

Friday evening with the crew was that and a whole lot more. Let's just say that without Joanna's out of control humor, the great group of people out that night and the giant pizza cookie devoured at Old Chicago's, it wouldn't have been the same.

Definitely looking forward to lots more interesting evenings and fun times with awesome people!

I LOVE BOULDER :)

SOMA and more!

Yes, Yes, Yes, I know...this post is long overdue and my mother has been giving me lots of grief about it so here it is! I finally took a morning to sleep in a little (well til 8am), drink a good cup of coffee, check my email/blog, and then start my day...yes, that is today. I definitely have lots to write about, but I'll start with the later events and then move forward.

The Race - What a trip. I couldn't have asked for a better time with better people. Kristin and I stayed with our friend Jeff and his parents in their brand new mansion in Phoenix (by new, I mean they had just finished building it 10 days before we got there!) His parents fed and treated us like queens and were such wonderful people. As was their son of course, he didn't race because of an injury, but drove Kristin and I around everywhere and was the BEST cheerleader ever during the race - thanks Jeff!!! The race itself was really fun as well. Since I was the last wave to go off, it was pretty crazy trying to swim through all of the slower swimmers, but definitely had one of my straighter swims than in the past. The bike was pretty interesting as well as it was a 3 loop course with 6 U-turns per lap...let's just say it was a little congested and drafting was a little too prevalent...but lots of fun and great for spectators. The run was the one part of the race I was really looking forward to and unfortunately it was a little disappointing. As with my race in Wildflower earlier this May, my left leg lost feeling only a few miles into so I started freaking out and slowed way down. The coach thinks it's only a pinched nerve but we're still doing some investigating...I have some appointments over the next couple weeks so I'll keep everyone informed. At any rate, I did finish the run with a decent time and was semi pleased with it considering the circumstances.

1st Age Group 18-24
8th Overall Amateur Female
4:57.02 hrs (swim 31, bike 2:42, run 1:40)




Alright, just realized I have to meet someone to go running in 10 minutes...oops! The pics took a little longer to upload than I thought. I promise I'll post some more stuff in the next couple days!