Just for you Mr. Collin Becker!

After some delicious Indian food from Sherpa's last night, we busted out the Scrabble board and got our competitive sides fired up. Jen Jen won in the last round follow closely by Ryan (who was rockin' it the whole game). Allen and I weren't far behind him but we definitely get props for having a 39 point 3-letter word! Collin just sucked it up.

Allen was in the giving mode and gave Jen and I both wrapped 'Christmas Logs' (see above pic) that had been sitting in his car since the holidays that ironically had an expiration date of last night.

After a solid bike and a pain-free run off of it this afternoon, I am starting to feel a little more confident about this knee issue. Still going to take it easy for the next couple weeks, but at least I'm going in the right direction. More to come.

More toys!!!

Since I have started using Training Peaks as my new coaching/training software, there was no doubt I had to check out Timex's new Race Trainer watch system that transfers your workout data straight into the program.

I first heard about it when doing some video fitness tips with Dave Scott and Gale Bernhardt in Boulder this summer (see videos here), but because I wasn't using that training software to log my training, I didn't really pursue the details of the product. I am now super excited to see what it can do and how I can use it to track my various training workouts. All I have to do is visit the wonderful people at Training Peaks and get the whole tutorial so I know how to make it function :) I will give a more detailed report on the rockin' features once I get my learn on!

The OR Report

Let's just say...HOLY CRAP! I cannot believe the amount of time, effort and money that goes into one of these shows. From the booths to the parties, each company can really make a name for themselves at a trade show :)

I had a great time meeting many of Franklin's clients and chatting with potential new ones as well. I got to hang out with the Timex folk (which was the best part of the trip of course) and Keith even snagged a pic of me standing next to the Headsweats booth...who is that good looking girl?!? Yes, I even got to sign my own poster. Haha.

It's been cold and snowy here in Colorado so the training isn't what it was like when it was in the 60s and 70s but I guess that's a good thing considering my first race is in less than 3 weeks and it's all on snow!!! Better get those skis and snowshoes back on :)

To Salt Lake City I go...

I will be traveling to the OR trade show (above) tomorrow morning at the ass-crack of dawn to meet up with the crew from Franklin and all the people from Timex. Should be a good time. The cooler weather is moving in so it's perfect timing to skip out of town for a few days...

If I can't run, I'll just ride!!!

After a stellar 5K swim Saturday morning, I jumped on the road bike for a 4+hr ride with me and the ipod. It was 60* and absolutely perfect!

This morning, I met up with the boys for another 4+hr ride in 60 degrees. This one was on the mtb with great company and good laughs.

Below is the forecast for the next couple days. Kinda funny how the weather shifts the day I leave to go out of town for the Winter Outdoor Retailer Convention in Salt Lake and the day Allen gets back from CA! Haha...sorry, Allen, I have to rub it in. Only in Boulder do you get high 60s and -20s within a month of each other. Craziness :)

No running for 2 weeks :(

Maybe this will make me learn to listen to my body when it's not feeling right...

I've had an 'irritation' in my left knee for some time now (probably a month and a half) and sort of just avoided it as it didn't really hurt all that bad, just sometimes. At any rate, I should have just gotten it checked out right away because now it's a much larger problem....

With severe pains and swelling under my knee cap, there is most likely a tear in the meniscus. Everything looks fine on the x-rays as far as bone and joint placement, but my doc is very concerned about the inner knee swelling...damn. So, no running for 2 weeks and if the pain is still there without the harsh impacts, MRI it is...ARRRRGGGGGG.

The real reason behind the firewood...

Smores!!! Homemade and right in your own fireplace!!! We even got out the little camping seats to make it more realistic.

First you get the goods...Jon even buys caramel filled Hershey bars...mmmm

The you roast the marshmallows...on real sticks of course...

Then you devour and love every second of it...bwhahahah....sooo good :)

Not sure who is completely responsible for the idea or discovery of this, but hats off to Jon and Jen because it's now my new favorite thing to do at home :)

WATCH OUT!!!

...because that is what was in the garage when I walked in the other day!!! You wouldn't think my roommate likes to make fires now would ya?!? Hehe.

There's more to the story...stay tuned :)

Let's Go Pistons!!!!

Pistons 93-Nuggets 90

Last night, the Torrance boys and I attended the annual Pistons/Nuggets game at the Pepsi Center.

We met up with Lisa and Derek Strong at Wahoo's for some beers and a bite to eat at Wahoo's downtown. We asked the homeless guy who came in staring at our bucket of beers to take a pic of us and the above photo was what we got. He wasn't quite sure how to actually operate the camera and it definitely didn't help that I told him to look through the view finder when there wasn't one, but hell, it came out alright, and quite artistic if you ask me! Yes, we did give him a beer :)

Not everyone who went with us were Pistons fans. As a matter of fact, I was sort of embarrassed to be one for ummm...the entire game until the last minute. After being down by 10-13 points and watching the Stones play like high schoolers, we were honestly about to take off. They finally rallied in the last minutes of the game and wining in the final seconds. Above were 3 happy Pistons fans :)

Boulder on fire

Wednesday was a very scary evening here in Boulder. After an electrical post was knocked down by rampant wind, it sparked a fire that set thousands of acres on fire along the foothills of North Boulder. As the winds continued to get worse, so did the fire and thousands of people were evacuated from their homes (many of my friends included). Most people were fortunate to only have smoke damage but others were not. People are helping out as much as possible but it's still such a devastation. Check out the slideshow of pictures below from the madness.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_gosch/sets/72157612317527996/show/

I am now part of the Crackberry Mafia

Yes, that above contraption is my new portable nightmare! It was purchased on Monday and I have just figured out how to actually answer a freaking call with it. I was told to give myself at least 2 weeks to get used to the touch screen and functions but I am in desperate need of a full on tutorial. So if anyone wants to teach me how to use this thing and put in all my contacts, work info, etc into it, beers are on me! Haha...I really am excited about it, just frustrated right now as I can't do anything cool with it :)

Happy New Year!

Things have been incredibly busy with clients, year end wrap up, holiday parties, attempting to get back into training, etc, but lots of fun times have been had! Winston and I took Simon (his roommate's dog) up to Indian Peaks and skinned up the mountain on our tele skis then skied back down on New Year's Eve. This was great practice for the XTERRA Winter World champs and got me really excited to start incorporating those types of workouts into my training. That night was pretty worthless, but New Year's Day was pretty fun. After watching the Red Wings beat up on the Blackhawks outside at Wrigley Field - which by the way was freaking AWESOME - Jon and I threw a little '2009 kick off' BBQ' at our place. We got the grill going, played some video games and busted out Jon's Klackers game which is always a hit. Good times!

Since it was 64* yesterday, I was able to get out for a few hours on the MTB which was probably the best feeling EVER. It was really windy, but I could have cared less as I honestly haven't ridden outside in so long because of working so much during the day and losing daylight so fast. It was exactly what I needed and a great boost of motivation to get back on track on Monday!

Brother & Sister Time :)

After the parents took off on Thursday evening, it was time for Erin and Jerry to spend some quality hours together. What better way to do that than on the mountain!?!

Sunday we went to A-Basin where the weather was incredible and the snow was even better. With almost no one there, Joe, Jerry and I had one amazing day. After a fun dinner at Dos Locos and a little hot tubing, we spent the evening at Joe's killer condo in Keystone.

We met up with Jenny, Tom, Jon, Jen, Chris and Nate at Winter Park on Monday and not only had another day of fabulous weather, but lots of good laughs. It was stupid crowded but the snow wasn't bad and the glowing sun made everything just fine! It was so nice to finally spend some time with the little brother who has been getting 4.0 after 4.0 at the University of Michigan in Aerospace Engineering. Yes, I am going to brag...he's a pretty smart cookie :) I love ya J!

So sad...

The Detroit Lions became the first team in the NFL since the inception of the 16-game schedule (1978) to go 0-16. No need to say anymore :(

Copper Mountain and the Red Wings!

Christmas day was spent at Copper Mountain with the fam, Jen and Winston. We had some good snow, great laughs and some mmmm good food for lunch. Upon arriving in Boulder, we picked up my brother's friend who is in town for a wedding on Sunday and brought her back to my place.

Although we planned a big dinner Chez Erin, everyone was way too tired so we just hung around and ate lots of junk food!

Then there was the Red Wings vs. Avalanche game down in Denver!!!

Jerry and I were pretty pumped up before we left with our rockin' Wings attire, but soon found ourselves out of place when the Avs scored 3 goals in the first 10 minutes of the first period. Needless to say, they rallied back and scored 3 goals of their own to tie the game up in the second period! We were sitting in a section with a ton of Wings fans so it was tons of fun with lots of 'Let's go Red Wings' chants. Although they dominated the entire third period, they couldn't get the damn puck in the net. Same went with the 4 on 4 overtime. It then came down to a shootout where Huddler needed to score to tie it back up and no bueno...we lost for the second time this year :( Oh well, it was still lots of fun and there's always the game in February.

Merry Christmas from Boulder!!!

I'm not actually going to write about Christmas right now as everyone is still getting their beauty rest before we head up to the mountains for some skiing. However, I will touch on the previous events that went on over the past couple days :)

It's been a crazy week to say the least. Friday was an absolute blast (minus the big crash on my snowboard that screwed my neck up for 3 days) at Loveland with the Neptunes crew.

Greg, Winston and I drove up to meet with some other employees for a great day of fresh pow pow.

It was pretty cold and windy, but super fun. The drive was pretty exciting too. Thanks Greg!

The weekend and Monday were filled with lots of sitting around and Tom driving me everywhere because my neck was so stiff from the fall, but I did get a lot of work accomplished and made somewhat of a dent in my pile before the rents came in on Tuesday!

After a short delay due to weather and baggage issues, Mom, Dad and Jerry arrived in Colorado on Tuesday afternoon. We had a wonderful dinner with the Shep, Winston, Tom, JZ and Mark at the Walnut. Mmmm...sooo good.


Yesterday was filled with lots of running around and getting ready for Christmas. We went to a great service at the Vinelife Church then headed down for a super chill party at the Reed's. We opened gifts with everyone back at my place later that evening and enjoyed some good laughs.

Now it's Christmas day and time to get on the slopes! More to come. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

More holiday madness!

As an accountant, year end is always a very busy time for me. Between tax preparation, budgeting for the upcoming year, and well, trying to have a life, it's been quite hectic. It's okay though because I enjoy being busy and I also enjoy the amazing people I get to spend my time with :)

Don Orr decided to crash our 'Ladies Night' at the St. Julien, but of all the people who would be allowed, Don's the guy! Happy Birthday Kirsten :)

Then there's Tom. Tom's a great guy. As a matter of fact, Tom's an awesome guy. Even though we bicker more than my brother and I, we have a wonderful relationship that I wouldn't give up for the world. I had to pose in my new Puma gear that Tom got me for Christmas! Thanks Buddy :)

Holiday Parties and Record Low Temps

The evening began with the Neptunes holiday party down in South Boulder. A great crowd combined with delicious food made for a fun time. I even saw an old friend I hadn't seen in a while and chatted with some very interesting folk.

Afterward, we headed to the annual 'Yeah, I look hot in a speedo' White Elephant party at Pete and Brad's condo complex.
Just about every athlete I know or have heard of in Boulder (including my wonderful roommate Jon, above) was there and quite inebriated. Lots of good times.

I'm pretty sure this was the first holiday party JZ wasn't completely smashed and puking at this season...good for you lady!

The White Elephant gift giving process is always the most entertaining. Billy is in charge of directing it and without a doubt does the best job EVER. He was absolutely perfect and hilarious as all hell.

Yes, someone did bring a sex book as a gift and yes, it was the hit present to be stolen. Hmm, I might have even been the one who brought it home...

The record low for December 14th has already been broken. DIA dropped to -15 degrees by 6pm Sunday evening. The old record low for December 14th was -14, last set in 1901. Overnight lows will range from -9 to -14 degrees in the city with DIA going as cold as -20!

That's the weather for today!!!

Boulder Dinner Theater

Yesterday was Franklin's year end review meeting and annual holiday party. Unlike the rest of the world, we are kicking butt and making record sales so the presentation was quite uplifting with lots to look forward to in 2009. Later that night, I dragged Winston to the Boulder Dinner Theater where we met up with the FRG crew to dine and see 'The Producers'. I had never been there before so it was definitely an experience but lots of fun.

I've been super busy wrapping up all the year end miscellaneous for all my clients so staying fit has pretty much been put on the back burner for right now. I have, however, began to put together the 2009 schedule which I will share soon. It does include some snowshoe and winter events along with the new XTERRA America Cup Series so stay tuned!

Another awful trip to the dermatologist :(

Not only did I have another mole removed and another bike welt injected and drained, but I found out I have a bad case of 'hot tub folliculitis'. DO NOT USE THE HOT TUBS AT FAC!!!

Yes, it's absolutely disgusting and I am covered head to toe in a horrible rash that looks like chicken pox. I am going on antibiotics tomorrow but have been taking baths in vinegar to help alleviate the infection. Ugh, seriously...why me? I just wanted to relax my muscles after a great weekend of skiing and a little jog to loosen the legs...DAMN IT!

Alright, back to work and attempting not to itch myself to death. GRRRRR.

Gotta love the mountains!

Joe and I drove up to Breckenridge early Friday and met up with Tom and Catherine for an amazing day on the slopes. Although it was a bit windy, it was super fun and I'm totally falling in love with tele skiing!


Winston drove up after work on Friday night and met up with us at Joe's condo in Keystone. There was definitely lots of partying, hot tubing and craziness going on which made for a super fun night.

We had another gorgeous day at Keystone on Saturday and was fortunate enough to be one of the first few people to hit the back bowls for the first time of the season...fresh pow pow!!!

The above pic is thanks to Winston's incredible teaching skills. The below pic just confirms Tom's lack of skills and coordination.