I'm so far behind on catching up on everyone's lives... So, first, I hope everyone is healthy and happy. Here's a quick snapshot so I'm not totally MIA!
Vacation was wonderful and we had a fabulous time exploring the Upper Penisula of Michigan! Lots of hiking, biking (yup, biking) and just enjoying a slower pace. Plus, no cell coverage so there was no interruptions.
Since we enjoyed biking Mackinac Island so much, when we came home we went out and bought mountain bikes. Keep in mind, I haven't had a bike since my pink Huffy, so this was a major step up for me. Hand brakes, what? ;)
While we had a great time, our vacation was cut a bit short. It was discovered that JP's dad had a tumor on his colon and needed surgery right away. We couldn't be with him, but being home made us feel a little more secure. He had surgery last night and, unfortuntely, the tumor was cancerous. We don't have a lot of details yet, but we're hoping for the best. I'll probably be MIA for a bit longer, but I promise to post our kick-ass photos from our trip. And, of my new Giant Yukon bike (still really doesn't mean much to me, but maybe some of your cyclists will know...)!
Please keep us in your thoughts...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Happy Belated, GM
I've been MIA because I've been working on GM's 100th birthday. Lots of work has been going on over the last few years, gearing up for the big day -- Sept. 16. I only been working on it for the last few weeks, so I really shouldn't be complaining. It's been a lot of LONG hours and I'm exhausted. The effort was well worth it though, the event was great and we had lots and lots of media activity. However, I really do say that you know you work too much when you eat all three meals at the office, work weekends and see your co-workers more than you significant other. :)
I'm pretty exhausted (wait, did I say that already?) and cannot wait to head out of town tomorrow for a week-long vaca! We're heading up to the U.P. where we'll do lots of hiking, biking, and "up north" things. Wish us luck that both of our ankles/foot hold up. We're quite the injured pair -- he needs ankle surgery for a soccer injury and my stress fracture is on the mend.
It should be beautiful this time of year, since the leaves change color up there about two weeks before they do in the lower part of the state. JP's never been up there, so I'm super excited for him to see everything. Lots of waterfalls, cool rock formations, lake-front activities (although it's gonna be cold...) and just relaxing!!!!!!!! (Plus, it'll help me not remember that my marathon should be this weekend...).
So, I'll be MIA for another week. But this time, for a much better reason!
I'm pretty exhausted (wait, did I say that already?) and cannot wait to head out of town tomorrow for a week-long vaca! We're heading up to the U.P. where we'll do lots of hiking, biking, and "up north" things. Wish us luck that both of our ankles/foot hold up. We're quite the injured pair -- he needs ankle surgery for a soccer injury and my stress fracture is on the mend.
It should be beautiful this time of year, since the leaves change color up there about two weeks before they do in the lower part of the state. JP's never been up there, so I'm super excited for him to see everything. Lots of waterfalls, cool rock formations, lake-front activities (although it's gonna be cold...) and just relaxing!!!!!!!! (Plus, it'll help me not remember that my marathon should be this weekend...).
So, I'll be MIA for another week. But this time, for a much better reason!
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Crisp, Fall Day
I'm sad that summer seems to be gone, and I actually just realized over the weekend that it's getting darker, earlier. The cool, fall nights make for PERFECT sleeping weather, but I could use some more summer weather. Just not ready to let go yet.
Anywho... spent most of the weekend back on the crutches just to be safe. My foot was hurting and I really don't want to start back at square one. It ended up being a smart move and I'm pretty much back to the final phases of recovery. Been sporting the running shoes to the office this week, but other than that no complaints. I'm taking a few more days to just make sure it's okay before I head back to the gym. Getting a little taste of it again and then stopping has been brutle. I just wanna get into it again.
Plus, I realized over the weekend that my marathon would have been next weekend. I should be in marathon-ready shape and I'm no where near it.
On the bright side, the weekend was filled with dinners out with friends (and some great beers from around the world), time with family, a wedding shower (of course) and a whole lot of Mario Kart Wii -- I'm totally addicted!
Work is busy this week and so I should be getting back. Happy Tuesday everyone!
Anywho... spent most of the weekend back on the crutches just to be safe. My foot was hurting and I really don't want to start back at square one. It ended up being a smart move and I'm pretty much back to the final phases of recovery. Been sporting the running shoes to the office this week, but other than that no complaints. I'm taking a few more days to just make sure it's okay before I head back to the gym. Getting a little taste of it again and then stopping has been brutle. I just wanna get into it again.
Plus, I realized over the weekend that my marathon would have been next weekend. I should be in marathon-ready shape and I'm no where near it.
On the bright side, the weekend was filled with dinners out with friends (and some great beers from around the world), time with family, a wedding shower (of course) and a whole lot of Mario Kart Wii -- I'm totally addicted!
Work is busy this week and so I should be getting back. Happy Tuesday everyone!
Friday, September 05, 2008
Two steps forward, two steps ... down
... 'cuz opposites attract... (here's a little old school Paula for you this fine Friday morning).
Two steps forward:
Last night I rocked the gym! I did 30 minutes on the ellipitcal and was dying about 5 minutes into it. After getting the rust out, I really enjoyed being active again. Afraid of waking up to super sore muscles, I only went 30 minutes instead of the typical 60 minutes. After all, I should be easing into it.
After a good cardio workout, I did about 45 minutes of upper body strength training. Perhaps a bit ambitious, but it just felt so great doing it, I couldn't help myself. A tad sore this morning, so I'm sure I won't be able to hold a glass of water tomorrow!
Two steps... down?
After a successful entry back into the workout world, what do I do this morning? Fall. Yep, I fell on my foot... the injured one. It's actually quite funny, and only I would do something like this. I set my alarm clock across the room so I have to physcially get up to turn it off. Otherwise, I would just lean over, turn it off and never get to work. I got up, swung my leg out, put my toes down on the ground and... fell. I'm not sure if my toes couldn't hold the weight until my heel hit the ground, or if I feel back asleep before my entire foot hit the ground. Either way, I went down with toes bended. This is especially bad because I've been spending the last 2 1/2 months focusing on NOT bending my toes so it could heal. It really hurt at the time and now my foot is still a tad sore. Taking complete precaution, I opted for running shoes to the office today. Not the most professional look, but I'm not taking any chances of starting back to square one!
Anyway... looking forward to a packed weekend. A few dinner and drinks with friends, yet another wedding shower, and time with the fam. Hope everyone has a fab weekend!
Two steps forward:
Last night I rocked the gym! I did 30 minutes on the ellipitcal and was dying about 5 minutes into it. After getting the rust out, I really enjoyed being active again. Afraid of waking up to super sore muscles, I only went 30 minutes instead of the typical 60 minutes. After all, I should be easing into it.
After a good cardio workout, I did about 45 minutes of upper body strength training. Perhaps a bit ambitious, but it just felt so great doing it, I couldn't help myself. A tad sore this morning, so I'm sure I won't be able to hold a glass of water tomorrow!
Two steps... down?
After a successful entry back into the workout world, what do I do this morning? Fall. Yep, I fell on my foot... the injured one. It's actually quite funny, and only I would do something like this. I set my alarm clock across the room so I have to physcially get up to turn it off. Otherwise, I would just lean over, turn it off and never get to work. I got up, swung my leg out, put my toes down on the ground and... fell. I'm not sure if my toes couldn't hold the weight until my heel hit the ground, or if I feel back asleep before my entire foot hit the ground. Either way, I went down with toes bended. This is especially bad because I've been spending the last 2 1/2 months focusing on NOT bending my toes so it could heal. It really hurt at the time and now my foot is still a tad sore. Taking complete precaution, I opted for running shoes to the office today. Not the most professional look, but I'm not taking any chances of starting back to square one!
Anyway... looking forward to a packed weekend. A few dinner and drinks with friends, yet another wedding shower, and time with the fam. Hope everyone has a fab weekend!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
whooo hoooo!!!!
The doctor's appointment was successful and the best one so far. According to the x-ray, I'm healing, but still a little slowly. When she pressed down in the area of the stress fracture, it was sore, but not the striking pain I had before. Yay! And... guess what she told me....
I can start working out again!
No running, just low-impact stuff -- bike, elliptical, strength training. No yoga either, but I'm good with the stuff she said okay to! Gym bag is packed and in the car, just screaming to be used immediately after work. I cannot wait to get back into it!!!!
Go back in October for another check up. I'm in a wedding mid-October, so my goal is to be able to wear heels for it. Not super confident that will happen, but a girl's gotta have some goals. :)
I can start working out again!
No running, just low-impact stuff -- bike, elliptical, strength training. No yoga either, but I'm good with the stuff she said okay to! Gym bag is packed and in the car, just screaming to be used immediately after work. I cannot wait to get back into it!!!!
Go back in October for another check up. I'm in a wedding mid-October, so my goal is to be able to wear heels for it. Not super confident that will happen, but a girl's gotta have some goals. :)
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Lesson in chocolate
There is a Godiva chocolate store in my office building, and I've been very good about not going into the store to be tempted! Well... on Friday, I decided to wander in "just to look" on my way out. After seeing ALL of the candy (bulk candy everywhere, beautifully wrapped golden boxes of Godiva, even some "special edible treats" suitable only for adults...), I caved, deciding it was a holiday weekend and it would be nice to have some good chocolate around.
I picked up a box of Godiva chocolate covered cashews for JP and a bar of Godvia dark chocolate for me. I'm not a dark choclate kinda gal, but decided that since it's good for me, that's what I
would go with. After all, I need those antioxidants!
Last night, I finally broke into it... and had a HUGE surprise. See... I didn't know the difference between dark chocolates. I picked up the 85% cacao straight from the Caribbean... I figured the higher the number, the better it would be. Make that the more BITTER it will be. I had to choke down one tiny square.
JP told me that's real chocoate... not the sugary milk chocolates we've become used to here in the US. :) This will be the longest any chocolate will last in my house, that's for sure!!!!
Anyway, heading to the doctor in a bit for what will hopefully be the last round of x-rays. Keep your fingers crossed she'll let me start working out again and maybe even start running again!!!!
I picked up a box of Godiva chocolate covered cashews for JP and a bar of Godvia dark chocolate for me. I'm not a dark choclate kinda gal, but decided that since it's good for me, that's what I
would go with. After all, I need those antioxidants!Last night, I finally broke into it... and had a HUGE surprise. See... I didn't know the difference between dark chocolates. I picked up the 85% cacao straight from the Caribbean... I figured the higher the number, the better it would be. Make that the more BITTER it will be. I had to choke down one tiny square.
JP told me that's real chocoate... not the sugary milk chocolates we've become used to here in the US. :) This will be the longest any chocolate will last in my house, that's for sure!!!!
Anyway, heading to the doctor in a bit for what will hopefully be the last round of x-rays. Keep your fingers crossed she'll let me start working out again and maybe even start running again!!!!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Fun-filled weekend!!!
It's the end of the weekend already, but I definitley maxed out on fun filled activities.
Friday, JP and I had a date night. A simple dinner and movie night. Holy Cow! It must have been awhile since we did dinner and a movie because we experienced som sticker shock! Dinner was at our favorite sushi place -- nothing fancy, just a little, non-descript place. Approximately $35. Two movie tickets (Traitor -- great movie), $20. Medium drink and popcorn (dinner was great, but we couldn't resist the WONDERFUL smell of movie theater popcorn!), $20. Holy Crap -- that's about $75 for one, simple night out. I told JP that I'm glad I'm not a dude, dating someone new. That's expensive! He rolled his eyes and told me dating isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes... guys go broke! :)
Saturday, we played host to some friends for the U of M football game. I LOVE hosting (my parents always played the part, and I grew up dreaming of having my own get togethers) and laid a pretty good spread, if I do say so myself. BBQ chicken sandwiches (veggie burger for me), whole wheat pasta salad, veggies/dip, pita bread/spinich dip, and few other muchies. The Wolverines couldn't pull it out, but we enjoyed lunch and the AMAZING chocolate cake our friends brought. Think Ho Ho, but about a trillion times better.
After the game, we went downtown and meet up with some other friends for the International Jazz Festival. Its a great event downtown Detroit, and there's about 5 or 6 different stages. We attended the Latin Jazz councert and enjoyed a beautiful night out wiht friends. The highlight of the day -- the friends we met up with found Mario Kart for us!!! It's super fun and I think we stayed up until 3 a.m. playing. :) I'm not a big video game player, but I LOVE the Wii!!!
Yesterday, we spent some time at my parents and then some time with JP's sister. Nothing like lots of food and drinks to pass through the day.
Today was filled with errands and I've figured out why I'm broke. All of these wedding related gifts are adding up! I hit up Macy's and Bed, Bath and Beyond for another wedding shower gift and a wedding gift. Can't wait until it's my turn... I better get some amazing ROI on all of these presents I've been buying! :)
SO don't want to go to work tomorrow, but I guess it's time to get in the swing of things.
Friday, JP and I had a date night. A simple dinner and movie night. Holy Cow! It must have been awhile since we did dinner and a movie because we experienced som sticker shock! Dinner was at our favorite sushi place -- nothing fancy, just a little, non-descript place. Approximately $35. Two movie tickets (Traitor -- great movie), $20. Medium drink and popcorn (dinner was great, but we couldn't resist the WONDERFUL smell of movie theater popcorn!), $20. Holy Crap -- that's about $75 for one, simple night out. I told JP that I'm glad I'm not a dude, dating someone new. That's expensive! He rolled his eyes and told me dating isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes... guys go broke! :)
Saturday, we played host to some friends for the U of M football game. I LOVE hosting (my parents always played the part, and I grew up dreaming of having my own get togethers) and laid a pretty good spread, if I do say so myself. BBQ chicken sandwiches (veggie burger for me), whole wheat pasta salad, veggies/dip, pita bread/spinich dip, and few other muchies. The Wolverines couldn't pull it out, but we enjoyed lunch and the AMAZING chocolate cake our friends brought. Think Ho Ho, but about a trillion times better.
After the game, we went downtown and meet up with some other friends for the International Jazz Festival. Its a great event downtown Detroit, and there's about 5 or 6 different stages. We attended the Latin Jazz councert and enjoyed a beautiful night out wiht friends. The highlight of the day -- the friends we met up with found Mario Kart for us!!! It's super fun and I think we stayed up until 3 a.m. playing. :) I'm not a big video game player, but I LOVE the Wii!!!
Yesterday, we spent some time at my parents and then some time with JP's sister. Nothing like lots of food and drinks to pass through the day.
Today was filled with errands and I've figured out why I'm broke. All of these wedding related gifts are adding up! I hit up Macy's and Bed, Bath and Beyond for another wedding shower gift and a wedding gift. Can't wait until it's my turn... I better get some amazing ROI on all of these presents I've been buying! :)
SO don't want to go to work tomorrow, but I guess it's time to get in the swing of things.
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