A nice little weekend

Sure, we didn’t get to Home Depot (scratch that, I did yesterday), but I think Frank the Tank would have approved. Please tell me someone got that “Old School” reference or I’ll be really sad. Here’s a photo recap:

Putting storm windows on a 330-year-old house is time-consuming and dangerous. Which is why Dan is on the roof. All joking aside, it’s made a big difference in how the house retains heat, so we’re hoping to keep energy costs down for the association this winter. We’re also hoping for storms, considering these windows went up after a hurricane and Nor’easter… oops. What’s the most dangerous chore you have around the house? Dusting totally counts. I’ve also almost fallen down stairs and been attacked by angry hordes of spiders while doing laundry.

We also fit in our annual pilgrimage to the ski & snowboard expo, the unofficial start to ski season. We said hi to some friends from high school and were hooked up with some lift tickets (Pico, if anyone’s interested in a ski trip!) and bought a four-pack to Bolton Valley. Looks like we’re skiing Vermont this winter! We’re hoping to head to Sunday River a couple of times, too, and probably a trip or two to Wachusett and Waterville (it pays to know people int he biz). Where’s your favorite place to ski? My Western favorite is Steamboat and my Eastern favorite is Sunday River.

I’m pretty sure leopard-print poinsettias don’t occur naturally in the wild. Neither do the gold shiny ones. Also, if you’re planning to stab apples onto nails for festive holiday decor (post to come later this week), know that the ones at Michael’s have cement or something in the middle. Also, visiting three Michael’s stores in one day isn’t nearly as much fun as it sounds, and I got some really strange looks for buying 68 fake apples and a crap-ton of fake greens. Also also, why does no one sell fake pineapples? I gotta find me some of those. Are you planning on any holiday crafts? I’m crocheting my hands off on the way to Virginia this weekend (yep, again), I’ve pulled together one of the two crafts I alluded to above (post to come), and I’m starting to collect pieces to decorate our front stairs for our upcoming Christmas Tea at the house.

How was your weekend?

Blog milestone

Well, hey! I just peeked in on my stats and saw that I’ve passed 10,000 pageviews– thanks to everyone who added to that tally!

In other news, this is my 245th post! And probably the first one that’s punctuated entirely by exclamation points!

Woohoo– TGIF!

I’m still here!

As you may have gathered from my last post, I recently spent some quality time in Washington state with Dan. We went out with his dad, sister, and brother to visit his grandmother and her husband for 5 days. It was great! I wish we could have spent a little more time in Seattle and exploring the surrounding area near them, but that just gives us ideas for the next trip.

From there, I flew through LAX to Orlando, where I took another day off to visit Universal and spend the night with my grandfather and his wife, enjoying a great dinner with them. I owe you a post full of geeking-out pictures from Harry Potter… that’ll be straight from my phone.

And THEN, I went back to Orlando for a landscaping trade show for work, where there were fully-grown palm trees inside and I got a taste of life on the road. Suffice to say, I’d rather be home more often.

So after all that, I’m still in the settling-back-into-reality routine, though I’ve been home since Saturday.

Let’s call this my training log: I only ran twice in Washington and worked out once in Florida, but standing up all day at the trade show did a number on my leg and back muscles. I’ve been trying to work through some shin/knee pain that I’m pretty sure is a result of not sitting at all for 10+ hours 3 days in a row while wearing (reasonable, mid-height, purchased to wear at trade shows and will be thrown away) heels.

I’m looking forward to my first official half marathon this weekend and planning our next two trips– DC for the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of this month and Virginia for Dan’s cousin’s wedding mid-next month.

Then we need to get our finances back in check before Christmas wipes us out. Yikes!

5 days off is dangerous and wonderful

I had 5 days off in a row. I took a personal day Thursday and Dan and I went on a shopping bender in Wrentham. I had a “skeleton holiday” in which half the office is in and half is out on Friday. Saturday and Sunday are normal days off. Monday was Labor Day. I’m having a hard time adjusting back to real life.

As such, I present to you my weekend in pictures (and, ok, a few words):

These are Red-Eared Sliders and they live in Bass Pro Shops. I had to take a picture to text my brother, as he had the same turtle growing up and we released him into the wild. I think he’s the one on the left.

You can’t have Labor Day without a barbecue, right? We have friends, and they came over. The one in the middle reads this blog and never comments, just so you know. The one on the left is one of my besties. The one on the right is Dan, what a stud.

Like I said, stud. And modeling the first pieces of new clothing he’s purchased for himself. Ever.

On the other hand, I am well-versed in purchasing my own clothes and picked up these shoes and I’m in love. That is all.

An homage to Julia Child

Today would have marked Julia Child’s 100th birthday, and in her honor, I’d like to share some of the reasons why I think she’s so great:

• She was a late-bloomer. Julia Child didn’t start cooking until her early 30s. That’s motivation for people like me who may not have found their true path in life (I consider myself a wanderer) that it can come later and you can still find success.
• She was courageous. Julia Child played a role in the intelligence community during World War II. She dove into cooking and baking with reckless abandon. She pursued her cookbook relentlessly and as a perfectionist.
• She was head-over-heels in love with her husband. Julia and Paul traveled the world together, writing love letters to one another, spending time together, and making wacky Valentine’s Day cards.
• She was fun and funny. Julia radiated joy when she was in the kitchen. I remember watching her shows on PBS when I was young and laughing right along with her. She seemed more real to me than the only other TV chef I knew, Martin Yan from “Yan Can Cook.”
• She was honest. Julia showed her audience and her readers that successful cooking takes time and patience and shouldn’t be rushed. If she flubbed on her show, she didn’t try to cover it up or cut it out– she embraced it and went forward.
• She was real. Julia was a major departure from the ready-to-eat meal trends of the 50′s and 60′s and introduced many Americans to the experience of wine with dinner.

Julia Child was also a woman who was full of wonderful quotes. I think I’d like to wallpaper my kitchen with some of these gems:

“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”

“The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they’re right if you love to be with them all the time.”

“The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit.”

 

Source: leitesculinaria.com via Leah on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Leah on Pinterest

Source: southerndarlin.tumblr.com via Leah on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Leah on Pinterest

Bon appétit.

Olympic doppelgangers by height and weight

I just saw a story on NPR about a fun feature BBC is running. Basically, you enter your height and weight and you’re matched up with at least one Olympic athlete who’s built like you. I guess there’s no differentiation between men and women, so that could be sort of interesting, but there you go.

Of course I gave it a go, and my 5’8″, 133.5-lb self was matched with Sofya Konukh (female Russian water polo player) and Suyeon Back (female South Korean swimmer, 200m backstroke).

Who’s your Olympic body match?

Better than getting flowers

I was talking with my boss about a frustrating campaign I’ve been busting my butt on, only to get hung up on launching because of someone outside our company. I reached for my Nalgene to get some water and I see this:

I basically forgot what I was talking about and babbled for a few minutes about how much I love Dan. He’s been to REI a few times over the past couple of days and must have snuck it in at home when I wasn’t paying attention.

It’s the equivalent of getting flowers at work, but better since it won’t die and I see t every time I get a sip of water, which is alllllll the time.

Edited to add: confirmed!

Aww, warm fuzzies!

Life by the Lake

The heat wave we’ve all been suffering through for the last month or so has finally broken, giving us a gorgeous, breezy Saturday. Dan and I are both home, cleaning like mad for the wedding we have at the House tomorrow. I’ll say one thing about being the one hosting the wedding: I’ll be glad when this is over.

Aside from being slightly grouchy that a beautiful day is being wasted on the vacuum cleaner, I’m truly grateful for what I have in my life. I snuck away to the farmers market this morning and was able to buy fresh produce from local farms. I live in an historic home, paying rent through sweat equity and not through my bank account. I’m married to my best friend, who indulges my hissy fits and makes me smile. I’m healthy enough to train for a triathlon and half marathon. I have a job I enjoy and am paid fairly for it. My family and friends are mostly nearby and I can talk to them anytime.

In the day to day hubbub of life, it’s hard to lose sight about what good there is in your life. Taking stock of your blessings from time to time makes a big difference in your overall attitude and helps foster a sense of gratitude (woooo rhyming!).

I snapped the picture in the top right as I was walking back from the farmers market, and it’s what set me off on this tangent. The rest are what I get to see on a regular basis, living on the Lake.

Bia Multi-Sport GPS Watch

Check this out:

Bia GPS Multisport Watch

These ladies need $400,000 by midnight TODAY to realize this dream! Check out the Kickstarter page here and pledge to become a backer. I’m in! I just wish I had the funds to be a $200 backer and get the watch itself!

Have you backed anything on Kickstarter before? I’ve also backed a documentary about the Detroit Fire Department and their struggles with funding called BURN: A Year on the Front Lines of the Battle to Save Detroit. I owe you guys a blog post about that one and how I met Denis Leary at the Boston Independent Film Festival screening. Long story short, he’s really tall and dresses just like Tommy Gavin from “Rescue Me.” Surprising, right?

Garden full of weeds

I’m a landscaper’s wife with a garden full of weeds. Looks like I have my work cut out for me tonight!

We have lots to do in preparation for our Fourth of July party in a few short days. I’m so excited!