December 17, 2010

Checking off my list for my trip

As I look at what to do for my trip, slowly things are becoming more secure and becoming set plans. Now I do have a lot un-planned, but I do have a hostel to stay at in madrid, I have a day trip tour in spain that takes me to segovia and avila, I also have a tour that take me to Granada, cordaba, seville, and toledo.

In italy the only thing planned is my tour that take me around all of italy, so i am excited about that.

In paris, I have a hotel for my birthday, which was nicely provided by my parents as a birthday present. There is a picture below of where my hotel is located from the Eiffel tower. I also have a train ticket for the eurostar that goes under the english channel.


As the trip gets farther and farther from spain it gets less and less planned. I will see where the train may take me. ***On Aboard***


13 weeks left!

October 17, 2010

Completed IBM Classic 10K

Checked off my list. My dad and I ran together at my walk/run speed, which we did 3 minutes walk 1.15 run. We finished the race in an 1:22.34 which was a personal record from last years 1:31.23. Well, off to relax and go to bed. I have a long week ahead of me.

September 30, 2010

Not a leader, but a follower.

I made a decision before my 25th birthday to myself, to try new things by myself(to not follow as much). I am not a good leader, meaning making decisions, having the confidence to do something without needing back up reinforcement, going outside my comfort zone, doing things alone, and a few other things. I feel like I rely on people to much for outside reinforcement that I don't have and wished I had more of. I just want to gain more confidence, gain strength(physical and mental), and overall change my life and see where it goes, good or bad.

I have decide to check some things off my Bucket List to fulfill my promise to myself:
Complete a half of a half marathon(6.1 miles) - Oct 17 - IBM Classic 10K - signed up
Complete a half marathon(13.1 miles) - Jan 30 - 3M Half Marathon - signed up
Complete a marathon(26.2 miles) - Feb 20 - Austin Marathon - signed up
Travel Europe - got ticket
Go see a Broadway play in London or New York - planning stages
Go on the train that goes under the English channel - planning stages

All these things will be completed in 6 months or less.

September 18, 2010

Added a Tour

I will be doing a Tour in Italy called 'Simply Italy' with Conitki, which provides trips for 18-35 year olds. Now with those set dates in April. I know I arrive in Madrid in the morning of the 21st of March and I have to be in Rome in the second week of April. Now I get to plan the 20 or so days in between. I know that I want to go see Barcelona(after Madrid of course) and then stay toward the coast of the Mediterranean through France and then down to Rome. Choices choices...

September 13, 2010

Maybe instead what to bring I should state where to go?

Starting in Madrid, Spain


Ending in London, England


The in-between countries:
France, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland

Any suggestion on places(i.e. buildings, museums, food places) and/or cities to experience.

September 12, 2010

What do you NEED to backpack Europe?

hmmm...

- check - Backpack - check - 2 Shorts
- check - 1 toothbrush - check - 2 Tank
- check - Wash cloth - check - 3 Long sleeves
- check - Hair cloth - check - 3 Short sleeves
- check - Body cloth - check - 8 Underwear
- check - Razor - check - 3 Bras (2 everyday, 1 sport)
- check - Pummel stone - check - 7 Socks
- check - Bar of soap - check - 2 Shoes (1 athletic, 1 nice)
- check - Bar of soap container - check - 1 baseball hat
- check - Day Pack - check - Money belt
- check - Eye mask - check - Moleskin minijournal
- check - Passport - check - Ipod and their charger
- check - Converter plugs
- check - 2 Scarves (1 winter, 1 nice to cover hair for mosque)
- check - Pack-it cubes (laundry bag, med., small, large)

Last Week Buys
(last week buys) Feminine Products
(last week buys) Prescription
(last week buys) 1 container of pads for face
(last week buys) Powder
(last week buys) 1 oz. Moisturizer
(last week buys) Make-up stick
(last week buys) Razor blades
(last week buys) floss
(last week buys) flip-flops for shower
(last week buys) earplugs
(last week buys) Q-tips
(last week buys) TP (small rolls from target)

Fill-up Last Minute
(fill-up last minute) 3 oz. Go toob toothpaste
(fill-up last minute) 3 oz. shampoo and conditioner
(fill-up last minute) 3 oz. shaving soap

Maybe get, Maybe not
cup???
3 Pants (1 day, 1 PJ, 1 nice)-----(maybe 1 more for x-mas present)
Camera and their charger-----buy 16GB card, buy(maybe borrow) one extra battery
Sunglasses

September 10, 2010

GOING to EUROPE

August 17, 2010

I am done with getting injuried.

A week ago I got a really bad sunburn while tubing with Beth and Matthew. That was fun healing from, the itchy-ness, the pealing of legs, back, hands, some part of my arms too. I have no pictures of the burn or the pealing, which I think most people would be happy about, but I do have fun ones as we went down the river, here are a few.





_________________________________________________________________

Yesterday, I was making some fish for my mom for her dinner, when I put the fish in to fast and splashed melted butter on my right hand wrist area.

_________________________________________________________________

Well today, I cut myself with a box cutter. I now have 4 stitches on the top of my left thumb. Luckily I didn't cut anything important (tendons, muscles, etc.), but there was a lot of blood going on. There was a reason, I know a box cutter, but actually I cut my artery in my finger, so it spurted blood as the doctor was trying to close me up, but he had to clamp it to sew up the sides before he could sew up the artery.



Tah-da...all bandaged up. I will take it off tomorrow afternoon and then I will wear a bandage, and a stint(like they use for sprained fingers) for my other work days this week. I get the stitches out on the 27th the day before I am planning on going to schlitterbahn with my dad, Justin and Stephanie.

August 4, 2010

Sunburned

I went tubing on Saturday with Matthew and Beth it was so much fun other than the bad sunburn I received. (pictures up later in the week-if they turn out good). I am officially sunburned - blisters and all(which started forming on my back this afternoon). I am pink/red on my legs, arms, breasts, tops of feet, tops of hands, and back. Lets just say if I was ever captured by a terrorist or someone trying to hurt me all you have to do it make me itch. I will give up any information to make the itching STOP. My back is driving me up the wall. Itch, itch, itch all day long. I am now using lanacane which is a miracle cream that makes the itching stop for a few hours. HEAVEN!

July 2, 2010

June 28, 2010

Sushi with Beth (not pictured)

I signed up for a Sushi class and then posted it on my blog. Beth, my sister-in-law, saw it and decided to join me. We had a good time, learning some new skills and chit-chatting.

We first off learned about Japanese rice, which I call sticky rice. We learned a few other things, then started with our sushi making course. The first step was learning how to wet our hands enough so we didn't have rice hand(no picture), it is where all the rice sticks to your hands and you can't get it off without a faucet. We started by making balls of rice to go with our shrimp. Then learned to butterfly our shrimp.

Shrimp is officially butterflied.

Then we attempted to take our ball of rice, which we turned into a rectangle/cube shape with out fingers and hand. Then placed the shrimp on top and squished it on top to incorporate it to the rice.

Rice underneath butterflied shrimp.


Then we placed it on a plate and proceeded to the next type.

Lets just say raw fish is not something I am totally comfortable with, so I made it, but only ate this tuna roll. It wasn't bad, but it still isn't my top pick. We first laid out the mat, got a piece of dry seaweed, and rice.

We placed the rice over the seaweed, like so. The raw tuna it in the upper left hand of the picture, it tried to pick the smallest strips.


We then placed the tuna on the rice. wa-la.


And rolled is together.


Side view, I got some skills, huh.


We then sliced in half.


Then in thirds.


There are the tuna rolls, Shrimp with rice underneath and then a raw tuna slice placed on top of a rice rectangle/cube like the shrimp.


We also did raw salmon slices on top of rice rectangle/cube. I never attempted to eat the raw tuna and salmon slice on top of the rice. It was just to big of a step for me. But I attempted everything else.


We then made battleships, which have rice rectangle/cube, then you wrap a seaweed strip around the circumference of the rice, then place crab mixture on top in the remaining area.

We then made a one like a cone which had rice, English cucumber, smoked trout, cream cheese, and of course the seaweed. That one was my favorite.


Here is the final plate. Clockwise from noon. Raw tuna with rice ball underneath, Two raw salmon with rice ball underneath, Trout cone, Two battleships with crab and rice, Six raw tuna rolls, and Two shrimp with rice balls underneath.

May 5, 2010

Quarter of a Century


Damn Straight....
Happy Birthday to me!

May 3, 2010

REI spending spree - well sort of

I am planning a trip - a couple of them actually. So I need some stuff. I went to REI because they are nice people, well informed, answered any of my questions, and always willing to help out a customer in finding the right thing for them. Even if that means stuffing 25lbs into several different backpacks for me to try on to feel the structure of the backpack with real weight in it. Saturday May 1st, they had a friends and family day. If you spent over $200 then you received 25% off and if you spent less than $200 then you received 20% off. So overall a good deal from them. Here is what I bought (you may see it, if you live close by or on one of my upcoming trips). The best thing about REI is 100% return. So if what I buy doesn't work for me they will take it back and give me a full refund.


This is a Granite Gear Vapor Trail. Link Here.


This is going to be my day pack. It is called REI Flash 18. Link Here.


I needed a water bottle to attach to me, so I don't have to carry it in my hands. I liked this design because I could drink from it without untwisted a big hole and the loop wasn't attached to the lid part. Link Here.


Every time I travel I have a hard time finding good size bottles for my stuff. With the new TSA rules nothing can be over 3 fl. oz. The above picture is exactly 3 fl. oz. and the below one isn't. I think they are cool because they are easy to squeeze and the tip where the stuff comes out is has a protective lip (like the upside down ketchup bottles). Link Here.


These are similar to the 3 fl. oz., but these are 2 fl. oz. and they have a suction cup on the back to adhere to a shower wall. Link Here.


I also bought a 1 fl. oz. hard plastic bottle for my lotion. It is small and has a flip up tiny spout so I can have easy access to the lotion without a lot coming out and a lot going to waste. Link Here.



The next thing I bought was compression bags. I don't know if these work, but if I travel in winter and have to take a heavy jacket then I rather get all the air out to save some space. These I bought to try out I hope they work, but if not I will have to research some other ways to compress bulky clothes. Link Here.


Finally, some small things, I bought a Nite Ize S-biner size 2 (bought 2) (Link Here) and size 3 (bought 1) (Link Here) and a small veralink carabiner (bought 2). Link Here.

I spent a lot, but not as much as I could have if there wasn't a sale. I will be enjoying these shortly, in the next few weeks.

May 1, 2010

Dinner out

This dinner was Macy employees around this area to come to a dinner and the money would go to March of Dimes (Macy's matched it, too.). I think we raise $7,000, so in total with Macy's match we raise $14,000 for March of Dimes. So it was a good night with good food and good company. First course was a yummy salad with sugered pecan, bleu cheese, and i put a peppercorn ceasar like dressing on my salad, second course was shrimp and beef with a sauce and carrots and green beans on the side, and the final course was cheesecake with a cinnamon graham cracker crust with a blackberries and sauce on the side. I didn't take pictures of it, but it looked good too. There were personal stories about one woman who had twin boys at 31 weeks (they were there- they are 5 now). Also, a women who had a little girl at 27 weeks (she was also there bouncing around with her parents, she was also 5). We had dancing for some of the night, there was also a silent auction. So overall good night.

Here are a few pictures of what I looked like that night.




April 14, 2010

Day with the Wildflowers

As this upcoming week came I noticed I wasn't scheduled to work the whole week. I thought well that is strange, but what could I do. If there are no hours to give, then there are no hours. I decided to try and get out of the house. In the evening I received a call about me working on Tuesday and Wednesday (and now Thursday). Some of my not so set plans went to the wayside for another day.

Recently (the last week or two) I have noticed the wildflowers blooming along the highway. It is a pretty sight. I thought, well if there are wildflowers along the highway there sure must be wildflowers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. So I decided to take a trip, by myself.

As you enter, you see this giant fly--I guess a good first impression at least it is memorable.


The fly was one of many other sculptures in the area. Here are a few of them.




Then I came across these vines with flowers. I thought they were really beautiful with the arches and sunlight.




Here are the flowers in a close-up shot.


Another thing that I was fascinated by was the cactus. This one was blooming bright red/orange flowers and it wasn't a big cactus compared to the flowers.


This one was small in size and intricate with the needles. I want to show how bright and beautiful it was that day so I angled the camera to get the green landscape and blue skies in the shot. There was a slight breeze going and lovely pathways to walk along and commune with nature. What a day.


This cactus is more common to see here. I liked the weird growths on the top which will turn in to another section of cacti leaves. The way I angled the camera allowed me to show the smoothness of the surface with the long crazy needles jutting out to protect itself (or maybe catch rain?).


Here are the bluebonnets, with an interesting sculpture behind it.


Reminds me of the old west with windmills, and no building ruining the view.


Took this shot to have a contrast of something hard and sharp to bright and pretty.


Different wildflower (there are many more than these two).


Close-up shot of a bluebonnet.


Here is one of the lovely pathways I came across. A lot of people were taking the same shot. It is a beautiful sight to see when the bluebonnets (or other flowers) are bunched together.

Hard rock, soft flower.


Around here people stop on highways to have their baby or themselves with a picture of them in the bluebonnets. I am sitting on a pathway of pink granite, leaning back to make it look like there are a lot of flowers, then snapping a self shot. As you may notice, or not, I have a black strap around my neck in the shot. I was not only taking pictures with my digital, but my dad's 35mm. All the shots you see are from my digital, I dropped of my film to get developed today and I will be picking them up tomorrow (Thursday).


I realize something as I was walking around by myself on a mile path. I am going to be doing a lot of things by myself. I don't like it, I think it is better and more fun to have someone with you. I felt in that moment all alone and realizing I am going to be alone for most things. As I pondered the thought and continued walking I glanced to my right to see a eagle soaring in the breeze (probably having a ball). Then it came around toward me and circled (no it wasn't going to eat me), then it soar on by and left. Though it may sound cliche, in that small moment or a blink of an eye I didn't feel alone. Then I was again, but it was alright.