On Saturday morning, we were supposed to run 6 miles. The hubby's sister was in town so I thought we might just run around our area rather than heading into town to run with the group. It was just the hubby and I running... we didn't have a course plotted out but I had an idea of where to go and a GPS watch that will tell us how far we are running. So we set out around 6:45am to run our 6 miles. We actually had multiple arguments on where to run. You would think we would be entirely to tired to expend all that extra energy bickering about the route!
I haven't quite turned 40 yet... give me a few more days but we have had my party for my 40th birthday Saturday night. Apparently my husband had pretty much informed everyone coming that he had bought me a wine fridge for my birthday. I got nine bottles of wine and champagne that night. So he is occasionally good for something.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A picture you won't often see of me
I don't plan to have kids... my husband has two. One is 21 and has her own kiddo and the other lives with us so I do get to try to raise a teenager. I'm almost 40 and I finally have someone in my life who will travel with me, run marathons, or bike across Texas. I have not given birth but I have observed the changes and I'm not sure I'm up for it at this age. I hope I'm not wrong...
However this is the picture of me and my friend's baby, Cade. He wasn't quite out of the hospital at this time.
However this is the picture of me and my friend's baby, Cade. He wasn't quite out of the hospital at this time.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Oh and random stuff
I almost forgot! My car decided to die yesterday. I'm not quite ready to buy a car yet. I think I know what I want but I want to wait til spring next year to buy something. More on that in a minute. So at the worst possible financial moment when we are about to go into the month that my husband isn't bringing home a paycheck (the new company has a lag of 60 days. BRUTAL!) It's not the battery because it sounds like it wants to start but no... I will be getting to work late again also at the worst possible moment. Thanks Miata! Great timing!!
Now back to the new car... We want to shop around for a while because I wasn't really sure what kind of car I want. This will probably be my first true grownup car. I have had a life of sports cars up until now. Toyota MR2, Miatas, and Mustangs are the cars I have owned up til now. I love the having a two seater convertible however I'm married now and we have a 14 year old in the house. When the hubby goes hunting he either leaves us with just the Miata (which is fine right up until the teenager invites a friend over) or he takes the Miata with him... not exactly the most practical choice for hunting.
So if I have to do a grownup vehicle, I insist on it at least being a convertible still. My choices are limited really. I could do another Mustang. It does have a backseat but the one I want is also a gas guzzler. There are a bunch made by companies like BMW and Mercedes but they are just a bit too far out of my comfort zone on price. My choices are a Saab 9-3, Audi A4, and the Volvo C70. All are still very expensive admittedly but I think we are going to go for one of these. We test drove the Saab and Volvo so far. The Audi is a good bit more so I doubt I will go for that one but I will test drive it soon.
The Saab was a nice car and very much still has the sports car feel to it. This would be an easy transition for me but it's a bit smaller with less trunk space than the Volvo.
The Volvo was REALLY nice. The hubby is voting for this car. He loved it from the start and I'll admit that I do too. If you had told me when I was younger that I would be considering a Volvo, I would have thought you were nuts. But the cars are a lot less boxy than they used to be and the C70 is a sweet looking convertible. Oh and did I mention that it has a retractable hard top??
After we get back from the test drive the salesman comes up to us and asks what we thought and then asks what our time frame was. My first thought was "Oh great, here comes the hard sales tactics." Instead he tells us about how we can actually get the car cheaper if we go pick it up in Sweden. WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How can this possibly be cheaper? Then he explains that Volvo flies you to Gothenburg, Sweden, puts you up in a very nice hotel, takes you on a plant tour and feeds you lunch. Then you take ownership of the car and can have it shipped right away or you can take a driving vacation of Europe that they arrange for you (you pay for any extra stay). Then you can ship the vehicle from where ever you drive to for a small fee or you can drive back to Gothenburg where they will ship it for free. Oh! Did I mention that the car will be $3K cheaper if you do all this?
We are seriously considering this option. Hmmmmm... Free flight and one night hotel stay in Sweden. $3k break on the price of the car. Gosh let me think about this one... Yep, I think we may do this. The reason I want to wait until spring to buy the car is that I don't really think I want to go to Sweden in the wintertime. I am a wimpy Texan and don't like cold. We would go now but it takes 2 and a half months to build the car which puts us in the middle of winter. Now to figure out where we should go from Sweden...
Now back to the new car... We want to shop around for a while because I wasn't really sure what kind of car I want. This will probably be my first true grownup car. I have had a life of sports cars up until now. Toyota MR2, Miatas, and Mustangs are the cars I have owned up til now. I love the having a two seater convertible however I'm married now and we have a 14 year old in the house. When the hubby goes hunting he either leaves us with just the Miata (which is fine right up until the teenager invites a friend over) or he takes the Miata with him... not exactly the most practical choice for hunting.
So if I have to do a grownup vehicle, I insist on it at least being a convertible still. My choices are limited really. I could do another Mustang. It does have a backseat but the one I want is also a gas guzzler. There are a bunch made by companies like BMW and Mercedes but they are just a bit too far out of my comfort zone on price. My choices are a Saab 9-3, Audi A4, and the Volvo C70. All are still very expensive admittedly but I think we are going to go for one of these. We test drove the Saab and Volvo so far. The Audi is a good bit more so I doubt I will go for that one but I will test drive it soon.
The Saab was a nice car and very much still has the sports car feel to it. This would be an easy transition for me but it's a bit smaller with less trunk space than the Volvo.
The Volvo was REALLY nice. The hubby is voting for this car. He loved it from the start and I'll admit that I do too. If you had told me when I was younger that I would be considering a Volvo, I would have thought you were nuts. But the cars are a lot less boxy than they used to be and the C70 is a sweet looking convertible. Oh and did I mention that it has a retractable hard top??
After we get back from the test drive the salesman comes up to us and asks what we thought and then asks what our time frame was. My first thought was "Oh great, here comes the hard sales tactics." Instead he tells us about how we can actually get the car cheaper if we go pick it up in Sweden. WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How can this possibly be cheaper? Then he explains that Volvo flies you to Gothenburg, Sweden, puts you up in a very nice hotel, takes you on a plant tour and feeds you lunch. Then you take ownership of the car and can have it shipped right away or you can take a driving vacation of Europe that they arrange for you (you pay for any extra stay). Then you can ship the vehicle from where ever you drive to for a small fee or you can drive back to Gothenburg where they will ship it for free. Oh! Did I mention that the car will be $3K cheaper if you do all this?
We are seriously considering this option. Hmmmmm... Free flight and one night hotel stay in Sweden. $3k break on the price of the car. Gosh let me think about this one... Yep, I think we may do this. The reason I want to wait until spring to buy the car is that I don't really think I want to go to Sweden in the wintertime. I am a wimpy Texan and don't like cold. We would go now but it takes 2 and a half months to build the car which puts us in the middle of winter. Now to figure out where we should go from Sweden...
Now for the less tiring news
My friend had her baby last week! (Less tiring for me not her) She had to be induced due to complications so the baby came at almost 36 weeks so he was a bit early. He is still in NICU because of breathing problems but is doing really well as of today. He should be home this week. Welcome Cade!
Marathon Chronicles - week 6/7
For Elastic, I was going to try to talk about something else here so that she won't get tired every time she comes here to read but apparently this is my whole life... However I will do this one and my next entry out of order so that maybe she can be not so tired.
Week 6 didn't really go well for me. I am in physical therapy and suddenly on Friday before the 7 mile run, they decided to do a strength test. Essentially they tested my calves and shins until they were fatigued. Apparently this was not a good idea because within 1 mile of starting the run, my shins were fatigued. I made it through about 4 miles before I started walking a good bit.
Week 7 was our 8 mile run. The hubby decided to be "manly" the night before by picking up a wine fridge to move it and threw his back out. I was on my own for this run. Not that this is a problem... he is usually a good half a mile to a mile ahead of me anyway. The run went pretty well even though it's not my favorite route. I was a little tired on the way out but I felt decent on the way back. I am starting to walk a little to get through the runs now. It's all good though. I will do that during the marathon too so may as well start walking some now! :)
Next Saturday we get a break!! Only 6 miles that day! YAY!!
Week 6 didn't really go well for me. I am in physical therapy and suddenly on Friday before the 7 mile run, they decided to do a strength test. Essentially they tested my calves and shins until they were fatigued. Apparently this was not a good idea because within 1 mile of starting the run, my shins were fatigued. I made it through about 4 miles before I started walking a good bit.
Week 7 was our 8 mile run. The hubby decided to be "manly" the night before by picking up a wine fridge to move it and threw his back out. I was on my own for this run. Not that this is a problem... he is usually a good half a mile to a mile ahead of me anyway. The run went pretty well even though it's not my favorite route. I was a little tired on the way out but I felt decent on the way back. I am starting to walk a little to get through the runs now. It's all good though. I will do that during the marathon too so may as well start walking some now! :)
Next Saturday we get a break!! Only 6 miles that day! YAY!!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
The Marathon Chronicles - week 4/5
Ok! The hubby and I are in week 5 of training for the marathon (26 weeks total for anyone who is curious about exactly how nuts we are). Last weekend we ran 6.4 miles. For me it was a great run. I felt good the whole way and sped up for the last mile. I can't say that I was running all that fast but I was happy that I was not the last person to come in for my group by far.
My husband claims he had a bad run. Blames the chicken fried steak from the night before (likely story!) Yet he finished the run about 3 minutes or so ahead of me. Have I mentioned that I hate him and his natural ability to run??
All I have to say is hill training in Houston just stinks. Only 3 more weeks of this to go! I think my coach has become evil since I last trained with him. I recall it all being difficult when I did this before but I don't remember feeling like I might die on the middle of a stupid hill. Couldn't be that I am way more out of shape and carrying about 10 extra pounds this year... NAW!!!
My husband claims he had a bad run. Blames the chicken fried steak from the night before (likely story!) Yet he finished the run about 3 minutes or so ahead of me. Have I mentioned that I hate him and his natural ability to run??
All I have to say is hill training in Houston just stinks. Only 3 more weeks of this to go! I think my coach has become evil since I last trained with him. I recall it all being difficult when I did this before but I don't remember feeling like I might die on the middle of a stupid hill. Couldn't be that I am way more out of shape and carrying about 10 extra pounds this year... NAW!!!
The weekend
I finally got to meet my niece last weekend. She is 9 months old. I am a horrible aunt! My niece was born merely two days after I got married last year. My sister-in-law understandably was not present at my wedding since they live in San Francisco. My brother was brave and came to my wedding. He was in Houston for less than 24 hours... it was a good thing he didn't hang around because his wife went into labor about 2 or 3 hours after he got back to SF (she was a week or two early!)
Since that time I have been trying to make it to see them. There was honeymoon, then holidays, then job changes and MBA classes for the hubby. We cannot seem to find the time sadly. My brother was kind enough to travel to Houston for me instead. This pleased my parents since they cannot possibly get enough of their first grandbaby.
So... everyone came to my house. I may have mentioned that this whole marriage thing and being forced to share my space has been really traumatic. Well, add my whole family and one friend of my stepdaughter, I was positively fit to be tied by the end of it all.
On the upside, I got to spend some quality time with my brother and his family. See pic below of my newest little Aggie fan (we like to brainwash them young!)
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
So much to talk about...
Birthday:
We are now in August and it's my birthday month. Usually I'm not even close to thinking about my birthday but there are two things different about this one. It's the big 4-O and I feel like I should celebrate it right. Then there is also the fact that the hubby is making an extra special effort this year since we were in an unexpected financial bind last August (ex-families suck!) The hubby has ordered many gifts this year and he ordered them early. There are two good sized boxes sitting in my house taunting me. So I can't seem to forget my birthday this year no matter how hard I try!
Marathon chronicles:
The hubby and I did our first hill training last night (Yes, you can do hill training in Houston.) I've done it before but this is a first for him. I don't think he really grasped how hard it was going to be. I did tried to warn him. Being generally a natural runner, he did better than I did. On our last 5 minutes up and down the hill I did a bit of walking. He stuck with it and ran but much more slowly than his first few hills. It was a really hard workout and HUMID! By the end I was pretty much hoping I could just die right there. But no, we had to run half a mile or so back to the area where we parked. I really need someone to remind me why I'm doing this. Oh yeah! I'm nuts!
Physical Therapy:
Because I want to run, I have to get my calf issues fixed. Nothing major really... it only hurts when I run because the calves are super-tight. If I would just stretch better I could have avoided this whole thing. All I can say about this experience is OUCH!! I think I will start stretching now.
New Job:
The hubby has a new job that will keep him in town. I'm mostly happy about that but I'll admit that there are times when I will miss having the house to myself. Oh and I may miss having my job to myself. Did I mention that his first consulting gig is at MY company? Mental note: send him out with his friends occasionally.
We are now in August and it's my birthday month. Usually I'm not even close to thinking about my birthday but there are two things different about this one. It's the big 4-O and I feel like I should celebrate it right. Then there is also the fact that the hubby is making an extra special effort this year since we were in an unexpected financial bind last August (ex-families suck!) The hubby has ordered many gifts this year and he ordered them early. There are two good sized boxes sitting in my house taunting me. So I can't seem to forget my birthday this year no matter how hard I try!
Marathon chronicles:
The hubby and I did our first hill training last night (Yes, you can do hill training in Houston.) I've done it before but this is a first for him. I don't think he really grasped how hard it was going to be. I did tried to warn him. Being generally a natural runner, he did better than I did. On our last 5 minutes up and down the hill I did a bit of walking. He stuck with it and ran but much more slowly than his first few hills. It was a really hard workout and HUMID! By the end I was pretty much hoping I could just die right there. But no, we had to run half a mile or so back to the area where we parked. I really need someone to remind me why I'm doing this. Oh yeah! I'm nuts!
Physical Therapy:
Because I want to run, I have to get my calf issues fixed. Nothing major really... it only hurts when I run because the calves are super-tight. If I would just stretch better I could have avoided this whole thing. All I can say about this experience is OUCH!! I think I will start stretching now.
New Job:
The hubby has a new job that will keep him in town. I'm mostly happy about that but I'll admit that there are times when I will miss having the house to myself. Oh and I may miss having my job to myself. Did I mention that his first consulting gig is at MY company? Mental note: send him out with his friends occasionally.
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