Where Do I Even Begin?

January 20 and this is my first blog post of 2014. That’s kind of pathetic.

Some things have happened since December 30th. For a quick catch-up of the highlights:

We took a little trip to California where we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway

and had a little fun with the Spartans

(Yes, that event required that many pictures!)

I took a snowshoeing basics class at REI so I might look a little bit like I know what I’m doing when we finally go out snowshoeing (which will hopefully be soon)!

Woody had a Birthday so we took a day trip to Fort Collins to check out a few breweries (Odell was our favorite) and did a little celebrating!

Woody’s mom visited this weekend so we so we showed her around Denver and the Front Range – including a trip to Red Rocks and The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park

All the while, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Jillian Michaels,

and running

and not to mention, we’re on the hunt for a house!!

Oh yeah, and I’ve been working too. Will be great to see the reaction this gets tomorrow!

(as you might guess, the person who works in this office is not a Broncos fan. But it’s all in good fun!)

So, on to start another week. Maybe next time I post you’ll be hearing about a race I’ve signed up for and a trail I’ve conquered on snow shoes (pictures may, or may not be, included)!

What have you been up to so far this year?

Another Weekend, Another Trip

I love to travel. Exploring new places, seeing friends, trying new food, learning the history of the area, and of course, going for a run (or two). but before I went to Georgia the other weekend, I hadn’t traveled since I went to Minneapolis in March for my awesome nephew’s 5th birthday. I guess some would call our four day cross-country drive a trip, but I just call it endless hours sitting in a leaky Penske Truck.

It just so happened that the two trips I’m taking this fall happened two weekends in a row. First Georgia, then Michigan. Woody and I headed back to Michigan this past weekend and stayed with my parents for a few days.

We spent some time on campus (Michigan State University), walking around, checking out my Dad’s latest projects – he’s worked for the University for 40 years! – and of course, got ice cream at the MSU Dairy Store. I have no idea how I don’t have a picture of this, or my friend Jenny and her two adorable sons who met us there!

Of course, we timed our trip so that we could go to an MSU Football game! We happened to pick homecoming weekend and the Spartans beat the Hoosiers 42 – 28! Back in the day, I spent my fall semesters as an alto in the Spartan Marching Band. Much like being on a sports team, it taught me discipline, teamwork, leadership skills, and at a school of more than 42,000 students, I had an instant family. It also often kicked my butt. The SMB is a hardcore marching band and you had to be in shape, or you got in shape during pre-season drills. One of my favorite parts of being in the SMB was the march to the stadium, so of course, we watched the band march to the stadium before the game. I’m pretty sure I could still do The Series today if someone asked me to!

We also took a little road trip with my parents over to Saugatuck, a little town near Lake Michigan, went to the beach and watched the sun set from a state park in Holland (we weren’t the only ones with that idea!) before finishing the night off with dinner at a brewery. It was a little chilly, but a beautiful and fun day.

In between all of this we managed to find time for a run, a workout at the local Powerhouse Gym (a day pass is only 5 bucks!), a few meals with friends and family and lots of time to catch up with my parents and play with their cats! It was a fantastic, action packed weekend that I wouldn’t trade for anything. That said, I am looking forward to this weekend and having time to rest and get over this cold that decided to ruin my week. Oh, and go spectate the Rock n Roll Denver Marathon with my Oiselle teammates!

Do you have any trips planned? * Are you racing this fall? (I have two on my list that I just need to pull the trigger on and sign-up for!)