5 Years Ago Yesterday...

Yesterday I celebrated 5 years of home ownership. It's pretty hard to believe that I bought my little condo 5 years ago. I mean, I was 24 years old. It kind of blows my mind to think that I had my act together enough at that age to buy something on my own! I remember feeling very proud of the fact that I could buy this condo all by myself - no co-signors, no co-borrowers, just me!

Now this has certainly not been my best purchase. Yes, it has been wonderful to have a place to call home - and I do not miss moving once a year... nor do my parents, I am sure. They schlepped my stuff around a few too many times and my dad did grumble a bit and recommended I invest in a library card instead of amassing books like I have in my 20s. So yes, there have been some perks to owning a home.

But I definitely feel like my home owns me instead of vice versa. I unfortunately bought at a terrible time so the value of my little condo has nose dived. I try not to think about it because it is out of my control. When I do get frustrated, I remind myself that I am in good company - there were plenty other older and wiser people who also invested in real estate and are stuck in their homes, waiting for the market to rebound a bit.

All that aside, I do really like my little condo. I love that I have a wood burning fireplace. I love the wood floors that my cousin put in for me a couple of years ago. I love that I have underground, heated parking. I love the winding, tree lined road that my condo is located on.

Right now, I do not have the option of moving out of my small condo, so I am trying to embrace it and focus on the positive aspects of my living situation.

To give you an idea of where I live, here's a snapshot of my living room area. I have a desk in my bedroom, but I never use it. Instead, all of my blog posts are written from the comfort of that small love seat!! I also read in that over-sized reading chair on lazy afternoons.

I'd love to hear where you live! Do you rent or own? Are you happy with your current residence?

Ten on Tuesday

Ten on Tuesday is a bit different this week! If you have some great product suggestions, please share them!!

For each of the following 10 categories, tell us which brand/product you use and why.

1. Cell Phone
Verizon Blackberry. I am Verizon customer for life. I tried Sprint and AT&T and both were terrible. I would love to have an iPhone but that is not happening until the exclusivity contract runs out. I did a research project on the cell phone industry in grad school. Did you know that Apple initially approached Verizon and Verizon TURNED THEM DOWN because they had to relinquish control of the marking??? I wonder if Verizon regrets that decision...

2. Email
Gmail. I love that it groups all the emails into 'conversations' - so all the replay to all are grouped under one email. So if you have a big 'reply to all mass email, instead of opening up you email and seeing 13 emails, you just see one email. Hard to explain, but it's a wonderful thing.

3. Toothpaste
Crest regular paste. Can NOT stand any other brand or flavor. I do not leave home without this stuff.

4. Car
My Honda has been really good to me. My next car will likely be a Honda.

5. Writing Utensil
I really like blue bic medium ball pens. I am a bit particular, what can I say?

6. Lotion
I like Vaseline Intensive Care lotion. I have a hard time finding lotions that don't result in me having an allergic reaction, but this one works well for me. I have to stay away from anything that is scented.

7. Interior Paint
Behr brand is on my walls, I believe. I really couldn't care less what brand the paint is as long as someone else is putting it on my walls. I am a horrible painter!

8. Soda/Drink
I don't really drink soda anymore, but my favorite drink is Crystal Light Cherry Pomegranate. I drink at least a gallon of this each week. It's a good low-calorie juice alternative.

9. Laundry Detergent
I like Tide with Febreeze. I like Downy Mountain Breeze (I think that's the scent - sort of a greenish color) Fabric Softener.

10. Medicine
I probably over-use Ibuprofen... I have bottles at work, in my purse, and in my kitchen. I like to have it within my reach at all times in case I get a headache.

Any product recommendations you'd like to share?

Marathon Madness Monday: Week 7

Marathon training is 1/3 over! Holy canasta, it is going by so quickly! I hope the next 12 weeks slow down a bit!

This week I am writing about something that I never used to really think about - runner safety. Even though I've started to do an occasional run with a local running group, the majority of my runs are done alone. I used to tell an old co-worker - "well, if I don't show up tomorrow, maybe turn on the news and see if they found an unidentified female runner in South Minneapolis."

I know it's not funny to joke about something like that, but I live alone and there isn't anyone that I talk to every day. So I sometimes feel that, if I were to go missing, I could be missing for days before all the various people the corners of my lives connected and realized I was missing. That's just the reality of being a single person who lives alone.

After joking about it long enough, I finally decided to be a bit more responsible so I bought a Road ID that I now wear on my running shoes are at all times. It has my first name and my emergency contacts (my brother that lives in the Minneapolis area and my mom).





Pretty much every race bib has a tear off coupon for $1 off a road id. I believe mine cost around $19 - and it's worth the $19 spent to know that, if something were to happen to me, whoever finds me would know who to call.

Now that I am training for this marathon and exchanging daily Blackberry Messages with my training partner, Amber, I've taken it a step further. Last week, Amber and I exchanged emergency contacts and common running routes. If Amber or I don't hear back from each other in a reasonable amount of time, we'll know who to contact if something doesn't feel right. I realized it's kind of ironic that the one person who knows where I am when I am running lives 1,300 miles away, but it doesn't feel like she lives that far away since we communicate so frequently.

Hopefully these precautions I am taking never come into use, but they make me feel a bit safer and more comfortable.

I think it's important for anyone who runs, bikes, or walks alone to think about their safety!!

*************
Training Tally:
Miles ran last week: 26
Training-to-date mileage: 146

Oh the Places You'll Go

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on you own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the (girl) who'll decide where to go."
~ Dr. Seuss

When I graduated from high school, my eldest brother gave me the book, "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. I thought it was such a clever and appropriate gift (and later learned that his then-girlfriend-now-wife suggested he buy it). It still resides on a bookshelf in my living room. Have you read it as an adult? If not, next time you are at the library or a book store, pull it off the shelf and spend 5 minutes reading it. You might be surprised how applicable this book is to an adult's life!

If you someone had told the 18 year old version of myself that in the 10 years to come, I would have visited 2 other continents and a total of 8 countries outside of North America, I never would have believed it! Now, I know that there are many others who have seen far more of the world than I have, but considering the fact that I had never stepped on a plane at the age of 18, it's somewhat impressive that I saw so much in those 10 years after graduating from high school.

So why am I thinking about my past travels?

Well, my passport will expires on my birthday this year. The fees to obtain and renew a passport increased by $35 on Tuesday, so I decided to renew my passport this week. I'll be needing a valid passport for a trip in 2011... More to come on that...

Before sending it off in the mail, I looked back over the stamps on the pages. Words can not explain how excited I get over passport stamps. My friend Brooke loves to tease me about this! When we went to Europe together in 2004, on every train ride, I would excitedly ask,

"Do you think we'll get a stamp today?"

I know I will always have photos and memories from my trips, but there is something so nostalgic and timeless about a passport stamp. After looking through the stamps, I pulled out my old photos. I am not going to bore you with tons of vacation pics, but here are a few of my favorites.

Hiking in Mt. Cook National Park in New Zealand. New Zealand was by far the most beautiful country I have ever seen. And my word,I have never seen so many sheep! On this trip, I read that the sheep-to-people ratio in New Zealand is 10-1!

Queenstown, New Zealand is known as the adventure capital of the world. While there, I tandem para glided (pictured above) and bunjy jumped - two things I never thought I'd do. I have a video of bunjy jumping - I had to get it to prove to my parents that I did it as I knew they'd never believe that their chicken of a daughter would do that! I should figure out a way to get the VHS of that experience into a You Tube video. It's pretty interesting to watch...

In 2006, I visited a friend who was a Peace Corp volunteer in the Dominican Republic. We spent the first half of my trip in her campo where they did not have electricity. This trip was very eye opening as it made me realize how much of a spoiled American I am. I came back from this trip thankful for basic things like running water and electricity! In this picture, I am getting SCHOOLED in dominoes by these young girl. Oh vey, Latin Cultures ROCK at dominoes.

After spending a couple of days at my friend's compo, we headed to a beach resort where we seriously stayed in this little whole in the wall place for something like $10/night. I might have been worried about there being bed bugs... but it was across the street from the beach. After the heaviness of my experience at my friend's Peace Corp site, it was nice to end the vacation with some sun and relaxation.

This is the bridge in Prague - which is definitely the most beautiful bridge that I have ever seen - with Prague castle in the background. I am pretty sure my best friend Brooke took this picture because most of the pictures I took on this trip were blurry. Why? When we landed in Europe for this 10 day trip, I came down with a bug and I swear I have never been more sick in my life. It's really fun translating Bladder Infection into German... On top of that, I had a sinus infection and lost my voice. I was on so much cold medicine, I was literally shaking, hence the blurry photos. I was such a 'fabulous' travel partner, but we still made the most of it and had a wonderful time.

This post wouldn't be complete with a picture of the city that completely and utterly captured my heart in 2008. This is the city where I started blogging. This is the city where I finally broke free of the dark shadows of a difficult break-up that had happened earlier that year. This is the city where I discovered how much I enjoy traveling alone.

I can't wait to see what stamps I'll acquire in my new passport. I hope the next 10 years are as exciting and full of adventure as the past 10 have been. Next Friday, I'll share my exciting travel plans for 2011.

Do you have a passport? If so, do it have as many stamps as you thought it would at this point in your life. Even though I am happy that I have been to as many places as I have been, I do wish I had seen a bit more!

Color Me Excited!

So I feel a bit juvenile saying this, but I am so excited for this movie...



As a young girl, I adored Beverly Cleary's books. Ramona was such an endearing character, wasn't she? One of my favorite moments from that series was the time when Ramona brought an egg to lunch. She thought it was hard boiled so she thought it would be funny to crack the egg by slamming it against her forehead. It totally wasn't hard boiled so she had egg yolk running down her face. I do not know how old I was when I read it, but I still vividly remember thinking that was so funny - and at the same time I felt so bad for Ramona.

I could relate to Ramona since I have an older sister. As a child, I wanted her to like me and play with me and let me play with her friends and I didn't always understand never understood that she needed space and privacy. I am sure she can relate to how Beezus felt and just wanted her bratty, annoying sister to leave her the heck alone!

I think it looks like a great movie - and it has a great cast! John Corbett (hello, swoon! Love him), Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, and Sandra Oh. Great cast, right?

I might have to go see this when it hits theaters...

Did you love Beverly Cleary's books as much as I did? What other books did you love as a young reader? Besides Cleary's books I also loved Judy Blume, the Anne of Green Gable series, and The Baby Sitters Club series. And many others! I always had my noise in a book as a child (and still do as an adult!)

Match Maker, Match Maker, Make Me a Match

On Cup of Jo yesterday, Joanna featured an article about a mom who started a website to find a match for her adult son. Pretty unconventional, interesting, and a little bit hilarious, right?

It got me thinking - would I trust my mom to pick out a date or two or twenty for me?

The answer is yes.

I am not talking about an arranged marriage here, but I do think that my mom could pick out a suitable potential match for me. After all, she's watched me date for 10+ years. She knows what works and doesn't work. She knows what types I am attracted to. She understands that I am a bit on the melodramatic side (ahem, like crying on the phone about a cartwheeled induced ankle injury), so she understands what kind of personality a boyfriend would need to balance my high strung side.

Now, this blog post isn't a plea for my mom to put on her match making hat. For now I would like to retain control of that corner of my life. But it was interesting to think about.

On the other hand, I am not sure how I would feel about being set up with a guy by HIS mom. I feel like that would scream 'momma's boy' and I am not sure if I could date a guy like that... It just makes me think of the Sex and the City episode when the Jewish women at Charlotte's synagogue are trying to set her up with their sons and it goes miserably... (I feel like any and every situation in life can someone be related back to SATC, by the way...)

What do you think, dear readers? Would you trust your parents' match making or do you think they'd fail miserably at finding a suitable match for you? If someone wanted to set you up with their son, would you be open to that?

Ten on Tuesday

Good morning and Happy Tuesday. This is my batch of questions so you all should participate this week. Or at least answer a few in the comments!

1. What is the worst movie you have ever seen?
Hands down, Magnolia. This is the only movie where I have gotten up and left before it was over.

2. Do you have a favorite Disney/Pixar film?
Disney = Beauty and the Beast
Pixar = Ratatouille

*ahem - surprise, surprise, both movies are set in France...

3. Do you have a favorite movie from the 80′s?
It's a toss-up between Dirty Dancing & Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

4. Are there any movies you saw more than once in the theater?
I saw Titanic and Love Actually twice.

5. What is one city/area of the US (or country you live if you do not live in the US) that you have not seen but would like to see?
I've been on more vacations outside of the US than within, so there are many areas I would like to see. So I have to break it down into two answers...

Outdoorsy/National Park = The Grand Canyon
City = Washington, DC

6. What are your favorite toppings on an Ice Cream Sundae?
I like chocolate sauce and some fresh fruit like raspberries. And maybe a side of peanut butter cups. :)

7. How many proms did you go to? What color was your prom dress? If you went to multiple proms, what color was your favorite prom dress?
I went to 3 Proms. My HS boyfriend lived in a different city so we went to both of our Prom junior year and I wore a black dress. My senior year, I was no longer dating my HS boyfriend so I went with another guy from his school and wore a red dress. I broke up with my date the next day over email (I know, how immature) and I had strep throat so I do not have fond memories of this prom.

I don't have access to any photos, but the black dress was my favorite of the two. It was an Alfred Angelo dress with an open back with thick, beaded straps that criss crossed.

8. Is there a sport or extra-curricular activity that you didn’t get to try as a child that you wish you would have? (e.g. gymnastics, piano lessons, ballet, etc.)
Gymnastics and ballet. I used to be really, really flexible so I think I could have been good at these activities. Unfortunately, my parents were busy enough taking care of us 5 kids, they did not have time to drive 25 miles each way to take me to Gymnastics or Ballet classes!

Additionally, if my school had offered cross country, I wish I could have taken that. But my younger self never realized how much I liked long distance running so even if it was offered, I probably wouldn't have participated.

9. How many siblings do you have? Are you the oldest, middle, or youngest?
I have 4 siblings - 3 older and 1 younger.

10. Do you feel like you fit in with your age group? Or do you feel younger/older than your age group?
No, I really don't. Growing up, I always felt like a bit of an old soul. I wasn't really big into drinking and have always preferred to go home around midnight so I never really felt like I fit in during my early 20s.

Now I am 29 years old and I do not have any local single friends and many of my friends are starting to have children. I don't feel less mature than them or anything like that, I just feel like I am in such a different phase of my life.