Weekend Recap

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Mine flew by as they always do.  Here's how I filled my time.

On Friday night I spent several hours working on dishes for the dinner party I hosted on Saturday night.  I also threw together a quick dinner using more pesto from my basil plant.  That thing just keeps growing like crazy!  After dinner we headed to Phil's place.  He had brought home some mini cans of champagne from work (his office occasionally brings in beer or other cocktails when they have a good month or have something else to celebrate - I guess that is one perk of working for a small, private company!).  I'm not a huge champagne fan but it was nice to have a little cocktail to celebrate completing my first week at work.

The rest of the night was spent playing cards and playing with Oscar.  By the way, we recently found out that Oscar is actually a girl...  We were told the cat was a boy when we got it but after inspecting the cat the week after bring her home, Phil was pretty sure it was actually a girl.  The vet confirmed that 2 weeks ago - but it actually took 2 different vets to confirm the sex as the first one thought she might be a boy (who knew it was so difficult to tell the sex of a cat??!?).  So we are adjusting to referring to Oscar as she/her.  Phil decided to stick with the name Oscar since we are already so accustomed to using it.  I know of 2 other people who thought their cat was the opposite sex of what it really was so at least we aren't the only ones to make this mistake.  Girl or boy, we of course will love her just the same.

Even though she has lots of toys, she prefers playing with things that are not toys, like my hydration belt and running shoes.

On Saturday morning I ran 17 miles with my club.  It was so hot and humid so it was a tough run but my overall pace was good (9:30 min/mile pace).  That's probably a little faster than I should be doing my long runs but when it's so hot out there, I just want to get the run done as fast as possible.

After the run, a local running store had a 25% off shopping day for us.  I bought some new shoes and a couple of other essentials like body glide and salt tablets.  There were 4 different color options for the model of shoes I run in but I was excited to see this pink color as an option as I love pink!

After the run I dashed home and spent the afternoon working on the rest of the food for the party.  I kept the menu pretty simple and just did pork tacos, black beans, fajita vegetables, and chips/guac/salsa.  If you like pork, I recommend trying the recipe I made, which can be found here.  Even though the menu was pretty simple, it's still time intensive as there is just so much chopping and dicing to do!  Not pictured is the banana cream pie I made which obviously doesn't go with the Mexican theme of the meal but I couldn't come up with a Mexican dessert that was GF (tres leches cake is of course an option but I'm not crazy about it).

The food table looks a little sparse but I promise that no one went home hungry!

Our guests arrived at 7 pm and everyone seemed to like the food, especially the pork!  Between dinner and dessert we played a game of Apples to Apples and then at 10 pm we watched an awesome fireworks show from my balcony.  The fireworks show is sponsored by Target and they put on the best show!

On Sunday morning I biked over to a local lake and went to a tire changing class.  I've been biking more lately so figured it was time for me to learn how to change a tire.  The instructor did a great job as she showed us how to do it and then had us practice on our own bikes.  I can now say that I know how to change a tire but I hope I never have to because I think it is very difficult/tricky to do!  The rest of Sunday was low key and productive as I cleaned, did laundry, ironed, went to church, and did a video chat with Amber.

I definitely had a fun, full weekend!  I felt pretty tired at the end of the weekend but this coming week should be pretty low key!

How was your weekend?  

TGIF

Wow, Friday already?  This week flew by!  Here's a little recap of my week!

The high of my week was starting my new job!  The first week has been great and I feel like it is a place where I can settle in and work for many years. Everyone has been very nice and welcoming. After essentially doing the same thing for the last 4.5 years, it's great to be challenged and learning lots of new things.

The low of my week was my horrible night of sleep on Tuesday night.  I just could not fall asleep.  The last time I looked at the clock it was 2:15 and I got up at 5:15 so I got about 2.5 hours of sleep at most which is not nearly enough.  I guess my body is still adjusting to not being on Ambien and it didn't help that my mind was in over-drive mode with the information overload that goes along with starting a new job. I am envious of people who are able to easily fall asleep and stay asleep!

A book I am reading is Dog Crazy by Meg Donohue.  Nora read it and loved it so I decided to check it out! 

For my workouts, I did a speed/tempo workout with my club on Monday, a strength training workout on Tuesday morning and then swam 0.75 miles at a local lake with Phil on Tuesday night, a hill workout with my club on Wednesday night, and a brick workout (bike + run) last night.  Today is a rest day (thank God!), tomorrow I will run 16 miles with my club and then Sunday I'm hoping to go on a longer bike ride.  For awhile there it didn't really feel like I was training for a marathon but now that my long runs are soooo long it's starting to feel more real.  Add in triathlon training and I'm feeling pretty fatigued these days.  But the triathlon will be behind me in less than a month (it's 3 weeks from Saturday - yikes!).

The best money I spent was on groceries for the dinner party I am hosting on Saturday night!  I'm trying some new recipes so am crossing my fingers that everything turns out!

My plans this weekend include staying in tonight so Phil and I can start to work on some of the food for the dinner party.  Tomorrow I will run with my club in the morning and then spend the rest of the day getting ready for my dinner party which starts at 7.  On Sunday morning I'm going to a hands-on clinic on how to change a bike tire and then hopefully I will go on a longer bike ride. 

What was the high of your week?  What was the best money you spent?

2015: Half-time Check-in

I know I will sound like a broken record when I say this, but I can not believe that 2015 is over half over!  Time is a-flying!  With the half-way point of the year behind us, I thought it would be a good time to check back on my 2015 goals and see how I am progressing.  So here goes!

1.  Work on resolving my sleep issues.  Status:  In progress.  For this goal, I wanted to get off Ambien, look into having a sleep study done, and implement some cognitive behavior therapy techniques to improve my sleep.  I've been off Ambien for a week now so have kind of achieved one of the goals, although I'm relying on Melatonin now.  But it's natural so it's a lesser evil, right?  I knew I would be changing insurance companies so I haven't looked into a sleep study yet, but I might if sleep continues to be a struggle.

2.  Tackle a list of purging/organizational projects.  Status:  Completed. I made the most of the cold weather months and got through all of the organizational projects on my list!  Knowing that I would be moving motivated me to get some of those organizational projects done.

3.  Complete the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.  Status:  In progress.  So far I've completed 21 of the 24 categories so am really close to completing the challenge!  It's been really fun!

4.  Read 12 books that I own.  Status:  In Progress.  I have read 7 books that I own so am making good progress towards this reading goal, too.

5.  Employ a "Buy One Give One Away" approach to all book, clothing, and kitchen gadget purchases.  Status:  In progress.  I've done more 'giving away' than purchasing so far this year so am on track for this goal as well.  It hasn't exactly been a 'matched' approach as I tend to get rid of a lot of clothes or books all at once and then slowly purchase new clothing.  I have barely bought any books this year - I can only think of two that I have bought and I gave away about 60!

6.  Complete a sprint tri.  Status:  In progress.  The triathlon is just a month away and I feel fairly ready to tackle it.  Since marathon training is my primary goal, I haven't strictly followed a training plan for the triathlon but I've done enough to get me ready for race day.

So there you have it:  6 goals, 1 completed, 5 in progress.  The only goal I can see myself not achieving this year is resolving my sleep issues but at a minimum I am glad that I am off of Ambien now. 

Did you set any goals for 2015? 

Currently: July Edition

I was surprised to see that I haven't done a currently post in 3 months!  Here's what is currently going on in my life!

Reading:  The House Girl by Tara Conklin.  It's a historical fiction novel about the slavery era.  Part of the story is set in 1852 and tells the story of a house girl living in Virginia, and the other part of the story is set during modern times and is about a young attorney working on a class action lawsuit for reparations for the descendants of slaves.  I'm just over half way through and am really enjoying it.
 
Loving:  all the fruit that is in season right now - especially watermelon, nectarines and cherries which are some of my favorite fruits!

Thinking: about the menu I am planning for a small dinner party I am hosting later this month.  The theme of the meal is Mexican and I am planning to try a couple of new recipes so hopefully it all turns out!  There is a huge fireworks show that we will be able to see that night from my balcony so it's going to be a lot of fun.  It's the second year I am doing this.  Last year was a blast so hopefully this year's party is equally fun!

Frustrated: by how difficult open water swimming is.  I've gone 4 times now and while I feel more comfortable I can't say my speed or endurance has improved much.  The swimming part of the tri is something I am just going to have to 'get through.'

Feeling:  happy and content with life right now.  

Anticipating:  my next trip which is a trip to visit Amber in Kamloops!  I can't wait to see her city with my own eyes after seeing countless pictures!  We always have the best time when we are together so I am really excited for a long weekend with her!

Watching:  The Next Food Network Star.  I have watched this every year for several years and while I am enjoying this season, I feel like the contestants aren't as strong as they were in past seasons. 

Sad:  that one of my coworkers, who is someone I've worked with for 4+ years at two different companies, was not supportive of my decision to take a new job and did not mask the fact that he did not support my decision.  

Working: on getting my body to adjust to not being on Ambien (a prescription-strength sleep aid).  I've been wanting to get off of Ambien for quite awhile so I decided to stop taking it during my week off as I'd be able to lay down in the afternoon if I felt really tired.  I don't expect the adjustment process to happen in a week since I've been on it for two years, but I am hoping that I am able to sleep a bit better by the end of the week. 

Grateful:  for the new job I am starting next week.  I feel like some of excitement about the new job got lost in the shuffle of the extended/awkward resignation process but it's finally starting to hit me that I will get to work with my old boss again!

Listening: to lots of podcast, as usual.  My favorites are Run to the Top Podcast, Startup (which is on a break), Happier, Dear Sugar, and BookRiot. 

Wishing: Kyria the best of luck as she runs a 100 mile (!!!!!) trail race this weekend at Lake Tahoe! 

What are you currently anticipating, grateful for and wishing for?

From Terrace to Table: a Great Use for Basil

As I mentioned in my post on Monday, my basil is growing like a weed.  I can barely keep up with it!  I rarely use dried basil when cooking so I have been trying to find recipes that utilize fresh basil.  Luckily I found one - pesto!  I really like the Skinny Taste version of the recipe because it does not call for pine nuts (which are typically pricey and not something I keep on hand). 

If you have a lot of basil on hand, I highly recommend this recipe as it refrigerates well and it also apparently freezes well.  The recipe calls for 1 cup of basil but I had 2 so I doubled the recipe.

All washed and ready to be put to use!

The recipe called for things I had on hand (garlic, fresh parmesan cheese, and olive oil plus S&P for seasoning).  In a matter of minutes, the pesto was done!

A week went by before I used it, so I can attest to the fact that it refrigerates well.   Last Thursday we used the pesto to make grilled pesto shrimp skewers.

They were so good and delicious!  We paired them with grilled corn on the cob and Mexican rice, which was obviously not grilled but still delicious!

Have you grilled much this summer?  We have not grilled much as neither of us has our own gas grill.  I have a charcoal grill but it's not worth heating it up for quick recipes like this one.  Luckily my condo association has an area with gas grills - we just need to be better about using them!

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday!  This is an especially happy Monday for me as it's the first day of my week off!  I'm so glad that my new boss encouraged me to take at least a week off between jobs.  The last couple of months have been kind of hectic and stressful so I am looking forward to a week off.  Here's how I filled my weekend!

Friday was my last day at work.  I ended up leaving around lunch time as I had handed off all of my projects/responsibilities so had nothing further to do.  It was a beautiful day so I decided to go to a park by my condo to do some reading. It was blissful.

I also treated myself to some ice cream at a local place called Izzy's.

On Friday evening, my friend Courtney came over and we went to a local music festival called the Basilica Block Party.  It's a unique event as it's held on the grounds of the Basilica of St. Mary, which is a huge Catholic church.  You'd never guess it is on the grounds of a church as it's quite the party!  I was most excited about seeing Matt Kearney as I adore his music, but it was fun to see OAR and Weezer, as well.

Weezer performing with the Minneapolis skyline in the background

On Saturday morning I ran 14 miles with my running club.  It was really warm and humid so I was so glad when we were done.  I did the whole run with another girl that is newer to our club and talking with her made the miles go by so much faster. 

Soooo happy to be done with that hot run.

After the run, I rushed home, got ready in record time and headed to Phil's.  We had a wedding that afternoon but his mom and brother were coming to the wedding as well so we spent the afternoon at his mom's as the wedding was somewhat close to her house.  She made a delicious Spanish tortilla (which has eggs, potatoes and ham in it - yum!) for lunch.  His mom is a retired English teacher and an avid reader so we always have a lot to talk about.  We also fit in a few games of Yahtzee before going to the wedding.

In the evening we went to the wedding, which was a lot of fun.  The ceremony was at a garden that was so beautiful!  We snapped a quick photo before the ceremony started. 

The funny thing is that we both wore the exact same outfits to a wedding last August...

It's the perfect dress for a summer wedding as the style of the dress is elegant but it's also super comfortable as it's made out of jersey fabric.

On Sunday morning I met up with my friend Courtney to do an open water swim at a local lake.  We both had off days and the swim did not go well for either of us.  I just could not get my breathing down and it took me forever to swim the 0.75 miles.  Phil and I are doing this same swim on Tuesday so hopefully it goes better then!

The rest of Sunday was spent adulting (laundry, grocery shopping, etc).  I also harvested more herbs.  I can not believe how much basil my plant is producing.  I seem to get about 2 cups of basil from it every week! Later this week I'll share what I've been doing with all that basil!

Fresh oregano and basil

On Sunday evening, Phil came over and we went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants to celebrate my new job.  It was nice spending the evening with my favorite guy - and it was even nicer knowing I did not have to go to work the following day.  I tried not to rub that in too much.  ;) 

How was your weekend?

Ch-ch-changes in My Work Life

Over the last month or so I've alluded to stress and anxiety at work but couldn't exactly say what was causing the stress and anxiety...  but today I can finally share some big news.  Tomorrow will be my last day at my current employer and I will start a new job on July 20th!  I'm really excited about my new job because I'll be reunited with my former boss/mentor (who I actually wrote a 10 Days of Thanksgiving post about this past November), and over the last several years I've met a lot of different people in the group I'll be working with so I feel confident that I'll be happy at this new company and in my new role.  

The path to accepting this job and making it public at work has been long and stressful so I am so relieved that I can finally share the news broadly and don't have to keep it a secret!  It's been hard on me to come into work for the last several weeks knowing I am leaving but not being able to say anything so I am beyond relieved that this phase is over. 

I don't love the fact that I only worked in my current role for just over 13 months.  Truth be told, I feel a bit of a sense of shame over the fact that I am starting a new job again.  Plus I've already gotten some 'wow, a new job already?' kind of comments.  However, I am trying to remind myself that only I and those closest to me can understand why I made the decision to leave my current role.  In an attempt to combat those feelings of shame, I'm reminding myself often that what others think of me is none of my business and a waste of my energy to focus on or worry about, but it's an uphill battle.  Luckily Phil and my family and friends have all been really supportive and encouraging during the interview/offer acceptance/resignation process.    

All that said, I'm very excited to start my new position and I feel confident that it's a place where I can settle in and build my career.  The happiest I've ever been in my career was when I was partnering with the guy I'll be working with at the new company so I know that better times lie ahead!!  I'm thankful that I can take a week off between jobs so I can start my new job feeling relaxed and refreshed!

When is the last time you changed jobs?  Is your current position a role you can see yourself having for a long time?