It Was the Best of Times...

Hey everyone!  I am finally getting around to writing a quick post.  My internet has been down for days (cable, too).  Thank God for my iPhone.  I would be lost without it!  The internet has been fixed, but I won't trust it until it works consistently for a cuople of days. 

Anyways, I had an amazing weekend with Amber and Amber!  I am not even going to try to do it justice since Canadian Amber did an amazing job recapping each day with photos!  You can read about it here:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Seriously - go check out those posts.  She got some amazing photos.

I wasn't as good about documenting the weekend in photos, so in true Lisa style, you get a bullet-pointed version of highlights:

• Dress shopping!  It was really fun to watch Amber try on the wedding dresses - and find THE ONE.  It was a very special experience to be there with her. 
• Outerwear  Yep, surprise, surprise, I bought another coat.   Isaw it across the street and jay walked to check it out.  I know, I know.  I have a lot of coats.  But it's cold here a lot.  And this one is plum.  I will post a picture of it some other time.  The funny thing is that Iowa Amber misunderstood me when I said I have 16 jackets - she thought I had 60!  Ufda.  Now that would be a problem.  ;)
• Running  I got to do 2 runs with Canadian Amber - one easy'ish but hot run on Fri and one long run on Saturday.  It was great to catch up while running!
• Biking  We explored the city on bikes on Sunday and the girls loved the Nice Ride program as much as I did.  We spent about 80 minutes biking in total, so got a nice little workout it!
• Linguistics  Turns out Canadian Amber pronounces quite a few words differently.  Like drama.  And pasta.  And chafing.  She should probably do a vlog about this.  I would, but the sound of my voice is akin to nails on the chalkboard for me....
• Validation  I think one of the best things about this weekend was that they totally agreed that my neighborhood is thebomb.com.  It's nice to see the city through someone else's eyes.  I didn't need their validation, but it's nice to have important people in your life tell you, "We get why you live here and why you are so happy."

I will leave you with one photo that I stole from Amber.  :)

So in summary, it really was the best of times.  The worst of times was the saying good bye part.  I find myself wishing I lived closer to a long list of people I've met through the blogging community!  That said, I know these good byes are really 'see you laters'!  The girls, and others I've met, are truly life-long friends.

Wine and Love v14

Another week of wine and love, where I air my grievances and the things that are making me very happy!

Wine:
- Sleep.  Lately I have been sleeping horribly.  I either struggle to fall asleep or struggle to stay asleep.  I am averaging around 7 hours a night and it's just not enough for me. 
- Furniture assembly. If you are on twitter, you KNOW how much I did NOT enjoy assembling that furniture.
-  I am very lucky to have a very busy life and a full social calendar, but it's sort of been a bit too much lately.  Like in the month of August, I had 2 free week nights.  TWO.  And one of those 'free' nights was spent in a car, driving up to my parents cabin.  It's been a fun month, but it's been exhausting.  A corollary of this is that I feel like I have to apologize when I have to say no to something because I am busy or just plain need a night to myself.

Love:
- Tonight, Canada Amber flies in and tomorrow Iowa Amber arrives for the weekend!!  Our group is smaller than originally planned due to some things that came up for the others, but I am SUPER DUPER excited to host these 2.  We have lots of fun plans, which include wedding dress shopping (for Canada Amber), a grilled dinner at my house, the state fair, watching "One Day" (which we've all read), and biking around Minneapolis!  I am sure I will have pictures to share and stories to tell next week!
- As much as I hated assembling my furniture, I love the actual furniture.  My place is starting to look more put together!  Everything was sort of in limbo until I got the couch - now I can start making decisions about what to do with the rest of my living room/den area/etc.
- I have tomorrow off!  I haven't had a day off since the weekend of the 4th so I am due for this!  I can't wait to spend the day with the Ambers!

Have a wonderful weekend!  I am sure I will be back with a recap next week!

Workout Wednesday: Furniture Assembly

Some weeks, you get a workout in without even leaving your home.  Last week was one of those weeks!  The couch I had my eye on was finally in stock at Ikea, so I purchased it on Monday and it arrived on Tuesday.  When I bought the sofa, I asked if it required a lot of assembly.  The Ikea person said, "Um, I think you need to attach some wheels or something.  It shouldn't be too bad."

So imagine my surprise when my couch arrived.  In 4 boxes.  Attach some wheels.  Sure.

It's amazing how some things like furniture assembly turn into a work out.  Between the crouching and the screwing in of parts, I worked some muscles that I have not worked in awhile!

Before I get into the post, I do have some complaints to make about ikea:

1.  Must the directions be 100% wordless?  Seriously?  Not everyone is a visual person (ahem, me).  I get that they are an international company so the directions are universal, but could you throw SOME words on there? 

2.  What is with the teletubby-looking 'people' in the directions.  I was like - am I looking at a person or is that Patrick from Sponge Bob?

Alright, grievances have been aired.  Moving on.

I didn't take any couch assembly pictures because I was in a mad rush to get as much of it assembled as possible before my friends came over that evening.  Thank God we had plans to walk somewhere for dinner.  There's no way I could handle assembly + make dinner!  Here are some pictures of the finished product!

I love the storage in the chaise lounge!  Great place to store blankets, sheets, etc.

It is nice to finally have a place for guests to stay.  In the past I would sleep on the love seat (which was way to short for me) or my guests would sleep on an air mattress.

After assembling that couch, I had to take some time off from assembly.  On Sunday I tackled the table and 6 dining chair.  I figured it would be way easier than the couch.

Wrongo batman.

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Yikes, that is a lot of hardware...

Laying some of the piece out - not all, though.  Oh heavens no. 

Making progress.   I definitely did not think I would get this far.

All assembled, just needed some assistance to flip her over!

And done

I am so so so glad that the assembly is behind me.  I am impressed I was able to assemble both items virtually on my own.  That's so unlike me - I am not usually a handy person.

I really love the table because now I have a big enough table to host dinner parties!  And I could potentially host a holiday some day if I had the opportunity.  The table actually has 2 leaves that are stored in the table.  LOVE.

After I replenish my savings account, I plan on buying 2 upholstered chairs for the ends, but that will have to wait. 

What have you done around the house lately that has resulted in a work out?

10 questions

Caitlin thought up these questions and after reading Amber, my sister Abby's, and  Kelly's answers, I decided to play along!

What are you really good at?  What are you really bad at?

I'm really good at:  Math.  Excel spreadsheets.  Planning trips, especially to Paris.  Writing (sometimes, when I am inspired).  Staying motivated/sticking with a plan.  Organizing my life. 

I'm really bad at:  Going with the flow.  Handling criticism.  Being spontaneous.  Not taking things personally.  Hiding my emotions.  Sleeping.  Saying no.

Have you ever been in a car accident?  What happened?

I got rear ended in the fall of 2004.  It was not my fault.  Traffic came to a sudden halt on a random Saturday night when there should not have been traffic.  The car behind me was not paying attention and rear ended me. 

It was very, very minor, but I have never been the same since.  I am crazy-paranoid about getting rear ended.  Those who have been on the phone with me while I am in the car have heard me chant "please see me slowing, please see me slowing down" when traffic comes to a sudden stop. 

Where did you attend college?

I got my undergrad at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.  Go Sioux (or whatever the heck our mascot will be?)!  I got my masters at the Carlson School of Management (University of MN).  My loyalty is defnitely to UND, not U of M.  My masters was SO expensive.  Like a class cost as much as a semester at UND.  No joke.  Granted, part of that is due to inflation/the riduculous increase in the cost of education, the rest is due to the fact that I was paying for the ranking of the MBA program. 

Describe your morning routine today

5 am - wake up, put on work out clothes, go to the gym in my building.  Today I did speed work (800m repeats).  I don't usually run in my gym, but this week my schedule is all wonky. 

5:45 am - shower, get ready for work.  I am wearing my hair curly in the summer so this takes much less time compared to the rest of the year when I blow dry and flat-iron my hair.

6:10 am - make eggs and gf toast, eat breakfast, read blogs, respond to emails

6:45 am - leave house, bike to work

7 am - Arrive at work and get busy with whatever it is I am tackling that day!

Have you ever snooped through someone else's things?  Did you find anything interesting?

Not that I can recall.  I think snooping is playing with fire because if you find something out, what in the heck are you going to do with that information??  It would eat me up if I snooped and found something and then couldn't confront the person.  So no thank you on the snooping.

What do you think happens when you die?

I hope that I go to heaven, but I do believe there is a final judgment that will be made before I am accepted into heaven.  This is a really heavy topic and I don't really want to go there today, so I will just leave it at that!

Are you superstitious?

Not really.  But sort of.  I mean, I wore a certain dress to take the CFA, along with a wishbone necklace my cousin gave me.  I wore that same dress & necklace the day I got my results as I felt like it was a good luck charm.  I will probably wear that dress & necklace when I take the next 2 levels.  I also took advantage of back-to-school sales and bought my binder and notebook paper for the next level - and I made sure to buy a binder that was hot pink like my level I binder was.  So yah, I guess I am superstitious, or maybe you could say I like rituals?

Do people think you are younger or older than you actually are?

Based on looks, people usually think I am younger, especially when I wear my hair curly.  And because I wear a backpack to work.  My boss does, too.  It's how we roll.  But people see the backpack and think - she's in school.  Not - she's a 30 year old going to work.  What can I say, I heart backpacks.

I think maturity wise, I have always been mature for my age, although now my maturity level probably = my age.  But in my early 20s, I don't think I fit in with my age group as I bought a house and lived alone and didn't really go out, etc, etc.

How did your parent's relationship influence you?

It made me respect and appreciate happy and healthy relationships.  I learned how a man should treat a woman.  I learned that it is possible to not run out of things to talk about, even after 40+ years of marriage (this still baffles me!!).  I learned that opposites can attract.  My parents are different in many ways, but the thing that makes them work is that they have the important things in common (hobbies, faith, values, principles, work ethic, etc). 

What were the three happiest moments of your life?

This is tough because I have many happy moments in my life, but these are 3 that stand out in the couple of years (well, 2 are from this year):

1.  Becoming an aunt - each every time.  I know that is 5 moments, but I am cheating and grouping them into a single moment.  I am one proud aunt and absolutely adore my nephews.

2.  A moment in Paris when I was walking along the Seine, taking in the beautiful sights of Paris, and as they say, "my cup runneth over".  I remember looking around and thinking - 'is this my life?  Do I really get to be here and experience this beauty?'  Le sigh. :)

3.  Finding out I passed Level I of the CFA.  I cried  (happy tears) and my heart felt like it swelled in my chest.  I worked so so so so so so so freaking hard for that pass.  It was just a relief and a wonderful feeling to know that all of my hard work paid off. 

Pick one (or all of them) and answer it in the comments!

Book Blog Swap!

Greetings, and happy Monday, readers!  A couple of weeks ago, I was shopping for books for my oldest nephew's birthday.  My blog-friend-turned-real-life-friend Nora and I started exchanging messages about our childhood favorites.  The result of that conversation was this new blog swap series - Book Worms Recommend!  Nora loves books just as much as do so we thought it would be fun to swap blogs monthly and share some of our favorites.
 

This month we are kicking it off with recommendations for children ages 2-6.  Since Nora is a bonus mom to 2 adorable girls, she will focus on books for girls.  Since I am a proud aunt to 5 boys, I will be focus on books for boys!  Curious to see what I recommended?  Hop over to Nora's blog!!

Without further adieu, here are Nora's recommendations!

* Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt. Perfect for toddlers who are into opening books and getting a feel for what a book is, Pat the Bunny is one of the best books for this age group. It works on the various senses (touch, sight, smell) and is just really adorable. This is one of those books I buy for every single one of my friends when they are having a baby, even if it's sit on a shelf for two years, it's a classic and should be in every child's early library collection. (Ideal age: Toddler!)

* The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. Maybe this is a favorite of mine because it was the very first book I read all to myself. Or maybe it's just because it's kind of a sweet story about bunny mother and her child. It's ideal for children who are learning how to read or are just reading themselves; the pictures are gorgeous and captivating, the story is simple and as far as I'm concerned, it's an undisputed classic. (Nora's Ideal Age: 2-4 yrs)

* Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. I know, I know. This is a really old book and it talks about kids drawing on walls but the book is still one of my favorites. The girls absolutely love it when we read it to them (and it does come with a warning about drawing on the walls after we're done). I think what I love most about this is that it encourages the imagination, something that as an adult I know I struggle with. It's a reminder to have fun with the simple things in life, to be creative, to dream and to imagine. (Nora's Ideal Age: 2-4 yrs)

* The Classic Characters of Golden Books, Various Authors. Remember Golden Books? I had piles and piles of them some of them including the traditional characters (Scuffy the Tugboat, anyone?) and then some Disney and Mickey Mouse books too. I am a huge fan of traditional and classic books for kids like this. There's nothing wrong with Dora, Phineas and Ferb, even the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse books that are everywhere for kids, but there is something about old-school classics like this. It opens them up to a world before cartoons and DVDs, teaches them basic lessons, and allows you to share a piece of your childhood with them too. They still make Golden Books which I just adore because they were and are some of my favorite books for children, boy or girl. (Nora's Ideal age: 3-5 yrs)

* Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Perhaps a little bit overdone with the most recent movie (which I thought was terrifying and sometimes the book can be too), this book is still a classic. The illustrations. The idea of a magical land that you can escape to in your dreams. Jolie (and Belle, too) both love this book. They insist on it being read once a week which proves that Sendak knew his audience. I suppose this is another classic that one can't help but buy for their little girls. (Nora's Ideal age: 3-5 yrs)

* Fancy Nancy books, by Jane O'Connor. While these books didn't exist when I was growing up, I'm a huge fan of Fancy Nancy, specifically her "I Can Read," series. You can't go wrong with a character who likes to bake cupcakes, participates in Earth Day, takes ballet, has tea parties and goes to museums, can you? She's a wholesome character, always wearing little girl dresses and shoes, learning right from wrong, and of course there's a lesson or moral to each and every story. (Nora's Ideal age: 4-6 yrs)

* The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter. (And of course all the other Potter books.) Growing up I had the Potter series and loved them. Couldn't get enough of them even if some of the characters are a little bit on the scary side (ahem, Mr. McGreggor). I loved the ideas of animals having families, adventures, lives and of course, learning lessons, sometimes the hard way. Jolie has started to enjoy these books more and more and I'm happy to share the stories and tales of Beatrix Potter with her. (Nora's Ideal age: 4-6 yrs)

* Angelina Ballerina by Katharine Holabird. A cute mouse who loves to dance? WIN. Yes, this was another book I read and loved as a child that has fortunately survived over the years (of course there are more books, a tv show, figurines and etc. but I'm glad she's done so well for herself). I confess I don't remember all the details of this book but I love that she's still around, she's still an adorable little mouse who loves to dance and she's a great character for little girls to read. (Nora's Ideal age: 4-6 yrs)

* Thumbelina, by Hans Christian Andersen. I remember for years of my life my mom read this book to me; I'm on a hunt to find it for Jolie one of these days. The idea of a fairy who lives in flowers and has various encounters with potential suitors is whimsical and fun. There are many adaptations of this tale, illustrations and etc., but the story is light and lovely, and perfect for little girls who are into the ideas of fairies and princesses. (Nora's Ideal age: 4-6 yrs)
There are so many other books that I love for little girls who are young and just starting to read but I'll stop here for now. I'll be back in September with recommendations for our next age group, so be sure to keep an eye out for this series in the future!

What were your favorite books when you were a little girl? Any books that are must-haves, gifts you give to your friends with children or make sure you keep on your shelf if you have your own?

Wine and Love v13

Another week almost come and gone!  Where is the time going?  Feeling like expressing your wines and loves?  Link up over at Nora's blog! 

Wine:
- No matter what I try, I can not seem to get rid of the eczema on my leg.  It has my dermatologist baffled as it's only on one leg.  I have tried cortizone, gold bond powder, a topical cream from the derm, a oral steroid, jojoba oil, and now I am trying zinc oxide.  Seriously hoping the zinc oxide is the cure!
- Work has been a bit stressy this week.
- I really, really, really dislike vague/cryptic facebook statuses.  Actually, I could write a whole post about my pet peeves with facebook.  I would deactivate my account but it's a good way to see pics for friends' children and stay in touch with aunts/uncles/cousins/etc.

Love:
- The couch I have had my eye on for over a month finally was in stock at Ikea!  It was delivered on Tuesday (along with a dining room set) and I actually managed to assemble it almost totally on my own!  That's shocking - assembling is NOT my thing!
- Visitors!!  Yes, that required bolding.  This week I had 2 friends over on Tuesday, my cousin came last night and spent the night, and my aunt & uncle are coming over tomorrow night!  So fun to live in an area that actually attracts visitors.  That was SO not the case in my suburban condo!
- The weather.  Oh my gosh, the weather has seriously been just amazing and perfect lately.  Makes a HUGE difference when the temps are normal and the humidity is contained! 
- I had an amazing weekend at the cabin with my family last weekend!  I slept so well, relaxed a ton, and soaked up the time with family.  It was downright blissful. 
- I am going to the womans finals of the National Gymnastics Competition on Saturday night.  I am such a gymnastics dork so I am super duper excited!  Some of these girls will be on the Olympcis team next year so it will be cool to say I saw them live!!  Eeks! 

Workout Wednesday: No Excuses

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Last weekend I went to my parents' cabin on Friday night.  I had partially packed on Thursday before going out for dinner with friends, and then finished packing on Friday morning.   Apparently it was NOT a good strategy to not pack things all at once.  I forgot some crucial things....

1.  I forgot my shoes.  I realized this as I was leaving the suburbs of the Twin Cities.  I did not feel like driving back into the cities, so I just sucked it up and bought a new pair.  Not ideal as I already have a new pair that I was planning to start wearing this month, but I guess those will get worn at a later time.

2.  When I started getting ready on Saturday morning, I realized I also forgot socks.  Seriously.  I borrowered some from my mom, but they were cotton.  Cotton is NOT good for running, let me tell you.  Cotton + new shoes + 10 miles is just really not a winning combination.

3.  I thought - fine, I have body glide, I will just put a ton on my feet.  Nope, no body glide.  That didn't make it into the suitcase either.  And my parents didn't have any vaseline.

4.  As if I didn't have enough stacked against me, I grabbed my iPod when I was heading out, only to find my iPod was completely dead. 

But you know what, I plodded head.  I grumbled for a bit and then headed out.  I was doing 2 5-mile loops, so luckily I was able to stop back for my charged iPod on my 2nd loop.

The point of this rambling 'Lisa is the worst packer' story is this - I had PLENTY of excuses not to run last weekend.  Plenty.  And a couple of years ago, I would have used ANY of these reasons not to run.  Heck, I would even use the fact that I forgot to bring a hair tie as an excuse to not go to the gym.

Not anymore.  I have become pretty darn determined and there really is not much that will keep me from running!

Are you good at talking yourself out of working out?  I used to be, but now when I start to talk myself out of running I tell myself, "You will never regret doing a run.  You will ALWAYS regret skipping a run."  That always seems to work and gets me out the door.