Exhausted!

It's Monday again (it always comes too fast!) and we spent the weekend in the Seattle area for Colin's first triathlon of the year...and I am absolutely EXHAUSTED!!! I need another 3 day weekend to make up for it! Friday I took the day off of work and we headed out of the house around 9:00am and made it to Kirkland around noon. We spent the rest of the day registering Colin & his friend Brian for the tri and then stopping at a couple triathlon stores..that was tiring, it would be like Colin having to tag along with me and a friend while we shopped for clothes and home decor! So I was tired, then Saturday was the big day we got up around 4:50 and got ready to head out by 5:30. At least the weather was nice! But there were torrential down pours the night before so it was SO muddy!!! The running course had to be re-routed due to flooding in the park where they were suppose to run, but I guess it worked out all right. The water temperature in the lake was 59 degrees, which is pretty darn cold!! Usually it's warmer but since it has been such a cold spring it hasn't had time to warm up. The water temp slowed Colin down in his swim, but he still did great! He had a great bike time and a great run time! I am proud of him :) It did make me want to do one...someday...when I get a bike. For now I will swim & bike at the gym and hopefully it will stop raining so I can do some outdoor running!


Colin and Brian after crossing the finish line. Nice work, boys!!


Colin and I after his finish

Lately it feels like we have been spending money all over the place and we haven't made much progress on our debt so we decided to purge a few things and make some extra cash! We posted 2 mountain bikes (that seriously never get used), our leather chair, our TV stand, a wine cooler we have no place for and dvd/surround sound system to sell on Craig's List. So far we have sold 1 of the bikes, the chair, the tv stand and the wine cooler, for a total of $400 extra dollars to go towards paying off our car. Yes, we are crazy!!! But it's all just stuff and someday we can buy all that stuff back when we aren't in debt and actually have cash to pay for it. And our apartment feels much bigger now! It's kind of a good feeling not to be attached or feel like the stuff we have defines who we are.

Ok, so now I am going to talk about some stuff...haha. Below is my shoe pick for the month of June. I haven't even gotten them yet and I'm already re-considering. I saw a pictures of girls who got them and they were SO cute, but they are a 3 inch heel and I am starting to get the sandal bug.

What do you think!?

Here are a few other options I could exchange them for if I'm really not feeling them when I get them.

These ones are a little different, but I kinda like them....



And these are cute too...but I'm also not sure about spending $40 for sandals. I found a really cool website, www.urbanog.com they have some really cute sandals in styles that I have seen for really expensive, but they are cheap! Which may mean cheap quality as well. Wow, the desicions I have to make in my life!!!

Oh Monday...

Today has just been one of those weird I'm not myself kind of day. Well, it doesn't help that it is Monday and that the weather has been unseasonably cold!! But I made it through the work day and now I am just trying to make some dinner, have a glass of wine and unwind. Maybe try to continue in my next book club book, "Love in the Time of Cholera." I have tried to read this book before and I didn't get very far, so I am attempting again. I got the book from the library about a week ago and I think I'm 2 pages in....anyone have any words of encouragement on this book to keep me going?! I am sure it will get better, I have been told it is good.


So, I have another obsession to add to the list. After getting my facial last weekend, I went online and purchased the face cleanser she used, it is amazing...Eminence Soy Blueberry! The product line is all organic and the flavors are so good. After using the cleanser for a couple days I decided I had to get the moisturizer too...so I did, and the best part with each order they send a couple samples! Yay! So much for cutting back on our spending....next month :)

We had a wonderful sunny Birthday weekend for Colin and now it feels like it should be October! It's cold and rainy...not cool!! I did get to enjoy the sun this last weekend.. Friday after work I laid out by our pool for a good hour or two, then Saturday I did a walk for Pregnancy Resource Center's in Portland with my women's group, then I had an appointment for a facial and laser skin treatment....probably the weirdest thing ever!! I think I was suppose to be given eye protection for the laser treatment, but I she didn't give me anything. so at one point the red and purple lights were flashing so fast and so bright I thought I might have a seizure...haha. It felt like every muscle in my face was twitching...really strange. But my skin looked nice afterwards...the things we go through for beauty! lol. Then that night I had my book club meeting (book review below). Colin's birthday was on Sunday, I felt kind of bad because I had so many things going on I hardly saw him on Saturday, so I told him Sunday was his day to do whatever! But it was my week to help with the coffee cart at church, so after that it was his day!! His parents got him a GPS system so we decided to drive around and try it out. We went to a bike shop so he could spend some of his birthday moolah on some gear (he is definitely a gear head, I think he had all of the top of the line gear before he even did his first triathlon! haha), then he decided he wanted to drive to the beach and have dinner there, but on the way he saw the sign for the Rogue Brewery and we decided to stop there instead for some burgers. Wasn't the most eventful birthday but I think he still enjoyed it.


I finished the reading "The Art of Racing in The Rain" and I really enjoyed it. It is written from the family dog's perspective...I have never had a dog so I wouldn't say I connected so much as maybe someone who is a "dog person" but I thought it was a cool way to tell a story! The story itself is sad and has somewhat of a cliche ending. It's a quick read and I would recommend it! And I hear it is soon to be a movie, which I will definitely go see!

Also, I just received the wedges from below and I love them!! They are the perfect height not too tall and the perfect color red! I am wearing them right now :) I just wish I could be wearing them with a white sundress instead of with pants!! C'mon summer!! Also, an exciting update with Shoedazzle they are now adding handbags! So now you can choose a bag or a pair of shoes each month or both!!!!!!! What else does a girl need?!?!!? Can you tell I am a little obsessed?!

Here Comes The Sun!!

Yay! It couldn't feel more like spring/almost summer!! The sun is out, it's going to reach about 75 and I am going to spend my afternoon break getting a half-priced Starbucks frappuccino during their happy hour! What could be better than that?? Maybe if I was off work and actually got to enjoy the sun...yeah that would be much better!

So I received the sandals from my previous post and one of the top straps came twisted and it was sewn in that way, so I sent them back and I am getting these ones instead. One of my co-workers ordered these in a tan color and they were soo cute! I am going with the red to add a little color to my summer wardrobe!


Ok, that is all for now :)

Can it just be summer already?!

It is May already! But it sure doesn't feel like it, in fact some areas of Portland got some fluffy white stuff yesterday....in my book that is not cool. haha. I am so ready for the pool to be open at our apartment (and 80 degree weather) so I can come home from work and lounge by the pool with a book until the sun goes down :)

I have FINALLY uploaded the pictures from Colin's trail race, below. I am constantly amazed by Colin's athletic ability!! I have never been very athletic, I try...but even when trying my hardest I don't think I would ever be awesome, but Colin can accomplish things without much training. I honestly think he could be a professional triathlete! Ok, I will probably never see him again after saying that because he will be training non-stop to reach that goal...haha :)


Before the race!


The crazy runners!! I was just fine being the photographer on the sidelines :)


The big finish! WHOO HOO!!!


Ok, so I joined that shoe club, and I received by April shoes (the heels from my last post) and I absolutely LOVE them!! It's called ShoeDazzle in case anyone is interested!! Here is a picture of the shoes I chose for the month of May. Yes, I got sandals because I am SO ready for it to be sandal weather!


So some new things that are going on...I was asked to help lead my small women's group that I go to for church. I've been going to this group for almost a year now so I know the girls pretty well, but the thought of leading was really scary to me! Am I good enough for this, do I know the bible well enough, how will the other girls react to me taking on this role..yadda yadda.. But the thing is, is that I have been comfortable at where I am at in my "walk with God" and I haven't really moved from that comfort zone, so I think it is time. I think doing this will add a whole new level of accountability to my life, and keep me on track. I've already help lead the last 2 weeks and it has been pretty easy, I mean this is a group of 8 girls, when girls get together we like to talk, so I don't have to say much at all! haha.

Life is good!

Fun Stuff

I have been kind of blogger-slacker lately. Honestly I have been waiting to blog for after I upload the photos from Colin's last race. But my camera is at home and I usually only have time to blog during lunch while I'm at work. So expect pictures in the near future :)
I have started to seriously train for an upcoming run...yes, I was inspired after Colin ran his 20.3 mile trail run in just over 3 hours!! We decided to do a run in Eugene, there is a 20k, which Colin will be running and a 10k which I will be running! I was super motivated to go run the other day, but it was raining so I decided to do a treadmill run at the gym and I made it a whopping 2 miles....not so good. Last night I ran over 4 miles at the gym and this Friday I am hoping to run outside with a friend and make it 5 miles...we will see :)
I have been indulging in a few guilty pleasures lately...first off, I have finished Twilight and I am 2 chapters away from finishing New Moon. I am really excited to get to the next book because I have not seen the movie, I saw both of the first movies before reading the books, but honestly I wouldn't say it ruined the books, it just gave more details!! Which is fun! Colin thinks I am insane for getting so into these books! haha. I can't tell him that he has to read them to understand because I am sure he won't like them like I do. I think I will read the third book and then take a break to read my next book club book, which is "The Art of Racing in the Rain" it looks so good. It is written from the family dog's perspective and I think they are making a movie out of it, which explains why there was such a huge waiting list at the library....I may just have to buy it.
The second indulgence....I signed for a shoe club. Yes, that is right!! I will be getting a new pair of shoes every month. Well, I ordered my first pair and if I like them and there is no hassel I will continue with it. It's cool though because you fill out a survey of styles that you like and then every month they will send you 5 shoes to choose from based on your survey and you can always opt out of the month if you don't like any of the shoes (or you can tell them if you are looking for something specific that month) or if you don't want to spend the money...it is $40 per pair with free shipping. These are the shoes I picked for April they will be nice to wear to work. I am hoping to at least get a couple of each style, heels, sandals, flats, boots etc.!


And Colin thinks it's cool too. He has gotten some fun toys as well, including an aero helmet for his triathlons, I will post a picture of that soon too!

I thought I would update you all on things....not that there is a whole lot to update on...haha. My life stays pretty much the same, but I just change up how or what I am doing. I guess... does this make any sense at all!?!? Anyway, I have pictures below of our apartment, and projects that I have started working on. I just recently purchased something called "e-mealz" this is a subscription where they send you a weekly dinner menu and grocery list, each week uses the groceries for multiple meals. So far it has been great, well I have only made one of the meals, I was going to make one last night but Colin surprised me by bringing home pizza and bread sticks...I do love pizza, but I was excited about starting this plan. Also, I took the list and did the grocery shopping and it only cost a grand total of $30 for an entire week of meals! I shopped at Winco though, so that made it really cheap. But at that cost I can substitute in some really great gourmet ingredients from Whole Foods or Trader Joes :). Or stick with cheap to really cut down our budget and pay off our debt!! The funny thing is that my mom has been telling me about this meal planner that she has been making for me (since I got married), and since planning out meals and grocery shopping efficiently is the hardest thing for me I decided just to buy the "e-mealz" subscription since I wasn't sure if I would really ever get the planner from my mom, but of course this last weekend she finally gave it to me. Isn't that how life works! So I am going to use a combination of both...I will update you on how it is working for us!

So just last night I jumped on the band wagon and began reading "Twilight" and I couldn't put it down! haha. Colin was getting a little frustrated that I was so consumed in the book, but he had the NCAA finals to keep him busy. I am actually trying to read it as fast as I can because I have a book I need to read for my book group in a week and a half! The book for the group is call "The Widow Clicquot: The story of a campaign empire and the women who ran it" I think it is based on a true story and it's not a huge read so I should be able to get it done.

This weekend we will be taking another weekend trip! We are going to Central Oregon for a race Colin is doing, a 19 mile trail run!! Talk about crazy! The race is in Sisters but we will be staying with Colin's aunt Kim in Prineville. Colin's friend Joe and his girlfriend Morgan will be running it as well. And I will be cheering them on! No 19 mile run for me, that is basically as hard as a marathon!! I have been extremely lazy lately. It has been very hard to drag myself to the gym. I have a lot of things going on so when I don't have something going on all I want to do is have a nice night at home where I can cook a good meal and read!! Hopefully when the weather gets nice I will get inspired to run more outside.


Here is my little herb garden that I attempted. I ended up buying a variety pack of herb seeds, BIG mistake. Things started sprouted up all over and I had NO idea what anything was....so I got rid of it and I'm going to start it again with only one type of herb per pot!!!!



My dad was nice enough to build me this cubby/shelf that I was hoping to mount on the wall, but it is too big. So it is resting on the counter for now.



We have tried to find creative ways to use these vases from our wedding...
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This is our entry table that could use a little work, Colin's stereo is on it and it doesn't even work...it's ugly! One of my future decorating projects!