Wordless Wednesday: Pretty Coffee Art

New Toy

I'm loving my new toy, the Nike+ app for my iPhone. I can be a little "OCD" about keeping track of how far I'm walking or my short stints of running. The Nike+ app is a GPS tracker. I open the app, plug in my headphones, click on START, and begin my workout. A voice tells me when I've reached each 1/4 mile and how fast I'm going. Once I've finished my walk/run, I push END WORKOUT and someone talks to me, like Lance Armstrong or Paula Radcliffe (champion marathoner). They say encouraging things like, "That was your longest run yet!," or "You've recorded a new personal best!" I tell you, it cracks me up, but it's also motivating. I then sync my run to the website and I can get online later to check my route and pace. It's fun! Here's an idea of what it looks like, this is my recent walk from work around the ballpark.

Wordless Wednesday: My Bonsai Azalea in Full Bloom

Wordless Wednesday: Thank You Mr. Barista!

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday to Me!

Everyone Loves a Parade!

To quote my Mom, "It couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of boys." This SF Giants baseball team were called the "misfits" and they were quite the motley crew. They had a phenomenal pitching staff, a few incredible rookies, a clutch hitter, and many other talented members of the team to make up a great team. That was the thing, they were a TEAM! The Giants last visit to the World Series in 2003, it was all about Barry Bonds. I was lucky enough to attend Game 3 of that series and had a great time. It was heartbreaking that the Giants lost steam and lost to the Anaheim Angels in Game 7. In hindsight though, it was good that they didn't win that year. It would have always had an asterisk by it due to Barry's alleged steroid use.

Back to the 2010 SF Giants! The parade through the city was two days ofter the team captured the World Series championship in Arlington, Texas against the Texas Rangers, was maybe the biggest celebration in San Francisco history. Over a million fans descended on the city as the players, manager, and coaches were hailed as heroes. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the parade since I was on press for work across the Bay in Point Richmond. I watched it all on TV and tried my best to feel like I was there. I pulled some images of the day from the web for you to get a feel for the energy in the city. It was amazing!

This was the parade route. The team took the same parade route from the Financial District through downtown to City Hall that the team did in 1958 when they moved from New York to San Francisco.

Two players per motor cable car. I loved the orange confetti!

The team's manager of 4 years, Bruce Bochy with the championship trophy.

The crowd at City Hall

Three of the renowned pitchers. Brian Wilson, Tim Lincecum, and Matt Cain. A good number of the players got up and spoke at the podium. It was great to hear their excitement as well. Catcher Buster Posey said, " Let's celebrate now, rest, then take another run at it next year!" I love it!

THE SF GIANTS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!

My Mom said she didn't think it would happen in her lifetime and no one predicted it would happen this year, but the San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions! I've never seen San Francisco so pumped and excited rallying behind this team. Here is a little of my experience leading up to the World Series.

A workday walk around the ballpark. My office is close to the ballpark so we couldn't help but get swept up in the excitement of the playoffs.

I wasn't able to get playoff tickets, but during one game against the Philadelphia Phillies I met some friends across the street from the ballpark at Pete's Tavern. It was odd but fun to hear the roar of the crowd from the ballpark, then see the big play a few seconds later in delay on the big screen TV's. This is a photo during my walk back to my car near the end of the game.

Another ballpark photo.

A photo from the drawbridge over McCovey Cove.

Even Morgan got into the playoffs wearing a Panda hat from her Gram and Grampa B. They say Giants player Pablo Sandoval looks like a Panda which inspired the panda hat.

Being a fan of Giants baseball is not easy! There was not one game leading up to or during the Post-Season that we weren't on edge. The Giants rarely get far enough ahead in runs to be able to relax. We call it "Torture."

This photo is of the SF City Hall swathed in orange lights after the Giants won the National League Championships.

Another shot.

And the San Francisco Giants are World Champions! It's still surreal to see this logo.

Wordless Wednesday: GO GIANTS!

Head Over Heels

Lately, I've been getting excited about shoes. Why, you ask? Finally (finally) my knee seems to be handling shoes with a little height so much better. Yay! Don't get me wrong, I'm not an every-day-high-heel-wearing kind of girl, but I've certainly been missing a little variety over the last year or so. Flats can be kind of blah when you wear them day after day... after day. In the early days after my surgery, I would even wear sneakers to the office. I felt like such a slob! The priority was my knee healing so I sucked it up and just wore what was comfortable.

Now that I can choose to wear heels if I want to, there are lots of new possibilities for my twinkle toes! Shoes don't need to be super expensive either, by the way. This is a photo of my new Old Navy sandals I bought last month. Aren't they cute? Quite comfy too. Three cheers for Summer sandals! Hooray, hooray, hooray!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yep, December 1 is my birthday. Don't ask me how old I am, I'm not discussing that information anymore. ; ) Still, it's always nice to acknowledge the event that comes around each year. I'm in Los Angeles for work and was taken out for a fabulous dinner at Asia de Cuba in the Mondrian Hotel in Hollywood last night.


The candle on top of the slice of chocolate cake was the type with the "sparkler" effect. I made my wish, blew out the candle... and it lit up again! Who knew such a nice restaurant would use trick candles? Ha!

My High School 20-Year Reunion

Montclair Cultural Arts Center

I can't believe I just attended my 20-year high school reunion. Has it really been that long? No way. I learned about the date that was set for this Summer way back in February, shortly before my knee surgery. I had little doubt at the time that I would attend, although I did reconsider a few times before the actual event.

You see, I didn't have much fun at my 10-year reunion. I'm not sure why, but I really didn't take it that seriously. Once I got there, I didn't feel dressed up enough and got really tired of people saying, "Why would you do that?" when they learned I was moving to Salt Lake City, Utah for a new job. Yes, I knew it was not the most common place to relocate, but I was tired of the So Cal life I was living and was looking forward to my new adventure. Also, people were still just too clique-y at the reunion for me. Not a lot had changed since high school. You see, I always considered myself somewhere in-between the "popular" kids in school and the "not-so-popular" kids. In hindsight, I was definitely one of those girls that worried about whether I was wearing the right clothes and was taking part in the right activities so people accepted me. I did do things I wanted to do, but I was more of a goody-two-shoes than a someone who wanted to be "different." 20 years later? I'm pretty sure that hasn't changed! Anyway, one thing I was a little concerned about was the fact that I'm still *single.* Thing is, what can I do? Was I going to let it keep me from seeing old friends and familiar faces? No, it wasn't.

So I got my plans together. I was meeting my friend Melissa and her husband Matthew at their home in Oakland. Another friend from high school, Chris, was traveling all the way from his home in Singapore to attend the reunion. He was staying with Melissa and Matthew, so we would all go together. Great! I had decided a while back that I thought it would be fun to get my hair and make-up done for the event. Why not? I never had my hair done for anything other than when I was a bridesmaid and I always to the same old boring routine with my make-up. I thought it would be a little treat to myself. Well, the day of the reunion arrived. I was rushing around some errands and finally sat down for my pampering around 2:00 PM.

An hour and a half later, I was on my way home to change and get to Oakland. To be blunt, I was now in a completely different mind set. Rather than feeling pretty, I felt like I was trying too hard. I had never worn so much make-up in my whole life! I don't think I even wore that much make-up while performing in the school musical. Uh oh, this is not how I wanted to feel before seeing my old classmates. When I was finally on my way to Melissa's, I called her and voiced my concern. I asked her to promise to tell me if I had too much make-up on. I arrived at her house, and she said I looked fine, but I was still a little worried. That's just what I do. We looked through some old photo albums and toasted each other with the champagne I brought along. Then, we called a cab and off we headed to the reunion.

Chris waiting for the cab on the front porch

I was nervous heading into the event, but relaxed after a short time of chatting with people I hadn't seen in a really long time. I noted that pretty much all of my classmates who attended looked great! Some people were dressed up a lot more than others, but in the end, it didn't really matter. I had a much better time than at my 10-year reunion. People were kind and laid back. They just seemed genuinely happy to see each other whether they hung out in high school or not! The evening just flew by and suddenly we were off to an after-party at Crogan's in Montclair. I'll spare you the details, but during the evening, there were great stories told, a whole lot of reminiscing, and even a little drama at the end. No, the drama didn't involve me, but it was sure fun to watch! I never thought I would be one of the last people to leave my reunion, but I was. The evening went by so fast and, unfortunately, I hardly took any photos. Here are the few I managed to take:

Melissa, me, Jennifer, Liz and Kathy

Matthew and Melissa

Ryann, me, and Rene at Crogan's

Will I go to my 30-year reunion? I can't answer that right now, but based on the nice evening I had this time around, I don't see why not. : )

Top 10 Positive Reasons for My Knee Injury

Alright, it's time for a little fun! I was playing around the other day on my iPhone and realized I had made some notes months ago about my knee injury. It must have been a rough day since it seemed as if I was just trying to pull some (believe it or not) good things out of my knee misery over the past 3 years. Some of my notes actually made me laugh. I added a few things and they now have become my "Top 10 Positive Reasons for My Knee Injury." Enjoy.

10) I will have saved myself from other potential painful injuries during this time off from endurance sports. Stress fractures, road rash, and anything ending with "-itis" anyone?
9) Mom and Dad taking care of me during my recovery from two knee surgeries. TLC and home cooked meals, yum!
8) I have time to wait for the next generation Garmin GPS runners watch to come along. The current versions are bulky and very large on my small wrist.
7) I won't have worn out my Boston Marathon 2006 swag nearly as quickly as if I was actually wearing it while working out. My tops and shorts will seem like new, even when they are 4 or 5 years old!
6) Hanging out with my friends I lost touch with while constantly training for races.
5) I never really had the desire to qualify for the Hawaii Ironman, but since the age categories get less competitive as you grow older (I think). Maybe I'll have a shot when I'm in my 50's or beyond!

4) My boss arranged for special parking for me at work. Shhh... don't tell, it's not typically allowed. I am very grateful she was able to do this for me, it has really helped my recovery from surgery.
3) I really didn't like that "GU" stuff anyway.
2) Cute. Single. Doctors. I haven't met any yet, but there is always the possibility. : )
1) Sleeping in on Saturday mornings!!!

Optimistic and Proud

I am optimistic about so many things lately. I started this blog to track the progress of my recovery from knee surgery and I try to continue to make it a focus of my latest news. As I always say, I hope someday my knee will heal and I will be able to exercise like a normal person again. But my feeling of optimism does not end there and my blog is lately more about life in general. Of course, being forced to veer away from my former competitive/athletic lifestyle has been a disappointment, but no matter what happens with my knee, I'm moving on with my life. I am grateful to have a job I love that has growth potential and I am happy to have close friends and a wonderful family. I cannot say there aren't things in my life that are missing, but overall I know I don't have it so bad.

My optimism over the last few days is for our country. I'm not one to get into politics much, but I have so much more hope for America since we elected our new President, Barack Obama. I'm writing this as a person who grew up in a very conservative household and as someone that still holds onto old fashioned values. I consider myself the fiscally conservative, but socially liberal type so sometimes it's hard to decide where my priorities lie. I'm sorry Mom and Dad, but I have not always voted as a Republican. My vote depends on who is running for office and the state of our country at that time. This year I was undecided until the time I filled out my ballot. In the end, I voted for John McCain. This was mostly out of respect for a great man who unfortunately had his best time to be elected President pass him by 8 years ago. It was not as if I felt my vote wouldn't count, but this year especially I knew the electoral votes for California would go to the Democrats. Also, in poor economic times, statistically the Presidency does not go to the incumbent party. People want change and that is understandable. I am one of those people too.

My personal opinion is that no matter how a person voted in this election, whether staunch conservative, far right liberal or independent, we all should be optimistic and proud. Tuesday night, when I was watching the election coverage on television, just after 8:00 PM PST there was a brief pause on the NBC station I was watching. Barack Obama's image flashed up onto the screen as our "ELECTED" President of the United States. For me, it was as if time stopped for a moment. Right then and there the world changed and history was made. I get all choked up thinking about it. At first, it seemed that people were in disbelief. As hard as Obama's supporters campaigned for him, I'm not sure if all of them felt he could actually win. It was uncharted territory. Could an African-American ever be elected President of the United States? YES, yes he can and it was about time! I feel this historical event is not just about African-Americans or Democrats, it is monumental for every American. Regardless of race, gender, political party, or economic background, anything is possible. It was about time the mold was broken. Enough of the "white guys" holding the highest office in the land. Becoming the President of the United States is now a real possibility for any U.S. born citizen. Who knows, maybe even the "U.S. born" rule will go by the wayside someday in the future.

I'll step off my soap box now. I just felt as if I needed to comment about the significance of the last few days. It's going to be a hard road ahead for President Obama. This would have been the case for anyone elected at this time. I simply hope we all have a little optimism in our lives now. If anything, for an upturn in our economy and for the well being of our men and women in the military. It may take some time, but things will get better.

Sophisticated, Yet Youthful

This was my favorite comment on my new haircut. I got my hair, as I say, "chopped" a week and a half ago. Someone else said to me, "You look like a different person!" I'm not sure what to think about that, but overall I like my new haircut a lot. My hair had been long and straight for years as it was convenient to pull it back in a ponytail and out of my face when running, biking or swimming. Lately though I was growing impatient of the work it took to dry and straighten long hair. I just dreaded getting ready in the morning. I decided it was time to try a shorter hairstyle again.

I've had short hair before. The shortest cut in my memory being (besides my Dorothy Hamil haircut in the 4th grade) my shaggy, flippy cut similar to Meg Ryan's hair in "You've Got Mail." A man had once followed me around a mall in Salt Lake City thinking I was Meg Ryan. It was funny, but creepy at the same time.

As soon as I have a photo of my new haircut, I'll post it. For now, my hair is a layered "bob" style cut a little longer than chin length. It now takes me about 10 minutes to do my hair from drying through straightening or curling. Yay! It's so much easier. We'll see how my new haircut reacts to the upcoming cold/rainy weather in San Francisco though. Hopefully it won't turn into a short, frizzy mess! I'll have to get some tips from my sister Meg. She had her hair cut to about the same length a few months back. We're back to being twins. ; )

Fun at Work

I decided I had to post this photo I snapped at work on Tuesday. Our department is very hectic these days involved in full-swing production for Holiday marketing. We have certainly have all been in need for some humor and a break from the craziness.

Our comic relief came as my colleague Tom received a special delivery on Tuesday morning. Old Navy is throwing Freaky Fun Day, an In-store Halloween event this weekend. Tom has been working very hard on this program with the promo team. A few weeks back, Tom learned that several of the boxes of M & M candies he ordered to ship to stores for the event had been involved in a minor accident. Several boxes were damaged, but the goods inside were not. Tom could not ship the damaged boxes to the stores so he had them sent to him at the Corporate office. Tom arrived on Tuesday morning to find 7 big boxes of "Fun Size" M & M's piled by his desk. We may all be adults here, but based on the reaction to seeing big boxes of candy to indulge in, you would think we won the lottery! Woo hoo! Tom decided to keep one box for our team to enjoy, but will be donating the rest to the local food bank.

A little office humor

Made My Day

A freelance graphic designer at work said something really nice to me today. As she passed me in the hallway she said, "Do you work out?" I paused for a second then replied, "Wow, thank you for saying that." Inside, I just wanted to hug her! I told her I haven't been able to exercise much since my knee injury. She mentioned she figured I must do something athletic. I told her I used to run marathons and do triathlons. She just nodded and said I have that type of body, then she walked away. Little does she know how much her comment meant to me... it's been so long since I've had a regular workout routine! I guess I must maintain some muscle tone because otherwise she wouldn't have asked me the question. She just made my day!

This reminds me how I should compliment people more often. Doesn't it feel good when someone says something nice to you? Let's all make an extra effort, OK?