Productive Day July 19, 2009

My accomplished list today:

Ran 6 miles – (we had a record low this morning and it felt wonderful; I also saw not 1, but 2 pairs of does and fawns within the first mile!)

Mowed the front and back lawns – (if you’ve seen my back lawn, you know it’s a task within itself)

Added more soil and mulch to my tomato plants – (c’mon buddies grow!)

Transplanted some plants that were rooting in water into 3 pots.

Showered – (after all that, I was one ripe girl)

Grocery shopped

Hunted some urban dinosaurs – (stay tuned, I have some exciting things to share!)

Made some much-needed purchases at the sporting goods store

Washed 3 loads of laundry

Reviewed several contracts

Washed dishes – (I do not have a dishwasher, so yes, this counts!)

Made chocolate chip cupcakes

Spent some time with friends and Sunday evening TV – (we’re currently watching this and this)

Are you tired yet?

Sally in Training July 8, 2009

It’s official, Sally is in training again.  Barbie and I have signed up to run this half-marathon race in October.  This means lots of very early morning runs in the heat and humidity in the South, aches and pains in places I forgot about since my last race, and a potential loss of a toenail.  But that’s the price you pay.

In fact, this is the price you pay . . .

New stick of Body Glide . . . . . . . . . . . $8.95

Race registration  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60.00

New running shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $142.01

Monthly massages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $280.00

Running 13.1 miles in two
countries with your best friend . . . . . . . . PRICELESS

Sally’s Beach Adventure May 25, 2009

I just returned from a lovely visit to the Gulf in Ft. Morgan, Alabama.  Barbie and I packed up the car and headed down mid-week.  Much love to Bama, whose family’s cabin we visited.  Bama was already gone, after spending the first part of the week there, but we visited with Bama’s mom and her friend.

Note how far away the water is from the cabin...

The first couple days were nice, but a bit windy.  The sand blasted you if you stayed on the beach too long.  Can you see the wind blowing around on the top of the sand dune?

Then, the wind started picking up more on the third day, so we (natch) hit the outlet mall.  Don’t worry, we didn’t do too much damage.  But we did have gelato for dinner at the best little spot.  Who says billboards don’t work?  Worked for us!

On the last day, I woke up to find that the Gulf of Mexico had moved in closer to the cabin…and under the cabin!  Apparently a tropical depression had been moving in.  Now notice how close the water is to the cabin now.

Yes, that is water under the cabin and a wave slowly drifting towards the deck.

So we packed up the car and headed home.  It rained the entire trip back, but it was fun adventure no doubt!

Super week! November 30, 2008

Wow, this has been a super week.  First, I went for a run on Tuesday, the last one before the big race.  And on the last mile of my run, I came across a bunch of stuff out on the street in front of a house under renovation.  And I found this little gem!  I have been in desparate need of a filing cabinet.  This one is substantial and I have the bruise on my inner thigh to prove it.  When I got home at the end of my run, I drove back over and picked it up.  It was out by the trash and some other stuff, so I figure they were getting rid of it.  Yay free stuff!

I have previously posted about Turkey Day and lots of successful cooking, so I will spare those details.

I also got to catch up with my friend from law school, Legally Challenged.  (I’ll just call her Legally for short.)  It was so nice to see her again.  I don’t think we’ve seen each other since graduation!  We’ve emailed and talked on the phone, but it’s been a year and a half!!  We chatted for a couple hours, mostly about boys!!!  I also got to see her new car – super cute!  Hopefully I’ll get to catch up with her again when she’s home for the next holiday.

I also got to spend some time with Barbie while she was in town.  We went to lunch, which was yummy.  It was an opportunity for us to catch up, get some yummy Indian food, and do some girly shopping.  After a very delightful lunch, we stopped at a yarn store so Barbie could stock up on some fabulous supplies.  Then we hit up one of the great discount stores.  We each made some purchases that involved clothing and cookie cutters.  We both needed the cookie cutters.  I also bought a glass banana.  Yes, I said GLASS BANANA.  My office is having its holiday party next weekend and there is a white elephant gift exchange.  The glass banana was only $3.99 plus tax, and was Lenox – that famous glass and ceramics maker!  You know I’m already plotting to steal back my own gift!

And when I got home I decided it was finally time to put up my tree.  I haven’t finished decorating the rest of the house, but at least I got a little bit of festive-ness going on in one room!

After a long weekend and such a super week, here’s hoping that this week will just be just as great!!

Getting to know you… July 5, 2008

So, I recently found this meme on a former classmate’s blog and thought I’d share a little bit about me and my friends.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?  July 5, 1998 – I was 20. I was living and working as an intern in Bonn, Germany. First, I started as an intern with the Beethovenhalle Orchestra, but once their season ended, I bounced around a couple of other internships with the Mayor’s Office for the City of Bonn, the City Cultural Office, and a music school. And yes, it was all in German!

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today? Finish an assignment for work, write articles for work, prepare for a conference call tomorrow (yes, on a Sunday!), get closer to finishing my latest knitting project, go for a walk or a run.

3) Snacks I enjoy: Chocolate, cookies, raw almonds, fruit (any kind!), granola, Cheetos Asteroids® (they are the little 100 calorie packs of the cheesy-poof balls – fabulous invention – thank you to that food-inventor-person!).

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off student loans, pay off the car, buy a motorcycle (yes, this one is eventually going to happen), buy a home, donate lots to the arts and to animal organizations, travel to more exotic and tropical locales, and enjoy life more.

5) Places I have lived:
Warner, New Hampshire
Nashville, Tennessee
Bremerhaven, Germany
Bonn, Germany
Regensburg, Germany
Knoxville, Tennessee
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

6) Jobs I have had:
Figure skating instructor/choreographer
Nanny
Dining services (by far my least favorite)
Music Library – student assistant, supervisor, reference librarian
Reference Assistant for an Ethnomusicologist (say that 5 times fast)
Translator
Music Industry Executive
Freelance Writer
Pet sitter
Mediator
Attorney

7) Bloggers I am tagging who you will enjoy getting to know better:
Jess Moves to Canada – One of my dearest friends (And yes, she does have a superhero identity in Sallaboutme, but that’s for you to determine.)
Legally Challenged – A great friend from law school, whom I miss since we graduated
Melodic Meanderings – A new friend, whom I look forward to getting to know better

Man down! July 3, 2008

After a very stressful day and [not] looking forward to a not-so-relaxing holiday weekend working, I came home from work at a reasonable hour to get in at least a little relaxation.  I called Barbie and like the fabulous friend that she is, she rushed over to liven up my little pity party. Since it was still daylight and the miserable Southern heat hasn’t fully set in yet, we went for a little walk.

Not far from the house, we discovered — (in Barbie’s terms) —
this “little dude.”

Aw, isn’t he cute. Ok, yeah I know he’s hard to see, he was lying in the road.

MAN DOWN!

But we picked him up and took him along for the jaunt. So you can see him better, we perched him along the edge of a bridge.

 

 

Along the way, I captured some wonderful sites that present much of the reasons why I love my town. The surprising natural beauty you find within the city makes it hard to hate when the weather’s gorgeous.

My favorite view from a bridge over the creek

Wildflowers - almost tropical

And this…Only in this town do you find someone who can’t be bothered to make a nice sign to sell their beloved guitar, but does manage to walk at least 1/3 of a mile on a greenway with a stapler to post this to a fence by the railroad tracks.

Love this town!

The Girls June 17, 2008

I have the greatest best friends. First there’s Barbie, she’s everything a girl could ask for. Smart, funny, great teacher, dirty minded, and always there to back a sister up. (not to mention she looks like Barbie…easy on the eyes) Then there’s Legs, she’s sweet, intuitive, loving, and although she may be busy and we don’t visit often, she’s still always thinking about her friends. Finally, there’s Frenchy. We don’t see her much anymore since she moved. She’s fun, sweet, wild, and a soulmate. There are more characters yet to cast, but these are the ones who’ve stuck with me for more than a decade…they get seniority.

So, Barbie and Legs get much love from Sally for their support this weekend. And when life hands you lemons, they were right there to help make lemonade…or at least help chuck the lemons at whatever miserable soul who deserved it.  I like lemonade, but sometimes I need help remembering how many parts lemons and how many parts sugar. On the other hand, I throw like a girl and need someone to help me aim the catapult! I also have to credit Bunny and Bama. They also stepped in. But we’ll hear more about them later.

Meanwhile, I arrived at work this morning for another endless day of stress. I must learn to control the stress, otherwise my catapult may need constant repair. The girls are keeping me sane this week. Deep breathing, closed doors, and lots of wine…all the girls love the wine.