The rest is still unwritten

So my pal Kmac tagged me in her latest post on her ever-hilarious blog. I figured if I didn't comply, I would be officially defriended and that is not something I'm willing to risk!

So here I am on a Friday afternoon, wishing I had a window to gaze into the sunshine playing a little bloggy game in hopes of rejuvenating my motivation!

Instructions:

Answer the following questions in written format:

1. What's your name/your Blogger name?

2. What's your blog's name/URL?

3. Write "the quick fox jumps over the lazy dog".

4. Favorite quote?

5. Your Favorite song?

6. Your favorite band/singers?

7. Anything else you want to say?

8. Tag 3-5 other people.

Ok, you girls take your turn now. In case my readers want to check them out. Here's their blog url's:

Lipstick Cowgirl: http://chroniclesofawildcat-melissa.blogspot.com/

Grey House Red Dog: http://greyhousereddog.blogspot.com/

Farmer's Daughter: http://msbergkamp.blogspot.com/

The Girl on the Run: http://wanderingthroughnothingness.com/

Every Home Needs A Harvey

What a super super smart dog!!!

Pimp My Ride

For the past several months, I've been fighting with my long-loved 1999 Jeep Cherokee. We've been through about 100,000 miles together. But lately, its been breaking on me regularly. I had to fix one thing after the other, after the other. Most recently replacing the radiator in December.

On Friday, I was leaving work for the weekend and the Jeep wouldn't start. We jumped the battery and nothing. We got it towed to my mechanic and found out it needed a new starter. Ugh. $450 please.

I just couldn't justify it, so on Saturday I started test driving. I was so not looking forward to car shopping, dreading it, in fact. But on Sunday, I was excited so I got ready to go out. Woops. Car dealers are closed on Sunday. Grr. Frustrating.

I dropped BDR off at work at 6:30 Monday morning and headed in to my office to get some stuff done. At about 10:30 I wrapped up and headed back out to find my new wheels.

Frank Ancona Honda - creepy sales guy. Decent car, CR-V. Moved on pretty quickly.

Olathe Ford - pretty amazing 2008 Escape Limited. White tan leather interior. But it was 2WD. I took it to the aforementioned mechanic and they said it was in great shape.

Van Chevrolet - drove a brand new 2011 Equinox. Pretty much fell in love. A guy I grew up next door to is a bigwig there, so I felt safe. Which is huge when you're investing that much money in a purchase.

I was there for dang near 6 hours and couldn't make up my mind. New, pretty, fancy, decked out ride or great deal on a good used vehicle. It was tough and I was really torn, but I finally bit the bullet.

So here it is: 2011 Chevy Equinox, all wheel drive, sun/moonroof (I still don't know the difference!), remote start, cool back up camera that pops up in the rearview mirror, audio controls on the steering wheel. Its pretty much got everything I could want, sans leather and heat seaters.

And its brand.spanking.new!!! See only 78 miles on it when I drove off the lot!

So even though I will miss the Jeep and our awesome off-road adventures (that I haven't taken in years!) and the ability to load up the dogs and not worry about things getting dirty and hairy and smelly (can't do that anymore!) ...

My ride is now officially Pimped.

TGIF!

Happy Friday everyone! Here's a quick recap of my week in photos.

1. This is how I woke up on Thursday morning. Totally burritoed in by my babies. We were all so warm and snuggly, it was hard to get up!

2. Luckily, we didn't need to get up because this is what was waiting for us outside.... Yep, inches upon inches of snow. And even more today!

3. Stella's new favorite place to chill out - the bottom of my coffee table. I guess its cozy and safe. Before long she won't be able to fit there anymore. She's already doubled in size since we got her about a month ago!

Life Update

Yesterday was a pretty exciting day to be a cop in KC. There was this huge car chase that went all over KCMO and into Leawood. It kept BDR's morning adrenaline-filled! The story: there was a carjacking, and then the guy bolted and wouldn't stop for the cops. At one point he let a lady out of the car in the middle of nowhere. The chase went on for like 30 minutes before the crazy criminal ran into McDonalds looking like he really needed to pee. Of course about 1,000 cops converged from every door and they brought him out seconds later. I'm wondering if this might be up for a dumbest criminal award?!

My day was not quite as exciting... just work after NOT getting up and heading into the gym as planned. I didn't go over lunch or after work either. And I didn't get up this morning like I wanted to. Man, I'm a slacker! But I did have a little jewelry party with a couple girlfriends, some wine and some sparkly things. It was fun to catch up with them, and learn a bit more about an organziation I'm thinking about joining.

We are now preparing for Snowpocalypse 2011, as weathermen across the networks are predicting between 6-10 inches in KC this afternoon and through the night. I'm no good at cold and snowy weather, especially when the Jeep's heater isn't working. Brrr!!!

A little winters day poem

Itching to run.
Hating the cold.
Wanting to be outside.
Jeep heater not working.
Hoping to travel.
LA is warm.
Flights aren't too bad.
Maybe I should go.
Winter. Will you be over soon?

Satan Bit Me

Leaving work tonight, I tried to do my good deed for the day. There was a stray cat haning out under the car, so I bent down to see if he was open to getting some help. He immediately came up to me, letting me pet him, purring and nuzzling my legs. He was this sweet animal that looked like he got lost from a family that loved him. He looked like this:

Minutes later he transformed into a Devil Cat that looked like this:

Yep, that SOB bit me!!! For no reason and out of the blue, I ended up with 4 puncture wounds and a scratch. I freaked out, went back in the office to wash it off and then headed straight to Urgent Care, calling Animal Control on the way.

The doc cleaned me up, wrote me a scrip for an antibiotic since cat bites always get infected, and for Lortab for the pain, along with a tetanus shot. They say that protocol is to undergo rabies treatment just in case if the animal can't be observed, so I'm really hoping that OPPD can catch the little punk.

Puncture wounds #1, #2, #3. Right in my wrist, he musta got nerves because its 4.5 hours later and I still can't feel my fingers! Its the weirdest feeling and I'm really surpised I can type ok.

Puncture wounds #3 and #4.

All the bandages.

And the results of my tetanus shot.

Ugh, so not how I was planning to spend my evening!



*Bling!*

Thursday evening the ladies of Rotary gathered at a local jewelers for some fun and fellowship. Not to mention all the pretty sparkly things! Van Brock opened its doors for us to showcase its jewelry and entertain us ladies. It was delightful.

Of course, I probably think so because I got to try on all sorts of things that I'll never own.

Namely, this: (I mean hello, you can even see the *bling* in the photo!!!)

If I recall correctly, this is a 12 carat tourmaline which is rarer than a diamond. The mine in Brazil where this gem came from is closed, and most of the stones were 2-3 carat. This one is 12! And its surrounded by diamonds, set in platinum. Holy cow, it was heavy!

I thought about buying it, but I figured I'd save my hard earned $1,500,000 for something a little less blue.

The Van Brock lady was telling us that she sold this ring once, and when the man gave it to his wife, she said "I don't want it, I already have a blue ring." Can you believe that!?



Holiday Baking Season!

After the GOTR 5K, I was the lucky winner of a box of leftover apples! MMM, pink ladies are delish! So I've been trying to put them to good use. We defiitely wouldn't want them to go to waste, just to "waist" instead!

1st, a tasty apple crisp. My daddio's recipe. Peeled and sliced apples, topped with a mixture of brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, butter and cinnamom. MMM. It smells so good when its baking!

I also tried my hand at homemade applesauce for the first time! MMM, it filled the house with a phenomenal aroma! So warm and festive, it really put me in the holiday spirit. 8 peeled, cored and chopped apples, a half cup sugar, 1.5 cups water and some cinnamon. In a pot, covered on medium for an hour or so, til they were cooked enough for me to mash.

And whats a day of baking without chocolate chippers? I'm in love with Dr. Mel's recipe that uses vanilla pudding to keep the cookies moist. And luckily enough, BDR ended up taking them to an off duty job and "accidentally" giving them to a fellow officer. At first I was mad, but then I remember those pants that don't fit!



Next up, pies, turkeys, mashed potatoes, cider ... all the Turkey Day fixin's!!



Saturday Night

Here's the story of my Saturday night. Make note of the name of the wine:

Compiling Thanksgiving menus, complete with a trip to the Hob Lob to make for a fabulous holiday season. I've got my pumpkin spice candle lit and I'm tempted to start planning holiday music.

When I return home from my mani and the Hob, I ask Pete if he behaved...

Who, me?! He asks ever so sweetly...

I would never do anything to disappoint you Mom.

Especially not get into the trash and put a whole in a plastic cake holder that has nothing in it but a used straw and a plants droppings, maybe a couple cake crumbs...

And I would never, never, NEVER eat an entire bag of candy corn that I knew you were looking forward to enjoying yourself. I know its one of your favorite seasonal treats.

What am I to do with you Peter?!

I guess I'll just worry about that later after I enjoy my Broke Ass at home on a Saturday night.

Perfect Autumn Afternoon

We had a perfect autumn afternoon on the trails at Minor Park. It was the most perfect weather, with perfect company and perfect surroundings. If you haven't been out to Minor Park, I'm hesitant to recommend it. One of the reasons I LOVE THIS PLACE is that there is hardly ever anyone there. Pete doesn't need to be on a leash, and we always have so much fun!

Once you get on the mail trail from the trailhead, there's this weird metal thing that at one time I"m sure served a great purpose. Now, its just a hot spot for graffiti. Fitting graffiti though. :-)

The Blue River runs through the park and there are a few spots that really overlook the water. This is probably 25 feet above the creek and BDR is afraid of heights! Peter would get close to the edge and BDR got so nervous.

This is one of the most scenic spots on the trail, with great rock seats to take in the views.

Needless to say, we love our new iPhones and are really enjoying getting some good use out of them.

I'm obviously in a great mood from a great afternoon!

And Peter is exhausted from the several-mile hike!

While we're at it, this is a taste of something I have to put up with every night. Growing up, we'd have group therapy sessions with our dogs after dinner. Sitting around the table, we'd listen to a similar whine and bark and attribute it to some issues the pups needed to work out. Now, I'm not so sure, but there is definitely something he's trying to communicate!

And one last taste of the dramatic gopher... if you don't think this is funny - watch it a few more times!

I miss it.

I miss racing.

Not because I'm any good at it. Not for the PR's. Not for the medals.

But for the sweat.

And the fun.

And the heart-healthy benefits.

And the feeling of accomplishment and pride.

And the bit of soreness afterwards.

So how do I get myself motivated to train, keep training and make the entry fee a little more worthwhile? That is the question. Do I set up a race schedule for next year? A couple half mary's, maybe a half iron? Maybe just some 5ks?

I went to the actual gym this morning. And, let me say, BLAH. A run with Peter is a way better use of my time. A swim would've been good, but the pool was TINY. I've also recently gotten the P90X system, and I've thought about doing that. I'm just worried about my commitment level.  Hmm. Things to ponder.

In other news, my new pants are bleeding all over my hands. This dark-washed denim slack ain't sticking where it should!

Mountain Climbers and Frosting Truckers

Sunday we celebrated BDR's little brother's 17th birthday - at an indoor rock wall!

I had no idea this place existed. Its a huge building, with tons of gymnastics equipment and a monster play area including a rope swing with big foam blocks to fall onto and at the back is this 40-foot rock wall. We took a lesson from this "serious rock climber guy" and everyone else got belay certified. Here's us before we got started... From right to left, BDR, Nick, me, Kristen and Charlie.

Here's me, the first one to go up, feeling like I'm about 95 feet in the air, even though that black line is probably 10-12 feet high. I'm starting to get a bit nervous.

Another step or two later and I decide I can't go any further. That's what happens when you look down! The repelling part was fun, the being up on a wall with only little fake rock protrusions to hold you there - not so fun.

BDR did great, even though he's afraid of heights. 

But we were all shown up by the birthday boy. I think he rang the 40 foot high bell more than anyone else. Ah to be so fearless!

BDR's dad was the official photographer for the day. From the looks of this photo, you'd think he was an O'Donnell! Its the official self-portrait!

Afterwards, we all went to Johnny C's Pizza, the Reedy Family hangout, for pizza, onion rings and birthday cake. (Note the awesome toy construction trucks on the cake! It even had a mound of frosting dirt and black sprinkles like soil!) Of course, the competition continued on the side-by-side race car game. All-time winner, BDR, was eventually beaten by the all-time loser Nick.  

After pizza and beer, we of course, busted out the cake. On the second round, a big plop of frosting hit the carpet. Hilariety ensued. OK, so maybe you had to be there, but judge for yourself...

It was a fun celebration, and we can't wait to do it again next 'eekend on the 'ween out at 'ake 'ivira. In the meantime, maybe we'll see you on the Fe. (Oh inside jokes are funny, too bad they can't really come across on a blog!)

Good little weekend

After the race on Saturday, BDR and I had some friends over to break in the back yard. Most imporantly, the fire pit. We aren't quite sure if this was legal or not, but since there were cops running the show, I banked on us being okay.

The guys thought it was a really smart idea to throw piles and piles of leaves into the fire, never mind the sparks that flew towards 2 of the 10 monstrous trees living in our yard.

We ended up having a great time, trading stories and drinking cold ones.

I'm particularly proud of myself for staying up til 12:30 or so. I mean I got up at 5:45, ran a half marathon, did a bunch of errands and then starting drinking. It was a busy day!

Sunday brought the most perfect morning on the back deck, drinking coffee and reading my Sunday paper, sharing the highlights with Pete while he stalked the white squirrel and treed it. We did some cleaning and organizing and bill paying, watched some TV and then started cooking.

We had BDR's parents and little bro over for dinner and a tried 2 new recipes from my new Runner's World. I highly recommend the one-dish wonder of Pork Tenderloin and Winter Vegetables. A casserole dish holds the pork (rubbed with mustard, garlic and pepper) and cut up sweet potato, carrots, brussel sprouts and red onion (substituted for fennel, since I had no idea what fennel is). It was phenomenal.  I also tried the spaghetti squash recipe on the magazine's following page. His parents loved it, but I thought it needed a little something more. I probably should have used a bit more seasoning. It was a little bland. We definitely got a good dose of fiber for the day though!

The boys broke in the horsehoe pits, we drank some Malbec, ate a bunch of food (also including a delicious bacon-cheese ball and strawberry rhubarb pie!) and enjoyed some wonderful company. Including Mr. Begger Dog.

What I've Been Up To....

So, its pretty obvious I've been crappy at posting lately. Well, I have a good excuse. Hopefully you'll agree. BDR and I just moved, work has been crazy busy, I'm super involved in two volunteer groups and my brother just got married. This week its really been catching up to me. Not only has it been a "fat" week, ugh, I hate that feeling, but I've been exhausted and struggle waking up! Its bound to get better now though, as I settle back into a routine.

That routine starts tomorrow with a Half Marathon. Wait, you haven't been training either?! I did my last long run at the beginning of August. 17 miles in killer heat, followed by dehydration that kept me on my back for the rest of the weekend. That was the tipping point for my burnout and I think I've gone on two 2-mile runs since then.

That should make tomorrow pretty interesting! My training buddy JW and I plan to stick out the misery together. If its good weather, maybe I'll take my camera along so you can relive the race with me!

Anyway, back to what I've been up to in the past few weeks...

Packing, packing packing.

And lots of unpacking. Peter was a nervous wreck for a few days until he realized that he was going to get to stay there with us. He stayed at my ankles, under foot for probably 4 days straight, staring outside whenever I went to grab another box to unload.

He's not quite sure about having his own room. The dining room has a doggy door that leads to the mud room, with a doggy door that leads to outside. There is a tiny little cheapo white shelf that he can jump on to see whats going on in the kitchen.

Our neighborhood is well established, so there are tons of trees! Which means tons of leaves, but we've got a great front deck, handicap accessible even!

And an even better back deck! With tons of seating areas and lots of acorns!

With those acorns come the little buddies that like to munch on acorns, and sometimes, they just can't take the heat. I'm not sure if this little guy died of natural causes, electrocution or a dog bite, but he sure looks pretty peaceful. Since this first loss, we've recovered two more of  his friends. One was picked up by the tail, courtesy my 6 year old nephew.

The best part about the new house. More space! I don't have to be thisclose to BDR and Peter at all times - and - I've got extra space for all my shoes!!!

It's been an interesting couple weeks along My Path. Between marathon training, work and family life - stress levels have been high. Here's the high and low lights...

The most monumental thing to mention is the passing of my grandmother. She would have turned 88 in a couple weeks. It had been a rough several months for her, with deteriorating health battling congestive heart failure, lots of pain meds and confusion surrounding what all was happening. We all know she is in a better place now.

BDR and I made the 7 hour trek to Stillwater Minnesota where 98% of my mom's family lives. It was great to see all my aunts, uncles, cousins and family extended even further. My grandfather's health is rough as well, so it was tough to see him. He's battling skin cancer and Alzheimer's and is generally in poor health. I guess that what 63 years of marriage will do to you! All kidding aside, it was wonderful to be around family for a couple short days, and to know that our extended family that runs the funeral home was able to take care of Gramma's body to prepare her for her final resting. Read Gramma's obituary here. Looking back, I know she would be pleased that all of her grandchildren were able to make it to the services. Gramma loved family more than anything else, so she would be happy to see us all together celebrating her life.

Coming home, I felt more loved than I've felt in a long while. Maybe its the corn-spread plains or the wind farms that give you some perspective, but a long drive in a big truck with an amazing man does wonders for the heart. Seeing how my family interacted and was more there for each other than I imagined, I know that feeling of love extended way beyond the cab of the "Brownerado".

Missing two days of work when mortgage rates are at all-time lows was a little tough though. I had 3 closings last week, and 9 over the month. I've never had a job where I've been consistently this busy. I mean, I haven't been able to keep up on my news. Its hard to watch the Facebook news feed when you're busy quoting refinances! I haven't been able to keep on my favorite blogs, or had time to write on mine. But I have been selling - so hooray for that! There is still time to refi and take advantage of the rates - let me know if you want a quote. :-)

Ugh. Marathon training. This has not been going so well, and isn't really on my list of favorite things to do. Two Saturday's ago, JW and I ran 17 miles. My motivation was LOW and her knee was hurting, so we walked quite a bit. It was hot. But we finished. And I came home to EAT, Shower and NAP. My favorite post-run activities. Afterwards, I went to help my brother with wedding invitations and in the midst of addressing, I felt seriously sick. Thinking it was gonna come out one end, it actually came out the other. Ugh. I haven't felt that crappy since I don't know when. I'm guessing it was dehydration since I didn't want to move. I got in bed at 7 pm and didn't get up til noon the next day - and didn't feel decent until that night.



I battled the "crap" for several days and had 0 interest in getting up to run with my buds. Then this past Saturday, we were supposed to do 18. JW's knee said no to running and so I didn't go either. We did go out for bike ride and about 6 miles in, I felt the same crap as the weekend before.

So needless to say, I don't want to run. I'm not finding it fun. I can't really remember why I signed up for this race. I know it was partially to stay in a shape other than round. Keep off the lbs so I can keep enjoying ice cream and cookies and whatnot. And it was partially because that is what I felt like I should do.

But you know what? Just going to the gym for boxing or zumba or yoga sounds fun. So what would be wrong with bagging the marathon and trading it in for a little more fun?!

The policeman's ball

One of BDR's cop buddies got married last weekend. We would've had a blast if he hadn't had to stay sober and go into work. But you can't really carry a .45 if you've been tossing back a few. I mean really - what do you tell the drunk you're pulling over? No DUI for you if you blow a lower BAC than me!

I did rather enjoy the best man's speech. He told the story of when the groom pulled over a lady. Before he could even say anything, the lady spouted out, "Wait, I know why you're pulling me over! You want me to buy tickets to the policeman's ball!"

And the officer's response...

(Wait for it....)

"Oh mam, policeman don't have balls!"

Touche, lady, touche.

Easy like Sunday morning

Seriously this is what Sunday mornings are all about....

MMMM peanut butter and syrup!

Sleeping in, pancakes and church.

Its easy like Sunday morning....

Yeariversary

To celebrate our "Yeariversary" BDR took me to the Melting Pot on the Plaza. What a fabulous evening! Great food, fun atmosphere and a momentous occassion!

Seriously, the Melting Pot is delicious. How can you go wrong with cheese and chocolate - and some steak in the middle for good measure!? We had a spinach artichoke cheese fondue with chips, bread, veggies and apples as dippers. Then a smorgasbord of protein includng sushi grade tuna, steak, kiwi lime shrimp (it was green!), pork, and chicken, along with some brocoli, potatoes and 'shrooms. Then a white/dark chocolate YinYang fondue for dessert, complete with cheesecake, brownies, pound cake, marshmallows, strawberries and bananas. Not to mention the "Tipsy Turtle", "Love Martini" and glass of Malbec. MMM.

BDR fights the smoke monster from the mojo pot.

MMM fondue and wine!

Afterwards the clouds foiled our romantic plans of stargazing to see the meteor shower so we met some friends for drinks instead. A great evening and a fun way to celebrate with my love!

The weekend was capped off with wonderfully cooler weather, long Peter walks and a BBQ with friends. Couldn't be much better!