Make Me a Pizza!

Back in this post, I talked about pizza. Since then, I’ve been working on making my own homemade pizzas (I buy the dough… I’d make WAY too much mess making dough.). It’s still not mind blowingly healthy. But I’m enjoying  experimenting in the kitchen. I’m really wanting to spend more time cooking. :)

Also to help change my eating habits, I’m saying no fast food for the month of June. I did this for two months last year, and I not only had more energy, more money and slept better… but I felt I looked better. I lost some weight during that time. So here’s to that. Let’s see what happens.

Ok. We’re half way through June, and not drinking soda is a bust. In fact, I’m drinking some right now. And fast food, I’ve done well with. Parents got Arby’s and brought me some. And I’ve had subway twice.

So, yeah. There you go. Still playing with different meal ideas. I’ll keep experimenting. :p

The Season's End 5/26/2012

As I’m sitting here, sun kissed and sleepy, I realize this day marked the end of a very long 9 months. It was about that time I started working at best buy. And coaching the college kids, and continued to bite off more than I could chew by getting another job. By working upwards of 70-80 hours a week and making around $1000 a month after taxes (do the math… something is wrong here.).

here's me trapped in the coaches box. They caught me mid pacing during the men's vault.

I said to myself “after Christmas, it will slow down.” It didn’t. I left best buy at the end of February. When I gave them my 3 weeks notice, they gave me 1. Track picked up as the season rolled on and so did work. And despite losing one job, I was still running myself ragged.

But now I’m sitting here. In a chair. Thinking about the lack of sleep and personal time, the health issues I’ve had, and the amount of stress I was under… I can’t help also thinking about the amazing time I had. The people who came into my life and made me smile. I’m thinking about the changes in my financial situation and the stability I’ve found.

Sure, I’m a bit weathered. But I’ve got a big ol’ smile on my face. One of my highschoolers had a personal best jump of 9’6, adding almost a foot to her PR. And she narrowly missed being on the podium . three of my six college kids made it in the top 8.

Bogdan attempting 15'3" He finished 2nd overall.

Here I am, in my cave of wonders. 

It will take me a bit to recuperate and want to do anything other than sleep. But I’m very happy with where the last 9 months have left me. and I’m stoked for the months to come.

This is my 2012 Pole Vault crew. :)

Rain in May (and June) 5/24/2012

I meant to write this sooner, but the weather has been so nice, I haven’t wanted too.

Well… now our couple days of monsoons have been causing some light flooding streets and homes. And it’s been some of the most awesome thunderstorms I’ve seen in a while. All of this has reminded me that… we’re still in the Pacific Northwest.

So yeah. This picture made me laugh. The beautiful evergreen state. We’ll get our loads of sunshine after a couple more weeks of rain. :)

The Source 5/23/2012

I happened to be having dinner with the family downtown and realized I hadn’t been back to the gym since my accident. So I ran in to say hi.

I was greeted by such warm and amazing people. Friends who wanted to know how I’ve been and how I was healing.

I love promoting the Source Climbing Gym, wearing their gear, getting people interested and in their door. They really are friendly and they care for their climbers. Personally, it felt like home. Or a home I haven’t seen lately.

Between catching up, I perused the routes. Felt chalky holds. Mentally read routes and mimed my way through it from the ground.

I just started physical therapy, so it will still be a while before I’m on the wall. But I think sport climbing will be good to get me back into it. Or at least more gentle than bouldering would be.

So until then, I’ll be patient. My new shoes will collect a bit more dust and I’ll keep thinking about getting that green light.

If you haven’t checked out the Source Climbing Center, you should. They offer a lot of classes to teach you how to use the climbing equipment safely and their staff are top of the line and some of the most amazing people I know.

Fortune Cookie 5/20/2012

Who doesn’t like these? Who doesn’t have some superstition or ritual to eating these little treats? My cousins add “In Bed” to the end of theirs. Me, I won’t read my fortune until the cookie is eaten.

But I’ve noticed a trend with FC’s (That’s fortune cookie for those in the know.) that don’t really have fortune’s in them. Like this one…

 

Did they run out of Chinese proverbs, and wishful thinking statements? I bet the lucky numbers on the back don’t mean anything either.

Well, today, an athlete of mine named Tonja gave me a fortune cookie and said “Because I’m nice, I’m giving you a fortune cookie. And hopefully it’s better than the one’s you’ve been getting lately.” There was no fortune inside.

So either the FC makers have given up all pretense of this tradition. Or I’m not long for this world. :(

Regionals 5/18/2012

I love to travel. Currently, I’m at Mt. Tahoma… or Tacoma, Washington. Mt. Tahoma might just be the school’s name, for the Regional track meet with the High School athletes I’ve been working with.

I’m lying on a big soft comfy bed in a brand new hotel, where someone else is picking up the bill. Not bad. And I’ll be doing this for the better part of the next week. A lot of that time will be spent in buses, vans and it will be a lot of time spent away from home. But it’s nice to not be home. Sitting, working, sleeping.

I kind of with is had my camera with me. but I don’t and I’m enjoying joking with my athletes and getting to know them better after the past ten weeks.

I love traveling. And I love coaching. It’s fun when the two get together and party like this.

My athlete is hiding over there on the right in 7th. :)

And I’m proud of my kids. How hard they’ve worked. And how far they’ve come. I’m excited to see what the rest of the season will bring. I look forward to bring some part of it. And I will enjoy the comfy beds.

Oh, and this “build my own pizza” from Farelli’s blew my mind. $28?! Totally worth it.

My Life as a Hardened Criminal

In an effort to lead a healthier life, I’ve been making changes to my diet. Not cold turkey or anything. But instead small things, like eliminating soda.

Soda is how I get caffeine. The teas I like don’t have it, and I don’t like coffee. So it’s soda. I’ve fought the caffeine headaches pretty well. Combating it by chugging water, which has been helpful. I’m down to one can a day, and the headaches aren’t that bad.

So I try to go one day without soda at all. By 4pm, my brain was splitting. If I’d had other symptoms, I’d have thought I was ill. So I cave. I swing by 7-11 to pick up a Big Gulp, money in hand. The headache made it hard to see straight.

I hop in my car and drive away.

It was about 3 miles later I realized I still had a death grip on my money. I never paid. And I run the scene over again. I got my drink, walked out the door passing the clerk, into my car and I unknowingly fled the scene.

Now, something you should know: I have no stomach for thievery. In the three times I’ve stolen in my life, I have felt extreme forms of guilt.

When I was 3, I took gummy bears from those plastic bins at a grocery store. Mom said she’d tell the manager and they would have the cops take me away. I cried a lot.

When I was a bit older, I was in Sunday school and found an F1 racer matchbox car. I love it. Took it. And yes… that’s stealing from a church.

And finally, in kindergarten my Bucky O’Hare action figure was stolen just days after the arduous journey made by my parents to buy it for me. I was 5. I was pretty certain of who took it, so I took his Donatello Ninja Turtle Action Figure. I still feel terrible.

So yeah. 20 years later I steal a Cherry Pepsi. And when I found that money still gripped in my hand, sweat formed on my brow. I turned the car around and made the trip back. Walked in, cup in hand, and casually said: “umm… I think I just stole this.”

“Yeah, we were just talking about that. We wrote down your information.” He shows me a list: License Plate, Model of car, color, physical description, height, beenie, glasses, etc. Pretty good, considering I was there just a moment.

“Well, I apologize. My head is just killing me.”

“No problem. I’m surprised you came back. If it had been beer, we would have called the cops.” I laughed at this. “there’s nothing we could really do over a Big Gulp, except see if you came back. Next time, the drinks on us to say thanks for your honesty.”

Wait, what? I stole, came back and paid for it… so you’re giving me my next one free? I’m confused… and I won’t hold them to it as he wasn’t a manager. And yeah.

But my conscience is clear. The guilt is gone. And I walked around with my chalice saying “Here be my spoils!”