Summer picnics and stepchildren are the best things in life...

I love my stepchildren - or my kids - as they prefer to be called.... none of this "step" stuff. Absolutely nothing puts a smile on my face more than chatting with Molly on facebook and trying to message Nate thru her at the same time.... and then I'm even friends with Molly and Nate's friends too! Gotta love being one of the more "popular" parents with the kids. I can't wait to see one of Nate's football games!

And, then there's nothing better to do with your friends than have a summer party! My friends Jodi and Todd have been married for 8 years now and look at all they have accomplished....! Yes, FOUR GIRLS!!! All under 4 years of age - the twins will be four this November! Now that I know where they live - I'm going to have to visit more often, especially once I move closer their direction! Left to right below - Camryn, Lauren, Avery, Payton

Payton and Camryn busy working on their "masterpiece"...

Of course, Kristin P got to hold Avery the most.... at least I got to get my "baby fix" in for about 10 minutes.

Kristin S and Lauren..... and then me and Camryn....

And of course more friends were spending the day with us.... one of our gracious party hosts - Todd....

The coach and best bud - Jim...

Katherine...

And our other favorite little family - Beth, Andy and Chloe!

A good time had by all of course and it was a beautiful day!!!

More pictures soon of other summer time activities....!

Have a great evening!

Erin

My favorite things...

A couple years ago, I took to starting a list of some of my favorite things or things that just make me happy. It was a suggestion by my counselor at the time so that I would remember what parts of life I take some joy in. This last month just hasn't seemed to go my way in more ways than one, so I figured it's time to start focusing on the good stuff in life again so that the not-so-good doesn't overwhelm me again...

Some of my favorite/happy things:
1. Hours spent in a great bookstore
2. Skipping stones
3. A full body massage
4. Glass milk-bottle vases
5. Rereading old diaries
6. Anything having to do with Molly and Nate - the more, the better.
7. Listening to news/talk radio to and from work
8. Post cards from vacationing friends
9. Carmel apples with nuts
10. A "make you weak at the knees" kiss
11. Claw-foot tubs
12. End zone victory dances
13. Audio books
14. A runner's "high"
15. A luxurious bath robe
16. Being told I can be out of debt in 4 years.
17. Windchimes singing in the breeze
18. Thriving under pressure
19. Picking out pumpkins in the fall
20. Making apple pie

Just a few for now.... many more later - my list from a couple years ago is easily over 600 entries - a few repeats I'm sure - as well as a few that are specific to the people I enjoyed doing things with (car "looking" and Sunday breakfast out with Sam, laughing and my frank discussions with Jim, perusing the craft stores with Kristin, etc.). I do seem to be missing a few - my list is numbered (another thing I like - making lists) and I'm missing about 50 or so of them.... could have been misplaced in Alissa's recent flooded basement as that is where I rescued most of the lists.

Anyway, just wanted to prove that there are good things to think about too and I'm not some crazy, hormonal women bent on taking off the bumper of the first slow person that gets into the left lane on I-43 in front of me.

I will get pictures up - it's a big weekend of events, so I'll be sure to add some here as well as facebook of course.

Have a great weekend! I'm encouraging everyone to visit the Wisconsin State Fair and partake in some food on sticks! If I get a chance to go, I'm going to have cheesecake, crab cakes and macaroni and cheese on a stick!!! Although my eyes are always bigger than my stomach....

Take care,
Erin

Carpe Viam!!!

'Carpe Viam' is going to be my new life saying.... it means to "seize the road"! I read it in the March 2008 issue of Runner's World and immediately liked it. It doesn't even have to pertain to just running (real runners run on the road... just my personal belief) but for me, it can refer to my driving ability (more below) and to life in general. If I want to make changes in my life - "carpe viam" - seize the road to change then!!! I think I might even have that inscribed on a charm for a necklace or something......

And yes people - I know the current blog design is dull and lifeless.... I will work on changing it some more. I'm considering taking this blog to Wordpress instead.... but I'll let you all know.

Thanks for keeping up with me and take care!

Erin

Things that make me happy....

Just a random thought list....

1. Getting to go on a mini-vacation in a little over a week!!!

2. My kids and all the stories they have to tell me.

3. Watching summer baseball games - whether it be t-ball, Colt, Girls or professional... this is what summer is for - baseball!

4. Reconnecting with old friends and finding new and fun things to do with all of them!

5. Realizing how much growing up I did over the last year and even better - realizing how much happier I am now too.

6. A late night romp.... and lengthy text message conversations.

7. Flowers for no reason

8. Skipping dinner and only being given a hard time about it for 5 minutes instead of 60.

9. A Friday night with no pressing plans.

10. Making plans to go out with friends on a Saturday.... and two weekends from now and a month from now and all of a sudden realizing what a full calendar I have.

11. Having someone contact you via a friend for a side job that will bring in some much needed cash around the holidays this fall/winter!

12. Remembering dear friends who have recently passed away and being able to celebrate their life with other friends I haven't seen in almost 10 years.

13. Every day waking up and not having a single twinge of regret...

14. Walking barefoot through the soft, green grass

15. Really great kisses....

16. Having a best friend to talk to who will give me honest feedback and does more for my mental well being than any drug could ever do.

17. Finally finding a beer that I truly enjoy drinking - just to drink a beer!

18. My first "bar shirt". (how I found the favorite beer)

19. The really good karoke singer who sounds exactly like Neil Diamond! I'm serious - he could win a contest!

20. Getting some much needed time on the computer to work on my blog layout and this post.

There's so much more..... but in another post soon!

Have a fantastic weekend! Be good to each other!

Erin

I'm in love.... with the Michigan commercials...

Okay, so it's an odd thing to love, but I literally turn up the radio and hush my riding companion (if I have one) when one of those Michigan commercials comes on. You know... the travel bureau of Michigan has these commercials - very simply worded, but the best part is the voiceover done by Tim Allen (Home Improvement, Toy Story, etc...). His voice is perfect with those commercials. I've even had a dream where he's providing the voiceover for my life...... very strange, because he makes comments on the side about the events that happen around me/to me.

Random pic of the day.... I would try for something that goes with the newest Michigan commercial that mentions water and all the things you do from being a kid running through the sprinkler to the enormous amount of shoreline Michigan has..... but I don't think I have a picture of water.... or maybe I do.

Yep.... a picture of the sunrise over.... Lake Michigan! I'm sure my mother-in-law was impressed with me at the time that I was even up early enough to see it.



So, that's all I have for today.... pretty amazing that I've been posting more regularly, right? Well, I think as long as I have computer access, I'll continue to post at least a couple times a week or more. There are more things I want to do and see this summer.... and I want to share them all with you nice people who still check in from time to time.

Have a great Saturday evening. An early Happy Father's Day to any and all father's that may happen across this blog.

I think tomorrow there will be another picture posted of water... the new, ever upward creeping shoreline of Lake Wandawega.... you'll see.

Erin

Lake glass hunting... and other hobbies...

This past Friday was my second time out this year for lake glass (also went 2 Fridays ago as well). Seems to be that Fridays after work is a good time to go - crowds aren't really out on the beach anymore and the lake has had all week to churn up a new batch of glass for me.

I've found a couple hot spots for finding good sized pieces too. When I was out this past Friday, the lake water was actually not bone-chilling cold for a change, which is surprising since it's only June... but I went out past my knees - just before I got my shorts wet. If I had brought my swimsuit... I could have gone swimming quickly!

Wanted to share a couple pics....

This is the vase that I'm now collecting all the glass in... found lots of green and clear glass this time - only 3 pieces of blue, but a couple aqua too! Come on folks - help a girl out - dump your empty glass bottles in Lake Michigan! That is the other thing about this past Friday - the lake was like glass.... I so could have gone out with tons of bottles and dumped them from my kayak!

And then my crocheting.... have started an 18 color blanket for Alissa and Keith for their wedding gift. This will be quite the undertaking as I want to make it large enough for them both to sit under at night when watching t.v. together - that is if they ever get their crazy work schedules to line up anymore. I have a ton of yarn for the blanket, but I'm actually worried that I don't have enough! LOL! We shall see - I'll post more pics as it progresses.



And a close-up of some of the blanket - I am varying the width of the rows of color as I go so it has a bit of a bohemian look to it - even if I did my best to arrange the colors in sort of a rainbow fashion. The next section will be a large block of cream..... with color interspersed.

I have a lead on a part-time job for the summer, weekends in this area. And I responded to an ad about a job part-time gardening for someone in Wales.... which is nice as it would be on my way home if they don't mind me doing evenings and weekend mornings. We shall see.... I'm also still thinking about putting ads up on craigslist to do cakes/cupcakes and cookies/brownies for people for parties, etc.

Back to reading for a bit outside - The Book Thief. Very good now that I'm used to the varied interruption of the narrator - about a girl who steals books during Hitler's reign in Germany. Will post more about that later as well. Going to keep an eye on the fire dad started this morning while I read.

Missing all my friends, my honey, and my kids.... we'll all have to get together soon!

Erin

A new baby.... for Jodi and Todd!

Avery Leah was born last night (friday, may 22nd) at 6:04pm - weighing in at 10 pounds even.

Mom, dad and baby are all doing very well - and so are her three sisters at home who are being watched by grandma and grandpa.

I remember the night Jodi told me she was expecting - it was between work and a bookcrossing meeting I was on my way to... and I was quizzing her about their new house and what were they going to do with the extra bedroom since the twins were sharing a room.... and she admited they were expecting again! And now I got a chance to hold little Avery... just like I have with Payton, Lauren and Camryn when they were all born.

And I'm not sure who all will check this blog post out, but I'm going to be an aunt again too! Ella is going to get a sibling.... I'm kind of pulling for another niece, but it would be nice for there to be a nephew in the family. ;-)

How much of my to do list have I gotten done from the below post... not much so far and seem to be doing it a bit out of order - but we weren't expecting Avery this weekend (she was 9 days early) so I have a very valid excuse for only having fit in the lake glass hunting so far on Friday after work and visiting a baby today.

Have a great remainder of the Memorial Day weekend everyone!!!

Erin

My name is Erin.... and I'm a runner.

April 25th.... 10:04am.... Madison, WI.... capitol square

Standing on the street with the majority of the other 10,000 people preparing to run the Crazy Legs Classic....

LIGHTNING and THUNDER rolling overhead....

Being soaked to the skin.... literally....

Knowing that Jim in queue C is just starting off.... and that I have a bit of a wait being in queue JJ....

Pouring rain.... absolutely soaked...

A brief thought of "why am I doing this?" flashes through my mind....

Followed quickly by the thought of "what's next?" (as in what race could I run in May?)....

I'm thankful for my fortunate trip to the Nike outlet for the moisture wicking running pants...

And all of a sudden, the downpour of rain doesn't seem so bad and not as cold as I expected...

Our queue is moving toward the starting line slowly.... I manage to merge myself in with the HH and II queue in front of me.... we're three groups from starting finally.... at 10:30am

It's our turn, the air horn sounds and we're off and it's crowded despite all the queues they divided us up into....

My heart is in my throat from all the initial excitement and adrenaline of being in a race with all these people.... strangers, but friends all at the same time....

I'm completely drenched, but being soaked thru to the skin doesn't seem to bother me at all, I don't notice the puddles I'm running through....

Observatory Hill.... ugggghhhh!

Notice an older gentleman who seems to drop behind me for about 400 yards, then catches and passes me the next 400..... then slowly drops back again..... and I say that it's nice to have someone to watch for that runs a similar pace.... he smiles and chuckles and introduces himself as Glen....

I catch myself running and talking at the same time.... wow, so that's what it feels like...

Mile 3: Glen and I are keeping pace with each other... and will finish the race together....

I couldn't tell you how happy I was to see the 4 mile mark and how really short that last mile actually seemed... (okay, a .97 mile)

A little hill before we round the corner into the stadium.... people are clapping, cheering, band is playing....

Down the slippery slope into the stadium.... the turf is so bouncy it almost catches me off guard and makes me trip right before the finish line....

I remember to smile this time for the cameras before I cross the finish line - wasn't hard to do, was tired, but not completely worn out.

Thank Glen for being my running buddy and wish him well on his continued sobriety - guess I'm not the only one who took up running to help distract from/heal the pain of other issues in life....

Look around for Jim and/or Leah.... make a couple phone calls and decide to just head out as the rain starts up again....

Thank God that..... I had the best of parking spots.... in a free lot right across from the stadium... and mildly intrigued by Mad town where I wouldn't mind exploring it a bit more when I haven't just finished an 8K race.

Changing into a dry shirt and covering my car seat with a towel, jacket, etc. to keep the rest of me from soaking through the cushion....

Smiling as I consider myself a "real" runner now.

Now, what race should I run in May???

(Trying to make a decision between a 1/4 marathon in Madison on 5/24 or a 10K in Port Washington on 5/31.... decisions, decisions....)

I love this stuff.....

Erin

Lots and lots of pictures....

I think I've mentioned in the last few posts now that I'm going to put pictures up.... well, here they are!

Introducing Jeff..... Poor thing - these were taken at the end of an afternoon of letterboxing and hiking - I just had to drag him all over Waukesha and Milwaukee county with me on a beautiful spring day a few weeks back.

And on top of a lovely birthday dinner he made me last night - steak and shrimp on the grill among other delicious things - he sent me these lovely roses this morning at work! His birthday is next weekend - I have my work cut out for me....

Mom and dad had everyone over for my birthday dinner tonight and it was salmon on the grill and chocolate cake for dessert.... mmmmm, good! And of course, I got plenty of time to play with Ella.....

I tried to get hold of Molly and Nate yesterday..... and left a message for them. I hope I hear from them again soon - that would have made the day absolutely perfect. I miss them.

For now, that's all the pictures I have.... I know there are more hiding somewhere.... I'll find them soon.

In the meantime, I'm headed to bed to get at least a few hours sleep before the race tomorrow morning. Leaving for Madison around 6am... or sooner if I can't sleep. Have to remember to bring dry clothes with tomorrow - sounds like I'm going to have my first race in the RAIN! Oh well, such is April in Wisconsin.

4 more minutes left of my birthday.... it was really a great one and a well-deserved one as well. I have good thoughts about 34..... hey, at least it's not 39.... not yet.

Remember, sometimes it's all about the little things. Take care of yourselves and really take the time to appreciate the love others show you!

Good night gang!

Erin

It's been almost a month?!?!?

Sorry folks... or the few of you who follow along with me... I didn't mean to leave such a gap in time since I last posted here.... lots of things keeping me busy.

Running - I really am loving it and it almost is turning into a kind of drug for me... coming from the girl who has never taken a drug in her entire life - outside of the ones the doctor prescribed. But seriously, I may have a day where I'm all wound up and stressed about something and I won't be in the mood to run, but I'll force myself to change and then get outside and get moving. A few minutes into a run and I'm feeling completely relaxed despite using almost every muscle and ounce of energy I have to do it. Sure, it helps that I listen to music as I run to help keep my mind relaxed as well, but there have been days where I am finished with the run and want to still keep going.... No, I don't consider myself a runner yet, but feel I'm getting closer all the time. Speaking of which, I need to go do my run yet this afternoon, which will happen as soon as I'm done with this ultimately lengthy post. AND... another impressive part is that the running seems to have quelled my appetite for CHOCOLATE! I'm usually "a bag of chocolate per 2-4 days" type girl....but I've had the same bag of my absolute favorite candy ever (Cadbury solid chocolate eggs) for over two weeks now and it's still 1/3 full and sitting next to my book I read at night in bed.... just because I don't seem to crave it anymore! Now if only it would help me with my addiction to Cherry Pepsi.

Jeff and I - are doing quite well, having a lot of fun, spending time together when our schedules work out and definitely developing a true affection for one another. He cooks! And quite well!!! This is another reason that I'll have to keep running.... he makes stuff from scratch too - and every meal he has made has been very, very good! I'm going to be spoiled soon if he doesn't stop with the dinners and breakfasts he can make - biscuits from scratch people.... he's a keeper for sure just for his culinary skills. We have so much in common, it's a bit scary.... I was emailing off a list the other day of about 30 things I think would be fun to do together and he only said no to one of the ideas.... rollerskating, but he would try iceskating... go figure. He even said that if he could get running on a more regular basis than he does now, he would run in a race with me sometime this summer. :D I love this dating thing.... I don't know what I was thinking when I was adamant with my counselor that there was no one else out there for me, much less anyone I could possibly be interested in even remotely..... and boy is she enjoying seeing me get back into the swing of things and almost saying "I told you so."

Easter - This Easter, we're having a family brunch that will include Alissa's soon to be in-laws and I've invited Jeff to join us - which will hinge on whether he has Gabby tomorrow since her mom is sick with the flu. Should be a fun time and of course we're making food enough to feed a small army! Wouldn't be any other way in the Hubertz household.

There's so much more to update.... like my friend Jim and his recent bout of bravery... which will pay off big time in hopefully a week. :D I'm looking forward to maybe a double date sometime! Other close friends on the other hand have decided to end their marriage and I don't envy them spliting up their family and trying to remain civil during that whole process. And I'm still enjoying work for the most part, but was recently told that I need to be more "peppy" - yes, those exact words were used.... so I'm working on my peppiness... better get outside and go for a run!

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday (belated birthdays) to many of my friends and family, you were all on my mind on your own special days - Scott, Jim, Kyle, Keith, Charlotte, Abbey and Chris - all in the first couple weeks of April! Speaking of which.... watch for an announcement of sorts - to come and watch my race on April 25th and celebrate my turning 34 the day prior! This year is bound to be a great one!

Smiles and hugs,
Erin

A great race!

The race in Madison was excellent for 3 reasons....
1. My time was improved by over 3 minutes!! A 35:16 for this 5K.... and while this week I'm taking a bit of a break from my schedule, I will be back at it hard on Saturday - to prepare for my upcoming 8K and birthday celebration race in Madison again - Crazy Legs!!!

2. Jim came to watch me start and finish before he met a friend for his 14 mile run that day (show off...). It helped calm the butterflies I had and I can't tell you how good it makes the day and how easy it made the whole run feel when you know someone is going to be watching for you to come in and congratulate you on a job well done. It's even better when it's your best friend and coach!!!

3. It was beautiful weather - I mean - absolutely gorgeous and I was very lucky that the race wasn't held a week prior when it was pouring buckets of rain all day. Okay, so I didn't get to run in short sleeves, but that's where the great race organizers come in and provide long-sleeved race shirts! I'm making a mental note to order a Medium next time.... as these are all going to be sleep shirts - I'm drowning in them if I don't shrink them on a hot cycle in the wash.

I really can't wait for the next one.... and I'm going to keep my mood in check and get through all the rest of my training.... there's a lot to go, but I'm looking forward to every single sore muscle to come!

Have a great night everyone!
Erin

Tips and tricks.... kayaking and running

I just got back from Canoecopia in Madison, WI, and found the kayaking presentations to be very informative! In fact, I'm anxious to get outside on a less muddy day and practice my new rolling technique on dry ground before I attempt to do this interesting maneuver in water where there's a greater chance of drowning. I found that in my very early experiences last year - including the trip out into the 3 foot swells of Lake Michigan - I was actually doing something right (bracing in the waves with the paddle when I was close to tipping over) and that I have a very good sense of balance. I also sit correctly in my kayak and am good at keeping my center of balance as low as possible. Yay me! The whole rolling bit is still a bit frightening to think about - in water - but I'm going to practice it a lot on land this spring.

Apparently kayaking might be more of a second-nature type activity for me than running. After much conversation and some clarity about my new running schedule for next week..... I think my brain is still trying to catch up with the fact that I might actually have to "slow down" on my easy days so I can be jogging at a conversation pace. Hmmmmmm, Tuesday should be interesting. I have a feeling the first week of my new schedule is going to be a bit like trying on brand new jeans that are just a little too tight - got to suck it up, zip yourself in and pray that they have a little bit of give.... Actually, I'm very much looking forward to the new training schedule as it's going to keep me busy through some very tough time ahead and give me an excuse to not be available for dates with the guys from the Plentyoffish website. I know, kind of a surprise from the girl who has always been known to be "guy crazy", but something has clicked in my brain lately that I'm just not as interested as I was a couple months ago.... not that the selection has dwindled... in fact, one that just contacted me is an arena football player from Madison and very handsome via his pictures. And it's not because I still feel "married" - in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.... I think I'm just enjoying being single and responsible solely for myself and I talk to and spend time with the people I really want to be with already.

But, let's get back to the main topic.... running. I'm anxious about my race tomorrow... butterflies are going full force already. It's a big thing for me that I actually have Jim coming to watch the race too! First time for me that someone is actually interested enough to come and watch this spectacle.... it's very cool. I'm going to hit the pasta hard tonight, then the hay early... and probably be in Madison by 8:30am instead of 9am because I'll be so worked up.

The pasta water is boiling.... gotta go. On this lovely evening.... remember to be kind to each other and smile.

Erin

Running races... and good thoughts

Ahhhh, it's finally upon us! That great time of the year where many of the charity runs start taking place and I'm due to run in my first one this year - this SUNDAY!

I can't hardly believe that the Shamrock Shuffle is less than 3 days away... 10am start in Madison, WI - at the Overture Center near the capitol square. It's kind of neat to think that I'll be done with the run in hopefully less than 40 minutes.... (ran a 36:02 three miler today, which I'm bummed about) but I have to give myself some leeway on the time as I'm still coming off a bad chest cold and apparently there is a very large hill we have to run up and down twice during the race. I'm hoping that the adrenaline from just being with all the other runners will carry me through the first couple miles a bit quicker than I've been running them.

Other running insanity: I've decided that running would be the best way possible to usher in the grand old age of 34 and will run in the Crazy Legs race in Madison on April 25th - the day after my birthday. There will actually be an announcement and invite going out to all I know to come and watch the race and maybe join us for lunch afterwards at one of Madison's fine establishments - Ella's Deli is foremost in my mind, but we'll firm up details closer to the birthday/race date! The exciting part is that the race may actually be run on my birthday next year!!!! And what better way to celebrate 35! (I still can't believe I think running is a good way to celebrate a birthday....)

I'll update this blog as I firm up details of other races I'm going to run this summer/fall.

Well, it's way past my bedtime and a runner must get her rest.... especially when there is an evening of celebration ahead tomorrow for Miss Ella Bean's 2nd birthday! It will be a fun night of watching her open gifts.... but I'll be missing my kids and wishing they were little again where they were hugely entertained by $10.00 gifts, a homemade cake, lots of friends and family singing Happy Birthday and a car ride home where all they talk about is the fun and excitement of the day before they fall asleep with their heads bobbing side to side in the backseat of an overpacked car. I loved being a mom.... and now I enjoy being an aunt. Maybe if I play my cards right I'll get it all to cycle back around again.

And on that slightly off topic note.... I'll wish you all a good night, send my thanks again to my coach, hugs to my best friend and her husband for all the hard days ahead. Kisses to Molly and Nate - may you both continue to do really well in school and I hope I hear from you soon.

Love you all,
Erin

More baking...

Yes, I promised pictures of the red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.... so fine, here they are! And no, you're not seeing double.... I made a whole bunch of them.

And then I had to lend a hand and make a couple cakes - one for Miss Madeline's 12th Birthday party and of which I don't have a picture unfortunately, but the other one was for a baby shower lunch we had for one of my co-workers, Anne. Here is that lovely work of art in progress....

And then my friend Jim lent me some assistance with a recipe so I could take this lovely looking veggie pizza to a superbowl party! It was a hit with the crowd.

Okay, okay - I won't put any more food pictures up..... but you don't know what you're missing. Kyle just made these monster chocolate chip cookies and they are amazing!

I must stay away from them.... I have a race this weekend! Or maybe just one....

Mmmmmmmmmm, good night!

Erin

The Dells and quality time with FRIENDS...

This past weekend was our annual "Girls' Dells Trip" and I would safely assume a good time was had by all. (Even me, the very sick one.)


And the best part was this year we were back up to our original SIX members going up for the whole weekend. We arrived at different times in the Wisconsin Dells, but we all started the weekend off with checking into The Riverwalk Hotel all at the same time Friday early evening and quickly followed by going out for Mexican food and margaritas! The margaritas were my favorite part. Back to the hotel room and we chatted most of the night away either in the room or down at the hottub!









Saturday brought more time at the pool and hottub of course, breakfast and snacking on everything from donuts to veggies and dip to chips to cookie bars and fruit! More chatting and catching up, sharing of the highs, lows and crazy stories life has thrown our direction. After six women share one bathroom to get ready to go out for dinner - the group splits up a bit and some of us stay at the pool, some go shopping - all meeting for dinner eventually at IHOP! Yes, we've now made a habit of doing a "fast breakfast dinner" on Saturday night before most of us head down to the casino. I opted out for the after dinner gambling this year as my chest cold just allowed for no sleep the past 3 nights and I didn't think the smoky atmosphere was very helpful in the healing process. Kristin P and Kathy hit the slots, Kristin SG and Beth played bingo and the heavy hitter, Jodi, managed to sit for 11 hours and play Blackjack!!! Yes, we really didn't see her until 5:30 am on Sunday morning..... I think she was trying to get out of coming back and bunking with the sick one. While Jodi was trying to close the casino... the Kristin P/Kathy duo hit Marley's while the rest of us hung out at the room. It's nice that we can do things together, but yet feel comfortable to go our own ways too since we usually have at least 3 cars up there at a time.

Beth and I are the early risers on Sunday and were showered and reading magazines by the pool around 7:30am while we let the others wake up and get ready and packed. Sundays always come too fast on the Girls' Weekend trips. Once everyone was up and packed, we took off for the local Cracker Barrel - were overserved on buttermilk biscuits - had our group picture taken and closed the chapter on our 10th Dells Trip! The drive home was ridiculous.... Beth and KP - I give you both a lot of credit for being my passengers back to Elkhorn (not that you had much choice to get back to your cars at my parents' house!).

I miss them all already.... they are all like my sisters. I believe I heard it mentioned that our 20th trip together is going to be a week long trip and probably to somewhere a bit warmer than the Dells in late winter! That is more than fine with me, but until then, I look forward to the rest of our annual trips and maybe talking you all into making this a twice yearly trip..... hey, the fall colors are gorgeous in the Dells area! Forget twice yearly.... could we just go back and do it again this next weekend?!?!?!?!


A BIG thank you to those who helped make this weekend possible (our supporting cast): Todd Lessner, Mike Servais-Grohall, Andy Fossler, and Beth's sister Sarah.... for maintaining control of all the kids while us single girls stole our married/mother friends for a weekend of fun and relaxation! Much thanks to the not overbooked Riverfront Hotel and the nice staff that gave us stranded pool girls an extra key to get into our room and several hundred clean towels!


That's all for this post ladies and gentlemen.... have a good night.

Erin

Stolen purses, snow and men!

Stolen Purse has been recovered! For those of you not in the "know" - my purse was stolen two weeks ago tonight and then recovered the following Monday by the Delavan township cops. Kind of a crazy story, but we even found footprints leading from my car to the road (was taken out of my car parked about 15 feet from my sister's house door) and then by some stroke of luck, my purse was recovered and EVERYTHING was still in it! Even my credit cards.... my MP3 player, my GPS unit for my car, etc. The only thing the thief decided to take - a Twix candybar that my coworker had just bought me earlier that day after a very long, hard day at work. The thief doesn't realize that he did me a favor by taking the candybar... kept me from having to add another mile onto my run the following morning!

SNOW.... I'm so sick of winter... there are so many things I want to get outside and do - but only when it's warmer and less ice/snow. I don't mind running in the cold, but the bitter cold is just hard on your body - no matter how many layers you are wearing! The snow this time is threatening to ruin my day tomorrow.... I think I'll make it to Nate's basketball game just fine, but the worst part of the snow is going to hit Janesville.... where I'm headed to meet Jim, drive up to Madison from there and have dinner and see a Kodo performance at the Overture Center. I literally have been using the thought of that nice evening as my "carrot" to keep trudging towards as the work week just wouldn't end. Please let us only get a couple inches again.... like last time.

Men.... ahhh, one of my favorite movies is "You've Got Mail" and I can totally identify with the characters getting all excited and happy to hear they've got a new message to read.... mine come from the dating website - plentyoffish.com . At first, I didn't think I'd get all that much out of it as my heart just really wasn't into the whole dating thing, but the more I talk to a few of these guys online, the more I realize that I'm not dead and do crave the company of another human being - preferably male. Tall, dark and handsome is a bit overrated.... the latest one I've met in person is only about 3 inches taller than me, bald, trim, a bit older and has a 12 year old daughter. We've had coffee and discussing a date for next weekend while I'm house/pet sitting in Hales Corners. Do I think I'll find my future partner, friend, love on this website - maybe not, but at least I can meet people and really take note of the characteristics I am or I'm not looking for in that future friend/husband of mine. The important part is that I'm just going to let this be fun!

Well, that's it for me this evening (early morning - yikes!). Have a good sleep everyone and love each other!

Erin

Baking, birthdays and more...

One of the best calls I received this week was from Molly - asking if I would attend her birthday party with her family on Friday evening (last night) and if I would make her a cake - yellow cake with vanilla frosting. Not my most requested cake... but I'll give it a shot... and we'll do flowers since she's very into the girly stuff lately.... what 13 year old with a boyfriend isn't?

And then there was much blowing out of candles....

And gifts of course.... a purse from me, but the highlight was a cell phone from her mom and step-dad.

We all had a nice evening and while I didn't get a picture of it, the highlight for me was Molly, Nate and I all sitting/laying together on the loveseat and chilling out for a while before Nate headed to bed (sick all week and worn out, the poor thing). Just a little choked up as I left their house, but knowing that at least no one else will ever get the request for the birthday cake making but me.... Molly has now put her name in for my car when I'm ready to get rid of it - maybe just in time for her 16th, 17th or 18th birthday.... LOL!

Have a good day everyone - I'm on deck for more baking - Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting.... for our murder mystery dinner tonight on behalf of my dad's 60th birthday. More pictures to come from that event.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Erin

And she's off....

Topic #1: Running - of course...
So, I'm working on my schedule of races/walks for this year and this is what I'm thinking so far...

1. February 14th - Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Run/Walk (2 mile walk with coworker who does not run) - Wauwatosa, WI

2. March 15th - Shamrock Shuffle (5K run) - Madison, WI http://www.shamrock-shuffle.org/

3. April 25th - Crazylegs Classic (8K run) - Madison, WI... to celebrate my 34th birthday and the start of my 35th year... http://www.crazylegsclassic.com/

4. May - I'm not sure yet, maybe I'll take a month off (from racing, not running)... as I'm sure I'll be antsy to get out in my kayak as much as possible by this time.... maybe the 6.6 mile run of the Madison Marathon (apparently the folks in Madison like to host running events more than Milwaukee does). http://www.madisonfestivals.com/marathon/index.html

5. June - Run to the Beach - Pewaukee, WI (5K), now if only they had a "Kayak to the beach" portion of this race as well. **

6. July - might be another month with no races, but maybe the Fish Day Run in Port Washington, WI (8K run) and I can combine a little camping with the weekend also.

7. August - Fit for Life Run - Elkhorn, WI (5 mile run)**

8. September - If I get this far and my running hasn't killed me.... I'll be training for at least the 15K race for the Lakefront Discovery Run in October... see next month.

9. October - Brigg's & Al's Run/Walk (8K run) http://www.alsrun.com/display/router.aspx and the Lakefront Discovery Run (5 or 15K run).... I did both of these last year, but the Al's run was the 3rd weekend in September... so I'm wanting to do both, but I'm just keeping both in mind for now and will register later.

** The races in June and August are only noted as I would like to run in them, but only if they fit into my training schedule say that I actually progress this year with my running. ** If all goes well for a 15K race in October as planned.... then I would hope by then I'm very much registered for the 1/2 marathon at Disney the following January. I think I'm going to be in need of a trip, a good long run - and maybe not quite ready to run my first marathon yet.... but all of the above is subject to change if my training this spring goes much better than expected. :D


Topic #2: If you want to connect with a wide variety of people - get your butts onto Facebook!!! I just friended more international folks, old classmates, a potential date, a couple second cousins, etc. in just the last two days! It's great to keep up with everyone and really hardly requires any time whatsoever.... until you get addicted and sit and chat with people all night long until 3am on a Saturday night..... oh wait, maybe I'm the only one that does that. :D


That's all for tonight folks.... much more to come. Take good care of each other tonight and for all the nights to come.

Love, Erin