Travis running PF Changs 17 Jan 2010

This is Travis running around the 25.2 mile mark.  My aunt Lisa and I volunteered at the water station here for a little while and I had left to go see Travis finish at this point.  He borrowed Nate's Team FCA Endurance jersey for the race.  Thanks, Lisa, for the great action shot!

Dancing, Marathons, Triathlons and Linguistics!

It has been over a week since I updated the blog.  We are hoping to receive some marathon pictures from my aunt, so hopefully those will be up soon!  Anyway, I want to start out with the picture here on the right.  One of the reasons I absolutely LOVE going out with Travis, is that he dances.  Here he is doing an excellent rendition of Vogue by Madonna, those other ladies are Celia and Marcela next to me.  This was the night we said goodbye to Natasha in December :( but Travis had an 18 or 20 miler the next day and he was still dancing it up!  So he just cracks me up and I honestly have so much fun with him, it's crazy.  Even if just the two of us go out, we have a blast, which is a good thing, since we're still trying to make some friends down here!

Travis took off 17 minutes in his marathon time and ran a 3 hour 23 minute marathon, which is no small feat.  He is hoping to qualify next year for Boston with a 3:10, which he can most definitely do and which works out perfectly since Boston was filled up for this year in November!  Also, Travis was extremely sick before the marathon start (and actually didn't catch up with his friend until after the start b/c he was late due to sickness).  He became completely dehydrated and disoriented around mile 19 1/2 and mile 20.  For those of us tracking him with the text service, he was right on time to come in around 3 hours, so I had no idea until the end.  I did see him practically collapse onto a volunteer and then he was taken to the med tent, so I was a little worried.  He drank a lot of water, cytomax and ate a lot of foods after that and felt better the next morning. 

So now it's triathlon season time!  Travis has several races planned out from February through November when he will be doing his full ironman.  He has joined TriScottsdale and will be biking for around 2 hours on Tues and Thurs with a pretty big group.  I am really happy for him on that b/c he is super excited to bike with true hard core triathletes(I do appreciate that we ride together, but Travis does need to go with other people that can push him, b/c I know I don't!)  We will both be swimming during the evenings and Travis will continue track practice on Wednesday mornings.  So basically Travis is going to be in super shape, more so than he is now, which means my hamstring better hurry up and heal, so I can keep up with the guy!  I've been doing a lot more elliptical and swimming since I can't run for too long without experiencing pain.  Travis is trying to encourage me to do the triathlon with him the first week of March, but we will see where I am at.  We've been biking together about once a week and swimming together a lot.  It's the running that would worry me, but it is a short one, so it wouldn't be too bad.

Anyway, that's about it in sports world for us.  I have a pretty full schedule.  I have 3 grad classes (all evening, 4:40 - 7:30) and I am teaching 2 classes.  And the crazy thing is, just 1 grad class is more work than both of the ones I had last fall, so I am definitely feeling the pressure/stress.  Also, I changed from literature to linguistics, which is fascinating, but it's a LOT of new vocabulary and I have no background whatsoever, so I am trying to put in as much extra work as I can!

Trav's marathon

We are waiting to get a picture of Travis to post about the marathon, he did 100% amazing, though - more to come on that - it was Sunday, January 17th and he ran an awesome 3:23!

Back to school today

Yes, today started the first official day of the semester.  I took this picture of myself last year at Christmas on my mom's camera to see if my mom would notice and I found it in my pictures folder, so I decided to put it up.  It probably resembles what most of my students wanted to do to me today, so I figured it was appropriate. 

Anyway, I am already looking forward to find out who will be the next flirtatious frat boy that tries to "woo" me to get an 'A' (but fails in the end), the next sorority girl that can't stop texting all of her friends b/c OMG IDK where the party is and of course, the student that tries so hard but comes off a little pathetic, so you have to feel bad for him/her.  I am not being mean one bit at all, it seems that there are always the stereotypical students in each class, but there are also some really awesome students.  And sometimes, having the stereotypical students mentioned above just makes your day because you really cannot believe some of the things they say or do. 

I'll end with the story of my frat boy from last semester.  During class one time, in front of everyone he tells me that my haircut looks nice (awkward), then right before class ended (after I had already asked him if he was texting his girlfriend, to which he said yes, and I said, I think she can handle 50 minutes without you), he asked me if I was really going to assign reading and I looked at him and he said, it's just that I think I am going to be getting more practice tonight because I'm going to this place where there are lots of Spanish speakers and I said, that's good, you still have to do the reading and he said, well, I'll be reading in Spanish too, and I said, reading the menu at chipotle is not going to help you out for this exam and he said, well, I'm going to a nicer mexican place than that.  And I told him to leave and get the reading done.  S-E-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y.  But he was only that obnoxious probably about once, maybe twice a month.

All in all, I'm excited for the new students this semester.  I think Travis is happy that I am going to be out of the house now.  But that only means that he is going to have to help clean more and make his own dinner 3 nights a week, lol.  He's already asked me what he's supposed to make for dinner, so it sounds like mac & cheese and spaghetti every other night for him.  But he's cooked real meals before from the cookbook, I think he just prefers not to cook.  We'll see how the kitchen looks when I get home from class :)

2010 updates

Well, sadly, this break is officially over tomorrow.  I will be going back to school and shelving the house wife position I've maintained for a few weeks.  Bummer on that one, not.  I am looking forward to having a routine and starting out new classes, etc.  I always love the beginning of the semester and the end, it's the middle that you have to muddle through.

Travis has been back at work and enjoying it so far.  He has this awesome quality of never bringing work home, though, so I'm not sure if he's having a good time or a not so good time, but I'm going to go with good time. 

I've been trying to re-organize the apartment a little bit.  I moved the bookshelf and all the books (for the love) out to the living room between the couch and the chair and it looks good there.  It also frees up some room in the guest room.  We're trying to find a permanent space for our bikes.  We have a TON of space in this place, it's incredible.  I forgot that some of the stuff we just shoved in cabinets when Trav's parents came down right after we got our furniture in, so it's kind of been like a mini Christmas, but I've since tossed some of the stuff I've found.  No one will ever know...

Other than that, I'm getting more information on the Peru trip for May/June, so I am looking forward to that.  I'm a little bummed that Travis probably won't be able to come down at all, but he really wants me to do this and we agreed that this would probably be my last opportunity for a while to do something like this.  I'll be in Cusco, it's one of the yellow areas down below in the SE part of Peru. 

Diet for two

Well, since I do most of the cooking and selecting the food to buy, Travis and I are both on a diet.  Not to worry, I'm not talking about a lower calorie diet, give me a break, we both love to eat and anyone that knows that knows we eat pretty frequently.  No, we're on a add more fruits and veggies diet and make sure that we are not eating a lot of processed food crap.  The processed food crap category includes frozen meals (that's me, that's what I love to eat for lunch), canned soups, packaged cookies and cookies/cakes made from mixes.  So basically, I am making sure that there is 1 fruit serving and 2 veggie servings with each dinner and then both of us have fruit/veggies during the day for snacks. 

Why the sudden obsession with servings of whole grains, fruits, veggies, dairy, etc?  Because I went to the doctor during the bacteria in the stomach deal and he told me I had high cholesterol.  Wow... he told me to start with exercise and diet and I almost fell over b/c Travis and I both eat healthy and exercise a lot as it is.  I later found out you are supposed to fast for the cholesterol test, which I didn't and then my friend, Kaia, R.D., told me that genetics play a part, but that she would want me to get retested at a later date, so I will be doing that as well.  Recommendation?  Get your cholesterol tested because it could surprise you.  And I want to be here for a long, healthy life, so I will be eating better.

And I gave up the soda thing - my last can was officially yesterday.  I miss it already.  Travis told me to go and get one, so thanks for the support, Travis.  Haha, he wants me to stop drinking it, but he also wants me to be happy and not a crab.  What a guy :) 

Inspiration:  Our hiking trip in the boundary waters (MN) when we got engaged!  I think I look a lot younger and Travis said he doesn't age and I'll just have to get used to it. 

Big decisions and stressors!

I always feel like there's that point in your life where you have to make a big decision.  Moving, buying a house, having a kid, going back to school, changing jobs.  And what are the top 3 stressors according to polls/studies?  That would be having a kid, moving and changing jobs.  So as you can see we've already accomplished 2 of the most stressful things in life.  I think selling the house is encompassed within the "moving" category - but it's rented, so I'm not going to say another word about that house.  You never know, we might be back in Minnesota after I finish school.  Travis says no way to that one, but that's probably b/c it's been about -20 or -10 or -something or other over there and our highs this week have been in the low 70s. 

Anyway, so it's funny how we all have little steps/planned out phases in our lives - where we thought we would be when we were 25, where we actually are.  Other people have a list such as, get married right after college to high school sweetheart (or college sweetheart), buy house, have a kid, get a dog, etc.  As for Travis, it was stockpile a bunch of money, get married at 30 yrs old, already own house, have a kid right away b/c now he'd be "old".  For me, it was get married to the right guy that I just knew I would find soon, get out of Minneapolis, buy a house, have a kid, go part-time, have another kid, stay home. 

Funny how things turn out.  It was get married to guy I met at work after dating (total) for 15 months, when I'm 23, 24 a month later (Travis was 24, 25 a month later), move into the bachelor pad house (which we updated quite nicely), listen to Travis complain about the cold and long winter weather in MN, (yes, I joined in the complaining), devise a plan to leave MN, apply to grad school, get accepted, begin overhauling and try to sell the house, move to sunny AZ, find affordable and acceptable apartment, go back to school, get Travis down here and help him find a job, rent out the house in MN, train outdoors and sign up for more races... and just relax for a while.   And you know what, where God and life took us is so much better than any old planned life checklist!  We're just not in control and that's the beauty of life they say.  So I'm pretty proud of us for getting through 2 of the top 3 stressors in life together.  We make a pretty darn good team I must say.

So what's in the future in our checklist?  Not really sure.  We are aiming to pay off the car ASAP and start funding our 3 - 6 month emergency fund.  We will be saving for a baby and a house little by little.  We're trying to take it one day at a time and just relax about everything.  We've talked about becoming parents frequently for the last few months, so we'll just wait and see when timing works out for that.  We're hoping to buy a house in the next 3 - 5 years.  Yes, think long-term here - we're in this economic disaster b/c everyone HAD to have a house right out of college and forgot that student loans and credit card debt actually both have to be paid off and can choke the life out of you and your marriage.  So, thank you God, that we learned our lesson at the young ages of 25 and 26 :)  It's okay if we don't have a house before we're 30 years old or before we start a family.

New Year's Resolutions

I totally forgot to mention my New Year's Resolutions in the last post.  I love New Year's, it's my favorite holiday of the year, b/c it means a whole new year and is just a reminder that the best is yet to come!!

Anyway, so here's my list:

1. Eat better - I need to eat more fruits and veggies on a regular basis.  Now that I'm not on a day to day regular work schedule, I forget that sometimes.  Gotta keep the body healthy!

2. Read my Bible more often - I was good for a while, but I've kind of fallen off the wagon.

3. Remember to always treat other people respectfully - truly and genuinely compliment at LEAST one person a day.  Be a good example to others.

4. Try to work in some volunteer work once in a while - we were created for people and relationships.  Plus, nothing ever makes me feel better than when I know I've impacted someone else's life.

5. Work hard in school and be the best student and TA that I can be. 

That's all.  I would share Travis', but he doesn't seem as excited about resolutions as I am.  Which is okay, most people don't think too much of them.  I like to think of them as life goals to incorporate into my life, haha.  Cliche, but true. 

An Iowan Christmas and Mexican New Year!!

Well, the last 11 days have been fun filled and non stop!  Travis and I left for Iowa on the 23rd for Christmas and then we left with his parents, Rick & Karen, and his brother and his wife, Cooper & Lindsey and flew to Cancun, Mexico for 7 days!  The weather was awesome and the resort was great!  It was an all-inclusive, Riu Palace Las Americas.  Also, I even got to practice my Spanish a lot for being on vacation, which I loved.  We even got to on a Catamaran for over 4 hours and rode out to Isla Mujeres.  It was just plain awesome!!  Lindz and I went to the gym in the mornings and then we all ate, laid by the pool and hung out.  Lots of great food and dinner and shows at night!  My favorite show was definitely the Michael Jackson impersonator.  Below is a pic of Trav and I on the Catamaran.

It was great to spend time with the Riley side of the family and the Prendergasts - I finally met Claire - Trav's cousins' daughter and Riley Prendergast that was just born about 3 weeks ago as well.  Lots of little ones going around :) 

Other than that, it's back to cleaning and unpacking and attempting to organize the apartment a little bit better.  Feliz 2010!!  Picture below of ice sculpture at our resort.