Absolutely Wonderful!

So this week is going quite well! I've lost 5 pounds (since the last time I weighed myself about 1 1/2 weeks ago) and I had a great date last night with R. We went to the local brewery and talked for about 4 hours. It was very nice and I really enjoyed his company. He's climbing Mt. Rainer this weekend and told me that we need to get together when he returns. Yea for me! I even missed swim practice for him.

I've almost completed the scarf for my Mother's birthday which is good since her birthday is on Saturday. Once that is complete, I'll need to get cracking on the baby sweater for Melissa.

I signed up for my first Olympic triathlon last night. I'm nervous but I know I can do it. I just need to get back to training and not let the boys distract me. Of course I have to work at the Chateau tonight so training is out but I will get to it this weekend.

That's it for now.

Ta'ra

Missing Zubin

So my dog sitting days are over and I miss Zubin already! He's the best dog! I took yesterday afternoon off work to take him to Discovery Park. Mot came along and we had a grand time. He frollicked and played in the grass while we ate lunch. It was a really nice afternoon.

Zubin's weekend was a busy one too. On Saturday morning, I got up and took him for a walk before meeting Mot for breakfast at Cyndy's House of Pancakes. Cheesy but good food! Then we went back to my apartment to cart out 7 boxes of donations from my closet! Yikes! Mot is in full clean-out mode and is loving the de-cluttering process at my place. I then went back to Queen Anne and picked up Zubin so we could go to Gig Harbor for a baby shower. It was on Raft Island with a private beach. The drive down there was twice as long due to construction but once we got there, it was fantastic! Zubin had the best time and even got to meet a horse. He isn't much of a swimmer though and only went into the water up to his ankles. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it but he had a great time! I think he was completely worn out though at the end because he barely paced on the ride home. While at the baby shower, I knit up some baby booties which were completely adored by the expectant mother!

On Sunday, I had breakfast with some friends from high school and their families before returning to my apartment to do a bit of cleaning. I then met Krista at Home Depot so we could paint her dresser. It looks so nice. We took a mini-break in the middle and picked up Zubin for some lunch. He had a bit of dog agression at that point but I think it was because he was hot and tied up outside a store. I had left Stephanie with him but I guess he didn't feel 100% secure. After finishing the dresser, Mot and I took Zubin on a two-hour walk from Queen Anne to Mrytle Edwards and back. He was pooped again.

All in all a good weekend was had by all!

Rebecca the Tired

Oh I'm tired! I had to have Zubin fill in on posting yesterday because I have been so tired! He likes to wake me up at 6 a.m. for his walk which is ok except that I don't usually get up until 7 a.m. That extra hour makes a difference! I've been having fun with him though and now really want a dog of my own. I saw a minature Schnauzer last night and I want one! Zubin and the dog did a bit of sniffing. I didn't let him get to close because he is a lot bigger.

We visited Larry's market so I could get some dinner and I tied him up outside. He was such a good boy and layed down to wait for me! I was super quick though. Then we went back to the apartment so I could get back to knitting on Melissa's baby sweater. I wanted to give it to her at her baby shower this weekend but I'm not seeing that happening. I think I'll knit up some booties and get some other stuff for now. Then when the baby is born in a few months, I'll give her the completed sweater. Otherwise I have to knit non-stop from now until Saturday morning.

Off to rest!

Special Report by Zubin the Dog

Today was a great day indeed! I'm finding Rebecca to be very quiet in the morning when I am ready to jump and run. She stumbles around a bit and ends up in outfits even I know don't match before we head out on our morning walk. I bet the neighbors don't even recognize her when she re-emerges from the apartment the second time around! Therefore walks in the morning are short but that's ok because I do get some sniffing in and time to empty my bladder. She just needs to find a different block to walk around!

Evenings are fantastic because I get TWO or THREE walks! Yipppeee! Tonight was extra cool because Rebecca took me to Madison Beach with her. She picked up her red-headed friend, Matya who laughed at my car pacing. I'm not sure it's appreciated by them. So sad, it is great fun! I had to stay in the car while Rebecca did something she called swimming. She said the beach didn't allow dogs. I still don't know why I couldn't go with her. That swimming thing sounded like fun. She returned with the red-headed girl later and they took me to Paglicci's with them. They had pizza but didn't share. I managed to wrangle a piece of crust from one table over. They said I was extra cute!

After pizza, Mot and Rebecca walked with me around Lower Queen Anne. I had a great time! Lots of sniffing and I do enjoy watching Rebecca "scoop my poop" but she makes all sorts of noise about it and runs for the garbage can! We encountered a few dogs but they weren't interesting. There was one little dog that was strange. He walked out (without a leash!) and proceeded to lay down in front of me and piss on himself! Rebecca was desperately trying not to laugh but I know she found it funny. The dog's owner was a bit embarrassed I think. I would be embarrassed if I were that strange creature!

After that incident, we took Mot home and I got to car pace again! Yea! Then we walked up to Stephanie's to give her a CD. Rebecca and Stephanie talked too long! There were cats to be chased and sniffing to do! It was torture! But I'm home now and Rebecca is trying to knit something. It's a strange habit. I think she should be brushing me and playing monkey with me. I'd best be off to bother her and her knitting.

Love,

Zubin the dog

Over here at Supergirl's headquarters

First of all, how can it be Monday already? Wasn't it just Friday? What happened to my weekend and why didn't I get anything done?

My parent's had some family over on Friday night for a BBQ and I brought Zubin the dog. My Mom said that he wasn't allowed in the house and had to remained leashed at all times. Well let me tell you, 2 seconds after she saw Zubin, she had him on her lap and was loving on him. The best part of all this is he's not a lap dog! He's part German Shepard, so that was quite a site! He had the best evening. He went on two walks, played chase with the kids in the backyard, convinced me to share part of my sausage with him (oh yummy!), chased his tail and CAUGHT it all while sucking my Mom in.

Saturday was spent doing laundry and starting Project Clean Closet. It's a horrible mess and Mot is always talking about cleaning it. I had to do something! There is still a lot to do but it's getting much better. :) Then after walking Zubin, I headed off to the Chateau for the LeAnne Rimes concert. It wasn't a hard one to work so that was nice. M was a bit strange and I'm still pondering that. We all went out for drinks afterwards and I almost forgot that poor Zubin was a home waiting to go out. It's interesting walking a dog at 1 a.m. but hey he needed to go outside!

Sunday was another family command performance for brunch. I then visited Target to get some closet organization supplies and while there Mot called. She wanted me to meet up with her and her Mom at the Bite of Seattle. I went back to Queen Anne and got Zubin and headed to the Bite. I was a little worried about Zubin and the crowd but he was great! All those people to sniff! Happy Dog Days! He wasn't even bothered by the other dogs and had a grand time. I then walked him home the long way and ran into another friend. It was great! Then I had the Elvis Costello concert to work at the Chateau so I went back there. P walked Zubin for me so I didn't have to rush home so fast after the concert. M didn't come to work but I don't know why...more to ponder.

Now it's Monday and I don't know where my weekend went and why I did so much but also so little!

There's another knitting triathlete blogger out there!

And after all this time I thought I was the only knitting triathlete blogger around! Not so! I recently discovered Hollyweird Knits and love the site! It's a nice uplift on a Friday.

So I had quite the adventure last night. Well it was a near adventure but it all worked out so calmly. I started my dog sitting gig on Queen Anne. After work, I drove to the apartment, picked up the dog and headed off for a walk. He did his business and I left him at home to meet a friend for pizza. I hadn't planned ahead and so I needed to go back to my place to get my overnight stuff. I packed Zubin in the car and off to my place we went. The dog nearly killed me in the car with his pacing but other than that, he was good.

I went inside my apartment, visited Destiny and got my overnight stuff. Then off to get Zubin out of the car for a walk around Northgate. He enjoyed visiting the golf course by my place and we romped in the sun. We get back to the car and all loaded in. Well it won't start. I try and try but no-go. The battery is dead. I calmly called my father who came and confirmed my suspicions. We drove the dog back to Queen Anne and then I went out to the parent's house to borrow a car. Thank god they both take the bus to work!

So Saturday morning, my Dad and I have a date to get a new battery (since it was too late last night and we have a family BBQ tonight). Then he can have his special car back and I can have my baby car all better.

Zubin was quite cute last night though, he kept jumping up on the bed and laying his head on the pillow next to mine like a human. His breath was worse though!

I'm nearly done with Mom's scarf. I had planned to really get some done last night but alas it was a no-go. The dead battery also meant that I missed my lap swim at the pool. Bah! I really wanted to swim too!

Recovered enough to Knit!

Whew! It's been nice taking it easy after my ride to Portland. I've been seeing movies, having dinner with friends and most importantly, knitting! With my Mom's birthday and a friend's baby shower in a few short weeks, I've been dedicated to finishing their presents. I figure I only have about 20 more rows on the dressy scarf for Mom so I can whip that out quickly! My only problem is that I can't quite remember how the fringe was attached and the directions seem vague to me. I guess it's time for another visit to Hilltop Yarn & Needlepoint to check out the scarf. On the baby sweater, I'm about 2/3 of the way done and will have to really concentrate on that to get it done by July 27th. I'm also planning on making booties but I know those will be a quick project.

I'm starting my dog sitting on Thursday. I had Zubin 101 training last night and I passed! I was on dog alert at all times and when we saw a rat in the middle of Queen Anne Hill, Zubin didn't attack it! Oh he wanted to but he held back. Hopefully he won't attack my knitting!

Off to panic knit!

STP Finisher

Yep, I'm an STP Finisher! I did 206 miles this weekend riding from Seattle to Portland. It was hard but it was such a great adventure. I learned many, many things about bike riding over the past two days. The most important lesson I did learn is that biking makes your rear hurt! I'm now researching a new saddle. It's a necessity!

I rode 120 miles the first day with an overnight stop in Winlock (Home of the World's Largest Egg) and then rode 86 miles the second day. I think riding more the first day was one of the wisest moves I've ever made. The second day was hard with a throbbing tailbone and sore rear. It was nice to not have to do too much that second day :) My parents were at the finish line with my aunt to cheer me on. I almost fell off my bike at the end because I couldn't get off it fast enough! I've since made up with baby bike but we did share a few words along the way. She was tired herself with her chain popping off towards the end of the ride. But NO FLATS! I made it through 206 miles without any flats or other problems!

The best part of the ride was outside of Lexington. We climbed this hill and it took my breath away. The reward was a huge long downhill slope where I could let my bike run out. I coasted up and over a few more rollers as I rode toward St. Helen's. It was a fantastic journey.

No knitting news to report. It's impossible to knit and ride :)

Off to rest my weary rear!

It's STP Time

So it's time. All that training and riding was for a reason and tomorrow I begin my 206 mile bike ride from Seattle to Portland with the Cascade Bike Club. I'm scared to death but also very excited! Everyone is telling me that they "have so much respect" for me and "are so proud" of me but right now, I just think I'm extremely stupid! I think they should tell me all that stuff on Sunday after I've completed the ride and have sworn never to ride my bike again!

OK off to fret!

Tired of it!

Sometimes I just get so tired of all of it! My friends, my job, my cat. But I know that in a few days, I'll be back to loving it so I'm just going to move on through this.

I just joined the Knit Blogger's Reading Group since they are reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I just finished the book a few weeks ago and am quite excited to discuss it. It's such a thought provoking book.

I spent yesterday evening with a friend who is visiting from St. Louis. It was wonderful spending time with her though I do wish I had been in a better mood. STP is only 3 days away! Dear lord! In 5 days, I will have ridden over 200 miles!

I've gone back to knitting on my mother's dressy scarf for her birthday which is on August 2nd. I do hope she likes it. I need to find her the rest of her birthday present between now and then. I also ordered her a Nalgene Bottle to help her get her daily water intake.

Ta'ra

Rebecca

Hi Ho Hi Ho It's off to work we go!

The three-day weekend was a welcome respite though I did not rest. I spent the 4th at Fourth of Jul-Ivars with the majority of Seattle watching fireworks and drinking beer. Saturday was spent swimming with D, getting my hair colored, dinner at I LOVE Sushi with M (whose back in town for three months) and then drinks with S. Lots going on! Sunday came bright and early with a bike ride from Seattle to Edmonds at 7 a.m. with Cheryl's training group. It was tough but I did it and I rocked! Then I sped off for lunch with K at the Red Door with some flea market browsing at the Fremont Flea Market. FUN! Then I went to Greenlake to meet up with M again and enjoyed ice cream! After all that fun, I had to go home and sleep! It was so nice!

But now it's work time again. I've decided to do an Olympic Tri in about 3 weeks. I have STP this weekend and I'm freaked out about that. As for knitting, I finished M's bikini top on the 4th. I gave it to her on the 5th. She loves it! There are a few adjustments but overall, she said she wants another :) Yea!

Raving Runner

Last night I went to a RunChuckIt Running Session. I've been looking to join a running group to help improve my running. Some are quite expensive, some run too fast, some are too elite but I think that I may have found one that is perfect for me!

We met at the local running store Super Jock 'n Jill and jogged over to the track. We did 2-mile timed trails last night and I finished in 25 minutes and 53 seconds which for me was fast. I really enjoyed Chuck, the coach and found the group to be very welcoming. There was a group of about 40 runners who all gathered at the store before running over to the Greenlake Track. I quickly introduced myself to Chuck when I arrived and discussed my goals with him. He seems like a great guy! He said that he thought I could do the Super Jock 'n Jill ½ Marathon and that I wasn't cutting the training too close. Now of course I still need to decide on that because I don't want it to get in the way of my Tri Training.

Anyway, he then matched me up with another runner and we jogged over to Greenlake (I would like to report that I ran the entire night and never walked). She has been attending the sessions for about a year and has seen her performance improve greatly. She's running the SeaFair ½ Marathon on Sunday. She said that Chuck gives you the attention you want. If you want individual attention, he is there for you and if you just want to be part of the group he's there for you.

Chuck hung around the track for a bit longer talking to the runners about their races and goals. He seemed to know what everyone was training for and what they had recently run. He did check in with each and every runner and had uplifting comments for each of them. He could tell you which runners were improving and where they started from. I must stay that I was impressed and really liked his coaching style.

I think this might be the group I start with. As I said to my Mother last night, I can start with this group (it's the perfect price) and if I feel I need more individual attention, I can always sign up for another trainer's group later (one with whom I've trained for STP with).

After my foray into running groups, I went home and knit. I finished the first half of Mot's blue bikini top from Knitty. I've decided to lengthen the ties at the bottom of the top so I began work on that. Now I just need to do the other half of the top and I've got a great present for a great friend. She arrives at the end of this week so I must knit faster!

Tonight I'm working the Martinia McBride concert so it will be a late evening but it will be an enjoyable one!

Triathlete!

I am still a triathlete! I did the TYR Triathlon yesterday in Vancouver, Washington. I had the best time and had a PR! I did the course in 1 hour and 44 minutes which is about 11 minutes faster than my Danskin time last year!

One of my co-workers happened to be at the race too and her husband said I kicked a** on the bike portion! It felt so good and I can't wait to do another one! In the meantime, I need to find a 5K fun run for my sister-in-law and I to do.

No knitting knews since I was busy racing all weekend!

Super Sunny Silly

It's Friday! It's Friday! Happy Dance Time!

I've been working steadily along on the bikini top and hope to have pictures of a finished one soon! Probably won't be until next week though as I have my first Triathlon of the season on Sunday! I've borrowed my brother's big bad truck to drive down to Portland and I'm ready to rumble! I love driving the truck! It's huge and makes me feel very powerful! All you little cars out of the way! Hmmmmm, this could be dangerous!

I've had quite the week from an open water swim to a fantastic bike training session. I'm tired but happy! I took my baby bike into the shop for a tune-up yesterday and had them had a cadence reader onto it. It's going to be a fantastic addition for this weekend's ride.

Tonight, I'm having a friend over for pizza and the movie, "The Recruit". I can't wait to see Colin in action!

Time to go!

Ta'ra

P.S. Sadly no yarn was purchased in New York but! I did make a great addition to my stash before I left town. I purchased about 8 skeins of Jamieson's to make a Harry Potter Scraf! Now I just need to get to work on this monster of a scraf! It's 62 inches long! Holy Cow!

New York! New York!

It's been busy around here! I went to New York this past weekend for a PRSA Leadership Rally. It was wonderful and quite inspirational! Now if only I hadn't been so tired and wired at the same time.

I arrived in New York via JFK on Friday morning and began my trip downtown on the A line. After departing the subway and roaming around looking for my flipping hotel, I arrived just in time to be late to my 8 a.m. meeting. So I decided that since I was already hot and sweaty, I would go up to my room and shower before the next meeting started. That was the best decision ever! I felt so much better when I headed downstairs for the start of the Rally. We had some wonderful speakers and great breakout sessions before heading down to Little Italy for dinner. I had the best time and had the most delicious cannoli! Another lady and I lined up at the Wall Street Borders at Midnight to snag a copy of Harry Potter #5! Fantastic!

Saturday was equally as educational and I had a great day! I snuck out a little bit early with another attendee to go shopping. We went to ABC and Bergdoffs before heading to dinner at one of the best restaurants. It had a huge nose and nipple on the wall! The waiter was amazing and I was sad to head home after such a night! I spent the remainder of the evening in my hotel room reading Life of Pi. I loved this book and am bursting to discuss it!

Sunday arose with plenty of rain and I headed down to Canal and Broadway for shopping! I quickly haggled and purchased three bags and a wallet. Deciding not to do any more damage to my bank account, I headed to the MET. It's HUGE! I did get to see four Vermeer paintings and managed to get lost inside the museum but all in all had a great time. After a quick bite to eat in Central Park, I headed towards Times Square. I wanted to see the Harry Potter display in Toys R Us. It was fun! They had some lifesized figures of Harry Potter and friends made out of Legos. Fun! I also visited Sephora and got some fantastic smelling shampoo!

Now I'm home and back to training! I have a tri this weekend in Vancouver, Washington which I'm a bit nervous about.

In Knitting Knews, I took a fantastic Intro to Color Knitting class and picked up some yarn to make a Harry Potter Scarf. I'm not using the exact same colors but they are in the same range as his scarf which I love! I'm also still working on the bikini top and now have a closer deadline because she's moving here on July 7th! Yea!

Triathlon Madness!

OK so I have posted her since June 6 but it seems blogger chose not to post my words! Q. upsetting!

Last night I went to hear Sally Edwards speak about the Danskin Triathlon with my sister-in-law. I love hearing Sally Edwards! She's done over 16 Ironman Tris, 90 Danskin tris, a few eco-challenges and is 54! What an inspiration!

I also nipped into Barnes and Noble to do my Father's Day shopping. Now I just need to get gift wrap and a card! Nothing like waiting until the last minute. My friend was in town this past weekend so there was lots of fun to be had. We spend Saturday at another friend's medical school graduation and then went to the beach to melt in the 92 degree heat before enjoying I Love Sushi! Sunday was a nice brunch and then I worked the Hootie and the Blowfish concert. What a crowd! Wednesday was Vince Gill and I really enjoyed working his show more. The crowd was nicer and the music was actually good! I just don't enjoy Hootie and the Blowfish very much and do prefer Vince Gill!

Knitting Knews! I've about completed Chloe's hat and have been inspired by Knitty! I'm making the bikini top for a friend! Now I just need to get down to the LYS to select some beautiful yarn!

Ta'ra

Rapid Running

Last night I met up with a group for an run with a trainer. It was fantastic! While I didn't run as fast as I wanted to, I still ran for over 50 straight minutes without any thought of stopping. This is a miracle! I usually want to stop after 5 minutes and I'm panting! I'm not doing either of those! Tonight I'm meeting some supergirls for an open water swim (which will be COLD!) and then a run around Madison Park. I'm excited about the run!

After my fantastic run, I met a friend for beers at Hale's Ales. I do think 2 beers can negate all the running I did but I'm not letting it get me down because I haven't had drinks in over 3 weeks! It was well worth it and I really enjoyed myself. Of course getting home at 11 p.m. doesn't help with the sleeping or cleaning for Mot's arrival. I guess I'll get to that after my run tonight but well before I pick her up! I also need to do the grocery shopping. Hmmmm lot's to do tonight!

Best get cracking!

Let the Sunshine In!

It's been a beautiful week of sunshine here in Seattle. I've been able to frollick outside every day this week. The forecast continues to call for fantastic weather through the weekend!

Now while all this wonderful weather makes me happy, it's not been so nice to my knitting or the traffic. I have attempted to remedy this situation by knitting while literally sitting in traffic. Yesterday a 20 minute drive home took me an hour and 20 minutes. So while we were sitting with no hope of ever moving again, I knit a few rows on Chloe's hat. It's looking fantastic!

I also got in 32 laps in the pool last night. My goal was 40 laps but when you are 20 minutes late into a 60 minute workout, you only get 32 laps.

I'm off to let the sunshine in!

Is it Friday yet?

I'm counting down the days until Friday since my best friend comes to visit me that night. She's been living in Brasil but will be visiting me from her trip to South Africa. She is a world traveler! I get to spend 3 days with her which will be wonderful! She lived here in the Fall for about 3 months and I think I might work to convince her to do that again! She's a nurse and gets hired pretty quickly.

My sister-in-law and I joined a local bike club last night for a ride. It was extremely hilly but I think we both had fun! As the penguin says, "Waddle On!"

It's been crazy at work and that's another reason I am counting down the days until Friday. I feel peevish and it's not going away!

In knitting news, I've started Chloe's hat and am about 1/3 of the way done. Knitting knitting knitting!

Knitting Freak

Last night I finally finished the annoying handles for my felted bag! Now I just need to assemble the bag and felt it. Since I have training for my summer job tonight, I may not get to it until tomorrow night, but I know that by this weekend, I shall have completed this project.

I did get to visit a very nice club last night with my sister-in-law. The Pro Club is a real executive club where most Microsofties belong. They get free membership and all I can say is this is a fantastic perk! I would go nuts if I belonged to this place. They are huge and have every service known to man. Also their swimming pool is beautiful and everyone is quite friendly. I really enjoyed myself and tortured my sister-in-law by making her swim 6 more laps than she wanted. But it was good for her and she did so well.

Ta'ra